Link to the story. Summary of the story:
A U.S. military spokesman in Tikrit told United Press International that the report was untrue.
“Nothing’s been found. The report is not factual,” said Master Sgt. Robert Cowens, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division, based in Tikrit.
It’s not confirmed/official/etc. yet, but it doesn’t come as any surprise to me. Here is a link, but I included the entire article below. Consistent with my other “comforting thoughts“. Sleep well.
BAGHDAD, July 21 (UPI) — Iraqi security reportedly discovered three missiles carrying nuclear heads concealed in a concrete trench northwest of Baghdad, official sources said Wednesday.
The official daily al-Sabah quoted the sources as saying the missiles were discovered in trenches near the city of Tikrit, the hometown of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
“The three missiles were discovered by chance when the Iraqi security forces captured former Baath party official Khoder al-Douri who revealed during interrogation the location of the missiles saying they carried nuclear heads,” the sources said.
They pointed out that the missiles were actually discovered in the trenches lying under six meters of concrete and designed in a way to unable sophisticated sensors from discovering nuclear radiation.
The sources said al-Douri, who is related to former Vice Chairman of the Iraq Revolution Council and Saddam’s right-hand man Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, was captured after Iraqi police intercepted an e-mail message in which he set a meeting with another former Baath official.
The report could not be authenticated by the interior ministry or the national security department, but the paper noted Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiar Zibari made a surprise request recently to Mohammed el-Baradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to resume inspections for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Copyright 2004 by United Press International.
All rights reserved.
Last week Los Alamos started getting in trouble and ended up being shut down. This week the news that Sandy Berger is under investigation for violation of security. His lawyer and some politicians are making light of it saying it was “inadvertent” and/or “sloppiness”. For anyone that has worked with classified data this excuse is like a high school student saying the boogie-man ate my homework. You would be skeptical if they said their dog ate it but it’s out of the realm of possibility for anyone to believe even for a second the boogie-man story.
Anyway… a memo just “came down” to inventory all our removable storage media. I’ve worked here over 2.5 years and this is the first time this sort of thing has occurred. I’ve had to do complete inventories with checks on all the markings, etc. before but never just removable storage media. I had an administrative assistant ask me to open my safe and do the inventory with her. No big deal–10 minutes out of my day. I only had one hard disk and it took longer to log my entry into and out of the safe than to do the inventory.
Does anyone not believe this is going to be the last straw for the University of California management contract at Los Alamos? It’s up for renewal. Battelle wants that contract, so do others. Battelle might not get it but I’m nearly certain UC is going to be exceedingly hard pressed to hold on to it.
The Battelle Staff Association arranged for a group rate on the Columbia Gorge. Barb and I took Xenia and went on a short cruise on a sternwheeler. We took a bunch of photos the more interesting of ours are here. Xenia took a bunch too. We had a nice time. I loved hearing about the history and geology of the area. It was a long drive for us but by driving along the more scenic north side of the Columbia river on the way back made the drive enjoyable as well.
Former world chess champion Bobby Fischer was arrested in Japan on Tuesday. I used to play a lot of chess. That was pretty much all I did in high school and the first year or so of college. Bobby Fischer won the world championship in ’72 (I think) when I was very much into the game. I feel a fair amount of attachment to him for what he did for chess. It makes me sad to read stuff like the following:
Mr. Fischer’s legal troubles date back to 1992 when he emerged from hiding to play a highly publicized match against Russian Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia, then at war with Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Mr. Fischer won the competition, earning a prize of more than $3 million, but he was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury for violating United Nations sanctions against Yugoslavia by playing the match there.
…
“I think the U.S. is not going to exist much longer,” Mr. Fischer said. “I think everybody is going to be surprised at just how soon the U.S. collapses and the U.S. becomes history.”
In other such interviews, Mr. Fischer has praised the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Barb and I were talking the other day about how famous people are often strange. She was reading a book on John Lennon and asked, “Does becoming famous make people strange or is it that only strange people become famous?” My answer was, “I don’t know. But my hypothesis is that in order to be famous most people will have to be ‘different’ in some way. Smarter, greater motivation, extrodinary talent, something like that. Whatever it is that made them different may also have a tendency to make them strange. And of course there are a fair number of examples of people that appear to be ‘nice’ and manage to handle fame fairly well. But you are correct, it does seem like there is some sort of correlation.”
Bobby Fischer is possibly the greatest chess player that has ever lived and it’s possible that whatever it was that made him such a good player also made him more than a little bit strange.
Read the complete story here. But the bottom line is:
A new book written by a former FBI consultant claims that al-Qaida not only has obtained nuclear devices, but also likely has them in the U.S. and will detonate them in the near future.
…
Williams claims that al-Qaida has been planning a spectacular nuclear attack using six or seven suitcase nuclear bombs that would be detonated simulantaneously in U.S. cities.
Ground zero would likely be Washington D.C. and the major population centers.
Sleep well.
Here is the complete story, but the opening paragraph pretty much sums it up:
Mexico’s attorney general has taken the unusual step of having an “anti-kidnap” chip stuck in his arm and then making the fact public – thereby ensuring that anyone lifting señor Rafael Macedo de la Concha will be certain to remove said limb at their earliest convenience.
RFID implants in humans for security purposes are counterproductive. As pointed out in the article the only thing they might be good for is rapid identification of the bodies.
I donate blood on a fairly regular basis and almost never have any problems. A couple of donations ago I was approached by someone recruiting for platelet donors. They asked to take a sample of my blood for testing, I agreed, and they called me back a few weeks later to say I was a good candidate. Last night I did my first donation. Barb wants it to be my last.
I’m pretty sure the person doing my poking and running my machine was fairly new at this. Even though the needles are smaller than those used when donating blood when she put the first one in my right arm it hurt quite a bit more than it usually does when donating blood. After a few seconds it felt better and we proceeded. The one in the other arm went fine. As soon as she started up the machine I felt a sharp pain in my right arm. I informed them and she stopped the machine and had this “deer in the headlights” look on her face. Another person came over and looked at my right arm and said the needle had missed my vein. The second person offered to let me go home or she could use a different vein. I said go ahead and use the second vein. That seemed to go fine for a few minutes then I started sweating profusely and my stomach and head started feeling funny. I told my attendant and she had the same expression but seemed to know what to do. She turned off the machine again then she and the other person pulled the blanket off my lap and legs (most people get cold during the procedure), put cold packs on my forehead and neck, and asked me to take deep breaths. The one who knew what she was doing explained that the pain from the improper needle insertion caused this reaction from my body. The body drops the blood pressure in an attempt to reduce the risk of “bleeding out”. The good thing is that this usually only happens once, after recovering in a few minutes it is very unlikely to happen again. I asked if it was mild “shock” but she said it wasn’t, just a drop in blood pressure. I’m not so certain. I suspect it was shock. The symptoms all seem consistent. Anyway, after a few minutes I started feeling better and they restarted the machine. They had told me to boost my calcium input prior to donating and I drank extra milk. But they insisted I needed to take calcium supplements because the anti-coagulants would bind with the calcium in my blood and since calcium is used in nerve conduction I would start having symptoms such as tingling in my lips and generally have problems. I took the supplements they offered but a few minutes after sweating session I started the tingling in my lips. I reported it and the one who knew what she was doing said the machine had just gotten up to full speed and that was the reason I was just experiencing it. She adjusted the machine and the symptoms subsided some. Two and a half hours after I came in I was done and they removed the needles and put bandages on my wounds.
As I drove back to the house I did not feel normal. It wasn’t the light headed feeling I sometimes feel after donating blood, it was different. I was tired and drained. My mind wasn’t working up to full capacity either. I wasn’t as alert and aware of things. I was glad I only had to drive a mile or so. I drank another large glass of milk and went straight to bed.
I’m feeling much better today. I hope my aerobics class goes okay tonight. Blood donation makes my aerobics rougher. I probably will donate once more to see if thing go better if they don’t it will be my last donation of platelets. My next blood donation is next Tuesday.
This was the geocache we placed near Dworshak lake on Sunday. It has the nickname of Elk Creek Cliff.
I recommend boat access but I suspect it wouldn’t be all that difficult by road with the last 1/4 mile or so walking through some brush. It’s probably 150 yards of walking through trees and brush even by boat.
Piewacket, our 18 year-old cat, was gone for a couple days and came home Saturday night. He was in bad shape. He hasn’t been well for some time but came home gaunt and limping. He would drink but not eat. Barb and Nancy took him to the vet today and had him “put to sleep“.
More vehicle problems too. Barb’s Jeep was barely running by the time she got to work today so she turned around and came back. She made it back okay. Martin’s Auto Service fixed it for her. Said it was the spark plugs. They gave it a tune up and Barb has a vehicle again so she can work–as soon as she has recovered from the loss of Piewacket.
Saturday we picked up Xenia at camp and brought her home. She survived but it was tough for a few days. They didn’t pick up on her being a vegatarian (despite the fact that we told them three different ways). She survived on green salad for several days before finally asking for more food. See her stories and pictures for more detail.
Sunday Barb and I took her brother and his grandson on a boat ride on Dworshak. We found a geocache and we placed a geocache there while we were at it.
The AP reported last night
Off-duty and retired police officers would have the right to carry concealed weapons in any state under legislation the Senate approved by voice vote Wednesday and sent to the president.
The bill, passed by the House last month, would override some states’ prohibitions on carrying concealed firearms. Many states do not recognize other states’ concealed weapons permits.
The President is expected to sign it. Although this isn’t everything I want to see (every free and sane person, every place, should be able to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and other innocent people) it is a good first step. The anti-gun people have a difficult time articulating effective opposition to it and as more and more people carry these type of defensive tools it becomes more and more difficult for the general population to understand why some people start foaming at the mouth at people being allowed to use the best tools for the job of self-defense. One step at a time. That’s how we got here and that is the best way to get back to where we belong.
Sunday Barb and I dropped Xenia off at Ross Point Camp where our little witch risked being burned at the stake or being drown. We continuted on to Missoula where we spent the night. Monday we hiked around Lolo Hot Springs then continued on to Jerry Johnson Hot Springs. It is about a mile from the road and it was a nice walk through the woods to it. We took a few pictures with my new digital camera which generally turned out well.
Kim is moving out this weekend. She’s not 18 yet but we co-signed her lease on an apartment in Moscow. She will have two roommates and they will have a two bedroom apartment to share. She is taking the old sofa we were going to throw away and one of them will sleep on the hide-a-bed. It comes not a moment too soon for some of the others in the family. Xenia wrote me a long email and attached eight pictures (with circles and arrows) explaining why it was no longer tolerable for Kim and her friends to be hanging out at our place.
Also related to Kim is that a couple weeks ago I checked the oil in the pickup and found it did not touch the dipstick. I told her she should not start it until it was filled. I checked it a couple days later after she had driven it and it still didn’t touch the dipstick. I told her she was done driving the pickup for a while and disabled it so she couldn’t start it even if she wanted too. I filled it up with oil and enable it last weekend. But it had a knock in the engine. Kim drove it a little bit the other day and it came home with a very bad knock. It’s done. That’s two vehicles she has totaled.
I read nearly all of the “gun violence“ postings on Join Together Online. Most of the time they are condensed versions of news stories with an anti-freedom spin. Occasionally they will have their own writers or a VPC or Brady Bunch press release or ‘report’. Here is a story from someone who I believe to be one of the Join Together Online staffers:
http://www1.jointogether.org/gv/news/features/reader/0,2061,572284,00.html
With the recent passage of a “shall issue” handgun law in Ohio, the number of states that have eased restrictions on concealed gun carrying has risen to 35. But in the face of this onslaught, four heartland states are holding fast to their long-time laws that prohibit the carrying of concealed guns by people other than police officers.
[snip]
Activists in these states say that the task of keeping shall-issue laws from passage is a difficult one, but as Bonavia stated during the recent legislative fight in Wisconsin, “Proponents of (concealed carry) laws claim that concealed weapons will provide individuals with an unparalleled means of self-defense while offering society an effective method of decreasing crime. Experts, scientific evidence, experience, and common sense contradict these claims.”
If it isn’t painfully obvious to them then surely it is to all rational people–if people legally carrying personal protection tools are a threat to society then why isn’t there data to support that conclusion. Is the best conclusion their “scientific evidence“ can come up with is this?
… Stanford University Law School economist John J. Donohue has conducted an exhaustive study of the effects of all shall-issue states and found that these laws don’t reduce crime and may actually increase it.
The vast majority of studies show violent crime is reduced when people are not prohibited from exercising their inalienable right to self-defense. They found one researcher who was willing to say it “may actually increase it“? If it did actually increase it then with all the states recognizing peoples right to self-defense should provide lots of data to support that claim. The data doesn’t exist and all they can do is whine about it. It’s about time they had to come face-to-face with their lies. It makes me smile. If I didn’t know that these people won’t give up until someone, figuratively, drives a wooden stake through their hearts I would open a bottle of champagne and toast to their demise. Anyone have some wooden stakes? I haven’t had a glass of champagne in a long time.
Barb and I went for a walk today and found four geocaches. All within about 1/2 mile of each other and in town. It’s amazing how many of there there are now. I remember when I had placed the one closest to Moscow and it was several miles out. Things change.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59948-2004Jun22.html
First off I need to say I was wrong about something. I implied that the worst our soldiers did in the Baghdad prison was to humiliate some prisoners. It turns out that wasn’t true. At least one actually died and there were some activities that bordered on torture. The people responsible are being punished. Compare that to the consequences to the scumbags killing innocent people. Are any of them being punished by their peers? Are any of them even being publically opposed by their peers?
It is my belief they will continue to kill innocents as long as there are mild or no consequences for their actions. I believe one solution would be to announce, and then follow through if necessary, that we will bomb a mosque every time they murder an innocent (non-military) person. As I said in a comment on the Kim duToit blog:
Leave no stone on top of another — hell don’t leave any stones — turn them all into dust and their fundamental molecular components and put that dust high into the wind. Don’t leave anything but a gaping crater behind. Let them know that as far as they are concerned we are their gods and that these gods have a fury and a fist they have never seen the equal of.
Do it 3:00 AM or some such time when the chances of mass casualties are reduced. But be sure we do it. They will fill their mosques with innocent women and children but we could chose the one with the minimum number of casualties and then the second and third time there will be far fewer willing to risk death to support the murders.
I got an email from someone who read my post about the arrest of the guy wanting to blow up a shopping mall:
—
This moron actually wrote that stuff to you????
Good grief.
On the other hand, flying schools (and the FBI) didn’t seem to think it strange that people wanted to learn how to fly, but not to land.
—
Read these pages for example morons:
http://www.boomershoot.org/general/BombHelp.htm
http://www.boomershoot.org/general/BombHelp2003.htm
http://www.boomershoot.org/general/BombHelp2002.htm
http://www.boomershoot.org/general/BombHelp2001.htm
http://www.boomershoot.org/general/BombHelp2000.htm
And those are just the ones that actually bother to write. So far this month I have received 145 hits (that about 10 hits/day) from people looking for help making a bomb. I have all their IP addresses and their search query phrases — stuff like:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=how+to+make+a+small+bomb
http://web.ask.com/web?q=Want+Some+Help+Building+a+Bomb&o=0&qsrc=0
As of June 1 of this year I have had this many hits year to date on my website http://www.boomershoot.org on bomb building:
232: how to make a small bomb
79: building a bomb
43: how to make a bomb
37: building a pipe bomb
30: bomb building
30: how to make a simple bomb
26: how to build a bomb
25: make a small bomb
Yesterday I received the prints the writer, Lisa Anne Auerbach, sent me. Very nice pictures. Not sure the “still life” of the fireball target was the most beautiful picture, but she did take some nice pictures. Today I got some email saying she sent the article in last week and that usually the magazine policy is to not allow others to see the article until the magazine comes out. Also, unfortunately, the article was limited to just 500 words.
Interesting. Very interesting. It’s possible I had something to do with catching that guy.
—–
http://www.cincypost.com/2004/06/15/terr061504.html
Many in Columbus, Ohio, knew Nuradin M. Abdi as the owner of a cellular
telephone sales business.
But a federal indictment announced Monday accused Abdi, a native of
Somalia, of being an operative for the terror network al-Qaida whose
plans to blow up an unspecified Columbus-area shopping mall were
thwarted by his November arrest.
—–
And from about 1.5 years ago:
—-
http://www.boomershoot.org/general/BombHelp2002.htm#TerrorismClass
Hey Joe,
Do you know anything about explosives that are detonated via
cell-phones?
.
.
.
I think I’ve decided to (hypothetically) attack a mall since there’s
practically no security, they’re crowded, and they seem like the type of
target my chosen group would go after. I’d like to set off bombs in
several different key pubic areas, as well as some car-bombs in the
parking garage. The main goal of my terrorist group will be death and
destruction, but actually bringing down the building would be considered
a big plus. However, I know about as much about main building supports
as I do about explosives, so I still have a lot of research to do.
.
.
.
From: FBI Internet Tips
Sent: Monday, November 18, 2002 8:25 AM
To: joeh@boomershoot.org
Subject: FBI Response
Thank you for your tip to the FBI Internet Tip Line. It is being
evaluated for it’s strategic value, and will be disseminated, if
appropriate, for further action. It is the policy of the FBI to not
provide results of that evaluation or action to the providers of
information.
Sincerely,
David N. Rushing/jbv
Supervisory Special Agent
FBI Headquarters
Washington, DC
—-