Phyrfight Intel

BY NORMAN PODHORETZ

Although many persist in denying it, I continue to believe that what Sept 11, 2001, did was to plunge us headlong into nothing less than another world war. I call this new war World War IV, because I also believe that what is generally known as the Cold War was actually World War III, and that this one bears a closer resemblance to that great conflict than it does to World War II. Like the Cold War, as the military historian Eliot Cohen was the first to recognize, the one we are now in has ideological roots, pitting us against Islamofascism, yet another mutation of the totalitarian disease we defeated first in the shape of Nazism and fascism and then in the shape of communism; it is global in scope; it is being fought with a variety of weapons, not all of them military; and it is likely to go on for decades.

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From:engadget

Just as the Times Online predicted last month, Amazon.com is set to strike a potentially major blow against DRM by launching a download store later this year that will offer millions of songs in unprotected, MP3-only format.

From:NRO

In a stunning move, House Democrats today revealed they will attempt to rewrite House rules that have gone unchanged since 1822 in order to make it possible to increase taxes and government spending without having to vote and be held accountable.  House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today vowed Republicans will use every available means to fight this unprecedented change.

From:engadget

Microsoft’s General Counsel claims that free and open-source software (FOSS) violates exactly 235 Microsoft patents: Linux kernel (42), Linux GUI (65), Open Office suite (45), email (15), and then another 68 patents violated across a variety of FOSS wares.

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From:Best of the Web

Oh No, Not Agana!
Who says the Democratic Congress isn’t getting anything done? By a vote of 288-133, the House last week approved the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act, described by Congress.org as follows:

Recognizes the suffering and the loyalty of the people of Guam during the Japanese occupation of Guam in World War II.

Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make specified payments to: (1) living Guam residents who were killed, injured, interned, or subjected to forced labor or marches resulting from, or incident to, such occupation and subsequent liberation; and (2) survivors of compensable residents who died in war or survivors of compensable injured residents (such payments to be made after payments have been made to surviving Guam residents). Defines “compensable Guam decedent” and “compensable Guam victim.”

In fairness, the bill, whose text you can read by clicking here and going to the fourth version listed, doesn’t actually refer to “living Guam residents who were killed.” Still, isn’t there something screwy about the idea that the U.S. taxpayer should be paying reparations for atrocities committed by the enemy more than six decades ago? No wonder we can’t afford the war in Iraq.

From: Patriot Post

Clearly demonstrating that they cannot be trusted with the nation’s security, House Democrats are considering an Intelligence Authorization bill that calls for an assessment of the effects of climate change on national security. Yes, you read that right, climate change. With existential threats such as al-Qa’ida, North Korea, Red China and Iran lurking around the world, one would think that the nation’s limited intelligence resources could be put to better use than studying SUV exhaust. This same misuse of defense-related programs occurred during the Clinton years, too. We wonder what clues to 9/11 were missed while satellites were photographing polar bears in the Arctic.

Describing the climate study as “cutting edge,” Intelligence panel Chairman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) said the idea is one of several changes his party has made to intelligence policy. “This is an area that we may be vulnerable in terms of potential terrorists,” Reyes declared. The office of Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) wondered, “It’s hard to imagine how anyone could believe that climate change represents a more clear and present danger to the United States than radical Islamic terrorists armed with bombs, but that’s essentially what Democrats have concluded in this bill.” Indeed, should the U.S. ever again have to answer the question, “Was this attack preventable?” the answer will be that instead of funding the intelligence services to evaluate and warn of direct national threats, funds were diverted to study climate change. Don’t you feel safer already?

What is the deal with this hexadecimal number and why is it so important?

Updates via Wired and Freedom To Tinker