Friday, March 07, 2003

Full text: Draft UN resolution. Decides that Iraq will have failed to take the final opportunity afforded by resolution 1441 (2002) unless, on or before 17 March 2003 the council concludes that Iraq has demonstrated full, unconditional, immediate and active cooperation in accordance with its disarmament obligations under resolution 1441 (2002) and previous relevant resolutions, and is yielding possession to UNMOVIC and the IAEA of all weapons, weapon delivery and support systems and structures, prohibited by resolution 687 (1991) and all subsequent relevant resolutions, and all information regarding prior destruction of such items. [BBC News] This seems to be a fair compromise. It won't take the Iraqis ten days to demonstrate their full cooperation. They could do so in ten minutes. Given their twelve-year track record, placing a deadline on them seems to be the only hope the world has of ever seeing their full compliance. Mr. Bush has made it clear that he intends to go to war at the end of the month, with or without the Security Council's blessing. Whether his decision is right or wrong, I think it's hard to argue that it is final. Under these circumstances, placing a deadline for war may be the only chance the world has for peace. Furthermore, passing this new resolution places the choice of war versus peace squarely on the shoulders of Saddam Hussein. If he truly desires peace, then he can easily prove it by allowing his scientists to leave the country for interviews, revealing documentation on the destruction (or production and import) of chemical and biological weapons, and providing a timetable for destroying any other banned weapons he may possess.   3:49:09 PM

Phone Call from Howard Coble. Mr. Coble did make very clear that he thinks that from our vantage point today, the decision to intern Japanese Americans was wrong. That was good to hear, especially coming from the man who chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. There's also no question that Mr. Coble understands that he really hit a nerve with his comments about the internment. He acknowledged that he suspects he's become "a household name" out on the West Coast. [IsThatLegal?] It sounds like Mr. Coble is starting to get the picture, but we're still waiting for a proper public apology and retraction. I think he's still stuck on Apology #3.   3:28:39 PM

Lofgren Introduces BALANCE Act to Modify DMCA "Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D - CA) introduced H.R. 1066, The Balance Act. It seeks to clarify 'that America's historic principles of fair use - protected under Section 107 of the Copyright Act - apply to analog and digital transmissions.' Apparently Lessig is on board, as are several associations and other organizations. If you like what you see, encourage your representative to support the bill." [Slashdot] It is important that people who are concerned with their fair use rights and the future of free access to information in the United States show their support for this bill. Congress will be much less likely to bow to the power and money of the media companies if they know their constituents may take matters into their own hands on election day, 2004.   3:18:38 PM