I've become a podcast addict. :P

My nano has maybe two albums worth of music in it, but several hours comprised of interviews, reports, and audiobooks. (Ironically, I make my living in the music biz. lol)

...like 141 as yet unlistened to podcasts. It's work to keep up, I tell ya. That said, the content's pretty good. Very interesting to listen to wonks at play at Carnegie, CFR, etc.

A couple interesting sources that I've run across:

World Affairs Council of Northern California

University Channel (a pretty good clearinghouse that has more content and a bit time depth where it duplicates itunes channels)

"Integrity does not mean rigidity, let alone singlemindedness; and conscience, every so often, involves an inner struggle within oneself. ~ John Lukacs

but did have to get up a couple of times and attend to other things. It's now clear to me that POW status belongs to countries that signed the Geneva Conventions and that members of state's armies do get POW status and why it is Al Quaeda is not entitled to that status. Al Quaeda are not parts of states and as such could not possibly sign agreements. But perhaps what I missed was that terrorists are just criminals that kill people. So why aren't members of Al Quaeda tried in American criminal courts and forget about the military tribunals who really have no jurisdiction over them?

People who do not wear uniforms and are not members of state's armies are treated as illegal combatants and therefore are not granted POW status. From what I gathered from listening, military tribunals would have no jurisdiction for illegals either.

Sorry if the General talked about that aspect of Al Quaeda. As I recall members of Ireland's IRA (bombers) were tried in England's criminal courts. And members of Al Quaeda in England are being prosecuted in their criminal courts. Members of the IRA could be classified as either being terrorists or as illegal combatants.

The other thing that intrigued me was the General mentioned that Afghanistan is a signatory to the Conventions, but yet the United States withholds POW status to members of the Taliban army (which is the official army of Afghanistan). There are some very blurry legal lines in the United States.