The Good: The security responsibility of Diwaniyah province is set to be turned over today from Coalition Forces to the Iraqis, which will make it the tenth. The security has been mostly provided by the Poles and other members of the coalition, and has seen some level of Shi'ite extremist activity from the Mahdi Army. Interesting story about a chaplain at FOB Falcon in Baghdad at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ambassador Crocker is saying that more talks are possible with Iran, now that much of the illicit militia activity has subsided.
The Bad: A truck bomb has killed 7 north of Baghdad. The Los Angeles Times profiles the Hollywood-like, Sons of Iraq superstar, Abu Abed, who is now in hiding in Amman, Jordan. A former insurgent, Abu Abed has been credited with purging the streets of Ameriyah from the murderous Al-Qaeda goons. Now the Shi'ite-dominated government is after him. 10 KIAs have been identified by the DoD, their names are here.
The Ugly: From the "Over There" department, 30K troops are getting called up to Iraq unless Gen. Petraeus says they aren't needed. A newly-released Army study says that there weren't enough troops for post-invasion Iraq which led to the chaos and calamity following the fall of Saddam (Al-Jazeera English has more). No shit! Best...war...ever.
Above The Influence: One Example of The Epidemic of Uncoolness from Today's Youth
The superb journalist, Kerry Howley, wrote an article in the LA Times discussing the nature of today's youth and their predisposition to side with socially conservative values and wussiness. She cites numerous bits of empirical evidence:
For every Paris Hilton, there is a Hannah Montana. Along with the sordid materialism of "The Hills," cable television has brought us cloyingly wholesome, kid-friendly entertainment from channels such as Noggin, Sprout and Playhouse Disney...Kids are more likely to wear bike helmets today, though not because bikes are more dangerous. Wealth engenders risk-aversion, and over-mothered kids are ultimately a sign that so much has been invested in them.
Looking around at our great nation's youngsters, I am inclined to agree with Ms. Howley. However, I disagree with her conclusion that this is beneficial to modern living since the kids aren't out of control. Rather, this is a fuckin' scourge upon modern civilization, since the future will be deprived of unconventional thinkers! It's no secret that society is tits up: corrupt politicians, people massacring each other in places like Zimbabwe, environmental woes, AIDS, terrorist thugs still not captured or dead, the dollar sucks, our national debt is out of control, and on and on. Our world needs critical and revolutionary thinkers to get us out of this mess. Unfortunately, most kids are satisfied being spoon-fed mainstream culture from the likes of American Idol and posting their boring pics on Facebook from the abstinence concert they got to "rock out" to during their summer break. That is, of course, if these poor kids even get to have a summer as their parents whisk them from college prep courses to cross-town playdates at the age of 8.
High school has been out of session in my neck of the woods for weeks, and I have only once wanted to hurl a half-filled beercan at some young punk driving too fast down my street. You wouldn't believe that WA once spawned the counterculture phenomenon known as "Grunge". In those days, I bet my mailbox, symbolic of the establishment and everything wrong in the world, would have been knocked down at least 3 times by this point in summer. Yet my mailbox still stands! The decline of hessian culture in the suburbs for young boys may have something to do with this, but a lack of underground activity in urban areas, like raves in the late 90s, is also apparent of a larger problem. So, parents, I beg of you not to micromanage your kids lives and let bygones be bygones. Try to ignore certain habits, like that incense they keep burning in their room when their scruffy looking friends come over, and remember that they have the rest of their life to work for "The Man" (like yours truly). We need unconventional ideas in these dire times, and it's best not to dilute their creativity with nonsense. For goodness sakes, if it wasn't for Gen Xers calling bullshit on abominable culture in the 90s, Mark Wahlberg might still be singing horrendously over-engineered tunes instead of making excellent movies like The Departed.
Do you want this to be the future of culture? I certainly hope not.
Drag. Turns out Suspect has decided to shut down my favoritest milblog, Iraq: The Purgatorium. He was my fave primarily since he was a pissed off dude and didn't like to sugarcoat the bullshit (the no hooah zone, if you will). Also, it appears LT G has been gagged by his chain of command for unknown reasons. Here is the requisite Alice in Chains tribute to those milblogs that are no more:
In the meantime, Some other milblogs to get your fix of life in the combat zone include:
Miltary.com has video of this new exo-skeleton gizmo for the military. U.S. troops will finally be able to take on Cut Man and Dr. Wily on the battlefield. R&D is a necessary part of the DoD, but questions arise when they spend taxpayer dollars on stuff like this and not on the shit already in use that needs fixin'.
Argh! A decorated Army Sergeant has been booted out of the military for liking dudes instead of chicks and talking about it on 60 minutes (h/t Crooks and Liars). In reality, The Don't Ask Don't Tell policy is legislation designed to allow gay people to serve in the military while keeping geezers in the Committee on Armed Services and evangelical community out of our face. Being 27 years-old in the military qualifies me for old-man status, and the youthful military shares the same view on homosexuality that most young people in America do...that is they don't care. DC needs to realize that they are squashing military readiness by kicking out servicemembers for something that has no bearing on their job performance.
Seeing how the Heller case put to bed the ridiculous notion that the 2nd Amendment was solely intended for organized militias (I know, the whole "right of the people to keep and bear arms" verbage was pretty darn confusing), the best argument against gun ownership from totalitarian enablers boils down to cultural semantics of urbanistas vs. everyone else in the country.
The NY Times editorial board has stated that the SCOTUS decision was a victory for the "far right" (I doubt 4+ Million members in the NRA all classify themselves as "far right")
Kevin Drum says the whole gun confiscation argument "only appealed to an extremist fringe that's fueled by an inchoate rage against pointy-headed DC bureaucrats"
The Stranger (Seattle's Only Newspaper) drops the snark saying "Have fun! Try to not to blast away too many of your children your neighbor or yourself—even if is your Constitutional right."
Matthew Ygleisas simply refers to gun enthusiasts as "weird"
Prepare for the yuppie "Stuff White People Like" crowd to try and convince us we are a bunch of rubes and that we should embrace the urban culture of no-leash dog parks, bike paths, and snooty condescension of the majority of Americans. Try not to shoot yourself in the head to curtail the suffering of having to listen to them whine.
The Good: Major General Hertling has said that Al-Qaeda is defeated in northern Iraq, and U.S. forces are pursuing remaining elements into small towns and villages. This comes after news that the emir of the Islamic State of Iraq in Mosul has been killed in a U.S. airstrike. Long War Journal reports that the Mahdi Army has been decimated, while many young men in Sadr City (known to be the home base of JAM) are employed in the neighborhood guard to provide security. These employment opportunities are seen as crucial to provide alternatives to joining the militia, much like the Sons of Iraq program has kept many young Sunni men from joining the insurgency.
The Bad: The Middle East Times reports deteriorating security conditions in Mosul as they say the Iraqi Army is unable to maintain order in Iraq's third largest city. A bombing on a group of Sunni sheikhs has killed 3 Marines from MNF-W and many civilians west of Baghdad. More on our friend, Nicole Suveges, from the Washington Post. Iraq's soccer coach gets canned for losing 1-0 to Qatar. An editorial from a town in Wisconsin says Americans aren't sacrificing enough and are in a Sept. 10 mindset. Agreed.
The Ugly: The Wall Street Journal reports that the July 31 deadline for the Status of Forces Agreement, which will allow U.S. forces to operate starting in 2009, may be delayed. Disputes between the U.S. military and the Iraqis remain over some possible civilians killed in recent escalation of force incidents.
Ralph Steadman talks about his relationship with Hunter S. Thompson for the upcoming Gonzo movie in the NY Sun. Sounds a lot better than the crap mainstream Hollywood is putting out.
It is common knowledge that, while talk radio is generally conservative, the top blogs are generally liberal (see the top political blogs on Technorati). It would be natural for Senator Obama to side with the netroots on key issues they find important to earn their support. But the Huffington Post reports that the Obama camp and the netroots are diverging:
Obama's decision to embrace a compromise on FISA legislation -- a virtual slap in the face to some progressive bloggers demanding no legal immunity for telecommunications companies -- was the catalyst of the recent chatter. Other concerns arose days prior when Obama cut an advertisement on behalf of a conservative southern Democrat whose primary challenger was favored by the liberal blogosphere.
This rift has prompted The Next Right to begin questioning the relevancy of the left-leaning blogosphere, as netroots shamelessly change their tune to be more in line with Obama's policies. Obama voiced his disappointment with yesterday's SCOTUS decision to not allow capital punishment in the case of child rape. The "progressive" response has been totally weak to this ridiculous "eye for an eye" logic (espoused by guys like BillO, Townhall, and uh, I guess Obama), for criminal prosecution . Daily Kos gives a roundabout argument, so does Ygleisas, and only John Amato of CnL dares to speak out against the messiah by saying "He's running much farther to the right than he has to". One of the few issues I agree with the netroots on to prevent our society from looking like the dark ages, and they weasel out of it. What a bunch of pussies.
This is a video of Andrew Breitbart, a libertarian, West LA resident, Hollyweird insider, and all around-good guy taking about the media infrastructure seeking to portray the military in a negative light. He's chatting with the From The Front Lines drive, which is raising money to send care packages to our troops. Usually, I take these attacks against the left with a grain of salt, since it is politically convenient to drop the "Support The Troops" meme to bolster your partisan political position if you're conservative. But Andrew is not a 527-bot, as evidenced by this Reason interview, so it gives his statements a lot more credibility.
SCOTUS has ruled 5-4 on the constitutionality of the 2nd amendment, and it is indeed a huge victory for gun rights. From Yahoo News:
Silent on central questions of gun control for two centuries, the Supreme Court found its voice Thursday in a decision affirming the right to have guns for self-defense in the home and addressing a constitutional riddle almost as old as the republic over what it means to say the people may keep and bear arms.
Bob Barr issued a statement lauding the decision as "one of the Supreme Court’s most important rulings on behalf of liberty".
While the Supreme Court has put to bed the long-held debate over whether the second amendment applies to individuals or "official" militias like the National Guard, Reason takes a dump in the victory pie by saying that Justice Scalia interprets the amendment as only applying to self-defense and not protection from a tyrannical government. Also, the road ahead is not without challenges as authoritarian lapdogs in the media are still calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment and outlandish gun-control policies remain in place, such as Mayor Nickels of Seattle trying to limit law-abiding gunowners from having concealed weapons in the city.
On a personal note, my zombie protection kit remains free from confiscation by the feds at the moment. Thank goodness!
In light of the sad news from Baghdad about Nicole, this story is a bit on the lighter side, which I know Nicole would've found hilarious.
Lara Logan, who recently voiced her outrage at CBS on The Daily Show for not covering Iraq enough, believes that rockets and bullets are an aphrodisiac because she was involved in a steamy love affair while in Mesopotamia. According to the NY Post, Logan had a bonefest with some married contractor, Joe Burkett, as well as CNN correspondent Michael Ware, and the two men brawled like a couple of gel-haired meatheads during last call at the club trying to get their mitts on her. Hat Tip to CDR Salamander, who wonders the same thing I did, why wasn't she looking to me for a lusty affair? I'm guessing the answer to that lies in the fact that our salaries pale in comparison to our contracting peers. I always felt Lara Logan's reporting was overrated and shoddy, while Arwa Damon of CNN had far better journalistic coverage of the war in Iraq. Unfrotunately, Arwa is a bit plain looking, and therefore doesn't get the same attention as a blonde bombshell like Logan. Sorry, Arwa. Pictured below is the characters in this ridiculous soap opera from the war zone.
Hot Babe and overrated Reporter Logan Gets it On in IraqApparently, Women Find Fucked-Up Looking Noses Attractive Despite Arwa's Pastel Green Shirt, She Gets IgnoredJoe Burkett, (I Found on Teh Google), also convicted of Kidtouchin' two teeneage boys in NY in 2007, I assume it was the same guy who fucked Logan
A bit of sad news. Our friend, Nicole Suveges, was killed in action in Sadr City on Tuesday while working with the Human Terrain Systems attempting to bring order into one of Baghdad's poorest and most lawless districts. She worked with me my first few months in Baghdad and I always remember that she was incredibly intelligent, very outgoing, and had a good sense of humor. Her accomplishments in life are lengthy as she was an Army veteran of the Balkans conflict in the field of PsyOps, was working on her PhD at the prestigous Johns Hopkins School in political science, and was serving her second tour in Iraq. We miss you, Nicole!
The Justice Department has done the right thing and fully prosecuted Maj. Cockerham and his wife for taking over a $1M in bribes from a crooked Kuwaiti contractor. He claimed to want to use the money to build "a church", but he disgraced the officer corps by abusing the authority the country had given him. The American people trust the military with a lot: nukes, tomahawks, billion-dollar planes, M249s, VX, and the trust placed in us to not contract STDs while in a liberty port. It's ironic that this Major chose to be swayed by the item that influences all of our corrupt politicians...money. The ethics and necessity of contracting in a war zone is a little beyond the scope of this blog, but incidents like this one sure makes one want to abolish the contracting system.
The Good: President Talabani is visiting President Bush in Washington and has thanked him for liberating Iraq. Not surprising since President Talabani is a Kurd, and Saddam waged a brutal campaign of genocide against the oppressed Kurdish people during the 80s. He was also there to discuss the Status of Forces Agreement beyond 2008, which Al-Jazeera English has some details on. 14 militia thugs have been arrested in the southern province of Nasiriyah. A retired Airman is trying to send a whole bunch of Chicago-style pizzas to the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Tony Soprano is selling some items from the Sopranos to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project and Brangelie have donated $1M to Iraqi kids. This blog is defiantly anti-celebrity for a variety of reasons, but this is an example of Hollywood doing some good. Money talks and bullshit walks.
The Bad: 10 U.S. soldiers have been killed since Monday, with three soldiers and an interpreter killed Tuesday night in Ninawa province. An IED in the holy city of Karbala has killed one child.
The Ugly: Whoever thought war would be so damn expensive? The Pentagon needs $100B to repair worn-out equipment, and Rep. Murtha claims it will come from personnel cuts. The LA Times suggests that the fear of being called a "flip-flopper" is preventing the presidential candidates from developing a viable Iraq strategy. I agree. There are a lot of moving parts and complexities with foreign policy in Iraq and trying to stick with positions from 2003/2004 when the whole reality on the ground has changed is foolish. Brooks writes a NYT go-Bush-go piece in which he describes the surge success due to the Prez, describing his position as "courageous", even though Bush hid behind Petraeus/Odierno the whole time and has been afraid to craft any future policy beyond the surge...which is almost over.
Adele Ferguson writes in the Port Orchard Independent that it's time to bring back the Carteresque policy of driving abominably slow on the freeway. She even suggests just doing it, regardless of the speed limit:
I have already begun taking my foot off the gas pedal and try to drive 50 mph on the various freeways. To no one’s surprise, I’m sure, I’m passed by everyone. I still think 55 mph is a better solution than looking forward to $5 or $10 a gallon gas in days to come.
WA drivers generally drive slower than the rest of the nation, and the fastest speed limit on me and Adele's side of the Puget sound is 60MPH. I do not recommend doing this in places like the Midwest (where the speed limit is often 75MPH) unless you want to end up a hood ornament on the truck that's trying to get Tulsa before sundown. But snarling up traffic with low speed limits seems to be gaining steam as the eco-friendly Treehugger directs our attention to the Drive 55 project. The site hosts a long list of reasons of why driving like an 86 year-old on Ambien is good for the environment and saves gas. It also has some really weird bumperstickers ("Drive 55 - Support The Troops") that will certainly enrage everybody trying to get to work as these self-righteous motorists tool along slowly in the left lane of the interstate. Of course, the best retort to this argument can be summed up by Mr. Sammy Hagar.
One of the Guys On Obama's Shortlist For Attorney General
Obama has voiced his disappointment with the Supreme Court's decision against the death penalty for treejumpers (aka child rapists) thereby confirming his commitment to barbaric practices for the state to use. The Boston Globe Reports (h/t Hot Air):
Asked about today's US Supreme Court ruling that sentencing someone to death for raping a child is unconstitutional, Obama said he disagreed with such a broad ban. "I have said repeatedly that I think that the death penalty should be applied in very narrow circumstances for the most egregious of crimes. I think that the rape of a small child, 6 or 8 years old, is a heinous crime," he said, adding that if a state determines the death penalty should apply in such cases, they should be allowed to impose it.
I wouldn't disagree with child rape being "egregious", but my opposition to the death penalty is ideological and can best be summarized by Nick Giellespie of Reason when he says "I'm against the death penalty because I don't think the state should have the power to execute. I think the state's role is to protect its population and it should do that using as little violence as possible." That and all the most heinous, tyrannical regimes utilized the death penalty willy-nilly (Stalin, Mao, Hitler, you get the idea).
Expect a bunch of the netroots to use their power to cater to their messiah on this issue, which shows how much of a joke the American left is when it comes to real progressive and human rights issues. To think I used to have hope that the mainstream left would get the death penalty re-abolished, don't I feel like an idiot. I guess they just want to hear about the important issues like what's on Obama's iPod (hint: if it's not the Master of Puppets album, I ain't impressed).
The Next Right has an extensive post about political blogging and how it resembles the pamphleteering done during the heady days of the American Revolution. This is a very idealistic and inspirational concept, but, IMHO, until the blogosphere can become more advanced in self-correction, it more closely resembles the lewd and crass graffiti found sprawled on the walls of Pompeii. The knucklehead who claimed he had a tawdry gay love-in with Obama is just one example of how people are too gullible on the internets. Despite the fact that the guy was too poorly dressed to be gay, the allegations got way too much credibility on the conservative-leaning Free Republic back in February. Until we develop our savvy, we would be wise to pay homage to the original bloggers of Pompeii. Some hilarious examples translated from Latin:
Let everyone one in love come and see. I want to break Venus’ ribs with clubs and cripple the goddess’ loins. If she can strike through my soft chest, then why can’t I smash her head with a club?
We have wet the bed, host. I confess we have done wrong. If you want to know why, there was no chamber pot.
O walls, you have held up so much tedious graffiti that I am amazed that you have not already collapsed in ruin.
Below is an early campaign ad that translates "Asellina and her girls urge you to vote for Fusius for Minister of Public Affairs" written by a "madame". I don't know who Fuscus is, but I'm writing him in.
I keeping telling the McCain campaign that they need to exploit the talents of Wilford Brimley or possibly Henry Winkler (aka The Fonz). I hear he's a conservative, and I'm pretty sure all the kids these days think the Fonz is cool.Aaaayyyy, Partial-Birth Abortion is For Squares
Due to the marginalization of suburban, teenage male culture through a campaign of conformity from our largest media monopolies and public schools, it is now more important than ever to pay homage to our proud hesher traditions. What defines a hessian? No, it is not a mercenary from Bavaria in this context, but rather a lifestyle well-suited for males who came of age in the 80s and 90s. These youngsters would often be seen riding around on BMX bikes with Ratt T-shirts while setting off bottle rockets at the local 7-11. The musical and cinematic tastes of this demographic was superlative in its own right, and a dominant cultural paradigm has yet to supplant this unsung piece of Americana.
The Hessian Studies Institute of Los Angeles seeks to chronicle the history of America's young dirt-lipped Heshers, and they also define the seemingly nihilistic message into a broader contemporary perspective. From their "Lifestyles and Values" page:
Hessians values are deeply rooted in Romantic idealism, characterised by quality not quantity. Hessians seek to transcend life by living in harmony with nature. Metal music is part of the Hessian lifestyle, not the definition. In the vein of Faust, those that want the sensation of power can find it in metal. Nihilism is a tool of thought, not a destination; fifty years of depression, rebellion, beer, weed, whores and gore evaluates as a life experience that sums to zero. Hessians seek to travel beyond where metalheads will not go. Knowledge, power and worldly experience rank far above the pleasures of the body.
Where hessians seek rebellion from the establishment, our current youth avoid independence to conform to the branding schemes of the mainstream. This is like a needle through the heart for me personally, as angry youth are the creative force behind our greatest music, art, movies, and culture. Indeed, the hessian lifestyle of cynical commentary on dominant themes existing in society is a prominent force behind the blogosphere. To honor our Hessian heritage, here is a humble tribute set to Hammerfall's "Stronger Than All".
Of course I did see some teenagers eyeing my pickup truck today while I was at the Jack in the Box. Hopefully, they wanted to throw some thunderbombs at me or have me buy them some beer. If that was the case, there would still be hope for America.
Wek from Operation Yellow Elephant was kind enough to send me a shirt for making it back from Iraq. Pictured wearing the "Sign Up or Shut Up" shirt is Mr. Bones, who has been to 5 duty stations and was at Burning Man 2001. That makes him more patriotic and cooler than the majority of these young conservative weenies who won't join the service.
The site is a must read in the blogosphere and recommended posts are:
Similar to Disco in the 20th century, societal problems can escalate to full-scale cultural epidemics without proper vigilance. The Edge 103.9 helps promote awareness of the douche phenomenon in Scottsdale with this minimalistic yet inspirational video.
This is getting out of control. Time to stock up on water, ammo, and douche-repellent.
The Good: The new report to Congress on Iraq is available from the DoD, and it shows a huge decline in violence over the past several months. However, the report mirrors warnings from the brass about extremists still maintaining the ability to conduct spectacular attacks and that infrastructure is still bad. Anbar province, once known for its violent insurgency in Fallujah and Ramadi, is to be turned over to provincial Iraqi control (the 10th of 18 provinces) with the U.S. military in an overwatch role. This transition is crucial to get the U.S. military out of Iraq. The Prime Minister announces a new offensive in the volatile Diyala province. Fox news reports progress in Mosul following the Mother of Two Springs operation.
The Bad: A disgruntled city council member has gunned down two of our troops and wounded three in Salman Pak. This town, just south of Baghdad, was an Al-Qaeda stronghold but was purged of many extremist elements during the surge strategy of 2007.
The Ugly: William Kristol goes for the jugular against the MoveOn.Org "Not Alex" ad saying that they are insulting the troops in his NY Times Op-Ed. Azzaman discusses international oil companies hitting a snag as quarrelling still exists in Iraqi Parliament about the Hydrocarbon Law. Speaking of Parliament, the problem of low water levels in Iraq's reservoirs does not appear to be solved. Part 2 in WaPo about Al-Qaeda's propaganda apparatus, As-Sahab, which the article suggest Al-Qaeda is conducting an effective communications campaign.
There's Lies And Then There's Statistics. Violence way down in Iraq.
Newshounds talks about BillO being in a tizzy over a controversial campaign ad for the Dems. A luscious young vixen comes over to some lucky poindexter's residence for some post-partying nookie, but finds out that he's a limp-dicked Republican! No money, no honey as they say in the Singaporean prostitution biz. This is an effective ad, because pretty much everything...ever... done by a straight guy has been for the purposes of getting some action from the ladies: the Spanish-American war, founding of the new world by Columbus, and the very creation of the internet. Voting patterns should follow a similar trend.
As you can imagine, BillO flips out, but it's a bit of a double standard as Fox News employs two total babes to critique the ad (Mary Katharine Ham and Heather Nauert). If Fox News was wise in getting McCain elected, they would employ a "sexy" male to market to the ladies...and that man is an unapologetic McCain supporter and sex symbol, Wilford Brimley:
Of course you could see through this siren-like ruse to get your vote, and pick Barr, the only damn candidate who doesn't want to steal all your money for suckass social programs or send all military-aged citizens to invade the Klendathu star system.
"I've had a lot of women suggest that because we have a menstrual cycle, we couldn't possibly survive in a combat zone."
"In my own experience, there are so many women in the military who have more balls"
"Women are a little more intellectually flexible than men, and that can be beneficial"
"Get out of my way or I'll take you out"
VetVoice is publicizing the project as well. This has the potential to be a very interesting documentary as the concept of women in combat has yet to be digested by mainstream society. But I'm a guy, and it would be very difficult to explain this complex reality, so click on the links and get educated, damnit.
Yes, the Obama seal represented a certain hubris not seen since the Mission Accomplished banner that Bush unveiled 5 years ago, but why didn't I blog about it earlier? Because it wasn't until today that the seal had been "disappeared" (h/t Marc Ambinder) in a scene of martyrdom fit for our future messiah.
Add the seal to the other martyrs that have vanished down the memory hole to sacrifice themselves to the molten steel vat of righteous obscurity like the "Hillary is a monster" lady and the campaign office with Che. They'll be safe now from the blogging hordes that don't believe in hope and change , and they'll be in a better place (*snivel*).
Ed Morrisey has the details on Tsvangirai hiding in the Dutch embassy in Harare to gain support of Europe and to prevent being murdered by the Mugabe mob and his illegitimate government. Even though this crisis has been brewing since the March elections, all the United Nations could muster was a lousy "strongly worded" press release today:
The Security Council further expresses its concern at the grave humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe and condemns the suspension by the Government of Zimbabwe of the operations of humanitarian organizations, which has directly affected one and a half million people, including half a million children. The Council calls on the Government of Zimbabwe to immediately allow humanitarian organizations to resume their services.The Security Council will continue to monitor closely the situation and requests the Secretary-General to report on ongoing regional and international efforts to resolve the crisis.
There isn't anymore need to "monitor" the situation in Zimbabwe, after the proverbial plane has already crashed into the mountain (the wife of Harare's mayor has been massacred by President-for-life Mugabe, which is just one sad example) . Damnit, UN, less talkin' and more rockin'.
The Fun Never Stops In Berkeley (photos from ZombieTime)
Zombie covers the ideological sewer that was the 21 June World Can't Wait protest in Berkeley, and these confused, idiotic youngsters choose to give the nazi salute during the Star Spangled Banner. Whether or not this was directed at the Marine Recruiting station, the Pro-America bikers, or just society in general is as unclear as where these people are getting their free time and money from. However, if this crass display was directed at our beloved USMC, then it should be noted that the last 3 Sergeant Majors of the Marine Corps (the head enlisted Marines) were not white, ergo you probably aren't going to see any Marine recruiting ads at Stormfront in the near future. Truth be told, the U.S. military was lightyears ahead of the rest of the country in race relations. They were fully integrated in 1948 by President Truman, while the land of fruits and nuts (i.e. California) didn't have their racist policy of "restrictive convenants", which ensured neighborhoods remained lily white, ruled unconstitutional until 1954.
Of course, I have no idea why I'm drawing from history or constructing this post, since these protestors clearly used no reason to arrive at their conclusions and are only out on the streets to start trouble like the stray dogs that they are. Sometimes you just have to step away from the computer and punch a hippy in the face.
Oh wait, except leave this young lady alone. She's attractive, so she gets a free pass on this blog (yeah, I'm a dumb guy, whatever). Also, this furthers the commonly-held axiom that all good-looking women are crazy.
The Good: The Christian Science Monitor talks about Sadr calling for restraint of his Mahdi Army during the Maysan province offensive; however, this could indicate they are trying to regroup. Parliamentary blocs are pushing for resolution on the Provincial Elections bill, which is viewed as a major step forward for political progress in Iraq. 6 more international oil companies have been added to develop Iraqi oil infrastructure. These companies are non-Western (Turkey, Vietnam, Pakistan, Thailand, Angola and Algeria), which kind of puts a hole in the "No Blood For Oil!" meme. Jordan has returned 2,500 antiquities which had been looted from Iraq. Looted artifacts are symbolic of the chaos and poor strategy of the initial invasion of Iraq, and returning antiquities can help make amends.
The Bad: A female suicide bomber has struck a courthouse in central Baqubah, killing 15 near a courthouse. A subsequent mortar attack has killed 10 Sawha fighters at a checkpoint. Iraq has lost to Qatar, 1-0, in the world cup qualifying round. However, McClatchy reports that the Iraqis can still pummel the Americans in soccer, as the guys from the 10th Mountain lost 9-0 to a Sahwa team. Obviously, it was a friendly game designed to promote mutual cooperation.
The Ugly: The NYT reports that news coverage of Iraq is in the crapper, as far as major news networks in America go. That's why you'll find a lot of links on these posts to Iraqi news sites that are in English. Frank Rich says that opinions by Americans of Iraq were decided in early 2007. If that is the case, Americans need to re-evaluate the situation as reality has changed immensely since then.
George Carlin, known for his raunchy and hilarious humor, has passed away in Los Angeles (h/t Crooks and Liars for this sad news). Of course, his best role, IMHO, was as Rufus in Bill and Ted's, which conveyed the simple message our society should live by: "Be Excellent To Each Other".
Hilzoy at ObWi cites the NYT article on the declining coverage by traditional media for the war in Iraq. The decline of adequate American media coverage in Iraq has been a problem since around the Petraeus/Crocker testimony in September 2007. Lucky for us, there's a host of international media outlets and blogs still devoted to one of the most important issues of the decade (see the sidebar to your right).
Of course, television is so 20th century. Blogging, Youtube, and other forms of web media have become the new Videodrome. It meets all the wickets of being 1) a bioelectronic addiction, 2) the ultimate addiction, and 3) shattering your reality.
As evidenced by this Simpsons clip, the enjoyment and mania over soccer is confusing to me: "high-kickin', low-scorin', and tiiieeesss". But it's very obvious that soccer is a big deal to the Iraqis (seen last year during the Asia cup win), and it sucks that they lost 1-0 to Qatar and won't go to the world cup in South Africa (h/t Inside Iraq). Sorry, Iraq.
Multi-National Force Iraq has released COIN guidance from General Petraeus. The directives are nothing new to people who follow counter-insurgency doctrine or soldiers with boots on ground. But two bullets of interest are applicable to bloggers following events while in our underwear back stateside:
Be first with the truth. Get accurate information of significant activities to your chain of command, to Iraqi leaders, and to the press as soon as is possible. Beat the insurgents, extremists, and criminals to the headlines, and pre-empt rumors. Integrity is critical to this fight. Don’t put lipstick on pigs. Acknowledge setbacks and failures, and then state what we’ve learned and how we’ll respond. Hold the press (and ourselves) accountable for accuracy, characterization, and context. Avoid spin and let facts speak for themselves. Challenge enemy disinformation. Turn our enemies’ bankrupt messages, extremist ideologies, oppressive practices, and indiscriminate violence against them.
Fight the information war relentlessly. Realize that we are in a struggle for legitimacy that in the end will be won or lost in the perception of the Iraqi people. Every action taken by the enemy and United States has implications in the public arena. Develop and sustain anarrative that works and continually drive the themes home through all forms of media.
Petraeus is speaking of countering the enemy's information war which seeks to portray the U.S. as bloodthirsty savages (frequently seen in Iranian media) or uses simple, emotional messaging about complex issues to incite indiscriminate violence (as seen with Al-Qaeda messaging). These information apparatuses are fair game under current military doctrine, but domestic media and DC politics remain off-limits for the military. This policy is designed to prevent military subversion of democracy, and even the superb COIN-themed Small Wars Journal steers clear of politics like a teenage couple from a prom night dumpster baby. Most high-ranking officers may harbor their own opinions, but are terrified of having their politics being broadcast...even to the point of not sharing them with subordinates during dinner at the chow hall. With this lack of engagement through mediums such as the blogosphere, a certain willful ignorance of the nation's punditry class is fostered. This has had terrible consequences over the past five years due to our apathy:
Incompetent Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld fails to listen to Gen. Shinseki's recommendations of having a much larger invasion force for Iraq, which would have crushed the Fedayeen and hindered the immediate outbreak of chaos. "Speaking Out" from former military leaders may have prevented much of the carnage and suffering the Iraqis have had to bear due to the destruction of infrastructure and the beginning of the insurgency.
The American left continues a campaign of misinformation and propaganda to denigrate military achievements for the purpose of electing "anti-war" candidates. Today's example is Juan Cole saying the U.S. has killed 310,000 Iraqis since 2003, despite complete lack of evidence. He even suggests an equivalent in America would be the total firebombing of Chicago...creepy! This Kos-like rhetoric mirrors propaganda in our enemy's media designed to subvert public support in the West.
A saber-rattling campaign against Iran exercised by the American right, despite overlooking any sort of "soft" options to isolate or remove the Iranian theocracy and not acknowledging that the current structure of the U.S. military would have immense difficulty supporting this mission.
Ignoring the political forces stateside that result in our foreign policy has negatively affected our country's military and ability to carry out the mission (see Admiral Mullen on Afghanistan). Career-driven military officers may fear reprisal from their civilian masters for speaking their mind, but the blogosphere provides a unique outlet, which most importantly can be done in anonymity.
And the rest of the world was ignorant, Because they weren't told more
This is the "Sucks To Be Me" dance number from Avenue Q, which has its last showing at Seattle's badass Paramount theater tonight. The Stranger reports that some sensitive types walked out of the theatrical production because of the "offensiveness" of muppets singing about sex and booze. Seeing how "Meet The Feebles" already set the bar for grotesque and hilarious puppetry, these playgoers may have walked for a different reason. It "Sucks to Be Me" when you're a farmer in Zimbabwe, and Mugabe and his band of murderous thugs have just announced that they will stay in power through a campaign of brutality and intimidation (see Hot Air for details). It doesn't "suck" to be a college-educated, urban hipster who's biggest anxiety is that a burly construction worker gave their beloved golden retriever a stern look while walking on Park avenue. This generation has a knack for attaching melodrama to the most mundane of life's details (see the Twitter phenomenon), which effectively creates an atmosphere of self-absorption and neglect for pressing world issues. Pardon me for not making the show. Tix on the floor are 140 bones and the show starts at 8pm.
Although, I do empathize with the "Internet is For Porn" message below:
In regards to my post about the lottery earlier today and how it's exploitative of the poor and ignorant, well it turns out the guy who won the Mega-millions in Michigan is a registered sex offender.
Looking at Mr. Topous, it's not really a surprise.
The recent Gallup data on the military has us clocked in at a whopping 71% approval rating (h/t Instapundit). Organized religion is at 48%, and all of Congress must be modeling themselves after Ron Paul, since they're in at a lousy 12% (they even lost to those diabolical HMOs at 13%). Not bad, but it indicates the American public isn't reading enough of this blog to get angry at my crass shenanigans. Time to try more outreach.
Despite the fact that the issue of the Alaskan Way Viaduct remains a big freakin' question mark (a 1950s freeway in Seattle that is probably going to collapse next time an old lady in a Cadillac drives down it), Gov. Gregoire has decided to focus her attention onto more pressing issues... lottery tickets. From Today's Seattle Times:
Gov. Christine Gregoire's office on Thursday asked the lottery to pull the game, which features tickets that look like labels for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Jolly Rancher and other candies, after investigating a concern that it could be perceived as a game for kids. Lottery Director Christopher Liu asked the state's 3,900 scratch-ticket retailers to remove the game, but it may take a few weeks for the game to disappear from shelves and vending machines, said Jacque Coe, spokeswoman for the lottery.
It is common knowledge that the state-run lottery is an abominable racket, designed to prey on the poor and ignorant to fund a bunch of hokey government programs. The odds are so egregiously against the rubes who choose to partake in this scam, that it would make a bookie named "Tiny" from Jersey begin to question the ethics of gambling. Gov. Gregoire is just tossing this red herring issue out to the local press to express her liberal "compassion" in making sure kids don't get fat and greedy when they see Mom and Dad throwing down their rent check on these ridiculous tickets. The Governor has no plans of actually getting rid of the program, as she just tapped the lotto money fund to spend $700K on god knows what in Tacoma. Like most politicians, she's very big on the rhetoric of "compassion" for kids, baby seals, or trees or whatever, but can't stop feeding her ravenous addiction to the almighty dollar.
The Scourge of The Evergreen State: Lotto Tickets That Make You Fat
It had long been suspected that ice existed on Mars, but the Phoenix Mars Lander offers proof that there is H20 on Mars, which sublimed from its solid state (ice) to a gaseous state (water vapor) in the footprint of the Phoenix Mars Lander. The Arizona Daily Star has details, pretty cool stuff.
Of course, this opens up a flood of philosophical and cultural questions for our currently earth-bound civilization. Will humans come back from Mars being super-intelligent from coexisting with the Martians ala Stranger in a Strange Land. Will ice become the most valued commodity in the galaxy ala Ice Pirates (which I thought was undeserving of a lowly 11 at Rotten Tomatoes when Jingle All the Way got an 18)? Or will it become a battleground between an evil corporation against Kuato and his band of rebels ala Total Recall? I for one plan on moving to the Red Planet as soon as sustainable living conditions are developed and the first casino opens in order to get off this lousy rock of authoritarianism. I just hope the immigration procedures aren't as harsh as this:
This is similar to the video the recruiter showed me, but, of course, the IA program hadn't been developed back in 2002. Damn you Mr. Recruiter, you just made the list.
The Good: Did you know that Baghdad was one of the most multicultural, cosmopolitan cities in the world until those thugs on horseback, The Mongols, destroyed it in the 13th century? You didn't! Well, now Iraqis are becoming more free to embrace their liberal outlook on the world as reported by Newsweek with liquor stores, barbers free to operate without intimidation from the militia, and a guy who likes Snoop Dogg. A "sticky" IED factory (bombs that gets attached to unsuspecting civilian cars) has been seized in Maysan. Stars and Stripes talks about the COIN efforts having huge dividends in small Iraqi villages. Oil production in Iraq has stabilized at 2.5M barrels a day, which is a post-invasion record. The Iraqi Oil Ministry wants exports to go all the way to 4M barrels a day. U.S. forces have detained 25 suspected Al-Qaeda in Iraq members during weekend operations throughout the country. Live Leak has footage of a JDAM drop on a Mahdi Army hideout in Sadr City (go to ~1:30 for the boom).
The Bad: One of our troops has been killed by an IED in Diyala province. The article also has information on anti-U.S. protests after Friday prayers because of the Status of Forces Agreement, which is still in discussion. Dr. Rubaie says the Iraqi government knows the location of the 5 kidnapped British hostages, who were abducted at the Ministry of Finance in May 2007. Hmm... I dunno, this dude is a bit of a shady character. Is it right to lead these people's families on? Also, I thought those kidnapped were in Iran. A Sadrist lawmaker has criticized Iraqi operations in Maysan province against militia elements (this comes as no surprise).
The Ugly: Iraq's reservoirs and the Tigris and Euphrates are at record-low levels according to Azzaman. This is definitely poor for agriculture, and considering Mosul Dam provides a good chunk of the electricity in Iraq (which is already in terrible shape), that's going to make things worse as temperatures climb to 120F for the inferno-like Iraqi summer. NY Times has a montage of photos after recent operations in Basra, Sadr City, and Mosul, which highlights security improvements, but still shows overwhelming poverty. Whistleblower from KBR talks about how the mega-contractor ignored cancer-causing chemicals at a water treatment plant in Basra.
The last of the five "surge" combat brigades is scheduled to be withdrawn from Iraq in July, leaving total U.S. force structure at around 140K (h/t Gateway Pundit). Assuming that the primary purpose of the U.S. military in Iraq is to provide security for the Iraqi population, the statistics don't lie. Iraqi civilian casualties are down, U.S. casualties are down, and significant security incidents are down. It should be noted that the SIGACT chart only goes to early April when the "Shi'ite hit the fan", but I assure you, when the next one gets declassified, it will be down too. Not too bad. Of course there's still poor infrastructure, a huge refugee crisis, and unacceptable levels of extremism in Iraq, but the situation on the ground has vastly improved since the strategy was implemented in early 2007, when Iraq was rife with sectarian bloodshed. Think LT Nixon is a foul-mouthed shill for the administration? Well, here's an Iraqi in the Adhamiyah district of Baghdad who offers up mixed progress on his blog: "The worst period was between late 2006 to middle 2007; it was the bloodiest times for Iraqis so when comparing to those times the situation is less violent but please don't forget that at that time Baghdad was like a living hell". Mistakes from BushCo in 2002/2003 can't be undone, but strategy and policy can be implemented to attempt to improve a bad situation.
Allahpundit already beat me to the punch on the knocked-up teeny boppers in Massachusetts Time article, but I thought I'd throw in my $.02. As a lib, it's ethically wrong for me to chastise young, unwed mothers for choosing a life of motherhood at such a young age. Besides, women were plopping out rugrats in their teenage years during the Colonial era and American civilization still soldiers on. But now that my Combat Zone Tax Exclusion has expired, and I've got to bear a portion of the cost, I'm gonna raise holy hell!
Apparently, it is now the "cool" thing to do for unwed teenage girls at Gloucester High to be seen pushing around the stroller. My barometer of coolness for a teenage girl is whether or not she has big hair and can rock out to Whitesnake, so perhaps I'm a bit behind the times. However, one explanation suggests that school policy is enabling this new trend by providing free day-care for students:
The high school has done perhaps too good a job of embracing young mothers. Sex-ed classes end freshman year at Gloucester, where teen parents are encouraged to take their children to a free on-site day-care center. Strollers mingle seamlessly in school hallways among cheerleaders and junior ROTC. "We're proud to help the mothers stay in school," says Sue Todd, CEO of Pathways for Children, which runs the day-care center.
So the school is basically teaching these youngsters that they have no responsibility for their actions and their cute little babies can suck off the huge proverbial teat of public funding from the state of MA. I live in an area that sounds similar in economic demographics to Gloucester, and if a woman is halfway decent looking, she's no doubt going to be schlepping around the baby by 19 (a crude description, but a reality). Often they are out and about with the teenage mom's mom at the local Wal-Mart, while the deadbeat Daddy is nowhere in sight. Responsible Americans will continue to have children in less numbers, while breeding patterns for those unable to have any foresight skyrocket, since the tax dollars from hard-working Americans will continue to fund their inept decision-making. If you don't understand this analogy, please watch Mike Judge's Idiocracy. Until then, I humbly suggest forcing all teenagers to watch the Judge Reinhold classic, Vice Versa, to understand the responsibilities and difficulties of being an adult.
Jon Stewart covers the floods in the Midwest, speaking genuinely about the kindness of people in Iowa, and mocking the media in normal Daily Show fashion. I've been there too, and I would have to agree with him on Iowa's good-natured people (along with the girls being pretty). That's why it's no surprise that there have very few reports of looting or violence in the affected areas. The Prez paid a visit today to Cedar Rapids, and domestic humanitarian assistance from the normally diabolical federal government is a legitimate function during times of disaster, IMHO, ergo no snark in this post. The Tension has info on the National Guard helping out in the affected areas.
The Good: Iraqi Spec Ops have captured a militia leader in Baghdad. Col Ferrell talks about tactics in preventing extremists from re-entering the Sunni areas south of Baghdad during a press conference. Australian News is more optimistic about new development of Iraqi oil infrastructure stabilizing crude prices than the "no blood for oil" crowd in the states. This comes at a time when the Iraqi Finance Minister has announced plans for Iraqi natural gas to be transferred to Jordan from Anbar province via pipeline. The Iraqi-led "Promise of Peace" operation continues with big successes in Maysan province.
The Bad: Kim Gamel of the AP reports that caches are turning up in the darndest places in Iraq as of late. A bakery, a fish farm, etc. While the seizure of weapons from extremists is always welcome, the fact that they are still turning up in civilian areas indicates that there is still some level of support for extremism from common Iraqi citizens. Murderous thugs have killed a student in Diyala province.
The Ugly: The House has passed the Iraq/Afghanistan funding bill. It's ugly because it took so fuckin' long. Can't the political factions of this country agree on anything. Bipartisanship has a knack for making our govermental institutions look like Sharks and the Jets...except more flamboyant and more embarrassing. Rumors abound in the Iraqi news as Azzaman suggests the U.S. was behind the savage bombing in Baghdad and Ahmadinejad's crazy tale of avoiding being kidnapped by CIA spooks makes the rounds. Someone get him a tin foil hat for god sakes.
Ahmadinejad Brings Teh Crazy To the Press (not a surprise)
Juan Cole posts an article from the Iranian propaganda apparatus about Ahmadinejad thinking that the U.S. tried to abduct him while he visited Baghdad in March:
A Tabnak correspondent has reported: During a meeting today with members of the Qom Theological Lecturers Association, our country's president has disclosed that a US plan to abduct him in Iraq and transfer him to the US has failed. According to one of the lecturers present at the meeting, Dr Ahmadinezhad added: Simultaneous with my visit to Iraq, the Americans intended to carry out a calculated plan to abduct me and transfer me to the US so that they could use the issue of terrorism as an excuse to blackmail the Islamic Republic. The president continued: Despite this, praise be to God, the changes which were made to my travel schedule spoilt their plan. They were taken by surprise and realized what had happened when I was flying back to Iran. This was whilst we didn't even visit the Green Zone, which is Baghdad's safest area. The interesting point is that Bush, the US president, hasn't even stayed overnight in Iraq.
There is zero evidence for this abduction, except in the dark confines of Ahmadinejad's mind, and he erroneously states that he didn't visit the Green Zone last March. That's funny, because the international media outlet, BBC, reported that crazy Mahmoud visited Prime Minister Maliki, even going so far to report how security was provided by the Pesh:
The visiting president also saw Prime Minister Nouri Maliki at his offices inside the heavily fortified Green Zone. Entering the Green Zone usually involves passing through American checkpoints, but security on the way into the zone for Mr Ahmadinejad was provided by Kurdish peshmerga forces supplied by the Kurdish Iraqi president.
What's truly scary is that American Professor, Dr. Juan Cole, provides this article without commentary, indicating that he may or may not believe it to be true. Since I was there at the time, I should be up front about what happened to my fellow left-leaning countrymen. I was dressed up in the undergarments the Army issues that are ninja-like in appearance with my fellow buddies in Blackwater and the CIA. We were waiting for the word from Cheney to take President Ahmadinejad to the secret GOP/Exxon/Halliburton headquarters on Neptune. Unfortunately, those whiny bleeding heart pussies in Congress called it off! Stay vigilant, netroots.
Big Surprise, These Ninjas Weren't Utilized During Ahmadinejad's Visit in March
Things weren't looking so good in the forgotten war a few days ago: prison break in Kandahar, Taliban massing in villages outside Kandahar, and some U.S. helo engines went missing on a convoy. When the shit hits the fan in our current conflicts, it is somewhat comforting that we have the advantage of overwhelming firepower. The AP reports that Taliban is on the run from ISAF and Afghan forces around Kandahar:
Afghan and NATO troops backed by warplanes drove Taliban militants from villages within striking distance of southern Afghanistan's main city on Thursday, killing 56 of them, Afghan officials said. NATO said the 24-hour operation in Arghandab was a swift success that banished any threat to Kandahar and would help reassure Afghans appalled at the embarrassing mass escape of Taliban prisoners from a city jail last week. Hundreds of families who fled the lush, orchard-strewn valley, which begins just 10 miles from the city, were told they could safely return, the alliance said.
Sometimes rehabilitation and soft counter-insurgency doesn't work, and you just have to drop a JDAM.
Wek directs our attention to the worst 25 Hair Bands on Yahoo. I admit to having a Poison - Open Up and Say Ahh shirt sitting around somewhere and it's a little embarrassing, but I agree with Latchkey Man that putting Skid Row at #2 was uncalled for. Was Ricky a poser? Fuck no! His veins pumped gasoline.
The accompanying 25 Best Metal Bands on Yahoo had some good shit to bang your head to. Pantera, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Motorhead, and of course Maiden. Although, I thought they should have distinguished between Metallica with and without Cliff Burton, since there' s a huge difference. Aerosmith and Zeppelin should be removed from the list, since they aren't really metal. Someone in the comments board lamented why Slipknot wasn't included. First off, who the fuck is Slipknot? Second, you youngsters need to be schooled in a little Awesome 101 with the following video from the Powerslave album:
Did you guys know that there was this thing called the Iraq war and some stuff didn't go well but they have a ton of oil so some rich people who dress like cowboys could make a lot of money? I wouldn't have known unless John Cusack's latest movie War Inc. was made!
It’s hard to decide who gets it worse; the American military or the Iraqi (Turqistani) people. Military men and women are alternately portrayed as buffoons, bloodthirsty, or manic. One has “Fuck Haji” tattooed across his back. The Iraqi/Turaqistani’s are boobs, suckers, patsies for the Americans, or … terrorists.
Despite the fact that I sport the "Fuck Haji" tattoo across my chest and a "KBR 4eva" tattoo on my back, God help us all if that's what the majority of Americans think of the military. I have no problems with Hollywood's liberal leanings, but they need to learn that you have to come up with new ideas to get the hard-earned bucks from your average moviegoer. I recommend spending the 7 bucks on purchasing a copy of Halloween III: Season of the Witch at your local Wal-Mart (it's probably located in one of those big boxes on the floor next to the Abs workout videos and straight-to-cable movies starring Dolph Lundgren). It includes an evil corporation affiliated with satanic druids that manufactures halloween masks which turn kids' heads into a bunch of ants. Plus the protagonist gets it on with an android (I don't blame him, that chick was hot). Now there's a movie! Best of all it doesn't include a bunch of preachy political commentary that you've already heard a zillion times.
I wonder how many dead bodies are dumped in the sound? Hmm. I used to hate looking at it from my residence, since I worked there. But now that I'm on leave, I guess it's not so bad. Beats a bunch of Iraq-style T-walls.
The Good: Iraqi Security Forces launch major operations in Amara, which generally had a small government/coalition footprint and has been suspected of harboring smuggled Iranian weaponry and proxy fighters. This comes after some members of the militia surrendered in the southern Maysan province along with their weapons before the operation started. Iraq's Foreign Minister praises U.S. flexibility on the Status of Forces Agreement which would allow U.S. military forces to operate past 2008. Major Western oil corporations are in the final stages of negotiations with the Iraqi Oil Ministry on modernizing oil fields and infrastructure. A leader in the Islamic State of Iraq in Mosul (terrorist group affiliated with Al-Qaeda) has been detained.
The Bad: Baghdad and Mosul university attacks are under attack by Iraqi policemen according to the Iraqi newspaper, Azzaman. Militia thugs often masquerade or moonlight as Iraqi Security Forces in certain parts of the country and engage in violence, usually for money or strange religious beliefs. A Mahdi Army leader was behind the bombing in Baghdad that killed scores of civilians yesterday. This is not the first time that the militia has resorted to terrorism to justify its existence, as a crowded pet market in the Rusafa district of Baghdad was targeted last November that left over a dozen killed. Reuters has the round up of the deadliest atrocities in Iraq in the past year.
The Ugly: David Ignatius of WaPo says that Obama and McCain's plan for Iraq are both "unrealistic". I agree with Mr. Ignatius; unfortunately, a well-thought out plan for America's foreign policy in Iraq doesn't fit into a twenty-second soundbite. An IRR call-up, Matthis Chiroux, is openly resisting in DC. Sure, there have been a lot of IRR callups and many I served with weren't too happy about it, but when life hands you a bag of dicks you've gotta sort it out. I don't see how stirring up the pot with IVAW in DC is helping matters.
Cache Seizure By Iraqi Security Forces Near Sadr City (from AFP)
This is a picture of the legendary Dr. King leading an effective protest in Washington in the early 60s. A clear, compassionate, and simple message against the unjustifiable institution of segregation and disenfranchisement. He urged non-violence, equality, and was dressed in a respectable manner for the occasion, which conveyed the seriousness with which he took the cause. A class act all the way. History books should attach a footnote to his name as the last rational protester, because it pretty much goes downhill from here. Protesting in contemporary America has become a hodge-podge mix of people that thought 9/11 was an inside job, belief that a convicted cop-killer should become a free man, and even the occasional character who thinks he should be the emperor of the millennium.
While these street people and their foolish causes have provided a tremendous source for humor in the blogosphere on such sites as Zombietime and My Own Side, the ramifications of Americans acting like buffoons in such a public fashion are catastrophic. To the right are Code Pink protesters speaking out against torture (courtesy of Dirty Harry's Place)...I think. The irony of their "indecent" message is apparent as I watch my heterosexuality being thrown up in a pool of vomit. While their misguided and confusing message may reach the unfortunate soul who happens to be driving by the streets of Berkeley at the time, it only serves as a constant reminder of how idiotic and childish we act as human beings.
Some may be upset that this critique of culture is strictly limited to denizens of the Bay area, who can certainly be an eccentric bunch, but behold the Westboro Baptist Church. They are from the great expansive heartland of our fair nation and they hate fags, dead soldiers, dead fag soldiers, and also the Pope. Assuming their signs are gospel, God hates all these people too. I'm not a religious man, but I imagine that an omnipotent entity wouldn't need his subjects milling around with multi-colored signs to espouse hate-ridden views while snarling up traffic. There is nowhere in our nation that is spared from this offensive display of misconstrued, irrational ideas coupled with jingoistic songs about this person or that corporation having to "go". The really "good" protests will get celebrity-backing from some has-been who hasn't put out a decent movie since the Carter administration, but their ideas for change remain as far-fetched and unrealistic as the homeless gentleman who once accused me of being a dragon. Gateway Pundit has the story on the Denver police ordering more guns for the trouble ahead with the DNC protests scheduled for August. While first amendment rights are essential in any free society, violence must be squashed by proper law and order.
Yeah for democracy! The health nuts at the AMA have been so generous to allow us loyal servants of the state to continue smoking menthols according to Politico. Apparently, the decision to not turn everyday citizens into criminals came down to the realization that menthols are primarily smoked by African-Americans (not sure what the color of someone's skin has to do with a personal decision, but that's what the article said). Of course Ed Morrisey at Hot Air discusses a new study that indicates smoking bans at bars causes an increase in drunk driving due to smokers driving longer distances to establishments that still allow customers to puff away. Expect all smokers to have their drivers licenses taken away in the near future...for the children.
While war and strife seem to be the defining turning points of our civilization, great achievements in innovation should be given proper credence for forever affecting our society:
Fire
The Wheel
Bronze
Gunpowder
Printing Press
Steam Engine
Antibiotics
Transistors
Plastic
Satellites
Robot Girl Friends For The Low Low Price of $175
MSNBC has the story of Sega mass marketing robot girlfriends to lonely Japanese guys that regular schmoes can actually afford. $175 may sound a bit high on the price scale, but considering that dinner, a movie, and an evening of clubbing to watch your date sneak off with the gel-haired prick in the Abercrombie getup 10 minutes before last call, which can run well over the $200 price range, I'd say this is a bargain. All hail our Japanese superiors, who are light years ahead of us in Robo-Human relations (h/t my buddy in Gitmo).
Susan Faludi is a prominent Harvard-edumucated feminist that frequently comments on gender roles and their consequences in American society. Unless you want to jump on the third-party bus with me (no, it's not short), the general election has boiled down to Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain...both dudes. Perhaps it's the male in me that never got in touch with a feminine side, or maybe it was just that I was bit hungover and disheveled when I read this Op-Ed during breakfast, but I am completely baffled when she proclaims in a NY Times Op-Ed that "In choosing between Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain in the general election, Americans will pass a referendum on 200 years of bedrock gender mythology." Uh...what?
Despite the fact that John McCain rarely talks about his time as a POW, she likens the McCain camp to exploiting his military service to be fashioned as the heroic protector of America replete with cowboy hat and spurred boots. Faludi explains:
Senator McCain may fit the model better than anyone. After all, he actually starred in a real-life captivity narrative, having withstood five and a half years of imprisonment by non-white tormentors, declining special treatment and coming home a hero. “I have seen men’s hopes tested in hard and cruel ways that few will ever experience,” he declared from the hustings. A 12-minute video on his Web site dwells on how his faith in the “fathers” and his will “to fight to survive” got the young Navy pilot through Vietcong bayonetings, bone smashings and bondage.The story’s appeal is evident in the flood of news media adulation. The worshipful tone of the last Newsweek cover article on Mr. McCain is typical.
While Huckabee's comments about McCain being the football captain who might ask him to prom were weird, I can assure from personal experience that most Navy officers don't really conform to the macho male stereotype and her understanding of military culture is incredibly poor.
After establishing McCain as "the guy", she then proceeds to attribute feminine characteristics to Obama:
In the campaign ahead, expect a fierce Republican effort to reinstate the nation’s guardian myth — by demonstrating how the other party’s candidate fails to fit the formula. Had Mrs. Clinton been the candidate, she would no doubt have faced more attacks for being too mannishly abrasive or, conversely, too emotional to play the manly role. But Mr. Obama should expect similar damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t gender assaults. He will be cast either as the epicene metrosexual who can’t protect the country or else as the modern heathen with a suspicious middle name.
This whole rambling narrative represents an annoying trend by America's eggheaded zeitgeist to distract the great unwashed voting masses with trivial banter that means little to the future of the country. Now that the primaries are over you'd think it'd be time to take democracy seriously (at least from "respected" media outlets like the NY Times), because I'm half-expecting the Where's the Beef lady to be resurrected and continue the total mockery and embarrassment that is American politics.
Think Glen or Glenda when pulling the lever in November
I recognize that I'm probably not qualified to be a modern art critic, since I consider Hentai the most fascinating artwork to come along in recent years. However, recent modern art masterpieces such as "Piss Christ", the Yale student's Bag O' Abortions piece, and now a stuffed horse suspended from the ceiling in Australia are apparent in their tastelessness to even the most non-intellectual observer. The Sydney Biennale seeks to provoke "comment and debate" as reported on the SBS website:
A sign overlooking Sydney's iconic Opera House and harbour questions: "This is freedom?". Two more signs plastered on the facade of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) read "end white supremacy" and "200 years of white lies" - the work of US artist Sam Durant. Inside the MCA a taxidermic horse hangs limply from the ceiling suspended by leather slings, while in another room a figure of Jesus is mounted on a descending US jet fighter plane.
Sure, everyone has something nasty to say about us loudmouth creeps in America, but hanging a poor stuffed horse from the ceiling is not a proper method of political discourse, but rather a grotesque symbol of abusing an animal. While I'm no vegan or animal-rights activists, we should strive to avoid acts of barbarism in our treatment of animals by condemning things like dog-fighting, ratting, and this crap. Here's a link to artwork showing a horse, in this case Secretariat, in a way that highlights the awesomeness of horses. Of course, that piece would probably be considered "corny" by the Biennale's standards unless he was taking a big steamy dump on an American flag or something.
I've really been out of the loop on Iraq in the last two weeks, and I apologize. The Economist has an article about the dramatic decline in violence in the war-torn country. The Maysan province has had a very small footprint from both the Iraqi government in Baghdad and coalition forces, but now things are ramping up for a large-scale offensive by Iraqi security forces. The Mahdi Army may be weakening, but the Sadrists are showing their desperation in possibly boycotting provincial elections, which could leave large portions of the Iraqi population disenfranchised. Sadr is playing a political game by whipping up public support by denouncing the American "occupier". It's very difficult to distinguish the strict religious zealots of the Mahdi Army and the militia thugs that commit crimes for money (often from Iran) and power. It's all so confusing. I wanted to play the Jermaine Stewart Classic "We Don't Have to Take Our Cltoehs Off" as a celebration for the drop in violence, but nothing in Iraq is that simple...and poverty and strife continue. Aw to hell with it, here's the song anyways.
GI Kate has a sampling of a documentary on women in the military that is worth the view. It's been disheartening that, despite the fact that women are serving our country in larger numbers and in more front-line roles (such as the Lioness program), mainstream society willfully wishes to hamper their courage because of the politically incorrect nature of the military (the "women as victims" meme) and the old world thinking that women shouldn't be on the front lines. In approaching the politics of war from a strictly bipartisan perspective, these ladies are taking flak from both sides of the aisle. So, visit GI Kate's blog and show some support. Also, women interested in being part of the documentary can contact GI Kate via email.
While probably not the best blog for woman's issues, this blog supports this documentary
So my high school buddy, Nathan, has a blog that is totally dedicated to sustainable and eco-friendly living. It's pretty cool. Right now he is focused on the logistics of moving around something called a yurt, which is pictured below. If you need a bath from the bloggin' sewer of politics and controversy, I recommend checking it out. You may ask yourself, "eL-Tee, how were you friends with someone so crunchy?". Well, if you asked yourself about the bizarre mix of people that Ann Arbor produces (including such characters as Bo Schembecler and Iggy Pop), you just answered your own damn question. Please no "hippie-bashing", as they are very nice people that don't deserve such shabby treatment that faux-environmentalists like Al Gore deserve.
This is the new Moveon.Org slam piece on McCain which has already gotten over 200K views on YouTube (h/t Jesus' General). I have to admit that I don't care much for McCain's plans for Iraq (frankly, I believe we should focus on accelerated withdrawal from Messopotamia and divert more resources to Afghanistan), but this ad is completely dishonest for one huge reason. It presupposes that the Iraq war is being fought by a broad cross-section of the American public. Give me a break. The military is composed of a small percentage of the American citizenry and the only sacrifice these urban yuppie types have had to make is to put down their lattes to skim the latest news on "Bush's war". Don't worry, lady, your kid will be safe to go to a liberal arts school of his choosing when he grows up to learn about how terrible America is. Can you tell I'm still bitter about the General Betrayus debacle last September? Yeah, fuck you, Moveon.Org, and I'm getting drunk and listening to Chico DeBarge right now too.
Now that I'm no longer living in the stone age without internet, we can now return to the regularly scheduled blogging. Traveling out of theater is a nightmare for most. Endless waiting around in tents at Camp Victory and Kuwait. No one knows what the hell to do with you when you're in the Navy, and plane flights are always delayed for some reason or another. The term "lowest bidder" for these lucrative government contracts to ferry troops between the U.S. and the Middle East takes on a bit of sardonic irony as you wait around for days like an asshole. But somehow we all made it out. Of course I was sans luggage since it got lost in customs at Dulles, but they found it out and it's being shipped. No fanfare for the Navy IAs when we got back to the states, which is probably for the best, since I hate shit like that. Military wives and their smelly kids holding up signs proclaiming how happy they are that they're "hero" is back. Blegh! Save that shit for the rubes. We were just happy to be normal, alcohol-drinkin' people again without all the extraneous "hooah", and we didn't have to run for concrete bunkers every time an explosion went off in the distance. Although, it wasn't all monotony, incompetence, and me bitchin' up a storm. Sometimes in life, the cosmos of awesomeness collide and a great moment happens. Man walking on the moon, Isaac Newton discovering gravity, and me winning four-suited spider solitaire while listening to Madonna and then Rush. Proof is below.
The Final Fantasy-themed MP3 player and the Star-Trek themed background may cause you to be judgmental to my character. If you envision me as some sex-starved loser, you would be absolutely correct.
After hanging out with the fam, I made my way out West. Driving cross country is always peaceful and relatively uneventful, which is just what I was looking for. Here are some observations on America from a guy who's been overseas for a year:
Did people get fatter while I was gone: An obese woman almost ran over my foot today on a Rascal while I was purchasing Q-tips and a wireless router at Wal-Mart. This is absurd. I'm not a "public health" advocate and I would never call upon our government to fix the problem via compassionate Stalinism, but I recommend a public smoking campaign. This would get everyone thinner and help our heroic tobacco companies reach new profits.
Why does music still suck so bad: Poor economies are supposed to bring about new cultural paradigms of rockin' out. The malaise-ridden 70s saw the birth of both Punk and Metal. Listening to the radio while driving cross-country, all I heard was Jack Johnson knock-offs, dudes who were too wussy to be in The Killers, and a bunch of people singing about the glory of God. I have nothing against JC, but there's something wrong when bands in their twenties are singing about not having premarital sex and how cool it is to be sober. Zzzzz.
Floods in the Midwest: I drove down I-90 most of the way, and there were huge expanses of farmland underwater with destroyed crops. I saw lots of cattle wading through these makeshift ponds like it was something out of Revelations. That's not good. We kind of need food, to like, you know, not have a country-wide famine and die. Here's an article about FEMA in South Dakota (which I drove through, but it sounds worse in Iowa). I'll refrain from smartass comments about bureauweenie incompetence, since I believe humanitarian relief is a legitimate application of our government.
Jericho Season 2 is out, sweet: I just ordered it, but there' s only 7 episodes. Damn writers' strike.
Nothin' about Iraq: The only time Iraq came up in conversation or on the news outside of family is when I talked with a WWII vet at a Perkins in Billings, Montana. It's almost like nothing is going on over there. While there will be no ticker-tape "V-E Day" due to the nature of conflict in Iraq or Afghanistan, ignorance of our policy is a threat to democracy. This is a very dangerous trend as Americans are carrying on while their fellow countrymen continue to die over there. I'll continue to try and seek out the news and highlight it in an easy to read manner on this lousy blog in a humble attempt to correct this disturbing reality. Of course we have it better than the Vietnam vets did when they came back. At least no one threw dog shit at us (as far as I know).
I always need to be doing things to keep my mind preoccupied: A lot of other vets have talked about how they have to be busy at all times when they get back. I know what they mean. I've already vacuumed the place up like 4 times as if I was spun out of my head on meth. Good thing I've got the internet up and running, or else I'd be fighting off the demons of boredom.
Some of you asked what it's like to be back, so hopefully this self-obsessed post helps you understand a little better. Of course this wasn't my first deployment, I have no wife/girlfriend, and I was a POG, so take it FWIW, as experiences may be different from one guy/gal to the other. Thanks for all your comments and suggestions to prevent me from going batshit while I was in-country, and I'll be keeping up a regular regiment of posting.
I'll be back to blogging on Tuesday. Apologies for the delays, but I have to get internet set up at my house. I'm writing this from the library in Port Orchard, and I'm probably already flagged as a "person of interest" by the FBI, so it might be a bad idea. Better keep this short n' sweet to allow plenty of time to escape in my truck. Thanks to everyone for the nice comments on the last few posts. I really appreciate it.
This is last night's sunset over a South Dakota farm. I stopped at a rest stop on I-90 to check it out (no, I was not cruising for gay sex). I'm still traveling, but I'll be back to bloggin' in a few days. Apologies.
Nixon is a former Navy guy who did a couple of deployments at sea and spent a year in Iraq. He enjoys reading and writing about the strange intersection between war, politics, and the media. He enjoys being an ex-pat and NGO employee in Bangkok for the time being.
Abu Abed in Hiding (from LA Times)
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