Some random thoughts

Some of this may be a bit belated. I wanted to get permission from MickeyZ to link to his article before I wrote this. Thanks for the permission Mickey, I hope to do you justice with this.
On the Oct 9 web edition of Counterpunch, Mickey Z wrote an article entitled,
"Who Killed Michael Moore?". This was in response to the brutal killing of a very courageous Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. He basically is asking in this article, suppose the right wingnuts in America killed Michael Moore, what would the reaction be here in America.

I replied to him that such an event might rate all of say 15 seconds on CNN. I also thought that O'Reilly and all of Faux News, the likes of Ms. Coulter, etc, would be an orgasm. Then, it would be forgotten, old news, and that would be it.
The following is a link to his excellent article. Please read it and answer the question for yourselves.
http://www.counterpunch.org/mickey10092006.html
Another article that jumps out is by Jim Lobe today over at Antiwar.com.
The link is http://www.antiwar.com/lobe/?
This is about the neo-cons calling for war with North Korea now that they have supposedly tested a nuclear device. I say supposedly, as the "hard" evidence is not in yet. According to some experts it may take days or even weeks to confirm as the yield was quite low, as in, it was a small blast.
The neos wanting war with North Korea is nothing new, nor is it very surprising. They want another war, in fact they love any war they do NOT have to do any actual fighting in. Indeed, they are very willing, too willing for me, to send our children off to fight and die for their lofty goals of world domination.
What with the North Koreans now supposedly having an actual atomic bomb, the Navy sending extra ships to the Persian Gulf, and our two "other" wars failing, it comes as no shock at all that we NEED more war. No shock that is, if you are one of the "great" neo-con "thinkers". If you are a regular working class person in America, it should scare the living shit out of you. Why? Well, our armed forces, ground pounders (of which I am proud to have been one of) are stretched paper thin in Afghanistan and Iraq already. Troops are being extended before the can rotate home. Units that have rotated home are being recalled for deployment sooner than they thought. In other words, we are running out of boots to put on the ground.
Oh, the Navy isn't doing too bad, they may be extending the tour of duty for some ships in the Gulf region, but not that many, yet.
The Air Force seems the only service that has more or less "regular" capacity for more war right now. That may explain why the main "strategy" for an Iran war is to bomb the hell out of them. There is a problem with that however. As has been explained by others who know more about all this sort of stuff than I do, folks called experts, bombing is fine, but to "win" any war, you need boots on the ground. Don't think so. Just look to Lebanon this summer. Israel bombed them back at least the 20 years they set out to do. Israel did not "win" in Lebanon because they didn't put the "boots on the ground". So they withdrew back across the border. Well, this way, both Israel and Hezbollah can claim they "won". Interesting, a war where there are only winners.
Back to Iran. Where will W.Gump (G.W.Bush) get the "boots" to put on the ground so he can "win"? Can't take them from Korea or Japan, it might signal Kim that we are letting him "off the hook". Germany? Britain? Where?
Can you say "draft"? Of course you can. This time around women will be drafted as well, hey, score a point for "equal rights". Yes, that was very cynical and sarcastic. I would also suggest that they MAY lower the minimum age to 16. The upper age is already 42 for enlistments, so make the maximum age for the draft, oh say, 45. That ought to get old W a few more "boots" to put on the ground. Why, with a draft, they may even be able to stop trying to enlist drug users, gang members, and mental patients. Wow!
Having been through Viet Nam, I am very cynical and distrustful of government. I remember Nixon got elected in 1968 because he said "elect me and I will end the war in Viet Nam". Then, he got re-elected in 1972 by saying "re-elect me and I will end the war in Viet Nam." And you folks still trust the government? Wow! What are you smoking?
I also tend to be sarcastic, that is my nature, and experience. I wish like hell I had some GOOD news to pass on. Well, last post, I gave that link to the commentary by Mr. Olberman, that was good, or so I thought.
Until my next post.
semper fi,
charlie