Aug. 04, 2004 - 18:57 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Excuses

Today's Rocky Mountian News has several articles, which I will quote portions of each, followed by my opinion.

The first one is by Katherine Pfleger Shrader of the Associated Press:

Ridge defends warnings

Intelligence's age doesn't decrease the threat, he says.

"Tom Ridge defends his decision to tighten security in New York and Washington even though the intelligence behind the latest terror warnings was as much as four years old."

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My opinion. If the intelligence is so darn old why wasn't something done about it four years ago ? Maybe security should be tightened, but why not overall ? And why make a staged show of the whole thing ? Giving Al Qaida the poop on what our leaders fear ? And coming back after the fiasco on TV he does it again. My deepest, opinionated thought, "Shut up Tom and do something sensible and not blather on the TV about the threat we live under." Hell, we all know that sort of thing can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone of us, and probably will to some of us.

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Next item:

Halliburton settles SEC inquiry for $7.5 million

by Pam Easton of the Associated Press:

"Houston -- Halliburton Co. will pay $7.5 million to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission probe that it failed to disclose a change in its accounting procedures in 1998 when the oil services conglomerate was run by Vice President Dick Cheney" "Besides the company's fine, former Halliburton controller, Robert C. Muchmore Jr., will pay a $50,000 penalty, the SEC announced Tuesday." "Neither the company nor Muchmore admit or deny the SEC's findings that the company didn't properly disclose the accounting change, which recognized revenue from unapproved claims on long-term construction projects." "The SEC has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court against Halliburton's former chief financial officer, Gary V. Morris."

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My opinion. I think Halliburton go off easy, $7.5 million ? Chicken feed to such a huge outfit it looks like to me. The lower echelon taking the blame and blows for what I would think the brass instigated and appoved. The settlement is sort of one of those victimless, blameless things. You know, "Give us the bucks and we'll forget about it."

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Then in an article by David Kesmodel of the Rocky Mountain News, In parts:

UAL wants suits shelved

Pension-plan dispute hurts restructuring effort, airline argues

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My opinion. It appears that UAL wants to be excused paying into the pension plans -- and is making no noise of payments being deferred to a later date when profits are up. Seems like they want out of it entirely. Sure they are in a mess -- one that I think is their own fault from the beginning. but it looks like those retired or just about to do so are going to be the fall guys. The pitiful thing is that I think some time back the employees bought United out -- supposedly -- now what the heck, who does own it ? Might even think UAL brass are Republicans, they certainly act like it.

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Of course there is a previous article in July 29 Rocky Mountain News, by Carlotta Gall of the Associated press -- In part:

Afghan danger cited as aid agency to flee

"Kabul, Afghanistan -- The international aid agency Medicins Sans Frontieres -- Doctors Without Borders -- announced Wednesday that it was withdrawing from Afghanistan and closing operations after 24 years, in protest of the government's failure to arrest the culprits in the killing of five of its staff members in June."

"The killings and a string of threats from the Taliban directed at the agency led to the decision to leave, Kenny Gluck, operational director of the agency, said at a news conference in Kabul."

"The risk of further attacks remained too high," he said. "It is with outrage and bitterness that we take the decision to abandon them," Marine Buissonniere, secretary-general of the organization, said of the most vulnerable people of Afghanistan."

"The country's infant mortality and maternal mortality remain among the highest in the world, and tuberculosis infection is rampant."

"The agency also denounced the U.S.-led coalition force in Afghanistan for using humanitarian aid to build support for its military and political ambitions, an action it said had fatally blurred the lines between humanitarian and military activity, and endangered the lives of humanitarian aid workers who go unarmed, trusting on the good will of the people they assist."

"The move, which has shaken the government and the aid community in Afghanistan, is unusual for Doctors Without Borders, which is renowned for working in the toughest conditions and conflicts. "The group rarely withdraws from a country: only North Korea in recent years and Ethiopia 20 years ago," Gluck said."

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My opinion and probably that of many other folks is that when it becomes too difficult for Doctors Without Borders to save people because of ideological and political differences, it might just be time for us all to pull out of there before we bankrupt the decent countries of the world, of people, money and materiel, and our own land to boot. I think that there is quite a bit of inept leadership and damn poor policy plannning. It is obvious to me that we are not wanted there, even if it is to save peoples lives and help them in other ways. I am downcast.

In a world of troubles all we get is bumbling and Excuses . . . . . . . . . .

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