pesky paperwork

WP: the dog ate the state dept's homework, make-up work due in 3-5 years: independent inspector general can't audit State's outsourced $1.2 billion police training program in Iraq. INL's (the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs) "oversight" of Dyncorps in disarray.
NYT: which is encouraging, since an in-house, broader report on monitoring and programming of State Dept's 3 contractors (Dyncorp, Blackwater, and Triple Canopy) "found serious fault with virtually every aspect of the department’s security practices, especially in and around Baghdad, where Blackwater has responsibility."

LAT: the gov't can't get its evidence together in the judiciary either: no wonder it wants to throw out habeas corpus -- juries won't convict alleged terrorist financiers without evidence (even in Texas). in the detainee cases, FBI scrambling to strengthen cases because even the military commissions might balk at the flimsy evidence they have.

NYT: while everyone's busy on the Turkish border with the PKK, a Kurdish guerrilla group - the PJAK - is launching attacks into Iran, and claiming much higher casualties of Iranian troops. not surprisingly, the Bush administration doesn't seem to mind. "While most Kurds are Sunni Muslims, the guerrillas reject Islamic fundamentalism. Instead, they trace their roots to a Marxist past. They still espouse what they call “scientific socialism” and promote women’s rights."

Ind: remember those Maori terrorist-separatists in New Zealand? turns out that might've been an overstatement.

Econ: california's crop might not all be for medical purposes.

BBC: violence against political elites by unusual actors. madison's dilemma with monkeys, contemplated in Dehli.
Slate: here's how to protect yourself if you've ever got one on your back.

Nat'l Geographic: a different perspective. maybe in other galaxies, there's no use for specialists in violence.