In the News: Mar-03

Obama cites need to 'reset' relations with Moscow - 3 Mar 2009 at 2:28pm - WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said Tuesday he has told Russia that reducing Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon would in turn lessen the need for a U.S.-planned missile defense system in Eastern Europe that Moscow has opposed. But Obama said he sought no "quid pro quo" with Moscow.

Is there something wrong with a quid pro quo? That's diplomacy, baby: you want something, you make a deal for it. Or are we still operating under the GWB definition(fantasy?) of diplomacy, wherein the U.S. declares its desires, and the rest of the world scurries to accommodate?

Murtha says Afghanistan plan lacks goal - 3 Mar 2009 at 1:32pm - WASHINGTON -- Rep. John Murtha says the situation in Afghanistan is so challenging that he estimates it would take 600,000 troops to get the country under control.

Six powers commit to "direct diplomacy" with Iran - 3 Mar 2009 at 12:28pm - VIENNA (Reuters) - The United States and five other big powers said on Tuesday they were committed to direct talks with Iran to defuse a standoff over its disputed nuclear work, underlining a U.S. turnabout from a policy of confrontation.

German Court Bans E-Voting As Currently Employed - March 03, 2009 8:56:00 AM - The highest German Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht, Federal Constitutional Court) ruled that electronic voting machines like Nedap ESD1 and ESD2 are not permissible in Germany. Der Spiegel, a well-known German newspaper, is featuring article on today's decision which was the result of a lawsuit by physicist Ulrich Wiesner and his father Joachim Wiesner, a professor emeritus of political science. The main argument against the voting machines in the eyes of the Court is that they conflict with the principle of transparency. 2009 is a major election year for Germany, with parliamentary elections in the fall." Reader Dr. Hok writes "Voting machines are not illegal per se, but with these machines it wasn't possible to verify the results after the votes were cast. The verification procedure by the German authorities was flawed, too: only specimens were tested, not the machines actually used in the elections, and the detailed results (including the source code) were not made public. The results of the election remain legally valid, though.

Clinton says missile shield to protect from Iran - 3 Mar 2009 at 7:49am - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated the United States' intention to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons on Tuesday but declined comment on a report Washington offered Russia a deal to help achieve that.

Bush-era memos saw rights limits in U.S. terror war - 3 Mar 2009 at 6:02am - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military could have kicked in doors to raid a suspected terrorist cell in the United States without a warrant under a Bush-era legal memo the Justice Department made public on Monday.

Thought for the day:
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. -Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992), "Foundation"