Posts by Russell Brown
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While the Iranian regime, Iraq and the US are the big winners from the new NIE, the big losers are the Iranian people who will have to continue to suffer under a brutal regime that over the last 27 years has killed 4,000 people, solely because they were gay, amongst a litany of other brutal acts and oppression against Iranians.
I'm not sure about the 4000 claim -- it's an unverified 1996 estimate by one group, often repeated -- but there is no doubting the people ultimately in charge of the place are ogres.
But even the Bush cultists weren't actually talking about overthrowing the regime: just conducting bombing raids on specific targets. So the NIE estimate just doesn't imply what you suggest.
Look at the justifications for the Iraq invasion then consider the impact: 600,000 dead, four million refugees, the destruction of civil society (in large part in favour of tribalism and Islamic extremism) and then consider the wisdom of war.
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The NIE report wasn't that much of a surprise ...
**US report confirms Iran 'no imminent danger': IAEA official**
A US intelligence report saying Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme four years ago confirms the UN atomic watchdog's assessment that Tehran represents "no imminent danger", a senior IAEA official said Tuesday.The report "validates the (International Atomic Energy Agency's) statements over the last years that inspectors have found no concrete evidence of an undeclared nuclear weapons programme in Iran," said the official, who declined to be identified.
The report also validates IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei's assessment "that he has not seen an imminent danger and that there is ample time for negotiations," the official added.
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Aw ... I kept it together till I saw the little cat picture. Blub.
What you've done here is important, and people will still think that in years to come. More so, probably.
Remember, the door is always open for a guest post from Geneva. Always.
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'Bombshell'. Something that a person drops, causing all manner of shock and surprise.
In the context of the terrorism business, shouldn't that be "Bombershell"?
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Godwin, the verb, more by virtue of demonstration than usage. There was someone at the EFB protest wielding a swastika banner; it feels to me that NZ politics has become so rabidly polarised, and the media get so histrionic, that every little argument gets ramped up to a godwin stalemate really quickly now.
Mr Litterick of the Fundy Post has an intriguing account of Protest Saturday in Auckland.
He goes to these things so you don't have to.
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I'll take the blame for that one! Any specific suggestions? Is it the key for the demand points, the networks, or both?
It's actually working out what's what on the map. I know it's nearly all Telecom networks, but it's hard to see what else there is. Maybe I'm just challenged.
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Hey, here's something I hadn't seen before.
Back in July, Key used his videoblog to invite suggestions for a theme song.
And yup, someone suggested 'Clocks'. The same commenter also confirms Robyn's memory about Labour's use of 'Up Where We Belong' (puke!) in 1984.
Someone else suggests, with a straight face, the Verve's 'Bittersweet Symphony'.
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Embarrassing (and deservedly so) and potentially expensive - you bet. Chances that someone at National Party HQ is being torn a new arsehole as we speak -- near certain. The End of Days? Naaah....
Quite. Although I guess we have to allow The Standard some gloating given that earlier this year they were contacted by Key's office asserting copyright in a picture of Key they were using and demanding they take it down. Oops.
But, holy shit, the small-arms war currently being fought between The Standard and Kiwiblogblog on one hand and Kiwiblog on the other is something to stay away from. I dread to think how that will unfold in 08.
I guess the next stage is see whether EMI and the co-writers of the song think it's worth suing over.
I doubt that will happen. Trashing 10,000 DVDs is a fairly significant step towards compliance.
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I'm not sure if that's my nomination though. When do nominations close?
End of the week-ish. It would be helpful if someone could list the contenders in a post here (I'm going to be kind of consumed by Thursday's party and am likely to be unwell on Friday) and then I'll get a Survey Monkey page up to take votes.
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Craig Ranapia sums up his year in radio commentary, names his arty-farty Kiwi of the year and bids us all a happy holiday season.
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