Month: August 2005

Rolling blackouts in California

California: home of power problems[*1] :

Southern California Edison began shutting off power in areas Thursday after the California Independent System Operator, which operates the electric grid in California, declared a transmission emergency.
. . .
A transformer in Los Angeles’ Sylmar section that converts power from the Pacific Northwest took itself off-line automatically Thursday afternoon when an oil flow alarm went off, said Carol Tucker, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which co-owns the transmission line.

When you take everything into account, why in the world would anyone want to live in one of Cali’s major cities?

Royals slap around Schilling, Red Sox

An unfamiliar group of baseball players wearing blue appeared for the second straight game at Kauffman Stadium and played like they deserved to be on the same field with the World Series champions[*1] :

The Royals continued their uplifting spurt Thursday night with a 7-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox, taking the series two games to one at Kauffman Stadium. The Red Sox’s lead over the New York Yankees shrank to 2 1/2 games in the American League East.

“It just makes trying to understand this game a lot more complicated,” Royals manager Buddy Bell said. “You don’t understand how that streak happened. You don’t understand how you can go through that and come back and play really well.”

I have to say I really enjoyed writing this article’s headline. Royals need to go 21-16 to avoid 100 losses.

Michael Yon: New Media Star

Who is Michael Yon? The blogosphere[*1] is abuzz with this guy’s first-hand reports with the troops in Iraq[*2] :

When I came back into the TOC, Major Michael Lawrence–who I often challenge to pull-up contests, and who so far has beat me (barely) every time–looked me square and professionally, in the direct way of a military leader and asked, “Mike, did you pick up a weapon today?”

“I did.”

“Did you fire that weapon?”

“I did.”

“If you pick up another weapon, you are out of here the next day. Understood?”

“Understand.”

Yon is linked throughout the (right-wing) blogosphere, from the big guys (Instapundit[*3] , Chrenkoff[*4] , Malkin[*5] ) to the up-and-comers (Truth On Iraq[*6] , Slublog[*7] , Right We Are[*8] ) and many others.

French Intelligence: Al Qaida targeting Asia

Captain Ed[*1] is on it:

We need to strip ourselves of any illusions about this as well. A successful attack on any of these economic powerhouses will have a serious impact on our own economy. The West needs to band together to protect our combined assets and present a united defense against AQ lunatics. Given our relationship with Japan and Australia, it should be a far easier task there than in Europe.

Bolton wants a different kind of UN reform

Bolton says “I think not” to a UN “reform” initiative[*1] :

Large sections would commit Washington to policies with which it profoundly disagrees. America is being asked to promise 0.7 per cent of its national income for foreign aid; acknowledge the role of the International Criminal Court, which it has not joined; and cut extreme poverty and introduce primary education for all children within 10 years.

via Hugh Hewett[*2] .

Iraqis continue to struggle with Constitution

Shiite majority in Iraq offers one more compromise to the Sunni minority[*1] :

Sunni Arabs, meanwhile, said federalism, especially al-Hakim’s demand for a Shiite mini-state in the south, remained the major obstacle. But they said the Kurds were unwilling to budge on that issue in order to protect their own self-ruled region in three northern provinces.

“Federalism is now the core issue. In light of Kurdish intransigence it makes it difficult to hope for a compromise,” said Sadoun Zubaydi, a Sunni member of the drafting committee.

Sunni Arabs fear that federalism will lead to the breakup of the country and deprive them of oil wealth, concentrated in the Shiite south and the north, much of it in areas the Kurds rule or want to incorporate.

The Sunnis apparently don’t understand that federalism is the only way Iraq will stay together. The Kurds (and to a lesser extent the Shia) won’t accept any less. It’s time for the Sunnis to learn the democratic principle that “half a loaf is better than none.”

BRAC keeps Ellsworth AFB, closes Walter Reed hospital

The Base Realignment And Closure commission votes to keep open Ellsworth Air Force Base[*1] :

Looking for at least five commissioners to raise their hands in support of Skinner’s motion, the South Dakotans instead saw all but one of the nine-member panel vote to save Ellsworth.

Big win for Senator John Thune and the state of South Dakota.

Yesterday, the BRAC voted to close the storied Walter Reed Army Hospital[*2] .

The Pentagon had recommended closing the venerable hospital, where former President Dwight Eisenhower died in 1969 and Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur died in 1964. Heritage aside, Defense Department planners argued that the cost of needed improvements at Walter Reed was far greater than the expense of building a new center.

CIA internal report recommends disciplinary actions

The CIA inspector general asks Director Porter Goss to institute disciplinary reviews[*1] of CIA agents who failed to act prior to 9/11:

Following a two-year review into what went wrong before the suicide hijackings, (CIA inspector general John) Helgerson harshly criticizes a number of the agency’s most senior officials, according to people familiar with the report. Among those singled out for criticism are former CIA Director George Tenet, former clandestine service chief Jim Pavitt and former counterterrorism center head Cofer Black.
. . . Those who know Goss well question whether the director, who took over the agency last September, will commission the disciplinary reviews.

Despite public outcries for accountability, many in the intelligence community believe Goss would be loath to try to discipline popular former senior officials and cause unrest within the agency.

With all due respect to the AP and Newsday, the last two quoted paragraphs are ridiculous. There will be accountability here. Anyone at the CIA who has the “my job’s too important to be held accountable” attitude needs to be gone. Now.