Posted 6:44 AM by Blah blah

Robin Cook Resignation Speech

Cook wins Commons ovation (BBC). Robin Cook, leader of the British House of Commons and former Foreign Secretary, resigned yesterday in protest to Tony Blair. He "won an unprecedented standing ovation in the House of Commons after telling MPs why he resigned from the government over the looming war with Iraq....The BBC's political editor, Andrew Marr, called Mr Cook's performance 'without doubt one of the most effective brilliant resignation speeches in modern British politics.' "

Please either read Cook's resignation speech or watch Cook's dramatic, historic speech in RealPlayer video. I LOVE IT! Very civilized and persuasive. All of you pro-war people (i.e. Danny) must watch it too:

"For four years as foreign secretary I was partly responsible for the western strategy of containment.

Over the past decade that strategy destroyed more weapons than in the Gulf war, dismantled Iraq's nuclear weapons programme and halted Saddam's medium and long-range missiles programmes.

Iraq's military strength is now less than half its size than at the time of the last Gulf war.

Ironically, it is only because Iraq's military forces are so weak that we can even contemplate its invasion. Some advocates of conflict claim that Saddam's forces are so weak, so demoralised and so badly equipped that the war will be over in a few days.

We cannot base our military strategy on the assumption that Saddam is weak and at the same time justify pre-emptive action on the claim that he is a threat."

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Good: The five key lessons of 911. "The terrorists have won. They have successfully convinced America to attack itself."

By Bill Clinton: Trust Tony's judgment (The Guardian).

Al-Muhajabah in Seattle writes this fascinating and articulate blog: veiled4allah, "the occasional thoughts of a Muslim woman." I think she's a law student. She writes in detail about Islam, her opposition to war, etc. If you ever want a rational Islamic view, please read her!

Take this tech job and shove it (Salon.com): "Sure, there are plenty of opportunities out there -- if you have 10 years of experience and are willing to work for free." Ughh. The technology field really sucks now. Many software jobs have moved to China and India, where engineers work for half or one-third of the price. For simple positions, companies now list an over-the-top set of technical skills which you don't really need. It's like asking you to know quantum physics to work at Starbucks. I know people who have been sent to China by their companies to "transfer" technology, which really means to teach people there your job so your company can eliminate it back home. My friend Moorthi has several other Indian roommates. All of them, he says, are here in Silicon Valley on a temporary work visa. They came just to learn a job to take it back home to India.

I hope Bush creates many new jobs in Iraq, for I might have to move there.