Carronade The Yankee Sailor Carronade

The Sea is a choosy mistress. She takes the men that come to her and weighs them and measures them. The ones she adores, she keeps; the ones she hates, she destroys. The rest she casts back to land. I count myself among the adored, for I am Her willing Captive.

FLASH TRAFFIC:
I've relocated to a new Yankee Sailor.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Daily Read Board - 21JUN05

United States

Frist tells Durbin to apologize on Senate floor - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist yesterday demanded that Sen. Richard J. Durbin make a "formal apology" on the floor of the Senate for comparing U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay to Nazi and Soviet regimes and that he strike his remarks from the Congressional Record.

Terror task forces given thumbs up - The counterterrorism task forces and advisory councils created or expanded by the Justice Department in the wake of the September 11 attacks function as intended and "contribute significantly" to the department's goal of preventing terrorism, said a report released yesterday.

Marine units found to lack equipment - Marine Corps units fighting in some of the most dangerous terrain in Iraq don't have enough weapons, communications gear, or properly outfitted vehicles, according to an investigation by the Marine Corps' inspector general provided to Congress yesterday.

Bush Defends Guantanamo, Iraq Tactics - WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush said Monday he thinks about Iraq "every day because I understand we have kids in harm's way," yet he is determined to complete the mission there.

Vietnamese Leader to Meet With Bush - WASHINGTON (AP) - In a meeting that marks a decade of normalized relations, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai is asking President Bush to help his nation join the World Trade Organization while Bush is raising concerns about human rights abuses.

Bush Faces Decision on Bolton Nomination - WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush faces a politically thorny situation - and stark choices - now that Senate Democrats twice have blocked John Bolton's confirmation as U.N. ambassador.

International

Rice calls for Mideast liberty - CAIRO -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice challenged leaders in the Middle East yesterday to "abandon the excuses" for depriving their citizens of democracy, saying the rulers' "fear of free choices" no longer justifies "the denial of liberty."

Anti-Syrian coalition elected - BEIRUT -- An anti-Syrian coalition yesterday was declared the winner of Lebanon's marathon parliamentary elections and its leader, Saad Hariri, immediately reached out to opposition groups whose support he would need to unseat pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud.

Anti-Syrian Critic Killed in Lebanon - BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - A former Communist Party chief who was a harsh critic of Syrian meddling in Lebanese affairs was killed by a bomb as he rode in his car Tuesday, police said, the second slaying of an anti-Syrian figure this month.

Israel: No More Restraint Toward Militants - JERUSALEM (AP) - The Israeli military will no longer exercise restraint with regard to Islamic Jihad militants because their attacks demonstrate they do not consider themselves bound by a truce agreement, a senior army officer said Tuesday.

North Korean Delegation Arrives for Talks - SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A high-level delegation from North Korea arrived here Tuesday for bilateral talks in an atmosphere of optimism after North Korean leader Kim Jong II pledged to seek reconciliation and hinted at a return to nuclear disarmament negotiations.

British Police Arrest Man in Iraq Bombing - MANCHESTER, England (AP) - Police in northern England arrested a man Tuesday in connection with suicide bomb attacks against U.S.-led troops in Iraq.

U.S., Pakistan to Hold Naval Exercise - KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - The United States and Pakistan navies will conduct weeklong exercises with destroyer ships and submarines in the Arabian Sea starting Tuesday, officials said.

Cuba Revokes Self-Employed Worker Licenses - HAVANA (AP) - Cuba's communist government has revoked some 2,000 licenses from self-employed workers across the island, part of a campaign to reassert state control over the economy, local media reported this week.

Saddam Insists He's Still Iraq President - NEW YORK (AP) - Saddam Hussein loves Doritos, hates Froot Loops, admires President Reagan, thinks Clinton was "OK" and considers both Presidents Bush "no good." He talks a lot, worries about germs and insists he is still president of Iraq.