What Caught My Eye Today

I want to take a moment to honor two very important events that happened on this date in history. First, a salute to the men and women who died on this date back in 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Second, on this date a few years later, my mother was born, whom without which, clearly I would not be here today. Happy birthday, Mom. I love you.

Nebraska - Police released the first surveillance images and a three-page, handwritten suicide note of the teenage gunman who killed eight people in a mall shooting rampage on Wednesday. The images at first show the gunman walking into the mall unarmed, wearing glasses, a black zippered sweat shirt over a black T-shirt with a white logo. Six minutes later, he returns and strides through an entrance decked with holiday decorations, an apparent bulge under his clothing. In the last image, he is shown with his sleeves rolled up, aiming the AK-47 to fire. In his three-page, handwritten suicide note, he wrote that he 'just snapped' in a letter that combines love for his friends and family and hate for his random victims. He apologized to his friends in one page of the note, saying, "I've been a piece of (expletive) my entire life it seems this is my only option." He was more apologetic in another page addressed to his family. "I'm so sorry for what I've put you through I never meant to hurt all of you so much and I don't blame any one of you for disowning me. I've just snapped I can't take this meaningless existence anymore I've been a constant disappointment and that trend would have only continued." The third page was his will. This was an individual who clearly felt that he was out of options and beyond redemption. You have to wonder what drives one to get to this point of desperation--and if is there anything that can be done to reach out to others who feel this way before this sort of thing happens again.

CIA - Angry congressional Democrats demanded that the Justice Department investigate why the CIA destroyed videotapes of the interrogation of two terrorism suspects. The spy agency destroyed the tapes in November 2005, at a time when human rights groups and lawyers for detainees were clamoring for information about the agency's secret detention and interrogation program, and Congress and U.S. courts were debating where "enhanced interrogation" crossed the line into torture. Destruction of the tapes came in the midst of an intense national debate about how forcefully prisoners could be grilled to get them to talk. Not long after the tapes were destroyed, Congress adopted the Detainee Treatment Act. The law prohibits not only torture, but cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of all U.S. detainees, including those in CIA custody. At the time, the CIA also was concerned that its operatives involved in prisoner interrogation might be subject to legal charges over the treatment of detainees. Some agency employees have bought liability insurance as a hedge against that possibility. I may be going a bit off the reservation here, but if the CIA's own people were buying liability insurance to protect themselves in the event that that got caught doing what the CIA told them to do and the agency destroyed interrogation tapes shortly thereafter, I'm guessing that doesn't exactly paint a rosy picture of the CIA. Why would they destroy interrogation tapes if they weren't doing anything wrong. To protect its agents? Well if the agents weren't doing anything wrong, then there should be no reason to have to protect them, right? I don't think this is a question of whether or not the CIA did something illegal, but rather how high up the food chain was the order to conduct illegal interrogations given?

Iran - Yet another busy day for international dealings involving this happy-go-lucky Islamic regime...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to tell Gulf countries they must work together to help the U.S. counter Iranian threats, including Tehran's ballistic missiles and meddling in Iraq. Gates intends to urge Gulf allies to cooperate more as part of a broader strategy for containing Iranian influence. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States still wants new sanctions. Rice announced to NATO that Washington would continue along a two-track strategy, pressing for new sanctions against Iran while holding talks to persuade Tehran to come clean about its nuclear program. Russia ignored Rice's calls to punish Iran. Despite strong support from NATO allies in the wake of a new U.S. intelligence report that concludes Iran actually stopped atomic weapons development in 2003, the Rice was unable to persuade Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey on the urgency of fresh sanctions. Like I said, busy day. Of course, the same could be said for every other day this week. Perhaps next week, we'll see if anything comes from all the talk this week. If I was a betting man (which I am not--especially after the crazy college football season we just had) I wouldn't be betting on any new sanctions making it through the U.N. Security Council any time in the foreseeable future.

Germany - Germany's top security officials said they consider the goals of Church of Scientology to be in conflict with the principles of the nation's constitution and will seek to ban the organization. The interior ministers of the nation's 16 states plan to give the nation's domestic intelligence agency the task of preparing the necessary information to ban the organization, which has been under observation for a decade on allegations that it "threatens the peaceful democratic order" of the country. The Scientologists have long battled to end the surveillance, saying it is an abuse of their right to freedom of religion. They point to several lower court rulings in favor of their right to practice in Germany as a religious organization. The interior ministers gave no specific examples for their decision, but the most recent annual report on extremism compiled by their agencies criticized the organization for disregarding human rights. The Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. It first set up in Germany in 1970 and officials estimate it counts some 6,000 members in the country. I'll admit that I know next to nothing about the Church of Scientology. Perhaps its the harmless little cult that it claims to be. (I bet that'll get Tom Cruise's knickers in a bunch. Save your breath, Tom. I know that I'm glib). Still for German officials to suggest such extreme measures against a movement that has just 6,000 members--it makes you wonder if there isn't something funny going on.

Global Warming - Lots of U.S. bashing to report at U.N. Climate Change Conference proceedings in Bali. China insisted Friday the U.S. and other wealthy nations should bear the burden of curbing global warming, saying the problem was created by their lavish way of life. It rejected mandatory emission cuts for its own developing industries. A top climate expert for China's government attending the conference said the job belongs to the wealthy. He said it was unfair to ask developing nations to accept binding emissions cuts and other restrictions being pushed for already industrialized states. Elsewhere, the environmental watchdog Germanwatch, labeled the United States and Saudi Arabia the worst "climate sinners," accusing them of having inadequate polices for climate problems while letting greenhouse gas emissions rise. Saudi Arabia was listed as last among the 56 industrialized and emerging nations that were measured, right below the United States. Sweden was ranked as doing the best job, followed by Germany, Iceland and Mexico. Okay, lets's start with China. You guys argue that on a per capita basis, you produce one-sixth the amount of emissions that the U.S does. Fair enough, but is it your plan to match us on a per capita basis before you agree to cut emissions? I'm not sure that's going to help matters. Now then, about this ranking deal. I'm not surprised to see Sweden and Iceland at the top of the list (hell, they're at the top of every other list--why not this one too?), but you guys ranked Mexico at #4? Have you been there lately? I'm not taking anything away from the accomplishments they've made, but #4?