Wednesday, September 26, 2001

>>>> EFF.  Send a virus do a life term.  I am hoping that spam qualifies under these new laws.  On a serious note, I don't think these restrictions will ever get better or get lifted.  They will most probably get worse with time.  Why?  With the rapid development of new technologies, the ability of a small grouip to do terrible damage is going up exponentially.  Today, 10 k people can take on the world (bin Laden).  In ten years it may be a dozen.  In twenty, it may be a single individual.  How do we stop that?  How do we maintain an open society under that threat?  Frankly, I am not sure there is a solution, and that my friends is depressing.  9:04:58 PM    Comment_ Trackback []

>>>> Bill Joy.  National Science Foundation Lecture (RealVideo).   The future doesn't need us.  More good thinking whether you agree or not. 12:50:33 PM    Comment_ Trackback []

>>>> The outlines of the Bush strategy emerge. NYT.  Bush urges Afghans to oust Taliban (in not so many words). It's pretty clear that Bush is going to attempt to topple the Taliban through the use of the Northern Alliance and other tribes.  The predominantly Pushtu Taliban (26% of the population) is on the edge of collapse.  The Northern Alliance has guerilla forces operating throughout Taliban territory.  6 months of increased guerilla pressure with US aide will enable our military operate virtually unmolested as we search for bin Laden.  It's clear that the Northern Alliance may be able to take control of the country in the next year if Pakistani aide is withdrawn from the Taliban.  The Taliban troops are demoralized and most people under their control are willing to switch sides if induced.  In order to help the Northern Alliance, the US should pin down bin Laden's 11,000 warriors by targetting his strong-holds and camps.  These troops are the most effective fighters on the Taliban side and people we encountered to our detriment in Somalia.  Hit and run raids on these camps will force bin Laden to hold most in reserve for defense of these camps.  In terms of diplomatic efforts, Pakistan should be induced with withdraw their military advisors and confederates from the Taliban's employ.  Without these troops all that will be left of the Taliban are forced conscripts from tribes hostile to the Taliban leadership.  Powell, now dominant within the administration's brain-trust, will focus on one target at a time.  Afghanistan first.  Iraq next.  This strategy will follow the following road-map: 1) Construct an alliance (mostly done, additional nations joining) for action. 2) Isolate Afghanistan politically (done), economically (in process), and militarily (in process). 3) Position US troops in forward positions (in process) in Pakistan, India, and Tajikistan. 4) Supply weapons and money to the Norther Alliance.  Identify tribal leaders in the south that support insurrection and support their efforts to gain independence. 5) In the spring, begin systematic raids by special operations forces and military aircraft on bin Laden's strong-holds.  6) Repeat steps 4 and 5 until bin Laden and the Taliban are neutralized as a threat.  7) Pour in money and support to improve conditions in the region (including Pakistan).  Develop safeguards against a resurrection of terrorist organizations.  Develop regional alliance to guard against hostile developments. 9:50:30 AM    Comment_ Trackback []

>>>> NPR.  Does the future really need us?  Joy.  Kurzweil.  A discussion on the proliferation of dangerous technologies in an unstable world.  We need to really think about this.  What limits do we need to do to make sure our new technologies not fall into the hands of people like bin Laden?  These technologies are increasingly accessible by the individual (the essence of all technological innovation is to leverage the individual).  Will one person be able to declare war on the world and win next time? Joy:  "Are we democratizing the capacity of people to be evil (on a grand scale)?" 7:46:23 AM    Comment_ Trackback []

>>>> Another great e-mail on moderate muslim voices. First off, I'm thoroughly disgusted by the real reactions of my nearly all of the muslims I've grown up with, including some close family. Publicly, they show the same crocodile tears as anyone but privately, since I'm "one of the boys" I get to see the real side. And it's heart-wrenchingly ugly. Not to put too fine a point on it, they are happy, in the sense of (to quote one person) "that we finally got one on them." This article is pretty accurate, even for those living (and in many cases born) in the United States. If this is unbelievable, ask yourself some of the same questions I've been asking: 1. All of the Arab and muslim countries (except Iraq) have said publicly how terrible this thing is. Why haven't their religious leaders rescinded their fatwas against the US yet? 2. Why haven't these so-called religious leaders released a fatwa for bin Laden and all other terrorists everywhere? 3. China has killed well over a hundred thousand muslims, why are there fatwas against them? No holy wars in Beijing? No 767s? (I'll tell you why--because China would have blasted them off the face of the earth--and they know it). 4. All in all, other muslim countries have killed each other far more than we have. Why are we the Great Satan? 5. Why hasn't a single Arab country joined the coalition yet? Where's Kuwait? Didn't we save their ass? Get where I'm going with this? I think the response from the Arab and muslim world is totally unacceptable, and that is an understatement. We are dealing with something that most Americans don't understand and the threat needs to be eradicated. 5:28:45 AM    Comment_ Trackback []