...our activities in and pertaining to iraq and afghanistan are now costing us $4,630 per second. or $12,000,000,000 per month.
in real terms i can understand it equals my annual salary in just under 8 seconds.
and they say only nature can make one feel small and insignificant.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
250,000:1
There's a report out that says our brave forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are firing 250,000 rounds of ammunition for every insurgent they claim to have been killed. An excerpt of the article reveals:
"The Department of Defense's increased requirements for small- and medium-calibre ammunitions have largely been driven by increased weapons training requirements, dictated by the army's transformation to a more self-sustaining and lethal force - which was accelerated after the attacks of 11 September, 2001 - and by the deployment of forces to conduct recent US military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq," said the report by the General Accounting Office (GAO)." (italics are mine)
So, some of this ammunition is being used in training. And it has been used to make the soldiers better shots. And more lethal. And self-sustaining.
And yet...we have witnessed a large surge in deployments to Iraq. We have witnessed more of our soldiers being killed. We have not witnessed a real surge in insurgents being killed. And we have read about another report from our experts and generals stating that none of the requirements (aka benchmarks) set forth for the Iraqi government and military have been met.
250,000??? Evidently, bullet manufacturers can't even keep up with our demand for bullets. Evidently, it's still a great time to be invested in the War Machine. Of course, when is it not? There's always another dirty little conflict just around the bend.
What I'd like to know is what the ratio of bullets to kills is when you factor in the civilian death rate. Maybe Bush and Cheney need to start doing that if only to get that ratio down to a numerical amount that we, the people, can understand. Because 250,000:1, while still better than winning the Lotto or getting struck by lightning or dying in a plane crash, makes our troops look like dumb ass, suburban weekend can poppers. Or like Red Coats marching a straight line while the Revolutionaries hid behind trees and rocks and shot them at will. Or Custer not listening to his scouts.
I've always loved that about empirical armies. They feel they just need to march in, show superior force and a strong chin and the natives will quake in their peasant shoes and acquiesce immediately. No matter how many times history has proved them wrong.
One thing I know we did wrong this time as opposed the Indian Wars: we didn't offer civilians a chance at free land. If we had been promised all the free land we could stake in a day, many of us would have taken up arms against Iraq and Afghanistan. We would have enlisted at an accelerated rate if only to get out of a country that was war-taxing us to death and ignoring our basic needs (i.e. medical insurance, a good education, retirement without fear of ending up on the streets, freedom from religious persecution by those in power, civil liberties being shredded while those in foreign lands were being promised those liberties), unlike those in Iraq and Afghanistan. While they may have appeared in need of rescuing to us, most of them now wish they could go back to the way it was. And we are stuck here with less of what we used to have and no apparent way forward.
Oh, and the Air Force has stepped up aerial bombardments that the mainstream press and the White House are not talking about (because that's bad press and makes it look like we're not willing to face the enemy face to face, which any military expert will tell you is a quick route to a shallow grave).
If you read the article, you'll find that we are relying increasingly on foreign manufacturers of bullets. Funny. But I'll bet it's from one or more of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. Because, "oddly" enough, the U.S., the U.K., Russia, France and China are the five leading arms exporters in the world (whether through normal or abnormal means).
So, those of you who who claim that we are a nation of compassion for ourselves and others, I have a large bridge shaped exactly like my penis to sell you.
p.s. abcnews has an interesting video clip of a journalist rif-ding along with soldiers in Baghdad. you should check it out.
"The Department of Defense's increased requirements for small- and medium-calibre ammunitions have largely been driven by increased weapons training requirements, dictated by the army's transformation to a more self-sustaining and lethal force - which was accelerated after the attacks of 11 September, 2001 - and by the deployment of forces to conduct recent US military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq," said the report by the General Accounting Office (GAO)." (italics are mine)
So, some of this ammunition is being used in training. And it has been used to make the soldiers better shots. And more lethal. And self-sustaining.
And yet...we have witnessed a large surge in deployments to Iraq. We have witnessed more of our soldiers being killed. We have not witnessed a real surge in insurgents being killed. And we have read about another report from our experts and generals stating that none of the requirements (aka benchmarks) set forth for the Iraqi government and military have been met.
250,000??? Evidently, bullet manufacturers can't even keep up with our demand for bullets. Evidently, it's still a great time to be invested in the War Machine. Of course, when is it not? There's always another dirty little conflict just around the bend.
What I'd like to know is what the ratio of bullets to kills is when you factor in the civilian death rate. Maybe Bush and Cheney need to start doing that if only to get that ratio down to a numerical amount that we, the people, can understand. Because 250,000:1, while still better than winning the Lotto or getting struck by lightning or dying in a plane crash, makes our troops look like dumb ass, suburban weekend can poppers. Or like Red Coats marching a straight line while the Revolutionaries hid behind trees and rocks and shot them at will. Or Custer not listening to his scouts.
I've always loved that about empirical armies. They feel they just need to march in, show superior force and a strong chin and the natives will quake in their peasant shoes and acquiesce immediately. No matter how many times history has proved them wrong.
One thing I know we did wrong this time as opposed the Indian Wars: we didn't offer civilians a chance at free land. If we had been promised all the free land we could stake in a day, many of us would have taken up arms against Iraq and Afghanistan. We would have enlisted at an accelerated rate if only to get out of a country that was war-taxing us to death and ignoring our basic needs (i.e. medical insurance, a good education, retirement without fear of ending up on the streets, freedom from religious persecution by those in power, civil liberties being shredded while those in foreign lands were being promised those liberties), unlike those in Iraq and Afghanistan. While they may have appeared in need of rescuing to us, most of them now wish they could go back to the way it was. And we are stuck here with less of what we used to have and no apparent way forward.
Oh, and the Air Force has stepped up aerial bombardments that the mainstream press and the White House are not talking about (because that's bad press and makes it look like we're not willing to face the enemy face to face, which any military expert will tell you is a quick route to a shallow grave).
If you read the article, you'll find that we are relying increasingly on foreign manufacturers of bullets. Funny. But I'll bet it's from one or more of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. Because, "oddly" enough, the U.S., the U.K., Russia, France and China are the five leading arms exporters in the world (whether through normal or abnormal means).
So, those of you who who claim that we are a nation of compassion for ourselves and others, I have a large bridge shaped exactly like my penis to sell you.
p.s. abcnews has an interesting video clip of a journalist rif-ding along with soldiers in Baghdad. you should check it out.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Ethics and U.S.
p(resident) bush actually admits that someone within his inner staff leaked valerie plame's name to the press. and no one is fired. remember when he said at the outset of this investigation that if anyone working for him did this they would be fired? huh? huh? anyone? bueller? and then he defends his commutation of scooter libby's prison sentence.
a workmate of mine asked me today if i had any "ethical conundrums" for his philosophy class. i gave him our outcry now concerning the genocide in rwanda. i told him that we, as a country, had turned a blind eye to it for a long time while hundreds of thousands died and many more became refugees. i contrasted that with the hundreds of thousands now accepted to have died at coalition force hands and the over 2 million refugees fleeing from iraq. but now it is okay for our administration to look to rwanda and condemn it even as we commit as many or more atrocities in iraq. and the question was: where do we, as american citizens, stand on condemning the one, but ignoring the other?
but now i have a another good one: where do we, as american citizens, stand on a president promising he will fire the person responsible for a security breach only to commute the sentence of one of the very people involved in that breach and not being willing to delve deeper into who the ultimate responsible person is? when do we demand that ethical lines be drawn and those we voted into power stand by them?
in my next post i will answer the question by a commenter who asked in resignation what any one of us can do to change government? i won't be able to answer on a national level, but i will on a local one.
a workmate of mine asked me today if i had any "ethical conundrums" for his philosophy class. i gave him our outcry now concerning the genocide in rwanda. i told him that we, as a country, had turned a blind eye to it for a long time while hundreds of thousands died and many more became refugees. i contrasted that with the hundreds of thousands now accepted to have died at coalition force hands and the over 2 million refugees fleeing from iraq. but now it is okay for our administration to look to rwanda and condemn it even as we commit as many or more atrocities in iraq. and the question was: where do we, as american citizens, stand on condemning the one, but ignoring the other?
but now i have a another good one: where do we, as american citizens, stand on a president promising he will fire the person responsible for a security breach only to commute the sentence of one of the very people involved in that breach and not being willing to delve deeper into who the ultimate responsible person is? when do we demand that ethical lines be drawn and those we voted into power stand by them?
in my next post i will answer the question by a commenter who asked in resignation what any one of us can do to change government? i won't be able to answer on a national level, but i will on a local one.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
How Many HAve Died?
ahem. not that i don't like rwandans. hell, some of my best friends are sort of look like rwandans without the accent or the skin color. mostly because of meth. but when it comes to genocide i have to give it up to (drumroll, please) US!!!
most independent studies are coming to the same conclusion: somewhere between 300,000 and 650,000 iraqis have been killed since our dirty little "war on terror" began. and most of those deaths have come at the hands of our coalition forces. we hear almost daily of the sectarian suicide bombings, but almost nothing of the daily aerial bombings and artillery barrages happening at the behest of our president (or whoever signs his name and pours his drink for him).
not that i have anything against a man who likes a stiff shot once in a while. hell, if i had a war to run i'd pound a few myself. but i wouldn't claim not to.
and, hell, if i had this war to run i'd throw up a prayer or two each morning, asking some deity or another to forgive me for the massive sins i was about to commit. and to forgive me for not believing in them. but i wouldn't shout it to the country as the only way in which to proceed.
and, if i had any war to run, i most assuredly would want to fire a few of my minions when they came back to me at the end of a day and said that my ideas were full of crap and i just got another 500 people killed to no avail.
poor president bush. he may actually be that dumb (and i've posited this from the beginning), he may actually be that dim and idolatrous to believe that we as a nation and an idea are so superior to all other forms of civilization that we have a moral obligation to spread ourselves across the globe and over all other people like napalm jelly in order to obtain global harmony.
however, his righthand men- karl rove and dick cheney - are not that dumb or dim. they are smart. they understand the short term goals are worthier than the long term, because short can be achieved for the few. short term can make the worthy wealthy. long term makes the unwashed masses restless. so, they have george at the front making his pontifications about fighting them there instead of fighting them here. and iraq is the reason we are over there. and al qaeda is iraq. and karl and dick continue to line the pockets of their friends who have wanted this war since the early 80's.
so much better to be a smart billionaire than a dumb president. no hindsight will prove you wrong when you've got the dim son to smoke your tracks for you.
and all the while, we are making dafur look like another day in new york in comparison.
most independent studies are coming to the same conclusion: somewhere between 300,000 and 650,000 iraqis have been killed since our dirty little "war on terror" began. and most of those deaths have come at the hands of our coalition forces. we hear almost daily of the sectarian suicide bombings, but almost nothing of the daily aerial bombings and artillery barrages happening at the behest of our president (or whoever signs his name and pours his drink for him).
not that i have anything against a man who likes a stiff shot once in a while. hell, if i had a war to run i'd pound a few myself. but i wouldn't claim not to.
and, hell, if i had this war to run i'd throw up a prayer or two each morning, asking some deity or another to forgive me for the massive sins i was about to commit. and to forgive me for not believing in them. but i wouldn't shout it to the country as the only way in which to proceed.
and, if i had any war to run, i most assuredly would want to fire a few of my minions when they came back to me at the end of a day and said that my ideas were full of crap and i just got another 500 people killed to no avail.
poor president bush. he may actually be that dumb (and i've posited this from the beginning), he may actually be that dim and idolatrous to believe that we as a nation and an idea are so superior to all other forms of civilization that we have a moral obligation to spread ourselves across the globe and over all other people like napalm jelly in order to obtain global harmony.
however, his righthand men- karl rove and dick cheney - are not that dumb or dim. they are smart. they understand the short term goals are worthier than the long term, because short can be achieved for the few. short term can make the worthy wealthy. long term makes the unwashed masses restless. so, they have george at the front making his pontifications about fighting them there instead of fighting them here. and iraq is the reason we are over there. and al qaeda is iraq. and karl and dick continue to line the pockets of their friends who have wanted this war since the early 80's.
so much better to be a smart billionaire than a dumb president. no hindsight will prove you wrong when you've got the dim son to smoke your tracks for you.
and all the while, we are making dafur look like another day in new york in comparison.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Badger Badger Badger
what's that, steph? you wanted scooter? okay.
scooter scooter scooter.
commute commute commute.
bullshit bullshit bullshit.
happy fucking independence day:
to whomever still truly believes in it and feels like the government serves us and has our best interests at heart;
to us, as a nation and an idea, who depend on celebrities to titillate us and distract from those issues not nearly as important (like civil rights, group morality, justice for all, equality, honesty, humbleness, compassion for those in need, transparency of government, protection of the weak, an open ear to the powerless, a turned cheek to the angry, not casting the first stone if one is not completely innocent of any wrongdoing) so that we may while away our days feeling superior to those coke sniffing, beaver flashing, head shaving, bible in prison carrying, wife join the scientologists making, little black baby stealing, next unnecessary pregnancy announcing, overblown steroid denouncing, nascar fist fighting, posthumous porn star dna paternity testing, dead pregnant housewife idolizing miscreants who make our country the star of hope that it is to the rest of the world (and why we are held above all others in god's eyes);
to the brave men and women (unless they're fags or dykes) who are overseas shooting at insurgents and terrorists ranging in age from 5 to 95, because their commander-in-chief is too busy commuting the sentence of his little buddy and preparing for a full pardon (even though he didn't consult the Justice Department, the prosecuting attorney, wait until all appeals are finished as is the normal doctrine or the convicted actually asked for the commutation) and can't be concerned about a "minor uptick" in military casualties, which he said should be expected for the next unforseeable future, and the soldiers are in fear for their lives, because they still don't have enough body armor, plate protection on their trucks and tanks, proper directions from their field commanders or protection from the enormous amount of depleted uranium they have unleashed into the air and ground;
and to those among us who merely want to blow shit up in a safe and sane environment on the one day of the year when it's sort of allowed and don't really intend to hold a silent vigil or a moment when we remember all of those who have fallen or whatever.
join me at you know where for festive fireworks, food and drinks. all religions, ethnicities and sexual lifestyles are encouraged (except fags, dykes, muslims, vegetarians, and methodists).
Commies and fascists okay so long as you agree to hold the fireworks while i light them.
scooter scooter scooter.
commute commute commute.
bullshit bullshit bullshit.
happy fucking independence day:
to whomever still truly believes in it and feels like the government serves us and has our best interests at heart;
to us, as a nation and an idea, who depend on celebrities to titillate us and distract from those issues not nearly as important (like civil rights, group morality, justice for all, equality, honesty, humbleness, compassion for those in need, transparency of government, protection of the weak, an open ear to the powerless, a turned cheek to the angry, not casting the first stone if one is not completely innocent of any wrongdoing) so that we may while away our days feeling superior to those coke sniffing, beaver flashing, head shaving, bible in prison carrying, wife join the scientologists making, little black baby stealing, next unnecessary pregnancy announcing, overblown steroid denouncing, nascar fist fighting, posthumous porn star dna paternity testing, dead pregnant housewife idolizing miscreants who make our country the star of hope that it is to the rest of the world (and why we are held above all others in god's eyes);
to the brave men and women (unless they're fags or dykes) who are overseas shooting at insurgents and terrorists ranging in age from 5 to 95, because their commander-in-chief is too busy commuting the sentence of his little buddy and preparing for a full pardon (even though he didn't consult the Justice Department, the prosecuting attorney, wait until all appeals are finished as is the normal doctrine or the convicted actually asked for the commutation) and can't be concerned about a "minor uptick" in military casualties, which he said should be expected for the next unforseeable future, and the soldiers are in fear for their lives, because they still don't have enough body armor, plate protection on their trucks and tanks, proper directions from their field commanders or protection from the enormous amount of depleted uranium they have unleashed into the air and ground;
and to those among us who merely want to blow shit up in a safe and sane environment on the one day of the year when it's sort of allowed and don't really intend to hold a silent vigil or a moment when we remember all of those who have fallen or whatever.
join me at you know where for festive fireworks, food and drinks. all religions, ethnicities and sexual lifestyles are encouraged (except fags, dykes, muslims, vegetarians, and methodists).
Commies and fascists okay so long as you agree to hold the fireworks while i light them.
Monday, July 02, 2007
WAR
the bane of the tomato grower. that pesky little critter that i've been told is part of the sphinx moth family (those huge ones that used to fly around on hot august nights whose wingspan would easily reach 6 inches...alas, no more due to decades of insecticide). below is the damage i returned to (i show not nearly all of what hapened in a 2 day span) from san francisco. i caught two mammoth caterpillars that evening, 4 moderate sized the next day and 2 moderate and 6 babies the next. and i've been checking those plants since the first sign of damage a couple of months ago.
sucks to be popular.
sucks to be popular.Friday, June 29, 2007
WTF???
when the State Equalization Board sends you a Cigarette and Tobacco Products Use Tax Return and it turns out to be a form on which you are supposed to tell them how many untaxed cigarettes you purchased iin the last year, you gotta wonder.
when you call and tell the representative that you've never purchased untaxed cigarettes before in your life and she then insinuates twice that you're lying, you gotta wonder.
when you ask for her superviser and are told that he is unavailable and you ask for his number and are told that she doesn't give out that kind of information and you ask how to get in touch with him and you are told that she will take your name and number and you try to give her your name and number and she begins repeating a federal code while you are reciting your name and number and when she hangs up on you as you are still trying to relay your contact information, you gotta wonder.
snippet:
"what's your account number?"
"--------."
"and how can i help you?"
"i got this form in the mail today and not only did you spell my name wrong, but i've never purchased untaxed cigarettes before."
"it say right here on my computer that you bought 98 cartons of untaxed cigarettes over the past three years and stopped in early 2007."
"did you just call me a liar?"
"sir, we received sales receipts from ----------- with your name and address. now, why would this company pull your name out of thin air?"
"you just called me a liar again."
"no sir, i never used that word."
"oh, i'm sorry. you insinuated i'm a liar."
she hung up on me shortly thereafter.
i called back immediately, made my complaint and was transferred by the main switchboard to one of their supervisers. hmmmm.....
turns out my SSN and driver's license are not in their system, which greatly worried the superviser (he gave me his direct number and his extension should i decide to call through the 800 number).
the quote of the conversation with him was:
"i hate to tell you this, but you're not lying."
coming on the heels of a collection agency coming after me even though they had my first name completely wrong and being told by a creditcheck group that i worked at a hardrock cafe in las vegas for a year i'm beginning to hear little paranoic bells in my head (sounds like my alarm going off in the middle of me sleeping off a particularly bad bender).
when you call and tell the representative that you've never purchased untaxed cigarettes before in your life and she then insinuates twice that you're lying, you gotta wonder.
when you ask for her superviser and are told that he is unavailable and you ask for his number and are told that she doesn't give out that kind of information and you ask how to get in touch with him and you are told that she will take your name and number and you try to give her your name and number and she begins repeating a federal code while you are reciting your name and number and when she hangs up on you as you are still trying to relay your contact information, you gotta wonder.
snippet:
"what's your account number?"
"--------."
"and how can i help you?"
"i got this form in the mail today and not only did you spell my name wrong, but i've never purchased untaxed cigarettes before."
"it say right here on my computer that you bought 98 cartons of untaxed cigarettes over the past three years and stopped in early 2007."
"did you just call me a liar?"
"sir, we received sales receipts from ----------- with your name and address. now, why would this company pull your name out of thin air?"
"you just called me a liar again."
"no sir, i never used that word."
"oh, i'm sorry. you insinuated i'm a liar."
she hung up on me shortly thereafter.
i called back immediately, made my complaint and was transferred by the main switchboard to one of their supervisers. hmmmm.....
turns out my SSN and driver's license are not in their system, which greatly worried the superviser (he gave me his direct number and his extension should i decide to call through the 800 number).
the quote of the conversation with him was:
"i hate to tell you this, but you're not lying."
coming on the heels of a collection agency coming after me even though they had my first name completely wrong and being told by a creditcheck group that i worked at a hardrock cafe in las vegas for a year i'm beginning to hear little paranoic bells in my head (sounds like my alarm going off in the middle of me sleeping off a particularly bad bender).
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
now he's part of the executive branch, but the order still doesn't apply to him? or the president? excuse me for coughing sputum violently into my hand while i try to keep from shitting out the Constitution i was forcefed a while back by republican operatives. give me a fucking break.
first, dick cheney claims that the National Archives have no oversight concerning his emails, letters, etc, because he's not amember of the Execiutive Branch seeing as how he technically presides over the House of Representatives (if there's a tie vote he's called in to break it). then, under massive scrutiny and witnessing massive outrage, his lawyers realize he's not actually disassociated from said branch. but he still says he's exempt from congressional oversight.
whose government is this, people? his or ours? huh? we have an administration that's been rewriting the rules since day one and we've sat passively by as the Constitution has been trampled and our civil liberties have bee taken away and yet we do nothing.
we let this cretin come in and rule by fiat. and fear. and intimidation. wake the fuck up, folks. as long as you say nothing, we all lose.
first, dick cheney claims that the National Archives have no oversight concerning his emails, letters, etc, because he's not amember of the Execiutive Branch seeing as how he technically presides over the House of Representatives (if there's a tie vote he's called in to break it). then, under massive scrutiny and witnessing massive outrage, his lawyers realize he's not actually disassociated from said branch. but he still says he's exempt from congressional oversight.
whose government is this, people? his or ours? huh? we have an administration that's been rewriting the rules since day one and we've sat passively by as the Constitution has been trampled and our civil liberties have bee taken away and yet we do nothing.
we let this cretin come in and rule by fiat. and fear. and intimidation. wake the fuck up, folks. as long as you say nothing, we all lose.
this, too, started very innocently. we knew generik would meet us at a certain spot, so we exited the cable car early in order to sneak up on him (much like when i was in the jungle and had to snare the wily crocodile)...
we got closer and the prey remained unaware, too consumed with his immediate surroundings...
we knew that eventually we would have to make a dash for him if we wanted to eat that night...
...too late, he saw us...
as i held up and took a picture of the elusive beast, katie turned and went for the crosswalker...
the inside of generik's lovely wife's outstanding fabric shop...
one place we did not frequent...
...and another...
...still one more...
...negligee, cowboy hat and boots and accordian...sigh...
...um...
woamn playing mandolin while teetering on a totter...
...even the aliens think they should get a handout...
view on the way to the ballpark...
lady giving birth...
one more view on the way...
barry bonds swings and...misses...
arod
arod swings and...connects four friggin' times!!!!
bonds swings and...actually makes contact, even though it was foul and he later settled for a groundout...
home dugout. lots of seeds, spit and paper cups. whoo hoo. but what a game. 13 innings, a massive homerun hit by arod, plenty of good fielding and a comeback by the giants. what a day.
we got closer and the prey remained unaware, too consumed with his immediate surroundings...
we knew that eventually we would have to make a dash for him if we wanted to eat that night...
...too late, he saw us...
as i held up and took a picture of the elusive beast, katie turned and went for the crosswalker...
the inside of generik's lovely wife's outstanding fabric shop...
one place we did not frequent...
...and another...
...still one more...
...negligee, cowboy hat and boots and accordian...sigh...
...um...
woamn playing mandolin while teetering on a totter...
...even the aliens think they should get a handout...
view on the way to the ballpark...
lady giving birth...
one more view on the way...
barry bonds swings and...misses...
arod
arod swings and...connects four friggin' times!!!!
bonds swings and...actually makes contact, even though it was foul and he later settled for a groundout...
home dugout. lots of seeds, spit and paper cups. whoo hoo. but what a game. 13 innings, a massive homerun hit by arod, plenty of good fielding and a comeback by the giants. what a day.
oh, and one more place we didn't get to go...
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