04.17.2003
Well, here’s a shocker. The oilfields in northern Iraq that were essential to funding reconstruction have been stripped bare of $500 million in essential equipment, essentially halting oil production for one to two months, while the military looked on. Now, call me cynical, but look at the end effect: if the U.S. military had protected the North Oil Co.’s facilities, the Iraqi people would have retained a vital asset in their economic independence and self-determination. Now, the only way they’ll be able to produce oil again is with the aid of a multinational like Halliburton or ExxonMobil, and they’ll see a lot less of the money as a result, the cost certainly more than $500 million in the long run. Something to think about next time you fill up your gas tank.
Also today in we-never-really-cared-about-the-people news: two members of the President’s Advisory Committee on Cultural Property, including its chairman, have submitted their resignations to Bush over what they called “the wanton and preventable destruction” of Iraq’s cultural treasures, notably last week’s looting of the National Museum of Antiquities. Our role in not preventing this tragedy has been widely criticized, especially as the military may have been warned repeatedly in advance that it could occur.
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04.15.2003: searching for the chiru
NPR reports on the search for the chiru’s near-mythical calving grounds.
04.19.2003: the accursed storefront
This American Life reports on Starbuck’s ill-advised foray into my neighborhood.