Quick Hits

Items clogging up my inventory of news and information:

-Here's a nice "didja know": we're funding warlords in Somalia, including some of the same ones that dragged US soldiers' bodies through the streets of Mogadishu during the infamous "Black Hawk Down" affair. These warlords are fighting Islamic groups for control, and the war on terror certainly makes for strange bedfellows, but will we ever learn that blowback is a bitch?

-In other countries long forgotten and rarely heard from, looks like we're conciliating on North Korea. Iran, take note: this move teaches the world that you're not safe from the United States if you're merely SUSPECTED of having nuclear weapons; you're only safe if you actually have them. Is up ever down.

-The Dukestir has come around and will cooperate on the ongoing investigation by the House Ethics Committee into his fellow members of Congress and their dealings with defense contractor pals Brent Wilkes and Mitchell Wade.

-Meanwhile embattled Democratic lawmaker William Jefferson of Louisiana apparently has a starring role inin America's Funniest Sting Videos. This blogger has been calling for the resignation of Rep. Jefferson since last September and on at least 5 separate occasions (check the archives). If indicted, I hope the DNC Chair and the House Minority Leader would do the same. And I suspect I won't be disappointed, as Dean already has stated that as his intention.

And I'll elaborate on this later, but a word on the reaction: Not only has Dean called for Jefferson's resignation if indicted, but Pelosi referred him to the Ethics Committee. This is true on blogs as well. You haven't seen one lefty blog come out in defense of Jefferson. That's the difference between Democrats and Republicans. Our instinct is to weigh the evidence and then call for lawbreakers to step down. Their instinct is to defend, and attack the accusers (be they Democrats, the media, or "rogue district attorneys."

In other words, we have a morality and an ethical line. They don't.

-Homeless vets have always been a problem, and that is continuing with Iraq War veterans. There's a documentary called When I Came Home that details this disturbing trend.

-Meanwhile the personal data of over 26 million veterans was stolen this month when an employee of the VA Office took the information home with him and then burglars took it. You have to get up pretty early in the morning to be that incompetent. It's like we're trying to win an incompetency contest.

-It's not like you can count on anything to remain secure with these guys in charge, from your identity and information to your personal safety. And two House Democrats are fighting back:

Two key Democrats on the House committee that oversees the Department of Homeland Security criticized the agency last week for not releasing to Congress reports on 118 security plans for mass transit, rail, aviation, ports and borders.

Many of the reports were due in 2003.

"The American people deserve more from the Department of Homeland Security than missed deadlines, especially when our nation's security is at risk," said a letter signed by Rep. Bennie Thompson (Miss.), the ranking Democrat on the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Kendrick Meek (Fla.) ranking Democrat of its subcommittee on management, integration and oversight.

Democrats: They know that Congress' job includes oversight.

-Oh yeah, remember that peace deal in Darfur? Not so much.

-And while fighting in Afghanistan has reached a postwar peak, we have another one of those "announce a high-level capture on Page 1, admit the mistake on page 28" situations:

The Taleban commander Mullah Dadullah has not been captured, a spokesman for the US-led forces in southern Afghanistan has said.

Last week Afghan officials indicated they had caught the commander, who is believed to be the Taleban's military leader in southern Afghanistan.

"We have, in fact, captured a high-ranking Taleban who does fit the general description of Mullah Dadullah but I can confirm to you it is not Mullah Dadullah," Major James Yonts told the BBC.

Believe it or not, there are still 10 stories on my to-do list but I'll stop there.