Patriot Missive » Editorials

And now it gets ugly…

Skitz M. Jones — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:17:25 +0000

It’s time now in the campaign for the various contenders to start wearing down their opposition. Right now the biggest target would have to be Barack Obama, who is widely viewed to be in the lead position in the race for the Presidency.

Obama showed he could stand toe to toe with McCain in a debate in the same week that McCain rushed off hurriedly to the capitol (sort of) to cement the Bailout (didn’t) putting his campaign on hold (not really) then turning it back on to make the debate (theatrics anyone?).

His running mate Biden withheld from tearing Palin into tiny little pieces, but intead let her ramble awkwardly without answering questions, and letting his own responses prove that he had a vast wealth of knowledge on all the topics currently plaguing our country. Palin was unqualified in every way to be taking part in that debate (or this election in general) and knew it. Winking and pandering, giving shout outs like a reality TV contestent, the entire performances was in truth… depressing. The only victory she and her party can count is that she didn’t crumble under the pressure.

So, as the big day draws nearer, and the Reps have realized they can’t really stand up to the Dems on any issues (especially the economy it would seem, though, really everyone seems to be trying to avoid talking much about that) they’ve going back to the old tactics. Dirt and fear.

Palin playing to a decidedly pro-Palin crowd (Joe Six-Pack in the house son) in Florida, a notoriously painful state for the Dems, went well out of her way to paint Obama as foreign and different from Americans. Obama is alien, views our country differently, and associates with people who do not have our well being in mind.

Her Quote-

“I am just so fearful that this is not a man who sees America the way you and I see America, as the greatest force for good in the world. I’m afraid this is someone who sees America as ‘imperfect enough’ to work with a former domestic terrorist who had targeted his own country.”

The “domestic terrorist” in question being Bill Ayers of the Weather Underground, a militant-radical group formed in protest of the Vietnam War and other social issues of the time. Currently his is employed as a Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where it was natural that as an activist for education reform he would come across the, at the time, newcomer to the political scene- Barack Obama. The two worked together (with many others as well, it wasn’t like a dynamic duo kind’ve ordeal) on that topic as well as issues of combatting poverty. Obama has said numerous times that he opposed the way Ayers fought violently for his held beliefs during his time in the Weather Underground and really has no connection to any of those acts given that he was only 8 years old at the time.

But still comes the question, is Obama patriotic? Is he “like us”?

I have to say, if he’s not like us, perhaps we should seek to be more like him. Because Patriotism is NOT blind loyalty and raising your hand to chant “USA USA” at every given opportunity. Questioning our country is one of our greatest rights as Americans, the greatest gift of living in a free Democracy. We are permitted, hell, encouraged to speak openly and ask questions of our country and it’s representatives. But don’t just take my word for it, I now hand it over to people far wiser than I.

“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.”- Edward R. Murrow

“No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.”- Barbara Ehrenreich

“The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naïve and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair.”- H. L. Mencken

“I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”- James Baldwin

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”- Theodore Roosevelt

I personally will more willingly stand by the individual who asks questions and defends my right to ask them, than I will someone who values blind obedience, and I truly hope that the American public knows better than to fall for the easy trap of being swayed by fear and negative campaigning.

Veep kids go to war

Skitz M. Jones — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:35:28 +0000

Republican VP Candidate Sarah Palin has made much noise about the fact that her son, Track Palin, headed off to war last month. Not to be outdone, Joe Biden’s son, Beau Biden, is off to Iraq as well.

Just kidding, well… sort of. It’s not a game of one-up-manship, but all the same, the timing is quite fortunate for the Democrats. While both McCain and Palin have been taking shots at the Dems for not voting to provide more funding for the troops (it’s not about funding, it’s about time-tables. Dems want them, Reps don’t, they each vote accordingly regardless of what else is attached to the vote) and Palin herself has a son who is off to the war that the Reps are standing behind so intensely now is a perfect time for the Dems to appear to have more of a personal stake in things.

So, good timing and best of luck to Beau Biden and his unit, as well as Track Palin and his unit as they both go to war, and serve as symbols for their respective parent’s parties.

The VP Debate- what’s at stake, and what needs to happen?

Skitz M. Jones — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:33:34 +0000

After the essential non-event that was the first Presidential Debate last week, this week we have the potential Veeps taking the stage. Obama and McCain gave us little to go off of other than what we already knew about them and essentially left the stage in a draw, though as days have gone by and more scrutiny has been placed on the debate many would point to Obama as the winner, much of which could be due to McCain’s obvious disdain for his opponent. Though a continued smolder and tight grimace is arguably better than the explosion of temper that could’ve happened as McCain has displayed in his past. So the Reps have to be happy about that at least.

So now it’ll be Biden (who made an appearance after the debate to lend to the discussion) and Palin (who rarely makes any sort of an appearance except in restaurants where she can occationally be found to make statements that go in direct opposition to her running mate’s positions) taking to the podiums.

What kind’ve strategy (or would it be tactics?) do the Vice Presidential candidates need to employ to win this election? Well, Palin has a few things going for her- no one expects anything good from her, she’ll have a chance to do her “pitbull” attack directly in her opponent’s face which is exactly what her base desires of her, and should Biden go from defense to offense in return he’ll be seen as bullying (you can ask Hillary Clinton all about that… gee, seems sexism can run in favor of the very people who claim it from time to time, can’t it?). So basically Palin needs to keep her answers short and sweet, stick to what she knows, and do her best to be funny and biting with her criticisms. Biden won’t be able to do anything in response to the latter, and as for the answers to questions- she needs to stay away from riffing, because that tends to be when she proves just how little she actually knows (sounds a little like our current Prez doesn’t it?).

Biden on the other hand is not exempt from making verbal slips himself, and will need to do much the same in the short and sweet answer vein. If anything, Biden needs to keep from overexposing himself and overplaying his hand. When asked a question, show that he has a grasp of the topic, express the policy choices that he and Obama are making, and leave it at that. He also needs to keep from adressing Palin too much, especially in the way that McCain was addressing Obama. No comments of inexperience, no comments of being naive, and don’t go on the attack when she’s brutally wrong and floundering. The reporters and commentators and analysts will handle that more than enough when the debate is over. If Biden plays too heavy handed he could come across as a bully, and that’s the last thing the Dems need right now, because it would give Palin a free pass.

If anything Biden needs to attack the man who won’t be there, and that’s McCain. Obama was too reserved to score a KO punch on any of the opportunities he was given.

So what will be the result of this Debate? Well, if Biden comes out ahead, no one will be shocked or surprised, but it’s likely more of the undecided middle will lean towards Obama and Biden as McCain comes across as prickly and arrogant after his last appearance, and it’s likely that Palin’s (I’m sorry, I have no other word for it) cattiness and lack of understanding of questions or answers will prove too frightening a combination. If Palin somehow managed to recover amazingly from past media Q&A sessions and is suddenly eloquent and well informed on all things Executive Branch related it will be a major coup for the Reps and could calm the fears that even many in their own base have about Palin.

Part of me is almost hoping for a complete train wreck in this week’s Debate to prove just how much of a farce this whole thing has become, but at the same time, no one will really benefit from that. Rather, I hope everyone can get their shit together and we can get past the bluff and bluster and the American public can actually learn something about the people who could potentially be a last breath away from being the President themselves.

Watch the debate Live from Washington University in St. Louis on Thursday, October 2nd at 8pm CST.

The feminists have spoken

Ms. Missive — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:37:05 +0000

…and they don’t seem all too pleased with Sarah Palin.

Palin: wrong woman, wrong message

Sarah Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Hillary Clinton. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger.

By Gloria Steinem

Here’s the good news: Women have become so politically powerful that even the anti-feminist right wing — the folks with a headlock on the Republican Party — are trying to appease the gender gap with a first-ever female vice president. We owe this to women — and to many men too — who have picketed, gone on hunger strikes or confronted violence at the polls so women can vote. We owe it to Shirley Chisholm, who first took the “white-male-only” sign off the White House, and to Hillary Rodham Clinton, who hung in there through ridicule and misogyny to win 18 million votes.

But here is even better news: It won’t work. This isn’t the first time a boss has picked an unqualified woman just because she agrees with him and opposes everything most other women want and need. Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It’s about making life more fair for women everywhere. It’s not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It’s about baking a new pie.

Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton’s candidacy stood for — and that Barack Obama’s still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, “Somebody stole my shoes, so I’ll

amputate my legs.”

This is not to beat up on Palin. I defend her right to be wrong, even on issues that matter most to me. I regret that people say she can’t do the job because she has children in need of care, especially if they wouldn’t say the same about a father. I get no pleasure from imagining her in the spotlight on national and foreign policy issues about which she has zero background, with one month to learn to compete with Sen. Joe Biden’s 37 years’ experience.

Palin has been honest about what she doesn’t know. When asked last month about the vice presidency, she said, “I still can’t answer that question until someone answers for me: What is it exactly that the VP does every day?” When asked about Iraq, she said, “I haven’t really focused much on the war in Iraq.”

She was elected governor largely because the incumbent was unpopular, and she’s won over Alaskans mostly by using unprecedented oil wealth to give a $1,200 rebate to every resident. Now she is being praised by McCain’s campaign as a tax cutter, despite the fact that Alaska has no state income or sales tax. Perhaps McCain has opposed affirmative action for so long that he doesn’t know it’s about inviting more people to meet standards, not lowering them. Or perhaps McCain is following the Bush administration habit, as in the Justice Department, of putting a job candidate’s views on “God, guns and gays” ahead of competence. The difference is that McCain is filling a job one 72-year-old heartbeat away from the presidency.

So let’s be clear: The culprit is John McCain. He may have chosen Palin out of change-envy, or a belief that women can’t tell the difference between form and content, but the main motive was to please right-wing ideologues; the same ones who nixed anyone who is now or ever has been a supporter of reproductive freedom. If that were not the case, McCain could have chosen a woman who knows what a vice president does and who has thought about Iraq; someone like Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison or Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine. McCain could have taken a baby step away from right-wing patriarchs who determine his actions, right down to opposing the Violence Against Women Act.

Palin’s value to those patriarchs is clear: She opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality. She believes that creationism should be taught in public schools but disbelieves global warming; she opposes gun control but supports government control of women’s wombs; she opposes stem cell research but approves “abstinence-only” programs, which increase unwanted births, sexually transmitted diseases and abortions; she tried to use taxpayers’ millions for a state program to shoot wolves from the air but didn’t spend enough money to fix a state school system with the lowest high-school graduation rate in the nation; she runs with a candidate who opposes the Fair Pay Act but supports $500 million in subsidies for a natural gas pipeline across Alaska; she supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, though even McCain has opted for the lesser evil of offshore drilling. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger.

I don’t doubt her sincerity. As a lifetime member of the National Rifle Assn., she doesn’t just support killing animals from helicopters, she does it herself. She doesn’t just talk about increasing the use of fossil fuels but puts a coal-burning power plant in her own small town. She doesn’t just echo McCain’s pledge to criminalize abortion by overturning Roe vs. Wade, she says that if one of her daughters were impregnated by rape or incest, she should bear the child. She not only opposes reproductive freedom as a human right but implies that it dictates abortion, without saying that it also protects the right to have a child.

So far, the major new McCain supporter that Palin has attracted is James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Of course, for Dobson, “women are merely waiting for their husbands to assume leadership,” so he may be voting for Palin’s husband.

Being a hope-a-holic, however, I can see two long-term bipartisan gains from this contest.

Republicans may learn they can’t appeal to right-wing patriarchs and most women at the same time. A loss in November could cause the centrist majority of Republicans to take back their party, which was the first to support the Equal Rights Amendment and should be the last to want to invite government into the wombs of women.

And American women, who suffer more because of having two full-time jobs than from any other single injustice, finally have support on a national stage from male leaders who know that women can’t be equal outside the home until men are equal in it. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are campaigning on their belief that men should be, can be and want to be at home for their children.

This could be huge.

Gloria Steinem is an author, feminist organizer and co-founder of the Women’s Media Center. She supported Hillary Clinton and is now supporting Barack Obama.

(hat tip: Solder of Love)

The people want less Obama, more McCain… So we’re giving it to them.

Skitz M. Jones — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:48:37 +0000

In a recent poll done by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, roughly half of Americans polled said they’ve had about enough coverage of Prez hopeful Barack Obama, and most everyone said they’d like to know more about McCain.

Well hey, that’s cool America, you want McCain, you’ve got him. Here’s what McCain’s latest campaign ad has to say-

hmm… It seems McCain likes talking about Obama as much as “the media” does. Oh, and he also infuriated one of his campaign contributors by including their daughter in that last video. You might’ve heard of her, her last name is Hilton? Anyway, the daughter in question has her own campaign ad in response to the attention.

Something else I wanted to add. Since when would it be a bad thing for our President to be a bigger, more recognizable figure than our pop-stars? I think that having such a high profile would actually be a very good thing, meaning people were at least paying a little more attention to politics than they are to the gossip rags about which superstar celeb got what body part altered when. The president should be a celebrity, or at least get the same amount of news coverage.

And if people want to hear more about McCain, tell McCain to talk more about McCain, and less about “he who we’ve heard enough about”. That’d be a good start.

McCain on Oil

Skitz M. Jones — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:32:26 +0000

While McCain is running the streets these days trying to prove how green he is (and how big oil he’s not), he made this statement at the yearly motorcycle rally held in Sturgis, North Dakota

“Tell them to get back to work! Tell them to get to work! When I’m president of the United States I’m not going to let them go on vacation. … We’re not going to pay $4 a gallon for gas because we’re going to drill offshore, and we’re going to drill now. We’re going to drill here. We’re going to drill now.”

Yes, we’re going to get away from oil, by drilling for more oil.

Awesome. Though I do agree, the folks he’s telling to get back to work- Congress, who without passing anything involving energy reform once the Reps blocked the Dems proposal to tap into the reserve that U.S. has in store for just such occations as this (which was touched upon a week or so ago here) went on vacation.

So Congress, get back to work. McCain, I think there’s a 12 step program somewhere for your obvious oil addiction. Remember, first step is admitting you have a problem.

Adopt a surveillance camera?

Skitz M. Jones — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:02:03 +0000

Residents of Flint, Michigan are saying no. So far.

Along the lines of the “Adopt a Highway” programs that many towns run, where individuals or businesses donate funds towards the upkeep of roads, the city of Flint is looking for folks to pony up $30,000 to put their corporate logos on police surveillance cameras so the city can afford the $420,000 it will have to pay for the planned 14 more cameras it would like to put up.

To date no one has taken them up on the offer.

The good news just keeps coming: Deficit ‘09

Skitz M. Jones — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:47:24 +0000

As if we didn’t see it coming, the White House released it’s speculated ‘09 deficit, and it’s a doozy.

The government’s budget deficit will surge past a half-trillion dollars next year, according to gloomy new estimates, a record flood of red ink that promises to force the winner of the presidential race to dramatically alter his economic agenda.

The deficit will hit $482 billion in the 2009 budget year that will be inherited by Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain, the White House estimated Monday. That figure is sure to rise after adding the tens of billions of dollars in additional Iraq war funding it doesn’t include, and the total could be higher yet if the economy fails to recover as the administration predicts.

The administration actually underestimates the deficit since it leaves out about $80 billion in war costs. In a break from tradition — and in violation of new mandates from Congress — the White House did not include its full estimate of war costs

Well now that is just outstanding! Way to go America! Someone call the Guiness Book because we’re setting records here people!

Of course, Bush is leaving soon, so what will the next President have to do to clean up this mess? Well first off, they may have to go back on some of their promises.

“Whoever becomes the next president will have a very, very sobering first week in office,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D.

McCain promises to renew the full roster of Bush tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 and add many more for businesses and upper income people who pay the alternative minimum tax. The Bush tax cuts expire at the end of 2010 and renewing them would soon cost well over $200 billion a year. Eliminating the alternative minimum at the same time would cost almost as much.

Obama would repeal tax cuts on wealthier taxpayers and investors but would leave most of the Bush tax cuts in place while seeking additional cuts for senior citizens, the middle class and the working poor. And he also wants lots of new spending for health care, education and many other federal programs.

“There’s a total disconnect between today’s report and what we’re hearing on the campaign trail,” said Robert Bixby of the Concord Coalition budget watchdog group.

It’s amazing that we’ve gone from a record 10 year economic growth and surplus budget, to a record of a different sort in less than a decade. And while it’s taken more minds to build this disaster than can be counted, we still have to give some credit to the man who declared himself “The Decider”. Of course, to know how we got this far, maybe we first need to know how he got this far- so, here’s an added bonus readers…

The trailer for Oliver Stone’s “W.” the bio-flick about our Commander in Chief.

note: I have not seen the movie, I don’t know how good or bad it will be, or how accurate or inaccurate it might be. However, the fact that the movie is even made and being released is newsworthy enough for me.

Largest Immigration Raid in U.S. history tears apart Iowa

Skitz M. Jones — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:02:08 +0000

In Postville, Iowa, a town that likely none of us had heard of until just now, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officials hit Agriprocessors, the nation’s largest kosher meat processing plant, in May of this year- arresting about 400 people.

Today the families of those 400 plant employees went to Congress to make their voices heard- saying that the raid was handled violently and inhumanely, and that rather than punishing the hundreds of people who just wanted to work, and the hundreds more affected by their arrests, the focus on punishment should be on the plant itself.

Even the Mayor of Postville has stepped up to say that all the raid succeeded in was tearing apart the community.

As of the moment the Congressional panel and the ICE have not returned calls placed by the associated press, but depending on the judgement that falls after this raid, the course for all other immigration issues could be changed from here out.

Obama cancels visit to wounded troops

Skitz M. Jones — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:04:03 +0000

The Obama world tour that’s been recieving so much media attention in the past week or so, has hit it’s first real glitch, as a visit to wounded troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany was cancelled. At first the reason for the cancellation was unclear with the Obama camp saying it had something to do with the trip being “inappropriate” as it was funded by the campaign and it would’ve been politicized by the Pentagon. But just today the military came forward to state that there had been restrictions placed on Obama and possethat only Obama and his travelling buddies from the Senate could enter the facility. No aides, no press. So basically, without the ability to play the trip up to the media, the whole thing was scrapped, making Obama’s sincerity seem a little questionable. But hey, politicians. When is their sincerity ever not in question?

Impeach Bush?

Skitz M. Jones — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:43:07 +0000

So here it is again, with only 6 months left as Commander in Chief President Bush and Vice President Cheney are both being reviewed by a congressional committee to decide whether or not the two men should be impeached for “a range of alleged legal and constitutional abuses”.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic presidential candidate, introduced formal impeachment resolutions in the House of Representatives, listing numerous actions by President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and appeared as a witness at Friday’s hearing:

“The decision before us is whether Congress will endorse with its silence the methods used to take us into the Iraq war. The decision before us is whether to demand accountability for one of the gravest injustices imaginable. The decision before us is whether Congress will stand up to tell future presidents that America has seen the last of these injustices, not the first,” he said.

Standing in the way of formal impeachment hearings are not only the Republican party, but also Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. There are many who argue that for the Prez to be impeached he must have committed some grave offence that represented putting himself before the citizens of the U.S. and that such a thing has not occurred. However, others are saying that the offences committed against the Constitution itself are enough to warrant an impeachment.

As of the moment, it’s all just talk being thrown back and forth in a game of political posturing, but in an age where the past President was impeached for a blowjob that in fact affected no one but his immediate family, surely taking steps such as invasion of privacy, approving the use of torture, suspending habeas corpus, and countless other corruptions of the executive branch whether approved directly by the President, or by members of his hand-picked Cabinet, should be answered for.

If not, as former Congressman Bob Barr said, “If we don’t get a handle on this now, in some form or fashion, the next administration and the one after that, regardless of party, will take these abuses, these powers, these liberties with the fundamental institutions of our government, and take them to even higher and higher levels.”

Impeachment could become a preventative measure, to let the next governing body know that “we the people” will not allow such abuses to occur again.

Will impeachment happen? I have to admit it’s rather unlikely, but hey… I’ve been wrong before.

Dems attempt to release emergency stock oil, Reps shut’em down

Skitz M. Jones — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:07:35 +0000

Today the House Democrats tried to open up 70 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve which presently holds 700 million barrels. The 70 million barrels would only account for a 3 day supply for the citizens of the U.S., however in the past when the SPR had been tapped into it had relieved pressure at the pump in ‘91, ‘00, and ‘05.

The measure received a majority vote, however the proposal required a 2/3s vote to pass. The reasoning behind requiring a 2/3s vote as opposed to majority was so the Republicans could not add on an amendment allowing the off shore drilling proposition that’s been receiving so much coverage on the news lately.

As a result of not receiving the 2/3s vote, the House will now go on a 5 week vacation without having done anything to address our current oil crisis. Of course, had the measure passed the White House (read: Bush) said it would’ve been vetoed anyway.

Thanks all, way to get shit done.

War in the media

Skitz M. Jones — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:36:05 +0000

There have been plenty of movies released in the past few years relating to the wars in the Middle East, from the recently released “Stop Loss” and ”Home of the Brave” for fictional accounts of what war and homecomings carry for our troops, to “Baghdad ER”, “Body of War”, and “No End in Sight” for documentaries ranging from the direct experiences of the men and women of the military, to the policies and backroom dealings that have occured throughout the entirety of the war.

…and people have been avoiding them all like the plague. Even the ones that recieved positive reviews.

I’m not going to speculate on why these have all pretty much gone unseen, instead I’m going to highlight a few things that are being shown right now that should be viewed.

The first is “Generation Kill”. A mini-series on HBO based on the book of the same name in which an embedded reporter joins a group of Marines during the initial invasion of Baghdad and documents his experiences. The book drew some heat on initial release due to the Marines’ outspoken displeasure with their leadership in some instances, but since has been placed as one of the books that “gets” what war is like for the guys on the ground. The series in being touted as staying close to it’s source material and being fair in it’s depictions of the individuals portrayed in both the book and the show.

The second thing that’s being worked on right now comes courtesy of MTV (who also produced “Stop Loss” which many said was one of the least politicized takes on the war in movies to date) and rapper Kanye West, called “Choose or Lose & Kanye West present: Homecoming”. The intent of the series is to highlight recently returned vets by sitting down with them and letting them discuss the difficulties faced in returning home. An extra step being taken in this show is the assistance being given by West and MTV under the name of the Dr. Donda West Foundation (named for West’s recently departed mother) to the vets in the form of student loan repayment, rent coverage, and making up the differences between college costs and the coverage of the G.I. Bill which in certain instances has proven insufficient.

I’ve mocked Kanye West in the past for his lack of internal censor and his outspoken statements (Bush doesn’t care about black people ring a bell? Not that I’m saying he was wrong, just that his delivery could use some work), but I have to say I think if handled correctly this could be a wonderful program, both to view, and for those it will help.

So there you go, things to watch out for while flipping the channels at home.

Iraqi Government Publicly Backs Obama

Skitz M. Jones — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:05:05 +0000

So, after much prompting and prodding from assorted oppositions, Prez hopeful Barack Obama made his way overseas to check out what’s going on. While meeting with Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the topic of troop withdrawls in the face of improving conditions was brought up, and apparently the two men have the same goal in mind, removal of “combat troops” by 2010. Now, given that only 1/3 of all troops in Iraq are in fact “combat troops” what this means for support units is uncertain. So do not be mislead to believe that anyone is talking about us completely leaving Iraq behind, after all… we’re still in Korea aren’t we?

That said, should the troops be drawn back from Iraq, don’t expect them to be out of the clear, as there’s the current escalation in Afghanistan that still needs addressing. But that’s another topic for another time, right now it’s about Iraq, and their future.

As reported previously on this site, there is great pressure on al-Maliki from the rest of the Iraqi gov’t to see American presence greatly reduced in the near future, and so the horse they’re backing in this race, will be the one who’s more likely to do that for them. For better or worse, it’s their country, if they want us gone so they can step up and take care of themselves, why not give them the shot?

Your Tax Dollars at Work- Thanks Air Force!

Skitz M. Jones — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:05:14 +0000

It’s a long running joke in the military that the Air Force gets the best of everything, from the cushiest rooms, to the highest level of electronic gadgets to play with- both job related, and r&r based. It’s usually a topic that’s discussed in jest with only mild (if any) contempt carried through the thread by the ones making the wisecracks.

However, with a new project that the Air Force has in play, the Airmen themselves are turning on the hands that feed them, because the brass doesn’t think things are quite comfortable enough for them when they travel. So they’re spending approximately $20 Million to upgrade their seating arrangements in something they’re calling Senior Leader In-transit Comfort Capsules or SLICCs. Though in many of the pages discussing the SLICCs the word “Comfort” has been crossed out and replaced with “Conference”, in an effort to downplay the requested extravagances.

The SLICCs are being equipped with 4 swivelling recliners with personal lamps (the recliners were originally brown, but were reupholstered to a nice “Air Force blue” to the tune of $68,240), a large wooden desk (more money spent to darken the color of the wood of which the table was constructed), beds, a couch, another table, a 37 inch flat screen TV with stereo speakers (what? thought surround sound would be too much?) and a full length mirror.

Now, maybe it’s just me, but I remember being crammed into a civilian aircraft with multiple other units along with our armor, our gear, and our weapons, into standard seating and flying from the U.S. to Europe, then from Europe to Kuwait, and then moved out into a cargo plane with folded down bench seating and harnesses sitting in the same compartment as pallets of equipment for our flights to and around Iraq. I’m not suggesting everyone fly in such a manor, but all things considered I think the “luxury aircraft” in which the senior leadership in the Air Force already travel is more than sufficient given the alternatives.

Oh, it should also be noted that there are no additions of communication improvements or other work related additions to the SLICCs (unless you count a single desk as all you need).

Luckily Congress is in agreement and is doing all they can to slow the draw of funds by the project from the GWOT (Global War on Terror, because when I think war on terror, I’m thinking leather recliners and flatscreen TVs) pot.

The project is already underway, with at least one SLICC well into construction. So next time you meet a General from the Air Force, make sure you ask them about their flight.

More information about the SLICC, including pictures, can be found here.

Change of Pace

Skitz M. Jones — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:38:38 +0000

So, I was reading the news today- trying to find an article worth writing about… and I just couldn’t do it.

I looked at all the stories which are the same as yesterday’s stories, and likely the same as tomorrow’s stories, and I couldn’t work up the will to tackle another one today.

However, one of my other endeavors outside of this site is writing a poem a day for my next book due out next year. And in today’s poem, I vented my frustrations at the news, and the world, and all of us- the consumers of media and info-tainment, and I figured I’d go ahead and share it with you here readers. I promise I’ll return to writing news commentary pieces again tomorrow, but for now, enjoy something a little different…

july 16th poem

I picked up the news today and flipped pages and felt outrages
at the senseless acts of inhumanity that I found myself reading about
want to see what I mean these fiends phonies frauds and mother fuckers
what are they doing? well let me count it out
1- housing lender fraud
2- wars and disputes over god
3- downsizing of the countries jobs
4- the governing of the government by a brainless slob
5- medical coverage of erectile dysfunction over birth control
6- south american women and children being bought and sold
7- the rich getting richer while the poor get more poor
8- the buying out and closing down of mom and pop stores
9- refusing the rights of human rights to humans, right?
10- detainees being sent to other countries to be tortured out of sight
11- our young men and women being sent to die without knowing why
12- the politicians and CEOs and news media all feeding us lies
13- more care being given to young starlets
who are more like modern time harlots
drinking and driving
doing drugs and thriving
on negative press
opening their legs and showing their breasts
reality tv
celeb babies
mindless nonsense
that offends my good sense
breath being wasted on all of this waste
when the wasting of our precious world and lives should be what’s in your face
*breath*
but I understand
I understand that it’s hard to deal
when all you get is a raw deal, I know how it feels
I know how it feels to open the paper wanting to skip straight to the “funny”s
rather than reading about how we’re losing the value of money
I know how it feels to want to check the latest sports scores and stats
rather than reading about the latest shooting that occurred not blocks from where you’re at
I know how it feel to want to check the tv listings to see what’s going to be on tonight
rather than think about another day having to go out and face injustices- it ain’t right
but we have to
we have to let go of our aversion to knowing and embrace knowledge despite ignorance’s bliss
because if we don’t, if we won’t we will lose all of this.

Canada Sends Deserter Home

Skitz M. Jones — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:42:10 +0000

The first American Deserter of the Iraq War has been sent home as of Tuesday in a move that many find surprising given that roughly 200 men and women have found refuge in our neighbor to the north since the war began in 2003.

Most Canadians have no issue with deserters, what with Canada not having backed the war in the first place, but with it’s current conservative government in place the rules about who qualifies for asylum in the country have changed greatly since, say, the days that Bill Clinton went running for the border, thus making it more difficult for those seeking a safe refuge from further deployments to war.

The man has been arrested and while the charge of desertion can carry penalties up to and including death by firing squad (no, really), it’s suspected that prison and something much like a felony charge will be his penance.

Perhaps the most surprising fact in this story, isn’t so much Canada turning away someone seeking asylum, but the face that roughly 200 men and women packed up their lives and left the all-volunteer military of the U.S. to run into the north and start over, rather than stay in the States locked into their contracts.

…and for any who are waiting for the McCain magazine cover to go with the Obama cover…

Skitz M. Jones — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:21:32 +0000

There you go. Everyone happy now?

If the New Yorker got it wrong… how does one mock Obama?

Skitz M. Jones — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:14:02 +0000

So, the flap about the Obama cover of the New Yorker set the net ablaze with commentary about what the cover had to say about perceptions that are still carrying over from misinformed emails and fraudulent claims about Obama’s views, religion, and politics.

But, if one can not make fun of the way some of the ridiculous ways certain people view Obama, what about the man can they make fun of?

Obviously the color of his skin is off limits to most comedians (well- those featured on late-night tv and in print) because by and large those comedians are white. I’m not saying whites shouldn’t make racially charged jokes, I think everyone should be able to comment on the topic of race as long as it’s in an honest thought provoking open forum that isn’t mean spirited or bigoted, but simply observant. However, feelings of racial guilt paired with the easy ability for the overly sensitive to make big ordeals out of single comments tend to keep race jokes off the table.

His inability to bowl made for a joke or two, but that’s hardly enough fodder to carry over for an entire election season, let alone a possible presidency.

His ears maybe? Only if the line about looking like a cab with it’s doors open tickles your funny bone.

His age is tough, because most of the people in his age range fall into the demographics that most comedians are trying to target, and so by aiming at age (something that’s far easier to do it would seem, when the target is McCain, who many commentators view as positively geriatric) the performer could alienate their audience.

His religion proves problematic because by claiming issue with him being a Muslim two things occur, we prove ourselves ill-informed because he is in fact Christian (this doesn’t prove to be a problem for a character like Stephen Colbert however, because the entire persona of Colbert is based on being ill-informed and quick to judge), and we also then bring up an issue of how we as a nation relate to Muslims in a time where that religion is under intense scrutiny given the conflicts we are embroiled in overseas, and the fact that our enemies there are predominantly Muslim, though of various different sects of which many (including Prez Candidate John McCain) can’t tell the difference.

What are we left with? Past youthful transgressions involving drugs? Could work if a) we hadn’t already spent all our coked out jokes on George W Bush, and b) if Obama hadn’t already been open about the topic, thus reducing the value as opposed to if he was say, an unrepentant closeted past drug user.

The only thing really open to ridicule is how not open to ridicule he is. The presentation is almost too slick, too clean, too good. And as opposed to mockery, that would seem more open to conspiracy theory (there’s plenty out there too).

So really, we all just have to wait for a major gaffe on the part of Obama. Not a pretend flaw, but a real crack in the armor before the humor will come spilling out.

Or as one Mike Sweeney, head writer for Conan O’Brien’s “Late Night” show, said “We’re hoping he picks an idiot as vice president.”

Obama on The New Yorker let the fuss begin

Skitz M. Jones — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:32:50 +0000

The staff at The NYer says it’s supposed to be a satire of the way Obama is viewed by the public, though that isn’t mentioned anywhere in the rag, instead the history of Obama in Chicago politics, and a piece on his flip flopping fill the pages. Is it satire, is it a series of stereotypes they’re trying to keep alive, or is it something else entirely? Regardless of intent, by putting something like this on the cover, they’re sure to draw readership both the agreeable, and the outraged.

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