] Mr. Chairman, I know you join me today in saying to the
] world, judge us by our actions, watch how Americans,
] watch how a democracy deals with the wrongdoing and with
] scandal and the pain of acknowledging and correcting our
] own mistakes and our own weaknesses.

This statement resonates with me. Though there are things that Rumsfeld says and does that I *don't* like, I respect that he went on international media today (the statement was also broadcast live on Arabic channels), and publicly apologized and took responsibility.

The actions that took place at the prison still disgust me. But, the more I learn about what went on, the more I'm encouraged that the system was self-correcting. Yes, some of our people went psychotic and were abusing prisoners. But the abuse *was* reported by another soldier, and the supervisors it was reported to took swift action. The incidents were investigated, documented, and charges were filed -- all this *before* anything had gone public. It was being handled, even without a public outcry, and for that, I'm reassured.

So I liked what Rumsfeld said. Yes, there was a screwup, and it was a big one. But we can measure ourselves not just by how we do things right, but how we deal with things when something goes wrong. The best way to handle it, in my opinion, is to acknowledge that we fucked up, apologize to (and as appropriate compensate) those who were wronged, and then analyze our systems and procedures to see how we can improve things in the future to prevent such screw-ups re-occurring.

I don't expect perfection of my elected officials -- I do expect intelligence, compassion, a desire to do the right thing, and an ability to look at a system that doesn't work, and implement changes to improve it. So far, I'm seeing exactly that kind of behavior on this issue. So no, I don't think Rumsfeld should resign.

Transcript: Rumsfeld's Opening Statement

] Steganography talk by Elonka Dunin (with focus on whether
] terrorists are using steganographic techniques)

I always get a kick out of seeing a link to one of my websites on a college syllabus. :) This one has two: One to my steganography talk, and one to my list of Famous Unsolved Codes.

Colgate University Syllabus: Steganography

] Among the former communist countries set to join the
] European Union on 1 May, Estonia is the smallest, but the
] most technologically advanced.

I'll vouch for this. On orkut, Estonia is now one of the top 10 countries participating, as viewed in the "Demographics" tab:

U.S. ............... 45.2%
Brazil ............ 12.49%
Japan ............. 6.15%
Netherlands .... 3.68%
U.K. ................ 3.39%
Canada .......... 3.06%
India ............... 2.47%
Germany ........ 2.27%
Spain ............. 1.84%
Estonia ........... 1.81%

Orkut is also *huge* in Brazil right now. Their "hot or not" community (Como o Nao Como) is one of the most active on the entire service.

Tiny Estonia leads internet revolution

] Like a well-targeted attack-ad in a U.S. election
] campaign, the Abu Ghraib images make a visceral
] connection with an Arab audience, that no amount of
] contextualizing, apologies, reprimands or school-painting
] can reverse. No ad agency could have produced a more
] effective al-Qaeda recruitment tool: Bin Laden's movement
] presents its goal as the redemption of Muslim honor which
] has been "prostituted" before the West by "apostate"
] pro-U.S. regimes. Scenes of graphic humiliation of
] Muslims by American soldiers -- women mocking the
] genitalia of naked men -- will reinforce the appeal
] among the shamed young men of the Arab world of the
] extremists' message that violence against America as the
] path of Muslim redemption.

TIME.com: How the Prison Scandal Sabotages the U.S. in Iraq

] LAWRENCEVILLE -- Prosecutors on Monday said the trial
] for DragonCon founder Ed Kramer, accused of molesting
] three teen boys, was delayed because of medical reasons.
]
] The trial was originally slated to begin Monday, but it
] was postponed because Kramer scheduled a surgery last
] week and was still recovering, according to Assistant
] District Attorney Jim Miskell. A new trial date has not
] been scheduled yet, Miskell said.
]
] A trial has been deferred several times since Kramer was
] arrested four years ago. Most recently, the case was
] postponed in November after a third boy came forward with
] accusations of sexual abuse and Kramer's attorneys
] asked for a continuance.
]
] Kramer says he is innocent. His attorney, Walt Britt, did
] not return phone calls Monday.
]
] Kramer was arrested in August 2000 for allegedly
] molesting two brothers, ages 13 and 15, at his home. In
] October 2003, another teen came forward with a similar
] account. Kramer has been under house arrest at his Duluth
] home.

Thoughts/Observations:

(1) He had "major surgery," but is well enough to be recuperating at home, but not well enough to attend trial?

(2) Nearly every article I've seen originates with information from the prosecuting attorney. I never hear anything from the defense.

(3) The "Kramer Defense Fund" site has not been updated since 8/2003.

(4) There is a "Defense Fund" mailing list, which for the last several months has been posting *nothing* about Kramer or any of the trial dates -- just occasional links to articles about corruption or abuse in the Atlanta prison system (incidents which have nothing to do with Kramer).

Gwinnett Daily Post - Kramer Trial Postponed Again

American soldiers brutalized Iraqis. How far up does the responsibility go?

This seems to be a very thorough account of the data thus far about the horror at Abu Ghraib.

On the downside, the incidents there were not isolated ones. On the upside, the issues were identified months ago and steps seem to have been taken to try and address them.

I'm still fuzzy on timelines though. Were the pictures we saw from the incidents that occurred last year, that have since been stopped? Or were these new activities? From the report, it looks like the main problems were from October - December 2003. Officers were suspended months ago, and the trials are already underway on some -- it just wasn't public knowledge.

But, has it stopped? Or not?

Torture at Abu Ghraib | Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker

] A Gwinnett County judge has ordered the continuance of
] the child molestation trial for DragonCon founder Edward
] Kramer.
]
] Kramer had surgery recently and it is unknown when his
] condition will improve enough that the trial can be held,
] said prosecutors. Kramer is at home recuperating and
] remains under house arrest.
]
] Edward Kramer is the founder of the popular annual
] science fiction convention DragonCon.
]
] Today, six months after his initial trial date, Kramer
] was to face felony charges of child molestation and
] aggravated child molestation.
]
] Kramer was arrested Aug. 25, 2000, after a 13-year-old
] boy said he was sodomized while spending the night at
] Kramer's Duluth home.
]
] Weeks later, the 15-year-old brother of the 13-year-old
] told police that he, too, was molested while visiting
] Kramer's home, authorities said.
]
] Just before the case was to go to trial last November,
] another victim emerged. An 18-year-old testified before a
] grand jury panel and claimed four years of sexual abuse
] by Kramer, a family friend, prosecutors said. The teen
] said Kramer abused him between January 1996 and August
] 2000.
]
] Kramer maintains his innocence

I find it suspicious that the surgery was scheduled in a conflict with the new trial date, causing the trial to again be delayed.

DragonCon founder's trial delayed again

I am appalled at the way prisoners were treated, as seen in these photos. There is no excuse for these actions, there is no spin, this is just plain wrong. My only hope is that this is an aberration, and *not* the way that prisoners across the country are being treated.

If this *is* the way that my country is treating the enemy, then I will withdraw my support for the war. If these kinds of incidents are widespread, then I say get us out *now*. It would be better to let the Iraqis endure the anarchy that would follow, and deal with their own problems (or not), than to see American soldiers commit further atrocities of this nature. It's bad enough hearing the death toll rise. But in combination with seeing our soldiers torture and humiliate prisoners? No, that's too far. I supported this war to liberate Iraq from a ruthless dictator and to make life *better* for Iraqis -- not to inflict further humiliation of this type from American hands.

RE: The Abu Ghraib Prison Photos

] Frustrated after months of trying to solve Kryptos.................

Heh. This is the page of one of the other cryptographers who's working on Kryptos. He created a 3D model of the sculpture, and then imported it into a Half-Life engine so that he could take a crowbar to it. Scroll down to the bottom to see the screenshots. I kinda sympathize.... ;)

Kryptos and crowbars

] Three Rings, developer and operator of Yohoho! Puzzle
] Pirates, the massively multi-player game of Puzzles and
] Piracy for the casual gamer, today announced a number of
] milestones for their hit online game.

This game deserves all the awards it has won. It's that rare beast, an *innovative* multiplayer online game. Graphics aside, it's one of the most creative things I've played in a long time, and I'm totally hooked.

In a nutshell, it's a combination of a multiplayer world, casual games, roleplaying, economics, exploring, and combat. I'm also delighted by a very intuitive interface, and an extremely low barrier to entry. No box needs to be bought in a store, no extensive form needs to be filled out to create a character. All you need is a character name, an email address, and a computer that can surf the web and run Java (there's about a 3 Meg initial download).

Once in the game, there's a smooth introductory tutorial that brings you right into the gameplay, and then you're right into the action. New players are hired aboard ships which sail the seas, fighting brigands and pillaging treasure: Gold, valuable commodities which can be sold at various islands, and charts which lead to new islands. As a player gains experience, they can be promoted to Pirate, Officer, or higher. If enough resources are gathered, players can acquire their own ships, form their own crews, ally together under various flags, and then battle it out in huge blockades for control and governorship of the various islands.

It's great fun, and I highly recommend it. :) The game can be played at:

http://www.puzzlepirates.com

Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates Tops 5,000 Subscribers