Random News & Views Roundup

- In an effort to look like the macho, tough guy commander in chief again (minus the strategically-padded flight suit and Mission Accomplished banner), Bush will address the nation Monday nite to tell the people about his plans to militarize the US/Mexico border with 5,000 National Guard troops. Bush's 2006 budget, which had been expected last year to fund an additional 10,ooo border guards actually allowed adequate monies for only 210. Thus, while Bush appears to be riding in on his white horse to save the day with this new plan, it's really the result of his failure to protect the border in the first place. CYA and pray that the base is really, really stupid...

UPDATE: Glenn Greenwald details the startling debate going on in the right-wing blogosphere about impeaching Bush for his failure to protect the US/Mexico border.

- What do you do when you have a troop shortage in the USA? You send mentally ill soldiers back into combat and hope they don't commit suicide while they're over there.

The investigation by The Hartford Courant also found that despite a Congressional order which stipulates that the military assess the mental health of all troops being deployed, only one in 300 troops sees a mental health professional before leaving for Iraq.
[...]
Col. Ritchie also told the Courant that while the military works hard to prevent suicides, it's hard because every soldier has a weapon.

The true insanity is that of the DoD, thinking that soldiers with PTSD and/or those with suicidal ideations are actually fit for combat. Rumsfeld obviously has no problem with torturing so-called enemy combatants. Now he's torturing his own soldiers by forcing them into war while they suffer from such serious personal health issues.

- Bush's idyllic democracy in Iraq is going down the toilet just like his poll ratings:

BAGHDAD (AP) — Efforts to create a national unity government in Iraq stumbled Sunday as a member of an influential Shiite alliance bloc threatened to form a new government unilaterally if rival groups did not scale back their demands. Sunnis said they may withdraw from the process entirely.

Under the constitution, Prime Minister-designate Nouri al-Maliki faces a May 22 deadline to form a government.

- The fact that the NSA is tracking calls between ABC, the New York Times and the Washington Post (and who knows who else?) and their sources really shouldn't be news. It was a logical assumption following the USA Today story last week that data on billions of Americans' calls were being collected. I'm surprised it took these news organizations more than a few days to figure this out.

- What were four Canadian soldiers doing with 'military training explosives' in a Montreal apartment that blew up on Friday? They're damn lucky no one was injured.

- The numerous Liberal leadership candidates seem to be fighting amongst themselves about Canada's mission in Afghanistan. It looks like Joe Volpe might be my choice for a potential leader at this time due to his stance on the issue.

- Why has Bushco removed Libya 'from its list of state sponsors of terrorism'? One word: oil.