From: Gary Miller (garymiller@starband.net)
Date: Sun May 11 2003 - 14:03:59 MDT
>> It's a bit premature to proclaim that there were no WMDs.
How are other countries news explaining away the sanitized mobile
bio-lab being shown on the US news?
Are there any alternate uses for such a vehicle?
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-extropians@extropy.org [mailto:owner-extropians@extropy.org]
On Behalf Of Harvey Newstrom
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 11:45 AM
To: extropians@extropy.org
Subject: RE: [IRAQ] RE: Name Calling vs. Ad Hominem
Mitchell Porter wrote,
> It's one month since they pulled down that statue in Baghdad. It was
> *four years* between the end of Gulf War I and the discovery of the
> hidden bioweapons program, and that only happened because its
> administrator, Hussein Kamel, defected to Jordan - not because the
> weapons inspectors independently stumbled upon it. Nuclear weapons
> programs may be hard to hide, but bioweapons seed stocks can be stored
> in small containers and buried anywhere you please. It's a bit
> premature to proclaim that there were no WMDs.
This is true. However, it is not too soon to declare that U.S.
intelligence was flawed. We have already searched hundreds of sites
where we were "sure" we would find bioweapons manufacturing. None of
them turned out to be what the U.S. claimed. Even if we do eventually
find something somewhere, it is clear that U.S. intelligence was just
plain wrong on almost everything. It may be that they were lying as an
excuse to attack Iraq. It may be that they were so interested in
finding an excuse that the selectively interpreted intelligence reports
in a way to say what they hoped they would say. But the bottom line is
that other countries won't put up with our claim that we have secret
evidence that will be presented later. From now on, I expect the U.S.
will be distrusted unless it shows clear evidence up front.
(This applies to "enemy combatants" as well, now that dozens of the
prisoners have been released from Guantanamo with no connection to any
crimes or war activity. Secret evidence and hidden tribunals always
fail to be fair, and this round has been no different. The world won't
put up with their citizens being detained without notification, without
lawyers, without evidence, and without a chance to defend themselves.)
-- Harvey Newstrom, CISSP, IAM, GSEC, IBMCP <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> <www.Newstaff.com>
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