On the watch list

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There are some things in the news that I'm keeping an eye on to see if they develop into anything.

There is a US citizen (Susan Lindauer) who has been arrested as a spy for Iraq US woman held for being Iraq spy (Al-Jazeera, 3/12/04). Apparently, she is a distant cousin to Andrew Card (Seattle PI, 3/11/04) Bush's chielf of staff. (Oh those troublesome family members) She is also a long term peace activist Susan Lindauer a liberal activist in years before arrest (Fairbanks Daily News 3/12/04). Another crackdown on dissent???

In news of the obscene, the Pentagon has stooped to a new low - Bodies donated to New Orleans medical school were sold to army for landmine tests (Independent, 3/12/04). Yes, the Army did indeed use the bodies for landmine test:

the distribution company, sold seven of the bodies to the army for up to $30,000 (£16,700). Chuck Dasey, a spokesman for the Army Medical Research and Material Command in Fort Detrick, Maryland, said the bodies were blown up in tests on protective footwear against land mines. He said: "There is a legitimate need for medical research, and cadavers are one of the models that help medical researchers find out valuable information."

Apparently it is illegal to make a profit selling bodies. I would imagine it is also illegal to buy human remains. So will charges be filed? Will families be notified of their deceased "contribution" to the war effort?

Then there is the report from Japanese sources that Iran and North Korea have a joint project to build a uranium processing facility - U.S. said probing reported Iran-N.Korea project (Reuters, 3/12/04). Thus far there is no substantiation of the story though the US is "investigating." There is a line of reasoning that could put Pakistan's nuclear black market right in the middle of this. Apparently both nations were involved in obtaining nuclear weapons technology and (perhaps) equipment from Pakistan. Or to believe that Pakistan's nuclear program was somehow separate from Dr. Kahn's activities, from Dr. Kahn's network. Nations joining together to share development costs would certainly be "cost efficient." Of course, this is pure speculation on my part, and thus far there is no (known) corroboration of the Sanskei Shimbui report.

Posted by rowan at March 12, 2004 10:49 AM | TrackBack | Printable Version | [eMail this article!] |