the war journal

On September 19, only eight days after the tragic terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the Bush Administration unveiled its proposed Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), legislation that included many changes to the nation's current surveillance laws. The chart below compares the changes proposed by the ATA, the latest versions of that proposal passed by the House and Senate, and a now-abandoned compromise bill that was passed by the House Judiciary Committee. Also included are capsule ACLU comments on those changes.

Temeczko told his lawyer, William Wangensteen, in late September that he wanted help with a will.

CNN.com - Propaganda war may miss targets - October 21, 2001

Young cited, for example, attempts by Iraq's Saddam Hussein to demoralize U.S. troops during the 1991 Gulf War. While they were away fighting, Iraqi broadcasts warned, movie stars like Bart Simpson were seducing the troops' sweethearts.

CNN.com - Rangers leave Taliban photos of U.S. firefighters - October 21, 2001

Franklin, 35, photographed the firefighters hoisting a flag plucked from a yacht onto a single flagpole anchored in the rubble about 20 feet off the ground. Using a long lens, he captured the moment from 100 feet away, unbeknownst to the three firefighters -- Dan McWilliams, George Johnson and Billy Eisengrein.

A senior Taliban commander was quoted Saturday as saying American soldiers are too soft for the rigors of ground combat in Afghanistan and that the U.S.-led air campaign has inflicted little damage on the country's defenses.

I must admit that despite my pacifist stance this guy just doesn't seem to understand the "waking giant" which was unleashed on the 11th of September.

Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar - Why Washington's smoothest diplomat is falling from favor.

by David Plotz

The American media and American policy-makers have finally realized that Bandar no longer speaks for his country, and that his country, unfortunately, is not the kind of place he says it is. Bandar wants it to be like the good old days, when he and President Bush could settle this over dinner and a stogie. But post-9/11, Bandar's charm, pragmatism, and optimism are not merely useless but destructive. He is peddling fragrant lies at a time America needs dirty truths.

The Nation:

That the September 11 terrorist attacks changed the world has been a common refrain. But why the attacks took place, what a just and effective response would look like and how exactly the world has been transformed is still unclear.

The Nation website will offer continuing reporting, analysis, commentary and investigation on the terror attacks and their aftermath on this special page.

We've put together a collection of relevant resources, including all Nation articles--both from our pages and from the website--relating to the attacks; a collection of Nation archival material; a series of links to peace and anti-discrimination groups; a selection of current essays and articles from publications around the world; and a set of Internet-based resources devoted to elucidating the true essence of Islamic culture and to discussing tensions in the world's far-from-monolithic Muslim communities. We'll be regularly adding new material to this page in the days and weeks ahead.

As he passed through the metal detector, an airport security guard furrowed his brow at Godfrey’s reading selections as they disappeared through the conveyor belt.

On the cover of the book, Hayduke Lives! by Edward Abbey, is an illustration of a man’s hand holding several sticks of dynamite. The 1991 novel is about a radical environmentalist, George Washington Hayduke III, who blows up bridges, burns tractors and sabotages other projects he believes are destroying the beautiful Southwest landscape.

Attention Taliban! You are condemned. Did you know that? The instant the terrorists you support took over our planes, you sentenced yourselves to death. The Armed Forces of the United States are here to seek justice for our dead. Highly trained soldiers are coming to shut down once and for all Osama bin Laden's ring of terrorism, and the Taliban that supports them and their actions.

"Our forces are armed with state of the art military equipment. What are you using, obsolete and ineffective weaponry? Our helicopters will rain fire down upon your camps before you detect them on your radar. Our bombs are so accurate we can drop them right through your windows. Our infantry is trained for any climate and terrain on earth. United States soldiers fire with superior marksmanship and are armed with superior weapons.

"You have only one choice ... Surrender now and we will give you a second chance. We will let you live. If you surrender no harm will come to you. When you decide to surrender, approach United States forces with your hands in the air. Sling your weapon across your back muzzle towards the ground. Remove your magazine and expel any rounds. Doing this is your only chance of survival."

A Memo to American Muslim Leaders

Peggy Nihilism is not manly, it is the last refuge of sissies Noonan is really quite charming in her naivete. Of course she is a member of the chattering classes so I guess I can forgive her for being so precious. Some of us outside of her very narrow demographic grouping never stopped opening doors for women. In fact I'd say most of us.

Attackers Did Not Know They Were To Die

FBI investigators have officially concluded that 11 of the 19 terrorists who hijacked the aircraft on 11 September did not know they were on a suicide mission, Whitehall intelligence sources said last night.

Unlike the eight 'lead' attackers, who were all trained pilots, they did not leave messages for friends and family indicating they knew their lives were over. None of them had copies of the instructions for prayer and contemplation on the eve of the attacks and for 'opening your chest to God' at the moment of immolation, which FBI agents discovered in the luggage of Mohamed Atta, the man believed to be the hijackers' leader, who flew the first plane to destruction in New York.

It is understood the FBI has found evidence suggesting the 11 men expected to take part in 'conventional' hijackings - with the planes flown to distant airports, and the passengers and crew taken hostage while the hijackers presented demands. Items found among the 11 men's possessions suggest they had been preparing themselves for incarceration. One source said: 'It looks as if they expected they might be going to prison, not paradise.'

Syed raised his eyebrows at me. "But who bombed the World Trade Center?" he asked her. The girl's answer chilled me: "American Jews." Where was an eight-year-old picking this up? From her parents? Classmates? "I just know," she replied matter-of-factly, as she skipped off to the garden stream. She was so sweet, and she gave such twisted answers. Nobody in the Muslim world really understands what the U.S. is trying to do, and we sure don't understand them. It's going to be a long war against terrorism.

- Tim McGirk

"Sesame Street has always stood for mutual respect and understanding," a spokeswoman said. "We?re outraged that our characters would be used in this unfortunate and distasteful manner. This is not at all humorous.The people responsible for this should be ashamed of themselves. We are exploring all legal options to stop this abuse and any similar abuses in the future."

- Michael Y. Park @ FOX

This just in: The creature known as "Big Bird" is, at present, unaccounted for and should be considered winged and dangerous. Still wanted for questioning regarding the infamous "Mr. Hooper Incident". Is believed to travel with mysterious, overweight, gravelly-voiced character known either as "Snuffalupagous", or "Harvey Fierstein".

In contrast to Big Bird, this mysterious sidekick is considered harmless, and quite amusing at times.

- Metafilter thread 11284

TIME.com: Osama's Endgame

There is a word that gets attached to elusive international villains. The word is shadowy. Carlos the Jackal was shadowy. Abu Nidal was shadowy. One of the novelties of Osama bin Laden is that he is hardly shadowy at all. There is little mystery about bin Laden's life except his precise whereabouts now. For a terrorist ringleader, he has given a remarkable number of interviews. He has even played host at a press conference. Bin Laden has talked articulately about his history, his outlook, his strategy to defeat the U.S. What he hasn't told journalists he has laid out in fairly eloquent treatises. While the world was surprised by what bin Laden or his associates did on Sept. 11, it cannot be surprised by his intentions. These have been made clear for years by his many pronouncements.

"Anyone who looks at the overhead photography of these poor human beings, amassing into thousands of people trekking across drought-stricken areas, has to be just heartbroken. It is important that we and other countries assist those people," Rumsfeld said.

JD's Blog: New Media Musings