The Bush Doctrine reminds me of the political philosophy class I took a few years ago: Wolfowitz (liberally paraphrased):

The challenge of the 21st century is the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, which make it possible for small groups of people to threaten countries. To prevent this, one nation is needed, whose power is beyond contest. The United States of America must be this Leviathan. #

Hobbes:

“Nature has made men so equal in the faculties of body, and mind; as that though there be found one man sometimes manifestly stronger in body, or of quicker mind that another; yet when all is reckoned together, the difference between man, and man, is not so considerable, as that one man can thereupon claim to himself any benefit, to which another may not pretend, as well as he. For as to the strength of body, the weakest hath strength enough to kill the strongest, either by secret machination, or by confederacy with others, that are in the same danger with himself.” #

– Leviathan Chapter 13

The US’s former allies do not support the “US as Leviathan” System and accuse it of violating Law 9:

“If nature therefore have made men equal, that equality is to be acknowledged: or if nature have made men unequal, yet because men that think themselves equal will not enter into conditions of peace, but upon equal terms, such equality must be admitted. And therefore for the ninth law of nature, I put this: that every man acknowledge another for his equal by nature. The breach of this precept is pride.” #

-Leviathan Chapter 15

London Times war correspondent Christina Lamb is called a ‘unilateral’ journalist because she she is not “embedded”. Her interview on Irish Radio starts at 1 hr 16 min and runs until 1:29

(Link broken)

A California Congressman has drafted a law that would require postwar Iraq use the CDMA cell phone standard. The bill would benefit Qualcomm corporation, whose headquarters are in his district and set the tone for Iraq’s post war reconstruction.

Darrell Issa demagogues for his cause by calling the competion (GSM) an “outdated French standard”. The important question to ask is not what an American Congressman wants, but what is in the best interests of Iraq.

GSM already has 60 million customers in the region and coverage in:

• Kuwait
• Jordan
• Israel
• Turkey
• Saudi Arabia
• Egypt
• Syria
• Iran

America is not likely to gain new friends in the region if exhiles and visitors to Iraq need to purchase new dual chip cell phones.

Related

• Darell Issa’s Letter: Parlez-vous francais?
• Congressional Lawmakers Balk At Plan To Deploy French/German Cell Phone Technology In Post-War Iraq

GSM’s response

• The Guardian: Battle over Iraqi mobile network begins Internet
• News: CDMA Pushed on Postwar Iraq News.com: Legislator makes call for Qualcomm
• Salon: To the victor go the spoils
• Wall Street Journal: Lawmaker Wants Postwar Iraq To Use Qualcomm Technology, by Jesse Drucker
• Reuters: Lawmaker Urges U.S. Wireless Standard for Iraq Slashdot: CDMA vs. GSM in Post-war Iraq
• Computer World: Citing antiwar views in Europe, U.S. lawmaker pushes CDMA technology

 

Update

U.S. push for CDMA standard rebuffed

I never knew that Fred Roger’s testimony was quoted in the Supreme Court Case which legalized the VCR:

.. Very frankly, I am opposed to people being programmed by others. My whole approach in broadcasting has always been “You are an important person just the way you are. You can make healthy decisions.” Maybe I’m going on too long but I just feel that anything that allows a person to be more active in the control of his or her life, in a healthy way, is important.

Full Story: We’ll Miss You Mr. Rogers in New York Lawyer via Martin Schwimmer and Ernie the Attorney