Saddest Story of the Year

It's bad enough how many soldiers have died because of this illegal and idiotic war. But this is just really, really, really sad. Thank you, Freewayblogger.

Extended Rant on compulsory Military Service

All the talk lately about reinstating the draft has me thinking a LOT about compulsory military service (CMS). Growing up in a military family, I have a fair amount of experience with who our military is. Of course, growing up an officer's kid is very, very different from the experience of the enlisted families.

I'm sorry, but the truth is, in fact, that a lot of the military is made up of people with little or no options in life besides the military. They have no way to get an education otherwise and some of them couldn't hold down a regular job if someone wasn't screaming in their ear telling them what to do.

I think this is why, beside the general psychological toll of war, we see some of the bad behavior of our troops in places like Iraq and Okinawa. These aren't high school honor students. They're the children left behind. The inner city and rural kids who don't get great educations and don't have families who can send them off to college or help them open their own business.

What if there were honor students in our ranks? What if the artsy-fartsy kids and the punk rockers and the jocks and everyone else you went to high school with spent the two years after high school in the military?

People say our military is great BECAUSE it's voluntary. I think that's a big load of political BS. I think they say that because it's hard to explain to people why it would be good for everyone to have CMS.

An expanded military such as would be provide by CMS would be more of a deterrent, and more importantly (in my opinion) allow for more humanitarian and peacekeeping work, making us a better global citizen.

I also think that if people served two years in the military, they would be better, more responsible citizens. I think voting participation would go through the roof. There would be more at stake for everyone in their vote for a congressman or president. Citizens would be more apt to follow world events.

I really think this is an absolute win-win for everyone. Especially if you add my special twist. Add a buy out option. If the rich don't want their kids to serve, that's fine. You can't get a senator to get you out of it, but you can pay $25,000 a year to be released from service.

I'd really, really like to dialogue on this. Let me know what you think.

The Iranian Example

I got this video from my girlfriend's mom (She's Iranian-American, her mother and father emigrated before she was born).

Watch this and then tell me we should still be meddling in other countries like Iraq, Venezuela, etc. Meddling in Iran sure did us well.

I'd rather pay $3, $5 even $8 a gallon for gas than continue to meddle in international affairs and tinker with a world system we can't control and don't understand. We created 2/3 of the "Axis of Evil." I think our dismal record in this area warrants a halt in similar CIA and military operations and a change in policy.

We need to get OUT of the meddling business and stick to diplomacy only. Let's reform the UN and make it work. Let's institute compulsory military service, two years for every 18 year old. Let's use our larger army for humanitarian work to gain the world's trust and respect again. It's cheaper, anyway.

We've known this doesn't work since before 1987, how many times do we have to learn this lesson?

Full 22min version.

Grouchy Bastard!

I love it when animals strike back at the humans ruining their planet. What a grouchy guy!

Fixed the link (Thanks, Arash). It's to the text story. The link-to video wasn't working. Darnit. The video is great. It's a bunch of retirees being nibbled by the grouchy little bastard while they swim. Too funny.

Yes! Finally! Easily differentiable American currency!

Anyone who's known me long enough and has heard enough of my rants has probably been subjected to me bitching about US currency. It's all green. It's all the same size. It's a pain in the ass to find the bill you want in your wallet or be sure that you're receiving the right bill from someone handing you one.

Not for long!

It took a really interesting judge's ruling regarding fair treatment of the blind. But, we may soon have variable size and color currency, just like most of the developed world.

As if you needed another reason NOT to go see the new Rocky

In more news that I couldn't possibly make up, the sixth Rocky film, due out in a few weeks, is being marketed as a Christian film. Let all the non-believers be pummeled in the ring.

O.J. Simpson is a total scum bag and so are you

...if you buy his book or even watch Fox's TV show about him. In fact, although my favorite show on television by FAR is 'House' on Fox, I am seriously considering an all-out boycott over this.

If there was every any doubt in the public consciousness that this man is a murdering, lying son of a b!#¢h, there shouldn't be anymore. Even his publisher says this counts as a confession.

There are two families with gaping holes in them and two children without a mother. Not to mention the fact he hasn't even paid the families the money they won in the civil trial that found him liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

To quote my former hero, Denis Leary (until I discovered the real deal, Bill Hicks) "Everyone is forgiven...Except you O.J...F__k you, O.J."

Why is this $#!t okay?

From a local news report on future gas prices:

"A report out today by the Consumer Federation of America says that nine of the 13 major automakers had lower fleet mileage averages in 2005 than they did in 1996."

I'm sorry, but the American people ought to be suing the automakers and the oil companies class action style for the over-inflated prices we're paying and the crappy MPG our cars get. It's not like they're hurting for money. Exxon Mobil just posted the largest quarterly profit for any company of any kind ever....in history. There is NO other possible explanation than simple, disgusting greed.

Global warming is real, kids. Either deal with it, or have generations of your ancestors urinating on your grave.

Blue Morning

Well, America has finally answered the question posed by the great Bill Hicks;

"How far does the man's d!@k have to go up your a$$ before you realize you're getting f#@&ed?"

Congratulations, America. Just don't take so long next time. I was getting pretty sore.

The person who invented these should win a Nobel prize...

...or at very least a top job with NASA. Anyone who comes up with a product that counts on both the laziness, horniness and short attention span of the human male, deserves the highest of honors. Cheers!