Human Head Thinks Big

The back and forth continues....

“If this ain't the pot calling the kettle black. Especially for somone who bitches and moans constantly about his country. Your "America Sucks and is to blame for everything bad in the world" is simply disgusting.”

I don’t really get how the pot/kettle thing is applicable here, but I’ve got a seriously nasty head cold/bronchial thing happening right now, so maybe I’ll get it tomorrow. Anyway…

"America Sucks and is to blame for everything bad in the world" seems a pretty broad brush to paint my words with, but I’ll try and clarify. America does not suck, it is the American establishment machine, and particularly the people up top holding the reigns that “suck”, and very unfortunately, they have “sucked” for quite some time. America and its people are different and separate from the bloated and overreaching monstrosity that is the current Federal government. An overreaching and intrusive government is one of the main reasons this country and its Constitution were brought into being. Large centralized government is intrinsically an anathema to free people.

“Now you want to play the moral authority card by stating that you know more because you were in the military (which you are ashamed of according to a previous post) and having been in the Middle East. Yeah, that makes you the expert. None of the things I read can possibly be true.”

If you can find the post where I said that I was ashamed of being in the military, I would like to have a link to it, and when I get that link I will immediately recant such words. What I believe you are referring to is (and this had to be over a year ago or close to it) when I discovered Baghdad Burning and was shocked as I caught a glimpse of what things were really like as opposed to assuming everything was just fine, not worrying about it, and reveling in the “shock and awe” afterglow. What I said at the time was something along the lines of “I am embarrassed to call myself an American right now”, never that I was ashamed to have served in the military. I spent my entire life from age 6 onward preparing for a career in the military (and no, that is not an exaggeration). A period of adolescent “idiocy” compelled me to turn down the USAF Academy appointment that I had virtually locked, only to join the enlisted ranks a couple of years later anyway. I mention this bit of personal history only to further illustrate that I take the whole “duty to God and country” thing seriously, coming from a Midwest republican Christian fundy background as I do, where Reagan is god and pre-marital sex is strictly verboten).

If a family member, friend, or loved one does something that embarrasses you, can you not be embarrassed or ashamed but love them nonetheless? Same principle applies here. There are unspeakable atrocities being perpetrated in the name of the American people—I fail to see how we cannot be embarrassed and angered by such things.

Also, I have not just “been” to the Middle East, I have spent some notable time there—nearly 2.5 years in total. You’re right that doesn’t make me an expert. What is does do (grammar?), however, or should IMO, is add some measure of validity. You haven’t been crouched in a bunker (because crazy-ass Saddam is launching scuds at you) with the feeling of an ostrich egg in your stomach, in full chem-gear with a gas mask in your hand at the ready, wondering. Wondering just how in the hell you ended up 3000 miles away from your family and friends, and why. Wondering what they are doing, if they are thinking about you right now. Wondering about your girl, and hoping that she still thinks of you, even though you know in your heart it’s more likely she’s moved on and is busy getting slam-fucked by someone else as you cling to slim chance that the letter you were expecting just got lost in the crappy and inefficient military mail system. Wondering why you never thought more seriously about the very real possibility of your own death, and why you never thought more seriously about your life. (I think I’ve said all of this before, as well, but it bears repeating)

The above and a couple of other occasions were the only times I was in the proximity of any tangible danger. It was only a very short glimpse, 1/1000 of what is experienced by our soldiers (and Iraqis) every single day, but a real glimpse nonetheless, which means that I don’t need to be an “expert” to be able to say how it is to be a soldier acting as fodder for a tragically brutal and failed foreign policy. If there’s anything in the world I am certain of it is this—these guys don’t want your chest-beating, they don’t want to see or hear about our cars and trucks festooned with Chinese slave-labor manufactured yellow ribbons, and they don’t want a rote “thanks for your service” out of everyone’s largely insincere pie-hole.

They want to come home. That’s the support they want (and deserve) from America—not elective and illegal wars planned by academics and elites who couldn’t give half a damn and administered by the same.

“No, the "diplomats" from Iran couldn't have possibly been doing anything wrong. They were invited. That makes it all good. So if you invite your neighbor into your house and he starts to steal things when you are not around or harasses your family, it is ok because, hey, you invited him in and he would do that.”

Either your first few sentences don’t match up with that analogy, or this head-cold thing is worse than I thought. What did they steal? Are you under the impression that we (US) invited them in? That’s the only condition where I can make any sense of this, and that condition is incorrect. Just in case, though, I’ll restate that they were there at the invitation of the Iraqi government. The free Iraqi government. The democratic Iraqi government. The empowered Iraqi government. The Iraqi government to whom we supposedly handed the reigns quite a while ago, when we would be taking a step back into a training and support role.

Here is a good (but long) synopsis of the whole IED/EFP push (all thoroughly documented and notated) trying to start another war. Take special note of the section titled “THE IRA CONNECTION” particularly the part about the IRA getting the tech from the British government. Documentation on this can be found in a variety of places.

The kidnapping of their diplomats was the actual “act of war” in this case. Actual diplomats or not, they had the credentials and were there at the behest of the Iraqis to talk of reconstruction and efforts toward more stability. And why shouldn’t they be? These people will be neighbors long after we are gone, to say nothing of their religious ties.

“No, I am wrong because I supposedly support "confirmed liars and criminals". What lies? You are going give the Bush lied people died bullshit line? Two investigative committees found that to be untrue. It has been proven that they had the same info that Clinton had. Because you don't like them, they are liars and criminals. Talk about being open minded.”

What lies? What lies? Really? Okay, here’s an easy and quick one: Yellowcake.

These people all took oaths to protect the Constitution, and yet they have done nothing but do their dead-level best to tear it down, piece by piece. Habeas Corpus, gone—Jose Padilla might have something to say about that, if he survives. Our entire Bill of Rights for the most part, gone. Ask Imus how his free speech is doing these days (I don’t like the guy, but this latest is patently ridiculous).

What investigative committees are you speaking of? Is this one of the instances where the rubber-stampers in Congress let them “investigate” themselves and called it good?

And why on earth do you keep bringing up Clinton? Seriously dude, it’s like you’re a robot sometimes. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear that you’ve never read a single thing I’ve written. Where have I ever written that I’m a big Clinton fan, and when have I ever defended him? The reality is that I’ve been quite the opposite where the Clintons are concerned—they are both criminals in their own right. The fact that you’re still flailing with partisan excuses and arguments makes me think you’re not really paying much attention and that I’m absolutely wasting my time with this, rather than just “mostly.” I’m not even a little bit partisan, no matter how much you may try to wish it upon me. Partisan politics is nothing less than pure theatre, served up for the intentionally dumbed-down population at large.

I’m also not sure what this “the same info Clinton had” stuff is all about. It sounds like you’re mixing your Iraq scandals with the administration attempts to whitewash 9/11.

“Maybe I wish I could be as lofty in my thinking attitudes. Must be nice to act like people do not want to destroy your way of living. To act like terrorism doesn't happen. To think Iran is not waging a war. No, the weapons the army finds are not proof. That their intel is wrong. That the government is the boogie man out to get me.”

Why can’t you “be as lofty”, what’s preventing you? Do you have a solemn duty to your betters to remain frightened and cowering at the terrorist ghost? I never stated that terrorism doesn’t happen, just not in the way or to the extent that you’re led to believe. Here is a bit from WaPo 2005 about how many terror incidents occur yearly. Now fire up your googles and search for stats on the worldwide number of car fatality incidents every year, or malpractice, or cancer. And fancy this, as of 2005, the State Department will no longer be publishing terror statistics. I’m sure it’s for the same right and true reasons (which the unwashed aren’t allowed to know) that the Federal Reserve no longer publishes current M3 data.

Whole books have been written on just facets of the subject of terrorism, so I obviously can’t comprehensively do it justice on these pages, and the fact is, there is still a great deal for me to learn.

On the assertion that it is Iran who is waging the war, I refer you to the IED document above. Just because the army or the government says something does not necessarily make it so. They have lied countless times before and are still doing so today.
If I may suggest, you could start by watching Terrorstorm, which lays a good historical foundation. Don’t just take its presented info at face value, look it up as I did. The history is there, which begs the obvious question—Why are you so insistent on having such blanket and unquestioning faith in something that has failed you (and us) so many times?

“Maybe you need to wake up. Stop watching Olberman and appreciate what you have instead of living in misery. Life is too short to be constantly bitching about nothing.”

I don’t watch Olbermann anymore because I got rid of the television months ago. And what in the world is wrong with Olbermann? How exactly has he been inaccurate or what has been misrepresented in his reporting and commentary? He seems to be one of the few journalists left in existence that still retains some real integrity when it comes to reporting what goes on in the world. I would add Lou Dobbs to that list, as well.

Also, I do not live in misery. In fact, I can honestly say that I’m happier now than I’ve been in some time (due in large part to expelling the television). A bit of the veil has been lifted, and although I may not like much of what I see, it’s a damn sight better than living in the manipulated cloud that has obscured much of my life. Since then the damnedest thing has happened. Not only do I appreciate what I have, I treasure much, much more. Sure, I bitch a lot concerning both the meaningful and the inane, but that’s what I do. It’s what I’ve (for the most part) done since I started this thing, and it’s what I will continue to do no matter how much sniping I have to endure.

******

Quickly, concerning Al-Jazeera and your second comment responding to BG—Al-Jazeera was started by a grant from the emir of Qatar. Qatar is an emirate that we have good relations with, and in fact used as one of our launch points during the 2003 invasion. You stated that they (Al-Jazeera) have been “repeatedly accused of terrorist links and putting forth well-known terrorist opinions.”

You’re right, they have been accused to terrorist links, but nothing more specific than that. This is a very consistent trend with our current government, in that there are a great many accusations and a great deal of very loud rhetoric, but specifics and proof never seem to be forthcoming, and are ever in short supply.

It’s also worth pointing out the danger in the last part of your statement, which I would like to get further into at a later date, specifically the “putting forth well-known terrorist opinions.” What is a terrorist opinion, exactly? Such a thing could be applied by whomever is in power to punish most anything they did not like, wanted to suppress, etc, as we have seen and are seeing. When you start talking about things like “terrorist opinions”, free speech flies right out the window, and is that, or is that not what America is supposed to be all about and supportive of? Al-jazeera’s biggest crime in the eyes of this administration was to take and publish graphic pictures of what was happening in the war which ran completely contrary to their faux Jessica Lynch rah rah look the war is great PR campaigns (Jessica Lynch herself has gone public attesting to the fact that it was all PR and propaganda for continued war support, while several others related to the situation have coincidentally become very dead).

Another appropriate related question to ask yourself would be, if our actions in the Middle East are so very just, why does the government work so hard to conceal its reality, to the point they freak out at pictures of flag-draped coffins? The answer to me is obvious. They want to keep reality as far in the hazy distance as possible, and keep you thinking about all its ramifications as little as possible. As an adult, to have reality and truth deliberately kept from you as though you were some small and dumb child should be insulting to your core.

*****

Now it’s your turn, as questions contained within my first response thus far remain unaddressed. I ask a lot of questions, and I certainly don’t expect a long and researched answer to each and every one of them (unless you want to, of course). The question that I primarily would like to see addressed is how or why you so doggedly support GW when the fact that he referred to the Constitution as “a goddamned piece of paper” is well documented, and his policies and actions are consistent with this view?

It is my belief that anyone who loves their country and their freedom should find such a sentiment repulsive, and I am interested in your honest thoughts. Also, I would be interested in any answers you might have on the double standard questions concerning Iran in my previous response, as questions relating to that went unaddressed, as well.

And yes, a drink in Vegas will be fantastic, assuming we get there (we should, it’s just not 100% yet)