Yes, More Head 'Splodery

[Caution, really long post containing things that make my head explode to follow. However, I suspect you all will be mildly amused, just saying]

[Updated: I had originally posted the first draft of my reply letter, which I copied before I sent it. I fiddled with the letter a bit, adding a couple of items and rewording a few things, but forgot to recopy it to the blog. Because I know that you, Dear Reader, demand accuracy - I have updated the post with a copy of the actual letter. It is essentially the same, just a bit more refined.]


As I mentioned previously, I seem to have somehow given the impression to a number of neo-con jackasses that I am one of them. One in particular, the local Scout Master, just will not a take a hint, and continues to forward me right-wing alarmist spam. This irritates me. And, as most of you know, irritate me enough and eventually I reach a point where I stop being a polite civilian and revert to mean, nasty, brutally blunt Warrant Officer mode.

Today is that day.

First the original email in it's original (mostly) format. I did make the font smaller, since it was originally about 24pt - you can thank me later. CK is the neo-con jackass in question. He has the annoying habit of abbreviating names and big words, and using symbols and numbers instead of spelling things out. Mostly, I believe, because he is a) afraid of computers and teh gay interweebs, and b) because he types like a one fingered three-year old. I've seen this dreck before, but when it ends up in my box with a caveat to 'mull it over and ACT', yeah, the internal pressure in my brainium starts to fizz and bubble:

__________________

All,

... mull this over & ACT.

CK

-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 4:57 PM
Subject: America's Suicide

This is an interesting must read!

Subject: America's Suicide

Wherever you stand, please take the time to read this; it ought to scare
the beejeebers out of you!

We know Dick Lamm as the former Governor of Colorado. In that context his thoughts are particularly poignant. Last week there was an immigration overpopulation conference in Washington DC, filled to capacity by many of America's finest minds and leaders. A brilliant college professor by the name of Victor Hansen Davis talked about his latest book, 'Mexifornia, explaining how immigration, both legal and illegal, was destroying the entire state of California. He said it would march across the country until it destroyed all vestiges of The American Dream.

Moments later, former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm stood up and gave a stunning speech on how to destroy America. The audience sat spellbound as he described eight methods for the destruction of the United States. He said, 'If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let's destroy America. It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that an autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.''

'Here is how they do it,' Lamm said: 'First, to destroy America, turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country. History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. The historical scholar, Seymour Lipset, put it this way: 'The histories of bilingual and bicultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy. Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, and Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with Basques, Bretons, Corsicans, and Muslims.'

Lamm went on: 'Second, to destroy America, invent multiculturalism and encourage immigrants to maintain their culture. Make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal; that there are no cultural differences. Make it an article of faith that the Black and Hispanic dropout rates are due solely to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out of bounds.

'Third, we could make the United States an 'Hispanic Quebec' without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently: 'The apparent success of our own multi-ethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved not by tolerance, but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentricity and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together.' Lamm said, 'I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with the salad bowl metaphor. It is important to ensure that we have various cultural subgroups living in America enforcing their differences rather than as Americans, emphasizing their similarities.'

'Fourth, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass have a 50% dropout rate from high school.'

'My fifth point for destroying America would be to get big foundations and businesses to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of 'Victimology.' I would get all minorities to think that their lack of success was the fault of the majority.
I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority plation.'

'My sixth plan for America's downfall would include dual citizenship, and
promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would
stress differences rather than similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precet. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together. Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common language and literature; and they worshipped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic games. A common enemy, Persia, threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were
not strong enough to overcome two factors: local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell. 'E. Pluribus Unum -- From many, one. In that historical reality, if we put the emphasis on the 'pluribus' instead of the 'Unum,' we will 'Balkanize' America as surely as Kosovo.'

'Next to last, I would place all subjects off limits. Make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult of 'diversity.' I would find a word similar to 'heretic' in the 16th century - that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like 'racist' or 'xenophobe' halt discussion and debate.
Having made America a bilingual/bicultural country, having established
multi-cultum, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of 'Victimology ' I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra: That because immigration has been good for America, it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant symmetric and ignore the cumulative impact of millions of them.'

In the last minute of his speech, Governor Lamm wiped his brow. Profound silence followed. Finally he said, 'Lastly, I would censor Victor Hanson Davis's book 'Mexifornia.' His book is dangerous. It exposes the plan to destroy America. If you feel America deserves to be destroyed, don't read that book.'

There was no applause. A chilling fear quietly rose like an ominous cloud above every attendee at the conference. Every American in that room knew that everything Lamm enumerated was proceeding methodically, quietly, darkly, yet pervasively across the United States today. Discussion is being suppressed. Over 100 languages are ripping the foundation of our educational system and national cohesiveness. Even barbaric cultures that practice female genital mutilation are growing as we celebrate 'diversity.' American jobs are vanishing into the Third World as corporations create a Third World in America. Take note of California and other states. To date, ten million illegal aliens and growing fast. It is reminiscent of George Orwell's book 1984.' In that story, three slogans are engraved in the Ministry of Truth building: 'War is peace,' 'Freedom is slavery,' and 'Ignorance is strength.'

Governor Lamm walked back to his seat. It dawned on everyone at the conference that our nation and the future of this great democracy is deeply in trouble and worsening fast. If we don't get this immigration monster stopped within three years, it will rage like a California wildfire and destroy everything in its path, especially The American Dream.

________________________

Here's my reply. I think it gets the point across. But it is possible that I was too subtle, you decide:

Note: in the reply below I mention a 'memorial wall.' Each Memorial Day, CK puts on his Scout Uniform and lays a wreath in front of the MatSu Valley Veteran's Memorial - he likes to equate his Scout Uniform and his wreath laying to actual, you know, military service - of which he has precisely none.

Additional Note: for those of you who have not served in the military, please do not take what follows as a slap in the face. It is directed at one person, and one person only - and strictly because he continues to harp at me about 'patriotism' and 'duty' and 'sacrifice.' He lectures me ad nauseum about military service and how you're not a true America patriot if you haven't served and more importantly if you're not a straight Christian Caucasian (and yeah, you know, a Huckabee supporter) - and yet when questioned about his own service, explains that he had a family and obligations and his poor old mother was sick and yadda yadda during Vietnam, but he would have loved to have served if it wasn't for his bum knee and ... and etcetera etcetera and etcetera. So, this reply is directed at his hypocritical ass, not you. I don't care if you've served or not - I sincerely respect you either way, as long as you don't, you know, act like a hypocritical fucktard.

Anyway, my reply:
________________________

[CK]

Please stop sending this garbage to me. I find this type of racist, right-wing, alarmist spam annoying and offensive. And I am insulted by your comment that I should “mull this over & ACT.” Personally, I don’t care what you think of me, however when you include me in a group email of this nature, you imply publicly that I share your beliefs, this is emphatically not the case and I resent the implication.

It is obvious that you have no idea of who I am or what I believe in. And since politely ignoring your xenophobic nonsense obviously does not work, I will explain my position bluntly so that you do not make this mistake in the future.

For the record, I have done far more than simply ‘mull it over’ and my actions are a matter of record. My opinions are based on a lifetime of experience and action, not neo-conservative alarmism and racist scare-tactics. While you and Dick Lamm were sitting around talking about patriotism and how the country is going to hell in a hand basket, I was serving the United States in uniform. I spent 24 years in military service, honorably retiring my sword six months ago. I served in two wars and numerous actions short of war, as both an enlisted man and as an officer. I was decorated thirteen times, including citations for valor in combat and for saving the lives of 43 Iraqis. I led US fighting men on four continents and six oceans. For two and half decades I upheld my oath to the Constitution of the United States and the Navy core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. These actions are a matter of public record; as such, I am sick and tired of attempts by those who have never served this country – those who have never put their own ass on the line – to lecture me on patriotism and service. And I am fed up with your racist, xenophobic, homophobic, and bigoted agenda.

Here’s something for you to mull over: many of the people I served alongside were immigrants, or the children of immigrants. Many were not even US citizens. A significant fraction of US military forces are made up of men and women from Mexico, Liberia, the Philippines, and many other nations – including Middle Eastern nations. They are men and women of many religions or none, of many races and ethnicities, who speak many languages, and who have many and diverse traditions and histories, but who all have sworn to stand together and uphold the fundamental principles of the US Constitution. They are men and women who have come to this country seeking a better life for themselves and their families. They have voluntarily sworn serve and defend America and they are out there right now in the dark and dangerous corners of the world fighting for your right to call them unfit. They have placed their own precious selves in harm’s way in the service of a flag that is not even their own so that they and their children may one day share in the American dream. Many have returned in body bags. They lay entombed in the soil of a foreign nation far from their families and homes, buried honorably beneath the American flag. Some were my friends and shipmates and they have done far more than either you or Dick Lamm, or the current jackass of a President for that matter, to secure the future this country. But because they spoke a language other than your own, you ignore and deride their sacrifice under the very banner that keeps you free. I suggest you mull that over, and your hypocrisy, the next time you stand smugly self-righteous in your scout leader uniform before the memorial wall.

Regarding the xenophobic nonsense below, nearly every bit of it is easily proved false, but you’d have to look at more than just neo-con propaganda. Throughout history, there have been many, many multicultural and multilingual nations that have enjoyed long and rich histories, many still exist today and I’ve visited a number, you might do some research before propagating this crap across the internet. As to America, my own great grand parents were Dutch and Irish immigrants. They, like millions of others including your own ancestors I suspect, came to these shores decades ago. They brought with them their own languages, beliefs, cultures, and traditions – and far from destroying America, they enriched it. They built the railroads, and the farms, and the factories. They dug the mines and built the dams. They became doctors, and policemen, and scientists. And when this country was in need, they marched to war and many did not come home again. But throughout it all, many kept their languages and culture alive. Today the result is St. Patrick’s Day, Pulaski Days, Mardi Gras, the German fair, the Scottish Highland Games, Cinco de Mayo, China Town, Black History month, Jewish Kosher delis, pizza, loan words that have expanded American English, and a thousand other things that have made America a dynamic and vibrant culture. Far from destroying America, those immigrants built America – and today’s immigrants are no different. They come here for the same reasons your ancestors did, and they look upon this land with exactly the same sense of wonder and awe that my own great grand parents did. Today immigrants pick the fruits and vegetables you enjoy year around for low prices. They do the menial labor in restaurants and hotels and factories that you wouldn’t dream of stooping to. They work in the sweat shops of New York and Chicago so you can wear shirts with “made in America” labels on them, and they wear the same clothes you do and are just as proud to do so. They work for far less than minimum wage, and they scrimp and save, so that their children may one day have something better – exactly as your own ancestors did. They may speak a different language, or worship different gods, or have different traditions - just as your ancestors did - but their children will speak English and be as American as you and I. Their diversity adds to our strength, your fear and small mindedness subtracts from it.

In the entrance to New York Harbor, stands a gift from France and the very symbol of America: the Statue of Liberty. She stands upon a marble pedestal, and engraved at her feet are the following words: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door. These words were not meant for only English speaking Christian white people, but for all of mankind. These are the people I fought for, and alongside of. These are the people who gave their lives to secure your freedom.

I suggest you and Dick get used it.

I do not associate with bigots, racists, anti-Semites, homophobes, or people who think that ‘patriotism’ means hate and fear. If you had any questions as to why I pulled my son out of your scout troop, this should pretty much clear up the matter.

You are not welcome in my household. Cease, immediately, any further correspondence, phone calls, or visits. If you attempt to contact me in the future, I will consider it harassment and take appropriate action.

Jim Wright, Chief Warrant Officer, United States Navy (ret).

________________

Too subtle?

One final thing: I hit 'reply to all' on this. So if you hear what sounds like neocon, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, Christian White People heads exploding all over the country - well, you know, it's a good thing, don't be alarmed.

Is it just me? Well?

It's just me, right?

I'm the crazy one. Obviously.

I read the news in the morning and I watch rich and powerful men with million dollar diplomas from Ivy League schools, men elected to run this country, men in thousand dollar suits and power ties, the fast movers and the shit shakers. And I listen to the words coming out of their smiling mouths and I think there is no way they can be this consistently inconsistent, no way they can continue to spout such nonsense and get away with it, no way they can continue to make such obviously self-serving decisions and not get called on it.

Surely, I think, Americans can't be buying this nonsense. Surely, today Americans are going to stop, scratch their collective heads and say, "Heeeeey, wait just one damn minute..." And yet every single day, the powerful men spew more silly nonsense and a significant fraction of Americans nod their heads and just let them get away with it.

From this morning's news feed:

Bush Presses House to Approve Bill on Surveillance: “There is no reason why Republicans and Democrats in the House cannot pass the bill immediately,” the President said from the White House. He added that failure to pass the bill “will jeopardize the security of our citizens.” OK, I don't even remotely agree with this unconstitutional travesty and I've justified my position elsewhere in prior posts, but maybe I can see how Bush and members of Congress can think that our security is in such dire peril that it has to be done. They are supposed to know things, have access to information - so maybe they know something I don't. I doubt it, this used to be my profession after all, but just maybe surveillance of US citizen's overseas phone calls without a warrant, without due adherence to the founding principles of this country, are necessary. The world changes, maybe the Constitution is a tad outdated. Hey, it once codified slavery, so maybe, just maybe, the 4th Amendment doesn't apply in this age of modern electronic communications. I don't think this is the case, but these men are supposed to know - that's what we pay them for. I don't like it, in fact I loath the idea of unfettered governmental power over it's citizens, but in time of war maybe I can see how the President might feel it necessary. I'll continue to speak out about it, I'll raise merry hell with my representatives over it, and if it passes I'll grit my teeth and live with it until such time as it is over turned. But just maybe I can understand why these men might think it necessary.

Then I'm asked to believe this:

White House Pushes Waterboarding Rationale: "Any technique that you use, you use it under certain circumstances. It was something that they felt at that time was necessary, and they sought legal guidance to make sure that it was legal and that it was effective," says the White House. Again, I think torture - and make no mistake, that is exactly what we're talking about here - is contrary to everything this country stands for. I've written extensively about this subject and my opinion on the matter hasn't changed. I despise the fact that my country, the country I spent two decades risking my life for, has become a nation that tortures human beings. However, I can understand how in the aftermath of 911, in a contrived climate of fear and war and terror, Americans might be convinced that the ends do indeed justify the means in certain cases. I emphatically don't agree, but I can understand how others might think so. I think those people are incredibly short sighted, I think they are dangerously naive and foolish, I think that they have little comprehension of history or how often and inevitably those means grow rapidly, like a cancer, far, far beyond the original justification, and how such capricious and unchecked power in the hands of a few leads directly and inevitably to tyranny. I think these people have been manipulated, have allowed themselves to be manipulated - but I can understand how and why, and why they believe that it just might be acceptable to strap a naked man to a board and pour water up his nose, or zap him with electricity, or menace him with snarling dogs, or flush his holy books down the toilet. I think it is an abomination of the highest order, but I can understand how others might think it justified.


All of this and more, much more, to make America safe. To protect us from those who would do us harm. It's war, and things have to be done in war. Yes? I don't like it and I don't agree with this or the thousand other things that have been done in our name over the last eight years, but again I can understand why the administration and a majority of our representatives might think this is the proper course of action.

So, what the fuck is this?

Facing a rapidly growing backlog of immigration cases, the Bush administration will grant permanent residency to tens of thousands of legal U.S. immigrants without first completing required background checks against the FBI's investigative files.

You want to run that by me again? Instead of fixing the problems with the bloated, hamstrung, Gordian-knot bureaucracy of the FBI and the rest of our jury-rigged intelligence system, we're just going to drop background checks for immigrants? Instead of holding the director of the FBI and his band of steely-eyed, square-jawed good ole boys responsible for fixing the mess their mismanagement and their rice-bowl grabbing feudalistic mentality has gotten their agency into, the White House says screw it, just hand out the green cards.

We've got enough extra dough laying around to hand out $168 billion in bonus checks, but we don't have enough to fix the background check process? We've got the money and assets to monitor American's phones calls, email, snail mail, and travel plans, but we don't have the assets to fix the background check process? We're in such desperate straits that we can kick the Constitution and our ideals of freedom and liberty to the curb, but we don't have the wherewithal to do the background checks on foreign nationals living within our own boarders?

It's just me, right?

Attention White House dipshits: failure to conduct proper investigations and background checks is what led directly to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 in the first fucking place. Issuing student visas and permanent residency cards to Mohammad Atta and his murderous brethren without complete background checks, and then failing to follow up on them despite numerous suspicious indicators and red flags is precisely what led directly to the deaths of over 6000 Americans (and counting, 3000 on 911, and 3000 KIA in the following war).

Don't get me wrong here. I have nothing against immigrants, and I welcome them to the United States and applaud the courage it takes to pick up and move to a foreign country in search of a better life. My great grandparents were immigrants. I believe whole heartedly that America's greatest strength is in her diversity. And I believe that the vast majority of people who come to America in search of a better life are good folks who will add to our strength and our future. But, there are a small percentage who come here for the express purpose of doing us harm, they are foreign agents, terrorists, criminals, and the whole damned reason that we've justified the suppression of the Bill of Rights and our treatment of the detainees captured in this war on terrorism.

The solution is not to just hand out green cards, the solution is to fix the process. There's no excuse in this day and age of instantaneous communication and data retrieval why the back ground check process cannot be streamlined.

But, again, it's just me. Isn't it?

From the Lathe

We're getting dumped on here, 6 inches of snow in the last two hours and more on the way.

As such, I'll be outside, plowing. Then I've got writing to do, both Deep Thunder and Iyes of the Dead, both of which I've been neglecting for other more pressing matters. I did manage to finish a chapter of Iyes last week, but I need to get another one done this week. It's coming along and that makes me happy. Two months and I should be done. I'll put up another extract this week.

So, anyway, I'm busy today and am a bit burned out on the big, weighty posts. Frankly I'm tired of politics, war, and Berkely Hippy Dippies.

As usual, when I'm in a funk and tired and feeling muzzy headed - I'll leave you with some of my latest artwork for your enjoyment:


This first piece is a hollow-form. Turned from birch heartwood, relief carved, and finished with Danish Oil. I particularly love the veining and grain patterns of this piece.


This second piece is also a hollow-form turned from birch heartwood, in fact it is cut from the same log as the piece above. However this piece came from near the end of the log, and as such there were some soft pulpy ventricles in the wood. Accordingly, I shaped the piece to remove the bad wood. I also 'lipped over' the top, giving it a downward, rounded shape, because that's just how I was feeling that day. I like the form, I think it works very well with this shape. Because there were a number of checks (cracks running across the grain, radiating out from the center like spokes on a wheel), I filigreed the sides - which, when the light shines through, reminds me of frothing white water. I like it.

Honor and the Gitmo Detainees

"There will be no secret trials," said Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann, a Defense Department legal adviser in reference to the recent decision to charge six detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison with conspiring to carry out the infamous Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Good.

I've written a great deal about my opinions of torture, secret prisons, and the so-called Global War On Terrorism - my opinion on these subjects is well known to most readers here. If you're new to Stonekettle Station, or just surfing in, read a couple of articles under the Top Posts over there on the right hand side of this page. And I've also made no secret of the fact that I am a retired military officer who fought in Iraq. In fact I was awarded both the Global War on Terrorism Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, three Navy Commendation Medals, and several Flag Letters of Commendation specifically for my role in this conflict - and I'm proud of all. I was a Mustang officer, meaning that I was enlisted for 16 years, prior to being commissioned to Chief Warrant Officer. I was a senior non-commissioned officer for four years, prior to my commissioning. As both a Chief and an Officer I endeavored every day to lead by example. To live up to my oath to support and defend the Constitution. To exemplify the Navy core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. There was never a moment after I put on Khakis, the uniform of Navy senior leadership, that I was not acutely aware of the eyes upon me. This may sound a bit stilted, but it is nonetheless true. I found that it was infinitely easier and vastly more satisfying to lead men and women, to gain their respect, gratitude, and admiration when you lead by simple adherence to the these fundamental principles. If, as a military leader, you consistently choose the honorable path, the path of duty and moral courage, if you set your course by adhering to your oath and the principles enshrined in the Constitution of the United States - then you will find that men will fall willingly in behind you, in fact they will fight to serve under your command. Indeed, you will gather around you through the process of accretion a cadre of honorable and duty bound men and women. The decisions you must make are often not easy, and following the correct path can be all too often difficult and dangerous, but if you adhere to the honorable course of action others will respect and admire you for it - even if it means that they may be negatively affected. Upholding the principles of honor, courage, duty, and commitment to high principles may often negatively affect you; there were many times I placed my own self in danger, both personally and professionally, to uphold my ideals. This is the cost of honor, but whatever the consequences both you, and those who follow you, can alway be proud of yourself and your actions. The simple truth of the matter is that as a leader, you shape the next generation, for good or for ill - but either way, your influence on those around you cannot be avoided or escaped. So, ultimately, you must choose what type of leader you wish to be.

Like it or not, rightly or wrongly, earned or not, America is a leader in the world. Our actions influence every nation we share this small world with. It cannot be avoided. If we are to be respected and admired as a lawful nation of principle, as a free and just people, as a beacon of light and liberty - then we must uphold the principles that form the foundation of such ideals.

On September 11th, 2001, the year I was commissioned as an officer in the United State Navy, we were brutally attacked. Thousands of Americans died in a cowardly and horrendous suicide attack on our own soil. There were those, a few, who felt that America deserved this. But there were many, many more, even among our sworn enemies, who were appalled, outraged, and disgusted by the actions of the terrorists - and they rallied to our cause.

Those who carried out the attacks died and placed themselves beyond justice. But a few, those who planned and financed the attacks, remained at large. Some were caught and the world, including many in the Muslim world, would not have shed a tear had those men been taken out and shot then and there. Instead, our leaders chose a dishonorable course of action, torture, secret prisons, and secret tribunals. Today many who once supported us now feel sympathy for the detainees, many have come to feel that maybe these men were justified in their actions on September 11th, 2001, there are many who have lost their respect and support for America.

This is what happens when you choose dishonor, when you choose the easy path instead of the difficult one of high ideals, when you choose to throw away your principles and the very things that make others respect and admire you - that make others wish to be like you.

No matter how open these trials are, no matter how solid the evidence, no matter how horrendous the crime against humanity - the trials of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Mohammed al-Qahtani, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi, and Waleed bin Attash, will always be tainted by the stench of torture, secret prisons, rendition, classified evidence, biased representation, falsified and sloppy intelligence work, and most especially dishonorable leadership. Few, outside of America's heartland, believe that these men will get a fair trial, and fewer still within America's heartland believe that they should. Only time will change the opinions of those outside America. But for Americans themselves, they should demand fair and open trials. Demand exactly the same type of trials that they themselves would expect and demand as their birthright. They should demand open display of the evidence and the proceedings, so that the final guilt or innocence of these men cannot be questioned. Will that cost us? Yes, in intelligence methods, in hard won information, and in other less definable ways. That is the cost. But we will gain far more than we lose by being open and aboveboard.

Understand, I have no love for these men. None. If what the Pentagon says is true about them, then I think the death sentence is far too good for them. If I had encountered them on the field of battle I'd have killed them myself without hesitation and given the act no further thought. But, once captured, they were in our custody and subject our law, the laws of conflict, and the law of international agreement. Laws we were honor bound to uphold and chose instead to ignore. We chose to discard our honor, our duty, our word, and the trust of those we lead.

Honor can be regained. Trust can be rebuilt. Respect can be earned again. But it will be a long and difficult path.

Honor. For our own sake, for the example we set for the rest of the world, for the eyes of history who will judge us by what we do this day, I hope General Hartmann is correct - but I fear that he is not.

Hucksterisms

"I know the pundits, and I know what they say: The math doesn't work out," Huckabee said Saturday morning at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. "Well, I didn't major in math; I majored in miracles. And I still believe in those, too."


I didn't major in math, I majored in miracles... Yeah, any wonder why Huckabee won in Kansas? The state is the headquarters for bugshit, raving religious lunacy. Let me tell you something, if Huckabee resonates with the iron-age conservatives of Kansas - land of faith based public education, cousin lovin' 14-year old mothers, and science denial - then I'm going to go out on a limb here and say his viewpoints are probably 180 degrees out from mine.

I can see the cabinet meetings now:
Haggerty: "President Huckabee! President Huckabee!"
The Huckster: "Yes, Bishop of Tithe and Finance?"
Haggerty: "The economy is in the crapper! The New Crusades are bleeding us dry! The math shows 10 trillion in deficit! What are we going to do? It'll take a miracle. "
The Huckster: "Hey, what luck! I majored in miracles! I'll get right on it!"
Falwell Jr: "President Huckabee!"
The Huckster:"Yes, Minister of Theology Science?
Falwell Jr: "We've sent the terrorist evilutionists to Gitmo, just as you commanded. We've been teaching the holy creationism, but for some reason we just can't make the 6000 year-old age of the Earth line up with the rest of the math!"
The Huckster: "As I may have mentioned, I didn't major in math. Send the mathamagicians to join the biologists at Gitmo. Oh, and round up all the calculators, we'll torch them at the next National Book Burning day! "
Swaggart: "Mr President!"
The Huckster: "What is it Reverend of Faith Healing and Health?"
Swaggart: "Since we banned birth control and sex education the number of children having children has quadzoopled!"
The Huckster: "Quadzoomered what now? I may have mentioned that I don't care for all those mathy words."
Swaggart: "Hey, I didn't major in math either, but we're going to need a miracle here and I figured you're the expert!"
The Huckster: "That's me, Mr. Miracles. I'll think about it. What's next?"
Schuller: "Little divine help over here too, Mr President!"
The Huckster: "How so, Potentate of Defense and Crusading?"
Schuller: "Well, we miscalculated the number of troops we needed to passi...er, liberate the Holy Land."
The Huckster: "Right, right. Got it. You need a miracle."
Schuller: "Well, more than one I'm thinking..."
The Huckster: "Crap, how many exactly?"
Schuller: "I dunno, like a couple maybe? I mean, I suck at math too, unless it involves counting donations in the collection plate..."
(the cabinet cracks up)
Graham: "Heh, heh, well, we've gotten at least one miracle. All the Democrats have moved to Canada..."
All: "Hallelujah!"

Off Today

We're off to Anchorage today.

Yesterday was my birthday and today my wife is letting me look at the tool stores for my present. Then we'll do a little shopping and get an early dinner at the Glacier Brewhouse.

So, until tomorrow, I'll leave you with this:

Just keeping you in the loop

Internet issues. Not good, but getting better. See here for details.

Stickin' it to the Man

Woohooo! Free money!

$1500 (married, one kid), thank you, US Government.


What?


Oh, yeah, that's right, I forgot. We're sliding into a recession and, yeah, it's an election year. If I was the cynical type I might say that somebody is trying to buy my vote with this rebate. Or that certain Congress critters are trying to keep their seats. If I was a man of principle, I'd say screw you, Congress, I'm not taking the money - but, $1500? Yeah, to hell with principles, send me the check.

But, frankly I've got a couple of questions:

- Where is the $168 billion coming from to pay for this? Did we just have that laying around? Maybe Congress went to one of those "Payday Loan" Places in Suitland. Or maybe we just had it in the Halliburton petty cash fund? And if the government can afford to give it back, why did we have to pay it in the first place? If the economy hadn't taken a nosedive, what would that money have been used for? Good thing there are no programs that need $168,000,000,000 dollars. Funny how we've got the money for this rebate, but didn't have enough to buy body armor for the troops, or fully fund Social Security, or health care, or the No Child Left Behind Act. I'm guessing this money is coming from the magic election year printing press.

- How, exactly, will this jump start the economy? Hey, far be it for me to question the wisdom of the President and the Congress, I'm sure they know what they're doing [insert dubious expression and eye roll emoticon], but I'm just asking here. Let's say the average duel-income, no kids couple living in Southern California (and as we all know, these are the only people who matter in America) with the standard Socal $800K, 30-year variable interest mortgage are facing imminent foreclosure - one $1200 check is about half a mortgage payment, maybe less. Toss in a couple of kids, and they'll get maybe enough to cover one, one, mortgage payment. Maybe. Not that they should be spending this mad money on their mortgage; some members of Congress are afraid that people will actually have the audacity to spend their check on bills and such, instead of big screen TVs, Hummer H3's, and Britney albums - which won't help the economy at all. Unpatriotic bastards, those people shouldn't even get a check.

- How, exactly, does this 'rebate' address the actual underlaying causes of the nascent recession?

For example, how does this rebate address sustained high energy costs and lack of any kind of sane and practical national energy policy? Runaway oil prices led to things like the current ethanol hoopla in the corn belt (yeah, let's turn food into gas using a process that requires a shitload more energy than it produces), which is causing a drastic increase in costs throughout our entire economy - significantly increased food prices being only one of the more obvious effects. Everything depends on the basic cost of energy. Everything. How does this rebate address that? Maybe we could all spend our free George Bush Bucks on corn ethanol at the pump, then at least the good Republican farmers of Nebraska and Idaho could make their mortgage payments.

For example again, how does this rebate help fill the giant sucking chest wound that is the Iraq and Afghan campaigns? (Campaign, War, Conflict, Police Action, Liberation - whatever we're calling it this week) Which, incidentally, is helping to drive up energy costs. Nothing like a little conflict in the Middle East, eh? And you didn't think all those ships and tanks and airplanes ran on bio-diesel made from old French fry (sorry, Freedom Fry) grease did you?

Anyway, I guess the idea is that we take this money and go blow it williy-nilly on consumer goods - the King is saying that it's the patriotic thing to do. Now, you and I both know that these checks are a drop in the shiny economic bucket. $600 isn't going to make up for the losses in 401K and other investment plans. $600 isn't going to pay for a year's worth of gas for most SUV driving commuters. But, I suspect the idea here is really to provide a psychological boost to American consumers, not a financial one. Get people feeling good about the economy, and they'll spend not only those checks, but they'll go get loans and spend even more money. Sure the bills are going to come due some day, along with the $168 billion tab for this rebate, but hey, that'll be after the election, so no worries.

Me? I'm not having any. Sure I'll take the check, but I'm not going to play ball. I'm going to stick it in savings. That's right. And I encourage you all to do the same. This is our chance to stick it to the man. Power to the People!

Here's the plan: All of you, the millions and millions of Stonekettle Station minions - don't spend the money. Put it in the bank, stuff it in your mattresses, put it in a coffee can and bury it in the backyard, squirrel it away. Save it. Tell your neighbors, call your relatives, get the kids involved. Carpool and eat Top Ramen, turn the thermostat down to 45F, skip the family vacation, cancel cable, default on your loans, whatever it takes - but don't spend the check. Sure it'll be hard, there will be sacrifice, but in the end it will be worth it.

Then, one year from today we'll all get together and go on a spending spree!

See, here's the punchline - we'll take the money, but only spend it after the new President is sworn in. Then we'll give the new administration credit for saving us from recession. BahwahahahahaHA!

Who's with me?

Let's stick it to George W. Bush.

Internet woes - Updated ARRRG!

Well, my internet connection was down for about eight hours yesterday. Again.

According to some insider information, my ISP's local node is undergoing an upgrade. Which I certainly understand. The MatSu valley where I live is growing tremendously in population as people migrate out from overcrowded (and expensive) Anchorage into the valley. Despite the housing bust, there are a huge number of new houses going up here in the Palmer/Wasilla area (yes, we build houses in Alaska even at 20 below zero, that's just the way we are), and the phone and cable companies need to continually upgrade their capacity. So, outages - but eventually we'll have better connections and expanded service options.

Still, it's harshing my mellow, so to speak - and eight hours seems a tad, uh, excessive.

And so far this month I've been down on and off for about twenty hours total. Yeah, I'll be calling customer service today and asking for my bill to be credited. I'd email them, but their email server is currently off-line. Yeah, that's how my day is starting out.

________________

And right on schedule, 9:00 AM, my connection dropped out. Goddamnit! It came back, but I don't expect it to last. I'm on hold with the customer service department right now...
----
Whoops, just talked to Gabriell. Credited for the whole month, cable TV and internet. That's what I'm talking about. And I've got the work schedule - expect outages from 9-5 for the next two weeks. Rock on - I can work around that. So, if you don't see me until this evening, you know why.

Gone for a while

I'm off to Anchorage for a couple of hours.

I've got to deliver this week's production work to a client for a trade show tomorrow. And I've got a number of other errands to run. So, you're on your own for a while.

------------------

And yes, I did see that Romney is bailing out of the race. Good, and good riddance.

Science and the future of America

In the city of Natal, in northeast Brazil there is something unique going on.

In 2003, a group of Brazilian scientists, backed by the government and several universities and inspired by the great Brazilian inventor and aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont (the first man to fly a powered, controllable airship), established the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience of Natal. The ELS-IINN was built around a simple concept, use state of the art science to affect the social and economic transformation of one of the least developed regions in the world.

No, they're not doing some kind of bizarre third-world experiment on the peasant children - far from it. What they've done is establish a first-rate science education curriculum that so far has grown to include over a thousand children in the poorest, and most poorly performing, education district in South America. Their goal is to enroll at least one million children, nationwide, in the most comprehensive science and technology education program in Brazilian history.

Twenty-five years ago, Brazil was a military dictatorship. Today, it's a fast growing and vibrant democracy - 80 million people vote in every election. And they are rapidly becoming a world leader in food production and biofuel research and development. It's not perfect, and most Brazilians would tell you that: around the edge of this new found prosperity there are many poor and disenfranchised. And that's what the ELS-IINN is all about. Instead of welfare, or ineffective short-term and short-sighted quick-fixes, Brazil has chosen a long-term, permanent solution - education, based on a foundation of solid, cutting edge science. And it's working, the progress is slow but steady, and, once established, self sustaining and self-starting. The ELS-IINN is giving their children the tools to dig themselves out of poverty and to harness the creativity and innovation that comes from a solid education. Brazil is building it's own future, down there in the jungle, and it's a good one.

Which brings us back to the United States.

Soon, very soon, we as a nation are going to have to deal with some very thorny issues: adapting to a changing climate (which will have far ranging impacts in every facet of our society), finding alternate sources of affordable and sustainable energy, maintain an edge in science and technology (which is critical to our position in the world), building an infrastructure of sustainable food production in an era of declining ocean stocks and arable land, and the list goes on and on. As Brazil has realized, the solutions to the these problems are completely surmountable. Humans are problem solvers, it's what we excel at. When the problems are simple and resources abundant, sloppy thinking and pseudo-science might see you through, or at least see enough of you through to make it seem as if things are working. But in the long run, a poor understanding of how the world actually works will lead to either a gradual decay or sudden collapse. History is rife with examples, from the Mayans to the Roman and British Empires to the Soviet Union.

It is imperative that the future leaders of this country understand this. We cannot afford yet another President who is ill-informed, dismissive, or deluded regarding the role of science and education. During the 2004 presidential elections, there was an abortive bid to stage a 'town-hall' type discussion on this exact subject with the candidates. It didn't happen. This time things aren't much better, last May three of the Republican candidates went on record as disbelieving in the theory of evolution (in fact, at least one is a Young Earth Creationist), several candidates have made statements dismissing a human-role in global climate change despite solid multidisciplinary science to the contrary, and both sides have yet to propose a realistic and doable policy for redesigning our energy infrastructure.

Two months ago, a grassroots, bipartisan movement of concerned citizens established Science Debate 2008 and issued a call for a debate that would focus solely on science. Forcing the candidates to discuss, openly and in public, their views on the environment, health and medicine, and science and technology policy. Science Debate 2008 is made up of many people, including twelve Nobel laureates, scientists from many disciplines, former presidential science advisers, sitting congressional representatives, and business leaders. I highly encourage you all to get involved and you can learn more here: www.sciencedebate2008.com.

Not So Super Wednesday

As noted elsewhere, Super Tuesday resolved exactly what?

So far as I can see, about all the primaries yesterday did was to embolden the purveyors of false populism in our hemisphere (I told you I'd be using that line again), or in other words - encourage the batshit crazy fringe element.




I thought it was somewhat educational that Huckabee won big in the crazy religious states - educational in as much as it cements my conviction that I never, ever, want to live there.

I was heartened to see that my own home state of Alaska was not actually the leading Ron Paul supporter, (though he did get double digit support here) and he didn't win any state - though that is unlikely to deter him.

What I'm finding interesting this morning is the ruckus over Oprah's endorsement of Barack Obama. Obama has a lot of celebrity endorsement, from George Clooney to Scarlet Johansson, but it's Oprah who is causing a stir - because a number of women see her endorsement of a man as a betrayal of her gender. There seems to be a number of feminists who feel that if a woman is running for President, it is somehow your duty to vote for her - if you're a woman. The logic seems to be that neither the female candidate's beliefs, nor yours, matter - you, as a woman, are obligated to vote for a woman, period. I don't get this, at all. Wasn't the whole point of the feminist movement to empower woman, to give them the strength to make their own place in the world on an equal footing with men, be their own person, and to be confident in themselves enough to make up their own damned minds about what they want? This seems a major step backwards in attitude to me, and it seems to say that women shouldn't be concerned with the issues, or ideology, or political complexities- i.e. they shouldn't make their own decisions - but rather focus solely on a single simple item, gender. How is this different from saying to women, "you should vote for Mr. X, because he's just so cute?" What amazes me, is that this message is coming from women, and not men. How bizarre.

I wondered if the Queen of daytime fluff TV was maybe exaggerating just a tad, after all she does have a flair for the dramatic. Not this time. A number of feminist blogs are up in arms over her decision to back Obama, but the most vitriolic messages are appearing on Oprah's own message forum, Oprah.com.

Example:
I cannot believe that women all over this country are not up in arms over Oprah's backing of Obama. For the first time in history, we actually have a shot at putting a woman in the white house and Oprah backs the black MAN. She's choosing her race over her gender- hypocracy [sic] at it's finest!! Oprah- you should be ashamed of yourself!!!!!

Personally, I love that last line, 'you should be ashamed...' I think most of you who have been around Stonekettle Station for a while would rightly assume that I'm not much of the Oprah watching type. Can't stand the woman actually, I don't think I've ever watched her show and I don't make a habit of reading her forum - though I did enjoy her performance as Sofia in The Color Purple. But, I'm on her side in this. Ashamed? Why the hell should the woman be ashamed of thinking for herself? Why should she be ashamed of supporting someone of her race instead of her gender, as opposed to gender instead of race - assuming that either race or gender had anything to do with her decision, which I suspect it did not. However, if race matters more to her than gender, or vice versa, or not at all - isn't that her decision to make? And isn't that the whole point of feminism in the first place?

Here's a question for these idiots, if I support Clinton over Obama, am I a traitor to my gender, or is that an arbitrary rule feminists apply only to other women?

Yeah, there's a word for this, it's called hypocrisy.

World of Spamcraft

As you know, email spam often amuses me (the Spam in a can I find even more amusing, and it's good to eat! Pan fried, on sandwiches with mustard, but I digress or regress or something). Anyway, take this inbox clogger which I received from Dr. Tracy Dawkins, Dr. Vilma Larsen, Dr. Marissa Mead, and whole bunch of other genuine, absolutely authentic, no foolin' doctors:

-------------------

Use your chance to make your lady pleased!
But how to do this? It's simply!
Follow this link to learn more
[link used to be here]
Best regards and have an ardent nights

-------------------

Use your chance to make your lady pleased? I'm guessing it's a website containing instructions on how to put your dirty socks and skivvies in the hamper, or maybe how to shut the hell up during a movie instead of yelling at the TV, or maaaaaybe it suggests stopping to ask for directions.

Nope, none of the above.

The key is that last line: Have an ardent nights. Apparently, my lady will be pleased to spend the night playing this game on line.

Uh, we're not having any of that, thank you very much.

Super Dooper Extra Special Tuesday. Whee!

I'm not sure, but I think it's an internet law enforced by the blogospherical police that today you have to post about politics. (Blogospherical: like the internet, only more ball shaped. Remember, Kids, you heard it here first.)

Down there in the south (that's you folks, below Canada), things are playing out along fairly predictable lines. In the lower 48, it's politics as usual.

So, to summarize:

Democrats:

Clinton, blah blah, get health care insurance or go to jail. When she preached universal health care as First Lady instead of being a quiet innocuous little housefrau, people hated her pantsuited cast iron guts. If she had just redecorated the Lincoln Bedroom, or maybe started some vacuous feel-good First Lady program (Just Say No to the Uninsured!) she would never have ended up in the middle of that Whitewater Scandal. Twelve years ago people blamed her for her idiot husband's Oval Office dalliances. Now, well, eight years of Bush is making the Clinton years look pretty damned fine indeed. But I've got to wonder if it's the same kind of nostalgia that makes Russians look back now on the Soviet Union with fondness.

Obama, blah blah, look at me - I'm JFK! Teddy and Maria said so! Truthfully, I have a hard time snarking on Obama because I rather like the guy. But, I've got to tell you, it cracks me right up to see the epitome of jowly Old White New England Roman Catholic Money endorsing an African American with Muslim ancestry. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I find humor in the situation.

I do find it vastly encouraging that the two primary Democratic candidates are minorities, and they both have a better than average chance of making it to the White House - more than anything it reaffirms my belief in the rightness of the fundamental principles of this country. It occurs to me though, that both may owe a debt of gratitude to George W. Bush. Seriously, if he hadn't been such a horse's ass of a President, neither Clinton nor Obama might have had a chance. I'd love to see President Clinton or President Obama personally thank him for exactly that in their acceptance speech.

Republicans:

McCain, blah blah, I'm a liberal conservative! (I'm too sexy for my party, too liberal for my Limbaugh, too ... sorry). The white haired frothing conservatives who hated McCain eight years ago now love the man, Rush and Ann The Man exempted of course. Eight years ago service in Vietnam meant exactly jack shit to these people. Eight years ago McCain just didn't have the dynamic charisma and charm of his opponent (warning sarcasm, don't step in it). He wasn't Christian enough. Or something. And so they went off and voted for Georgie Boy. Now suddenly, McCain is a smiling war hero who will win the hearts and minds of Iraq. Color me skeptical here.

Romney, blah blah, I'm in the house that Reagan built! Oh please. The GOP has been eaten alive by the fundie Christian dinosaur hearders. McCain may be too liberal for Rush, but Romney doesn't believe in Jeebus. If they do nominate Romney, well, I would consider that an encouraging sign for the GOP. I wouldn't vote for him, and that's got nothing to do with his religious beliefs, I just don't like his slick and smooth delivery. He's a con man, in the best used car salesman vein.

Huckabee, blah blah, I'm still in the race! Yeah, whatever Huck. Give it up, you're done now.



But, here in Alaska things have taken a more surreal turn.

Republolibertain:

Paul: Guns, we need more guns! He's amusing from a shear determination standpoint. He's firmly convinced he will take Alaska - and he just might do it. His supporters are out in droves, braving seriously sub-zero temperatures, waving their little signs and grinning like they are on field day from high school (which, if the crowd on the 4-corners in Palmer this morning was any indication, they are). Alaskans have always marched to the beat of a different sled dog musher, and we don't much give a shit what the rest of the country wants. Ron Paul seems to resonate with Alaskans, at least more so than the others.

Wouldn't it be funny if he won? Think about it.

Obama: Holy Shit! I'm Black. I've got teh Muslim in my blood. And now I've got the Kennedy Seal Of Approval. I won't last a week! I'm outta here!

Clinton: Bill! Is that one of my 19-year feminist campaign workers under your desk? Don't try to hide it, I can smell the cigar smoke you bastard! (She suffers an apoplectic stroke, realizes she let her health insurance lapse due to pressing election issues and ends up in the Emergency Room at NY General, where she languishes on a gurney lost in the corridors, trying to keep her fanny from falling out of her little paper gown. Bill makes time with the nurses)

McCain: Ugh! (and dies of natural causes. It was just his time, past it actually).

Romney: My scalp is burning! Holy Moly! My hair jell is alive! (he survives, but is scared for life. And without Perfect Hair he's basically got nothing.)

Huckabee: Whatever.

And Paul wins the White House! He immediately brings home the troops and distributes their weapons to the general population. Armed and newly Libertarian, America is reborn! Health care? Shoot the sick! Works for horses, works for people! Yeehaw, that's how we do it in the Lone Star State! More barbecue for the rest of us! No Child Left Behind? Not if they're armed! An AK-47 and a box of RAC hollow points and who needs an education! Survival of the fittest. Illegal immigrants? Open season, Baby, and screw the limit! No taxes! None. Oh, yeah, it's going to be a great day!

What? It could happen.


Go, vote your conscience. And have a fine Tuesday. I'll be in the shop, listening to Dire Straits and making sawdust.


------------------

Update: the minute I pushed the publish button, the WV results came in and Huckabee is the clear winner. Romney is second. And McCain is not even on the chart. Wow. So, what the hell do I know? Not much, apparently.

Various Vicissitudes

My Internet Service Provider decided not to provide internet service for about eight hours today - hence, no post. So I spent the entire day out in the shop since early this morning. By the time my service came back up I was too far into the day's work to stop. So if you were wondering where I've been all day, that was it. I did manage to get online long enough to leave a couple of comments in various and sundry places, but that was about it.

I have no idea what the problem was. Apparently I have the 'Whenever We Feel Like It' internet service plan. My connection has taken a dive several times in recent weeks, just blip! Gone. Every time right around 9:ooAM, almost like it's the beginning of the service department's work day. I'm hoping this is not the bottom end of a sudden sharp upward curve. If indeed it is, well then I'll have plenty of time to clean and sharpen my weapons, won't I? Just saying, is all.



Anyway, all was not lost, I did learn something today - which I will pass on to you. When in the process of lubricating the quill rack and pinion and re-tensioning the main recoil spring on a Shopsmith MK V woodworking machine, do NOT accidentally let go the quill extension handle without first ensuring the quill lock is tightened down. If, however, you do decide to let go the handle, with the recoil spring under tension, be sure to move your friggin' hand the hell out of the way quickly. Note the emphasis on the word quickly. Unless you like getting wrapped across the knuckles hard. Note the emphasis on the word hard. I spent fifteen minutes sitting on the shop floor, rocking back and forth and holding my one hand in the other and trying to decide whether it was broken or not - all the while with the dog licking my face. It wasn't broken, but I'm now sporting a shiny new bruise across the back of the my left hand. However, on the upswing, the quill mechanism now works smoothly and without binding.

Let's just hope tomorrow is a better day, or I will be sharpening those aforementioned weapons.

Willies, I has them

I used to travel, a lot. And I spent a lot of time living out of hotel rooms, some fairly upscale, some not so much.

This is something I've long suspected. It doesn't make me any happier to have my suspicions confirmed.



And this why I always carried a small can of Lysol and a pack of sanitizing wipes.

And I never used the room cups, I brought my own travel mug and used that. However, it occurs to me now, that the room coffee maker was probably getting the same treatment.

Dear, Jihadists...

You know, I think you're pretty much in batshit crazy territory when you resort to suicide bombing.

But - and it's a stretch here - I can sort of understand it. I can see how when faced with the overwhelming military might of the US, you might rationalize sending in the bombers as a desperate act of resistance, just as Japan did with the Kamikazes in WWII. Desperate times, desperate measures and all that, I still think you're bark-chewing nuts, but I can understand the thought process and the rationalization. Whether history perceives bombers and saboteurs as partisans, freedom fighters, heroic resistance fighters - or as guerrillas and terrorists is largely dependent on who wins the conflict. Damn sure that if the Empire had suppressed the American Revolution, you can bet the Minutemen would have been hung as terrorists (and no, I'm not comparing the American Minutemen to Middle Eastern Jihadists, just making an observation). So I can see how you might think that if you win, your people will remember your name as that of a hero.

And I can see strapping on a bomb and taking a couple of the enemy along with you, if your religion and ideology incorporates the concept of heroic sacrifice or 'Martyr.' Again, I think you're baboon-assed insane to believe in the whole "blow yourself up and you get 72 virgins and lamb chops in Paradise", but then again I find pretty much all religion goofy so I don't think you're any crazier than the average Texas cultist. I can understand how, after a lifetime of being surrounded by war and death and torture and poverty and filled with religious indoctrination, you might think the Big Guy in the Sky has got something better for you if only you blow yourself up and take a few of His enemies with you. I'm not saying I agree, but I can understand how you might think this way.

I have a much harder time wrapping my mind around blowing up your own people in the market place. But, perhaps, I can understand how you might perceive them as traitors to your God, your country, your ideology. I've read the religious books, I've studied the words of the prophets, I've listened to the holy men speak and maybe, just maybe, I can understand how you might believe that what you're doing is justified in the eyes of your God.


But, seriously, I'm pretty sure that you've given up what passes for the moral high ground in even your own belief system when you strap bombs to mentally retarded people, push them into a crowd of your fellow citizens, and detonate them from a distance by remote control. No matter how I examine it, I cannot understand this evil. Win, lose, or draw - you are a murderer and a terrorist and a coward and even your God must look down on you with utter contempt and revulsion.

You are the lowest of the low. If the Hell of your religion really exists, you have well and truly earned your place in it.

You Killed My Father, Prepare to Die!

Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti

Getting the Message

It would appear, at least provisionally, that both Clinton and Obama have wised up a bit.

I predicted quite a while back that the democratic race would come down to these two - and ultimately the overall race would be between Clinton and McCain. The first predication has come true, we'll see about the second one here shortly.

As most of you know, the GOP and I have gone our separate ways. I can't see myself voting for any Republican candidate in the near future, certainly not for any of the current crop of anal retentive jackasses, and most especially not for McCain (I swear John McCain reminds me of Don Rickles doing a bad John McCain impression). However, I haven't been all that impressed with the Democratic candidates either.

Don't get me wrong, I have no major beef with either Clinton or Obama. I think both would make a fairly decent president. I think Clinton will do an above average job. She's tough, strong, and smart - maybe a little too smart. She comes across as aloof, and she's lacking in shear personableness and in charisma, which is no small thing in a president. She brings a lot of baggage with her, some of it deserved, some not. I don't particularly like some of her voting record, especially her yes vote on the Patriot Act in 2001. But overall I think, depending on her relationship with Congress, she has the potential to be if not a great president, then at least a decent one. Obama, on the other hand, I think has the potential to be a truly great president. Like Clinton he is strong and smart, and he has the charisma Clinton is lacking. Again, I'm not entirely happy with his voting record, I agree mostly with how he voted on many issues, but he missed a lot of votes - and that irritates me. But, I'd be reasonably happy with either one as president.

As I've said elsewhere, I'm not a member of any party, and I don't like politics or professional politicians as a general rule. At the moment I'm leaning strongly towards the democrats because I purely despise the current republican line-up (and that includes their king in the oval office and his court of fools), I like the Democratic candidates' message of health care, civil rights, education, taxes and spending reform, and an end to this idiotic war. And I think properly presented, these things are important to a vast majority of Americans. And I think that many are fed up with Bush and the Republicans in Congress and the mess they've managed to get us into. I think many are fed up with the lies, and the bullshit, and the good ole' boy mentality. I think the time is right for the Democrats to win by a landslide.

But for crying out loud, if they do win, it won't because they resonated with the American people, it'll be because the American people are fed up with Republicans. Democrats as a party are their own worst enemy. The biggest threat to democrats is not republicans, but other democrats. If a Democrat doesn't end up in the White House next year, you know who's fault it will be? That's right, the democrats. Teamwork? Never heard of it. Mutual support? Never heard of it. Standing together on the issues? Never heard of it. Democrats spend more time on average bashing each other, than they do confronting the opposition. And as such they spend most of their time in an ineffective gridlock of their own making. The current democratic Congress is a perfect example - so far they've accomplished exactly squat. Oh, they've talked it up, and rattled their scabbards - but they have yet to draw the sword. The last stirring speech Nancy Pelosi gave on the floor? Yeah, her swearing-in speech. Bah. When it comes to fighting amongst themselves they're all full of piss and vinegar, when it comes to standing up to the opposition - they've got spines made of jell-O.

And, this more than anything has been putting me off both Clinton and Obama. This constant, incessant bickering between the two of them. They're like children in the backseat of a car during a family vacation that has gone on too long. I'm sick of it. When it comes to my vote, I don't want to hear why the other guy is off-base, I want to hear what you're going to do about the problems facing our nation. I want to hear how you're going to pull us together as a people. I want to see you rally the population. I want to see you earn the respect of not only your own supporters, but of those who oppose you as well. I want to see you reach out to your opposition and show me that you can work effectively with even those you dislike and those that don't share your ideology. In other words I want to see you start acting like a leader. If you need an example of what true leadership consists of, read this.

More than anything, an effective leader, a truly great president, must be a bridge builder - he or she must be able to work with both their own party and with the opposition. And it starts with their candidacy. The greatest threat to America is not communism, or fascism, or terrorism, or any other 'ism,' it's America herself. No matter how many airplanes or buildings the terrorists manage to destroy, they can do nothing more than scratch us, they cannot destroy the fabric of this nation, nor the principles it was founded on. Only Americans themselves can do that. It's American leaders who increase the natural divisions within our society rather finding ways to bridge those gaps, that threaten our way of life. It is American leaders who set goals exclusive to only their own party or their personal ideology, who will not compromise or listen to their opposition, who continue to pound the wedge of division deeper and deeper into the fabric of America. A president must represent all Americans, all Americans, both those of his or her party and ideology, and those opposed or even indifferent. And if two competing members of the same party can't run for the nomination without badmouthing each other - then I don't see what chance they have of working together or with their ideological adversaries after they've won that nomination.

Both Clinton and Obama seem to have gotten that message, or at least their coaches and handlers have. Last night's Democratic debate between Clinton and Obama was more civil than their interactions have been in the recent past. And I, for one, am glad for it.