Ubi’s response to the concerns raised by gamers is typically dismissive and frankly reeks of an expectation that people should throw money at them regardless of the crap they shovel out.  I’m not playing that way – it’s my money and I can choose to not spend it.

Yes, piracy is a significant concern and this dumb move just made the pirate’s product a lot more attractive.  Good job at alienating your customers, Ubi.

Been reading some interesting books lately that are definitely worth a browse:  John Dean (the same one who testified against Nixon in Watergate) has some good commentary on the current US politics in “Worse than Watergate” and “Conservatives without Conscience”.  Rather than a commentary by someone with progressive leanings, this is by someone who has been at the highest levels of government and seen how it operates from the conservative side of politics.  While the do paint a dim light on the current administration (not that it’s really necessary to do so – they are painting a dim enough light all by themselves), the books go into a lot more detail that is often missed in the media’s rush to press.

Anyway, both good reads and not too expensive as ebooks (my current preferred reading format).

• You can be a hero by being in the wrong place at the wrong time and dying without doing anything.  I’ve heard it many times said there were “2749 heroes lost”.  It’s a lot of meaningless garbage that cheapens the few instances of true heroism on that day.  Someone sitting in an office getting hit by a plane isn’t a “hero”.  They are just unlucky innocent victims of a battle that no one still understands particularly well.  I for one turn scorn on the abject abuse of that word and mourn the few dozen heroes of that day that are lost among the 2700 or so who were just unlucky.
• Americans (and probably everyone else in the world too) are weak and afraid.  They are so afraid they’ll go out in masses to buy duct tape and plastic sheeting for no logical reason.  They’ll drive their children to work to avoid snipers when the chance of being shot by a sniper is lower than the chance of being killed in the car.  They’ll drive places rather than fly when an aircraft is still safer per passenger-mile than a car.  They’ll panic at the smallest thing on an airplane, even when someone owns up to it with a perfectly good explanation.  They’ll vastly overstate the impact of terrorism when you have about the same chance of getting hit with a meteor than getting killed by a terrorist.
• The government likes people scared.  They are more pliable that way and give it more power.
• Ideology, belief and zealotry aren’t enough to win over oppressed people, especially when you go into a fight without a good idea of what it means to win, let alone how you’ll get there and how you’ll get out again once you are there.  Hint: “Stay the course” is not a plan, it’s a political platitude.
• Ideology, belief and zealotry are enough to win over your own people though, especially when your political opponents are so disorganized that they couldn’t organize a piss-up in a brewery.
• Ideology, belief and zealotry are sufficient to convince leaders that despite the contradictions of the only democracies in the middle east being the ones furthest away from America’s political goals, attempting to force more democracies on people that care more about food, water and electricity than politics is a goal worth spending tens of thousands of dollars from each and every American taxpayer on even though it’s never worked before.
• Truth and Justice are the “American Way”, except when things get a difficult.  Then it switches over to assumptions, inquisitions, witch-hunts and state-sponsored disappearances.

America’s reaction over the last five years is depressing.  This is a nation that is flailing about like a dog stung on the tail by a bee, trying to catch whatever is causing the pain and end it.  This is a nation where the major political parties are so busy trying to convince people that each can protect the voters so much more than the other that neither has the chance to step back and ask exactly what is protection and what is oppression.  This is a nation that has lost it’s way and has no one to guide it back.

On the bright side, democratic nations sit in a relatively stable equilibrium.  Things do eventually right themselves as people start to wonder what they really were thinking.  Freedoms given up during blind panic are slowly won back by those brave enough to stand up for them.  It takes decades, but it does come good eventually.

So, what should be never forgotten on September 11th?  Nothing.  September 11th is nothing special beyond a temporary victory for a terrorist group that isn’t even well supported by America’s enemies.  It’s a day that one day I hope America will forget.  That one day the self-pity, the fearmongering and the overreactions will end and people will wake on a September 11th and all I’ll have to think is that it’s the birthday of my best man at my wedding, and not the day America temporarily lost itself.

Of course, this sort of argument would hold the ring of truth if the person making it had demonstrated an ability in the past to accurately predict how the word did, in fact, work so in fairness to George let’s have a look to see just how well he and his advisors know how the world around him does actually work (and I’ll even be nice and ignore his “Bushisms”):

• Saddam has WMD and we know where they are
• We’re talking weeks, not months [for the Iraq effort]
• The Iraqi people will welcome us with open arms.
• [The Iraqi violence] is the actions of a few dead-enders
• Mission accomplished
• Terrorism is the opposite of Democracy” (yet, Hamas and Hezbollah both won many democratic seats)
• Bring it on
• The violence is a last ditch effort that will end soon
• The timetable for Iraq finished when the government was formed
• If you aren’t with us then you’re against us
• I have political capital and I intend to spend it

In fact from all of that, I find it hard to remember a President who knew less about how the world worked than the current one.  He’s really managed to bungle practically every foreign affairs matter that he’s touched, so when George Bush stands up and says that he has to spy on Americans for their own protection and if you don’t agree with him then you don’t know how the world works, it’s a fairly good bet that, once again, George really doesn’t know how the world works and sometime soon another of his half-baked plans will come crashing down on America once again.

2001 – The US removes Iran’s primary distraction on their eastern borders in the destruction of the Taliban regime.  Prior to that time, Iran had spent a lot of effort protecting Hazaris in the west of Afghanistan from the slaughters the Taliban liked to conduct there.  Without the Taliban in power, Iran’s self imposed obligation to defend these people vanished.

2003 – The US removes Iran’s primary distraction and primary enemy on the western borders with the destruction of the Hussein regime.  Aside from the catastrophic 8 year war with Iraq in the 80s, Hussein offered aid and protection to the opposition factions operating within Iran and was continually a threat to Iran’s ambition to be the majority local player.

2004 – The US efforts in Iraq fail to quell the Sunni insurgency and the revenge culture of the nation makes the political scene ripe for the thousands of Shi’ite clerics and businessmen pouring over the border from Iran to establish themselves as leaders withing their communities.  To date, it is estimated Iran has over 40,000 trained and armed operatives within Iraq and Iran funds virtually all of the Shi’a militias who are so wantonly dragging Sunnis into open streets and shooting them in Baghdad.

2005 – Elections in Iraq push the Iranian backed Shi’ite parties into majority power.  This was a massive win for Iran in the area as they now have allies in positions of power all the way from India through to the Mediterranian.  It was nicely summed up by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, leader of the Guardian Council in Iran when he said “Iraq is now going through its election cycle. The election results are very good.”

2006 – Iran’s nuclear ambitions come under heavy fire in international politics but are all but ignored after Hezbollah (an Iranian controlled group in Lebanon) successfully taunt Israel into starting the bloodiest general attacks on Lebanon in a decade, diverting the world’s attention from Iran to the rekindled Israeli/Lebanese confrontation.

Now we find that the US has exhausted its political will for occupation of Arab nations and the world is crying against Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, and the US’s inaction on the matter.  Iran continues with its nuclear programs and continues to pour trained and armed troops in Iraq.  Iraq’s Prime Minister Malikii, a strong Hezbollah and Iranian ally, receives ovations on the floor of the US congress even as he refuses to renounce his strong condemnation of Israel.

Iran has the US right where it wants it.  Iran can ignore US threats and refusals to deal diplomatically while stretching its arm across the Middle East to spark off wars.  Iran can sit “innocently” by on an international stage condemning the Israeli government and their US allies for the loss of Lebanese life as they continue to arm and strengthen Hezbollah.  Iran can now spark fires wherever and whenever it wants to distract the world’s diplomatic process.  They took the “if you aren’t with us then you’re against us” rhetoric and drove it to the ultimate conclusion of isolating the US as it tried to cast players in black and white in the hopeless shades of grey inside the Middle East.

All I’m waiting for now is the Iranian response if and when the US decides to attack their nuclear facilities.  Given America’s rapid retreat from Beirut in 1983 when 241 Marines were killed by Hezbollah, just what will the reaction be if Katushya rockets start flying from the Shi’ite majority factions into the Baghdad Green Zone where US forces are conveninetly packed on top of each other in a nice pile for rocket targets?

Iran did nothing of note in the last 5 years.  They just let Time and America take out their enemies for them so they could establish a commanding position in the region.

Thanks to this article in the WaPo for most of this post.  Sinon and Takeyh are leading researchers at the CFR.

`(b) Ethical Requirements- Human embryonic stem cells shall be eligible for use in any research conducted or supported by the Secretary if the cells meet each of the following:

`(1) The stem cells were derived from human embryos that have been donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the clinical need of the individuals seeking such treatment.

`(2) Prior to the consideration of embryo donation and through consultation with the individuals seeking fertility treatment, it was determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded.

`(3) The individuals seeking fertility treatment donated the embryos with written informed consent and without receiving any financial or other inducements to make the donation.

Note the following restrictions on which embryos could be used for science:

• Must have been created for the express purpose of reproduction.
• Must have been scheduled for destruction (killing) anyway.
• Must have consent.
• Must not be induced.

So, in short, what the President has done is ensured that the hundreds of thousands of embryos that are killed every year in the name of giving infertile couples children continue to be killed without offering any chance for giving life to someone else suffering from a disease.  The veto of this bill was the moral equivalent of preventing dying people from giving their bodies to science.  No matter which way you look at the results, George W. Bush has saved no babies and instead delayed science which may have saved lives.

On top of the fact they’re restricted in raiding content, the itemization also leaves a lot to be desired.  For the most part, the hardcore toons are decked out in practically the same gear that anyone in the game who even raids a night or two a week has access to, and you can see that’s beginning to grate.  It’s not that they want to “keep the casual raiders down beneath them”, it’s that they really do deserve some better sparkly pixels for their efforts than the people who put less in.

At least for the casual raiders there’s a bunch to do – we currently raid 3 nights a week and have Deathtoll, Lab or Lord Vyemm, Lyceum of Fear and Halls of Seeing, not to mention Goreniere, Talendor, Harla Dar and Pedestal of Sky (yeah, last expansion I know, but I want that BP).  Who could really ask for more?

Been making myself hated on the EQ2 boards lately hashing out this very topic.

On the right, we have the dumbasses who can’t tell the difference between a withdrawal and surrender.  Surrender implies meeting some sort of terms and actually being defeated – neither of which is the case.  Withdrawal is a slow and staged process of removing yourself in a calm and coordinated manner.  After all, we managed to withdraw after Desert Storm and I’ve yet to see anyone suggest that we surrendered to Saddam in ’91.

On the left, we have dipshits who still persist in the “Bush lied, people died” bullshit.  That’s been done to death so many times it’s just stupid to hear it over again.  While I happen to disagree with his reaction to the intel, the fact is the intel was flawed.  Seriously flawed.

Then we have the retards on the right who claim that criticism of a President is anti-American.  Sorry – but that’s plain wrong.  Exercising freedom of speech is absolutely American and should be cherished, even if they are being idiots in their suggestions.  Questioning someone’s patriotism when they simply have alternate political views is about as anti-American as you can get.

And lastly we have the numbnuts on the left who think “withdrawal” means “get the hell out tomorrow”.  Sorry – but that really is a stupid idea.  Power vacuums lead to bad governments.  You *have* to pull out in an organized and gradual fashion.

Yes, it’s time to leave.  Yes, Iraqis don’t want Americans there any more.  No, we can’t and shouldn’t do it quickly.

The document is 25 pages, half of which are a simply government structure (which is complex enough) but the remainder is a grab-bag of legislation, half baked ideas and even contradictory assertions that the future Iraqi government must adhere to.  It won’t work because it can’t work.

My primary concerns on the document are that it drops way too many socialist imperatives on the state – free health, free education, free childcare, free pensions. Those cost money and not insignificant amounts.  For a state to maintain all of those things at a universal level raises the level of taxes beyond burdensome and into the realm of insanity, even for an oil rich state like Iraq.

My secondary concerns are with the overt complexity and enumeration of what is effectively legislation and not simply a framework for legislation to grow into. Once Iraq develops ambulence chasing lawyers (and they will), their Supreme Court is going to have one hell of a time interpreting the constitution in any sort of rational manner.

Going into some more detail on the more critical of the flaws:

Article (2): 1st – Islam is the official religion of the state and is a basic source of legislation:
(a) No law can be passed that contradicts the undisputed rules of Islam.
(b) No law can be passed that contradicts the principles of democracy.
(c) No law can be passed that contradicts the rights and basic freedoms outlined in this constitution.

The order of precedence for basis of law puts Islam above everything else, including the constitution itself.  That’s not a stable system of governance as it always puts the religious question of whether any law enacted either by the constitution or the government is actually enforceable based on whether it conflicts with Sharia.

Article (7): 1st – Entities or trends that advocate, instigate, justify or propagate racism, terrorism, “takfir” (declaring someone an infidel), sectarian cleansing, are banned, especially the Saddamist Baath Party in Iraq and its symbols, under any name. It will be not be allowed to be part of the multilateral political system in Iraq, which should be defined according to the law.

Banning parties is silly and anti-democratic - if the majority of the people want Saddamist Baathism back (which I doubt, but this is a mental exercise) then doesn’t the principle of democracy outlined in Article 2 give them the soverign right to vote them back?  Banning “trends” is even worse because defining a trend is ambiguous and often partisan in nature.

Article (8): Iraq shall abide by the principles of good neighbourliness and by not intervening in the internal affairs of the other countries…

Iraq is constitutionally forbidden to intervene in the affairs of other countries.  This effectively prevents any sort of foreign military action.

Article (16): Equal opportunity is a right guaranteed to all Iraqis…

Without bounds, equal opportunity is not a good thing because it’s not a practical thing.  The fact of human life is that people don’t have equal opportunity – some are born into richer families, some into poverty.  To legislatively force equal opportunity places an overwhelmingly large burden on society to effectively correct the “wrongs” nature deals to people at every level.

Article (17): 1st – Each person has the right to personal privacy as long as it does not violate the rights of others or general morality.

This can be phrased to simply say that you have no right to privacy because when you’re arbitrarily declared “immoral” then you forfeit whatever right you previously had.  Legislated morality is always a dangerous and anti-libertarian issue.

Article (19): 12th – (a) (Arbitrary) detention shall not be allowed.

This clause is expanded on later, but effectively prevents the police from detaining anyone without charges.  Ask any police officer what happens if they cannot detain a person before charging them and I think they’ll laugh at you.  Essentially it prevents the police from being effective.

Article (21): 1st – An Iraqi shall not be handed over to foreign bodies and authorities.

This should be called the “Terrorist protection clause”.  Any Iraqi that commits a crime in a foreign nation and then makes it back to Iraq is free.  They cannot be extradited.

Article (27): 1st – Public property is sacrosanct, and its protection is the duty of every citizen.

This seems wrong.  How far does the duty extend?  The way it’s worded, you are committing a federal offense if you don’t get involved in the protection of public property, in other words, you could be imprisoned for inaction.

Article (28): 2nd – Low-income people should be exempted from taxes in a way that guarantees maintaining the minimum level necessary for a living.

While the definitions are probably part of legislation, this provision makes the crafting of tax law a somewhat tricky business as the “minimum level necessary” is bound to require some interpreting and even legislating from the bench from their Supreme Court.

Article (29): 1st (b) The state shall guarantee the protection of motherhood, childhood and old age and shall take care of juveniles and youths and provide them with agreeable conditions to develop their capabilities.

As I said before, the care of motherhood, childhood and old age is guaranteed by the state.  That’s an enormous expense and certainly doesn’t encourage private retirement savings.

Article (30): 1st – The state guarantees social and health insurance…

The state also guarantees social and health insurance (whatever social insurance means).  Given the costs of health insurance in the US, this is yet another huge hit to the Iraqi federal budget.

Article (31): 1st – Every Iraqi has the right to health service, and the state is in charge of public health and guarantees the means of protection and treatment by building different kinds of hospitals and health institutions.

The universal right to health service is massively expensive, especially in the unrestricted form guaranteed by this constitution.  That clause alone could virtually bankrupt the government, and would also be impossible to get a 2/3 majority to remove.

Article (32): The state cares for the disabled and those with special needs and guarantees their rehabilitation to integrate them in society.

State guaranteed disability and “special needs” pensions with the goal of rehabilitation and not just treatment.  Many more federal $$$ going away here.

Article (33): 1st – Every individual has the right to live in a correct environmental atmosphere.
2nd – The state guarantees protection and preservation of the environment and biological diversity.

Again, the state is constrained in its action that any development must guarantee the protection and preservation of the environment.  Industrial development could be brought to a screeching halt on this one if the Iraqi Sierra Club gets off the ground, or more likely if Greenpeace or others get involved locally.

Article (34): 2nd – Free education is a right for Iraqis in all its stages.

I think I mentioned that thing about federal $$$ being chewed up by the constitution?  Well, here’s another shot.  Guaranteeing a free education to anyone that wants it is a definite way to pack your colleges with people who really don’t want to work and farming that financial burden off onto the taxpayer.

Article (36): The state guarantees, as long as it does not violate public order and morality:
1st – the freedom of expressing opinion by all means.
2nd – the freedom of press, publishing, media and distribution.
3rd – freedom of assembly and peaceful protest will be organized by law.

The “public order and morality” clause effectively annihilates those rights.  Declaring something immoral (which is a highly subjective categorization) can prevent opinion, the press and assembly.  In other words, you don’t have those rights at all.

Article (38): The freedom of communications and exchanges by post, telegraph, telephone and by electronic and other means is guaranteed. They will not be monitored or spied upon or revealed except for legal and security necessity in accordance with the law.

Again, the “except…” clause means the right is non-existant.  It’s just fluff to make it look good without actually being good.

Article (45): Restricting or limiting any of the freedoms and liberties stated in this constitution may only happen by, or according to, law and as long as this restriction or limitation does not undermine the essence of the right or freedom.

In other words, the freedoms enumerated only mean the “essence” of the freedoms and not the actual enumerations.  This article virtually nullifies the entire section as it reduces everything to this ephermal “essence” and that’s what the Iraqi Supreme Court is going to have to decide on every single issue.

I’m leaving out Chapter 3 onwards in the analysis because that’s essentially the part that is just the formalized structure of government.  If you read through it, it’s rather complex – especially at the federal/state interaction level but probably workable, at least if it wasn’t hamstrug with the largely half-baked ideas on freedom and non-freedom.

To summarize, the Iraqi draft constitution should be sent back for a rethink.  Constitutions should be short and to the point, not some rambling document with a bunch of “wouldn’t it be nice” ideas tossed in.  If this constitution passes then Iraq isn’t going to become any sort of shining democratic light in the Middle East.  It will be a tar-pit of legal and administrative nightmares that will leave the people yearning for the days of simpler governance.

The list of “demands”:

• They want the ownership of any natural resources, including oilfields, and the power to determine how the revenues are split with the central government.
• They want authority over the formidable militia called the pesh merga, estimated at up to 100,000 members, in defiance of the American goal of dismantling ethnic and sectarian armies. The pesh merga would be under nominal national oversight, but actual control would remain with regional commanders. No other armed forces would be allowed to enter Kurdistan without permission from Kurdish officials.
• They want power to appoint officials to work in and operate ministries in Kurdistan, which would parallel those in Baghdad. These would include the ministries that oversee security and the economy.
• They want authority over fiscal policy, including oversight of taxes and the power to decide how much tax revenue goes to Baghdad. The national government would make monetary policy but would not be able to raise revenue from Kurdistan without the agreement of Kurdish officials.
• The “green line” that defines the boundary between the Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq would be officially pushed south, to take in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, the city of Khanaqin and the area of Sinjar. Kurdish leaders argue that this would just reestablish historic borders where Mr. Hussein had drastically altered the demographics by displacing Kurds with Arab settlers.

Interesting list.  Effectively seceding in all but name.

Dd