Pakistan: Not in our backyard!

The Pakistanis are not happy campers. Pakistan's top general is declaring his intention of defending the country's borders "at all cost." Pakistan's government of the hour is now stuck with the conundrum of what to do since it wasn't told beforehand of the loosened rules of engagement. This comes in the wake of the Sept. 4 attack by the coalition forces in South Waziristan and allegations that Team Bush signed off on a secret plan authorizing attacks by special forces against the enemy hanging out in Pakistan's tribal region. The new orders seem to be driven by a mistrust of Pakistan's security apparatus, though the revelations may have forced the Pakistanis to kick it up a notch. Admiral Mike Mullen has probably provided the most honest appraisal of the war in Afghanistan, which will almost certainly get him sacked. He has noted that Afghanistan and Pakistan are linked in the current violence and that Afghanistan's problems run deep and wide. "We can't kill our way to victory."

MMS Chicks gone wild

No wonder they were chanting "drill, baby, drill" at the RNC convention. In a scandal worthy of the tradition of Warren G. Harding, it seems the Minerals Management Service became all about sex, drugs and gifts for oil deals. The Interior Department's inspector general released a report showing misconduct over a period of four years. Earl E. Devaney described matters at the agency succinctly as “a culture of ethical failure.” Reports submitted to Congress show Big Oil firms providing MMS employees with alcohol-, cocaine- and marijuana-filled parties, along with other, less interesting outings. As the agency is one of the government's biggest cash cows, it's no wonder they're chanting "drill, baby, drill."

Remember, remember the eleventh of September

Today marks the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The irony is that while a new CNN poll shows that only one in 10 Americans think terrorism is an issue now, Team Bush doesn't get much credit for the present feeling of security. The memorials to those who died are also moving sluggishly. And while President Bush took the day to dedicate the Pentagon memorial, New York City Mayor wants the World Trade Center memorial open no later than 10th anniversary of the attacks. Both presidential candidates were expected to appear together at Ground Zero to remember the nearly 3000 people who died there.

Kim Jong's ill?

What if you threw a party and didn't come? That seems to be the case in North Korea where the country celebrates 60 years of, well, umm ... surviving? The always reliable CIA and the Japanese intelligence service both believe that North Korea's maximum dictator for life suffered a stroke in August. But the North Koreans bravely soldiered on with a lower-key party, attended by civil defense units rather than the real army. The cabinet, however, declared that its army could still "mercilessly punish invaders" whether it had "Dear Leader" or not. So even though the old man didn't come out and play, the nation partied anyway. Hail to the chief.

The beginning of the world as we know it?

The new Large Hadron Collider goes live on Wednesday and there is much sturm and drang over whether flipping the switch -- by Lyn 'the Atom' Evans -- on this thing under Europe will mean the end of everything. The collider is designed to smash atoms in such a way as to pry open the secrets of the birth of the universe and uncover the theorized Higgs Boson. And while the "doom mongering" is likely to ultimately amount to so much background radiation, be sure to check that your insurance is up to date. Just in case.