Obviously it has begun. And thus far it is bloodless and it appears that the Iraqis will more than likely surrender rather than face the fire-power superiority of the New World Police Force.

"Look how easy this is, America! You can't even see the vicitms!"

     On a lighter note, this seems to be a Made for TV War. Like 'Cops' promotes the strength and power and danger of the nation's police, the prevalence of coverage promotes the strength and power of the current US government's ideology and the willingness to act out that philosophy.
     Watching it on 46 channels is completely surreal. I barely watched any of the first GW (huh...Gulf War = George W), so I'm relatively new to this. It's got to do with the scale of it.
     There are wars on TV all the time. So what? 'The Simpsons' are never pre-empted by such wars. Since it was night and camera lights couldn't be used, everything was deep green when I observed. Occasional rockets were fired producing a boom and a flsh of light. Sometimes I could see the outline of a soldier in the background. But no dead bodies or bombed buildings or people fleeing.
     Just that weird green light. It put me to sleep.
     I woke up some 4 hours later and the TV was on HBO playing 'Ocean's Eleven.'
     Must've been the cat.

1:02:33 AM    comment []

BEERS' INTELLIGENT RESIGNATION.
     It sure got Condi's undies in a bunch.

"Killer Bush! Down! Down! This dictatorship won't do!"

10:07:03 AM    comment []

World's View of America Worsens

Fortunately, the Europeans are, by and large, intelligent enough to separate the squatter from real Americans.

Vive EU!

11:00:31 PM    comment []

BUSH'S JIHAD: FOR GOD & (OIL) COUNTRY

     I hope that the people of the world bear in mind that the people of the United States are not altogether with the Despot and his warped POV. I have a feeling this man, who undoubtebly has consulted his Trinity, is in part convinced, much as Frank Burns from MASH, that this is in part a holy war- a return to the very foundation of modern civilization, the fertile valley between the thighs called the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers- a chance too crush the thriving heathens and instill a saner, safer government who will side with US instead of the fickle French or evil Russian hordes.
     Although I am not frightened or even stirred by our nation's new alert status (which reminds me all too much of the passing period lighting system used by the private school I attended & I find it ludicrous- all you Alb. Acadamians can chuckle here), I am apprehensive of the fallout. If it was unsafe to be a generalized evil American before this date, it will certainly be so now. So I appeal to the people: it is not the citizens of the US who have begun this campaign, it is the few dragons who currently breathe fire at any dissent.
     It is snowing today in Denver. Has been since last night. There's about six inches out there & there is no sign it's going to stop. The snow is heavy and wet. It is windy and cold as Bush's rhetoric. I went to sweep the walk but instead just stood, faced the cruel North Wind, listened to my neighbor's Jeep warm-up and drive away.
     It is beginning to snow around the globe. The North Wind whips a small man driven by fear and confusion who in turn attempts to whip the world into submission. (I love how benevolent fascism can seem to be.) I can hear the voices of the world on the warmer Westerlies, trying to make themselves heard by men who at once claim to be promoting Democracy while practicing Manifest Destiny. A new winter approaches with all the force a fine storm should have. But when Spring comes, and the peoples whom Bush has inflicted his Jihad upon begin to bloom, I wonder how the world will smell?

     Just a few minutes ago, I listened to some renditions of people auditioning to sing the National Anthem for a rodeo (or something) in Texas. It was beautiful. None of them knew the words. And it is drilled into our heads from our childhood in school. I wonder whether this is what Bush means when he said, "No child left behind."
     It's a good thing we're going to spend 200b killing Arabs for God & (Oil) Country since the people from Mr. Bush's home state lack the educational skills to remember even the National Anthem.

7:48:10 AM    comment []

Some pro-war slogans....

     Saddam's a pussy! Let's go kick his ass!*

     Glass, not Gas! Nuke Iraq!

     Gulf Wars, Episode 2   Attack of the Clone

*brought to you by filchyboy

9:18:02 PM    comment []

From MSNBC: The Arrogant Empire


http://www.msnbc.com/news/885222.asp?0cv=KA01

8:12:06 PM    comment []

A few International Comments

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,914300,00.html

11:17:42 AM    comment []

"Ignorance leads to fear; fear leads to anger; anger leads to violence; violence leads to war." Unk.

“You, you were talking/ Like it’s the end of the world.” U2

            And you were right. The current despot who is presumably in charge of his faculties and the vast arsenal of weapons of mass destruction the United States has developed, and continues to develop, seems determined to continue his mad dash for war-glory of days done by rather than eat his ego, step back and listen to the voice of his people and the peoples of the world..

            Hussein will not win if the inspectors are allowed time to perform their jobs properly. Hussein will not win if Bush relaxes the (impotent) political pressure he imposes on our allies, allowing them to make the intelligent choice for their own country. There is plenty of time to keep Mr. Hussein’s army and weaponry contained while inspections continue.

America loses when her president uses soft-bribe diplomacy to gain access to a strategic country's airfields. America loses when her president ignores the words of the majority of the world and especially her allies, regardless of any economic ties with Iraq. America loses when one man’s ego becomes more important than the peace of the planet.

            Perhaps if the Pentagon would be more forthright in its distribution of intelligence of Iraq’s military capabilities, more people would be willing to understand the position. How do we know where to strike if we don't already know where the weapons factories are? I find it hard to believe that the Bush administration was ever serious about allowing the inspectors to perform their tasks. After all, immediately after winning approval from the UN to send inspectors back to Iraq, Bush sent 150,000 troops to the region. The major problem seems to be that Mr. Bush and his administration have not produced a valid argument for attacking Iraq unprovoked. Perhaps if Mr. Cheney were willing to share exactly what Halliburton sold to the Iraqis and the potential uses of said equipment, then they could make their argument more effectively. But I suppose that would mean that Mr. Cheney & his ilk would have to have integrity and a willingness to take responsibility for their previously irresponsible behavior in the name of making a buck.

(There is good reason why the White House & Congress did not back the World Court. Looking at the past behavior of this administration and their ties, the math should not be difficult to compute. And, hence, the reasons why support for the WC was not ratified by the United States’ government should become obvious. SEC violations have not made the news in a couple of years. What, did all of corporate America wake up one day and change their accounting practices? I hate to say it, because I respect the ability of everyone’s brain to function properly, but the reality of America is that everyone has an opinion, but most people have no idea what they’re talking about. They buy into the spoon-fed American TV propaganda and don’t look beyond it. Hey, America, all these Reality TV shows are anything but; read a fucking newspaper from France, GB, Germany, Russia, or Iraq! But I digress.)

            Granted, resolution 1441 has been ignored. Granted, Mr. Hussein is a dictator and tyrant. Granted, he might harbor and give money to terrorists. (But we supply Israel with money and arms. They constantly inflict terror on the Palestinians. Can you say double-standard boys and girls?) Granted, Mr. Bush has the support of about 60 nations. (There are 191 members of the UN, which is not inclusive of all the nations in the world. Bush’s share is not even one-third of that number.) But in this case, it is the world’s responsibility to choose whether to confront the Iraqi government, because it is the UN that passed resolution 1441. It is not the American taxpayer’s burden to support Mr. Bush’s ego.
            There is a much larger threat in ignoring North Korea than a small relatively well-contained country in the Middle East. The North Koreans have proven they can fire missiles to Japan. Stop and imagine for a moment what would happen if, in the middle of Day 16 of Gulf Wars II, North Korea began firing missiles in earnest at Japan. And/or the border were crossed and Seoul were invaded. What would Mr. Bush’s response be then? To further ignore the greater threat because the answer is neither swift nor decisive and victory requires patience and intelligence? (Make note of the word ‘ignore’ and realize that it is of the same root as ‘ignorance’.) I submit the truth is that Mr. Bush obviously does not understand global economy, or even the national economy (yesterday was the three year anniversary of NASDAQ’s peak, it has since dropped some 4000 points) and because of that short-coming, he continues to redirect the minds of the public to his Axis of Evil/ War on Terrorism/ Movement to Fascism.
            And the sad part is that Americans play into this misdirection. Fortunately, there are other nations involved and we can read their opinions and hear their stories. We do not have to root ourselves in this rhetoric put forth by a few which is only meant to cull the minds of the many “free” thinking Americans.
            If we disarm anyone, perhaps we should begin with ourselves. I wonder how many secret chemical & biological weapons factories the US has. I wonder how much Anthrax is stored around this country by our own government. I’m more frightened of my own government than I am of the Iraqi government.
            Ya know why?
Because real terror comes from fear of being mistreated by those whom you are conditioned to trust.

8:48:35 AM    comment []

How many have read this? http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=356476. Much as this gives me the heebies, I can understand it. I believe that in terms of surface area, at least, skin is the largest organ of the human body. We transplant the organs we can't see from the dead, it follows that skin should not be excluded from Club Transplant.

The real problem is the psychological wounds that cannot be reversed with a shiny new face.
   Since I can remember, I have a dream. I have a dream in which I know the people around me, but cannot communicate with them. I am literate unto myself only. We are in the kitchen of a house and I understand we are a family. Four of the five people leave: my sisters and brother off to school; Father to work. My mother disappears, at least I don't see her leave the room with the others, but I am alone.
   I am not at all clear how, I end up in the basement. I have never been there and am curious, so I explore. To the left of the stairs, in the middle of the wall are two plain beds separated by a nightstand. In the far right corner a walk-in closet set into the concrete. Otherwise the room is unremarkable. I feel a bit afraid and head for the stairs. I know that's the way in and out of this tomb-like room. As I near them, I realize I have never climbed stairs and don't know how. All at once, they become a ladder, increasing my fright of being trapped. Insitinctively, I look over my left shoulder. A ghost comes from the closet and flies at me. I see my face and know fright. I run or fly- I can never tell which.
   As I escape the ghost, I see my family at the entrance to the basement, cheering for me. I note the ladder is gone and they can't help. This is my battle alone.
   I stop, turn to face the ghost and awake.

   Okay. Just a dream, right? A few years ago I was having lunch with my mother and told her that story. As I did, I watched her blanch. I finished and she gasped a bit then related to me what really happened. I won't go into details, suffice it to say I was just under six months old when that happened. I was in my walker and pushed myself down the basement stairs when she stepped out of the kitchen for a moment. When she found me I was not moving or making a sound at all. Only when she picked me up did I cry out. We moved from that house shortly after and I never saw it again. After I told Mom, the dream stopped.
   The psychology of that is still with me. How little we know about the human mind. To meet Death so young and be so familiar with Him all these years, I grew accustomed to Death's presence and witnessed His work everywhere. I have always had an attraction to and a detachment from Death as a result. I know it's painful to have a loved-one die. I have had friends die, family. There is nothing about their passing that made me particularily sad except that I would not be able to be with them again. At the same time, I knew that they would be with me in my memories, in my heart. I was pleased for them and inside rejoiced for them. They escaped the confines of this existence.
   I would wager that most people have died a thousand times and more. Each time we grow, a part of us dies. Each failed relationship (internal and external), each loss of innocence, each breath we take, a deer in a ditch along the highway: all these small pieces of Death we meet daily. We are born that we will die. It seems to me all the little deaths we encounter throughout our lives should prepare us for the larger ones.
   I have always wondered why I was not taken; why I was able to face Death and escape His grasp. I'm still not sure and might well never be. As far as I know, I've not done much good for humankind, and doubt I will. I'm just a man, struggling like everyone to understand what I can and eke out a decent existence.
   Maybe there was no reason at all. It was chance. Then again, a man, arguably the most intelligent person in history, once said, "God does not play dice."
   Although my psychology was not adversely affected by the event, I understand why one who is need of a new face might be. In the article, they say we don't recognize ourselves until we're five or six. I know that to be untrue. In my dream I clearly saw and recognized my face. It was not the face of the dreaming person nor the face from photos of my early days, but the face of a frightened baby involved in a great struggle. From that fact, I can extrapolate that even a child who comes into such a necessity would be traumitized from losing their unique identity. It might not surface for years after, perhaps never. I'm sure as the technology advances, the transplant will be performed in such a way there will be no noticable differences between the old face and the new one. But the knowledge of wearing another's skin will still be there, stored away in electrical impulses behind their eyes.

10:35:17 AM    comment []