Israel’s defense ministry is reporting that attacks on Israelis are way down since the irrelevant Yasser Arafat called for an end to violence on December 16.

Here’s why nobody has any faith in the government’s ability to get anything done. Congress makes a big deal out of federalizing airport security and upping the job requirements for screeners at security checks in airports, and the first thing the commission created to take on the task does is axe those higher requirements. I honestly have no idea what skills make one well suited to competently screen travellers who pass through metal detectors, but the current crop of screeners obviously doesn’t possess them. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could actually go back to the drawing board here?

You know what I’d like to see in Afghanistan instead of peacekeeping forces of the traditional kind? A massive liaison effort between civilian and military police officers and the new government and military in Afghanistan. Let’s send a few thousand cops and MPs over to Afghanistan and provide training on how to set up law enforcement infrastructure, and how to maintain order. Wouldn’t it be great if every law enforcement officer in Kabul were accompanied by a foreigner with years on the job who could give them some mentoring on how the police are supposed to act in civilized countries?

Remember Special Forces Captain Jason Amerine, who was interviewed for a Washington Post article earlier this month? He also has some quotes in a New York Times article from yesterday. The article discusses the ups and downs of using the Northern Alliance troops as a proxy force on the ground. It also has a more detailed description of the battle of Tarin Kot, where Amerine’s detachment of troops basically prevented a massacre at the hands of the Taliban.

Not to be outdone by the Washington Post, the New York Times has published its own long story documenting the steps taken to counter terrorism over the past 8 years or so. One of the more interesting things that becomes clear when reading the article is that the Monica Lewinsky scandal was a huge distraction from the fight against terrorism. President Clinton is to blame for this because he allowed his poor impulse control to derail his entire administration. The Republicans are to blame for cynically accusing the President of using his response to the embassy attacks to distract the country from the scandal. In the end, the Lewinsky affair and the response to it almost certainly played a role in the loss of thousands of lives.

Kuro5hin: Two Islamic Soldiers

Phrack 58 is out. How weird is that?

CRPM one year later.

NY Times: The Year in Internet Law

A quick note on the most recent Osama bin Laden video: in it, bin Laden states that the attacks were intended to force the United States to end its support for Israel. To me, this seems like the most craven sort of political rhetoric there is. As the intensity of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians increases, bin Laden further seeks to capitalize on it in his statements. I’m certainly not foolish enough to believe that he’s actually interested in the plight of Palestinians, and I hope the Palestinians aren’t either. Besides, the last thing they need is a friend like Osama bin Laden. The Palestinians have a just cause in seeking sovereignty for themselves — the anti-Semites within their ranks, and those goading them on from the sidelines throughout the Muslim world do nothing but discredit them.