Around the horn

It's Friday. Here's a few things that seem newsworthy despite not getting any major play in the mainstream media along with some odds and ends.

ANTI-SHIP BALLISTIC MISSILE
Bill Gertz from the Washington Times (yes, it's a Moonie paper) has a couple of interesting tidbits this morning.

The new anti-ship ballistic missile poses a serious threat to U.S. ships because "the U.S. does not have anti-missile capabilities to defend large U.S. ships against this threat, so vulnerable targets, most importantly aircraft carriers, will have to remain out of missile range in order to survive," the report said.

Gertz describes the Chinese DF-21 missile as the first anti-ship ballistic missile designed to target US aircraft carriers. This is the same type missile Iran claimed to have been developing a year or so ago. Big, if true, since it would probably rid out carriers from going into the Persian Gulf or other places in range of this weapon. But it could also be disinformation.

THE REAL DEAL WITH THE DUBAI PORTS DEAL?
According to Rowan Scarborough, who used to work with Gertz at the Times,

..the administration wanted the deal to go through because the UAE government had agreed to let the United States post agents inside its global port network who could report on world shipping.

Dubai Ports currently runs port facilities at key U.S. intelligence targets, including Venezuela, China, Pakistan, India and Saudi Arabia.

While it may or may not be true, it makes a lot of sense. It also points out how things aren't always as they seem in this global war on terror, and how the Bush administration might be trying to think out of the box to thwart attacks.

THE JOHN DOE PROVISION SHOT DOWN
This is making absolutely no headlines at the New York Times or Washington Post, which is strange since New York Congressman Peter King sponsored the amendment in a 9/11 security bill and both the cities where those papers reside were targets of the 9/11 attack (while we're at it, there should be a bill passed to prevent officials from ever calling it a "tragedy").

There is certainly a slippery slope potential in such a thing but the good outweighs the bad. "Jihad by the mouth" is a reality, and if people have to think twice before reporting suspicious behavior on the plane, train or bus it could have a huge chilling effect, supporting future attacks. Besides, whenever Susan Collins, Olympia Snow and Chuck Hagel vote yea it says something.

PEACE IN OUR TIME
Jude Law is the next celebrity to board the peace train by traveling to "the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan" in filming a UN documentary in support of their Global Peace Day on Septmeber 21st. While nobody in their right mind would disagree with such a concept a Blue Star Mom puts some context on the matter and speaks for a lot of us with family members out serving the country:

We ALL want peace. Those of us with loved ones in harms way want it more than anyone other than our Troops. No one wants peace more than the fighting men and women.

You can preach to the choir - but how do you get the other side to stop killing?

THE REF'S ON THE TAKE!
Allegedly so. All I can say is this...he must have been one of the officials at the last Grizzlies game I attended. The calls made in the last five minutes were visibly crappy even from our vantage point, and they definitely affected the outcome. Heh, of course, that's what every fan says. But, if true just more to fuel the perception that the NBA is becoming a gang of thugs.