And yet........another post today

Well, here I go again. 
Yes, another post today. Actually this entry was prompted by an email discussion on the first post I did here today.

Some how, a friend and I got into a discussion after the post I put up here earlier today.
We got onto the subject of "gay marriage" and this was due to the mention of the eatery "Chick-fil-A. Yes, that outfit, which many of you know is quite anti-gay in their stance. The founder of said restaurant chain is a very "devout" christian. (Yes, I know I did NOT use a capital "C", the "beliefs of said type of person is more in keeping with the term xtian. as there is very little of Christ in said beliefs.)

I have to admit, for the record and the sake of honesty, that I have had a meal at one of the chains' places of business. We ate there once and that was some while ago. This was all before I had heard that the founder and the corporate officers are anti-gay. For myself, I did not think the food was worth the price nor was it very good in my opinion. It seemed to me that it was not cooked properly. Maybe they had a bad day or my taster isn't what it may have been once. No matter, I found the food to not be worth a "second" try.

Any way, what got to the two of us in our discussion via email was why should anybody get so angry about "gay marriage"?  I have placed quote marks around the term "gay marriage" for a reason. My reason is that personally I see NO need at all to refer to "gay marriage"and just call the marriage of two gay men or two lesbian women as marriage, no "need" to insert "gay" into it at all.

Now here comes the kicker; how does "gay marriage" hurt anybody besides, perhaps the two who are married? How does a gay or lesbian couple being married hurt me in any way? What harm is there in two loving people getting married to each other, assuming of course that they are not currently married as that would be bigamy which is unlawful. 

Maybe I am just too old or too much of an "unbeliever" to understand, but I do not see how any couple who love each other and wish to be married hurts me or anybody else. OK, I suppose I could make an argument that a third party is seriously "in love" with one of the two who wish to be married. Well, this happens quite often. How so? Well, say you find a member of the opposite sex  to be very attractive, but she/he is in love with another and not you. The two of them get married and live  a nice life together. You are "left out" as it were and perhaps a bit "hurt" by this turn of events. Happens every day I bet. Big deal. We can even change this some  what, make the object of your affection a member of the same sex. The couple still marries each other and you are still "left out" as it were. No doubt this happens often as well.
In neither of the above possible scenarios is anybody done long lasting real harm. Yes, the one who is "left out" may be saddened and it may take some time to "get over" being the one left, but no real, serious or permanent harm has been done. I would even go so far as to say that every person has been "unlucky" in love at some point in our lives. Hey, it happens, it is part of life.

Again, I keep coming back to my question; how does a caring, loving couple being married hurt me?  How does it hurt anybody?
And yet, the real question ought to be, why are we not all very happy to see a couple who love and care for each other get married? How can a decent human being not be happy when they see a caring and loving couple? OK, sure, one might say, keep it private. Well, of course, nobody needs to see "over the top" affection in public places. that is NOT what any marriage is about however. Gay marriage is NOT flaunting themselves in public. A gay or lesbian couple do not act differently in public than a "straight" couple. In most parts of the USA, any gay/lesbian couple will act very discreetly in public. The reason is they do not wish to attract undo attention to themselves. If they were to "flaunt" their relationship in public, well, lets just say that it wouldn't be looked upon favorably in much of the USA. 

In this world we live in today there is little enough real joy and happiness. This being the case, how can any sane human being get upset about two people who wish to be married and make a life together? Who has been genuinely harmed by love? Love is not destructive, it is a positive, a good and this life can use all the good it can get. 

One point that I want to make, one that I should not have to make but I think it needs being repeated as often as possible; gay people are NOT child molesters. Child molesters are pedophiles, they are NOT homosexuals. OK? Everybody got that? You best have as there just might be a test.

How can people claim to be members of a religion that says "god is love" and then turn around and condemn a marriage?  What sort of a "loving god" would condemn a marriage between two caring, loving, consenting adults? And some wonder why I refuse to believe in or follow any religion? How can a sane, decent human being be against a caring relationship and marriage of two loving people?  What sort of religion would condemn a loving marriage? Just how does such a marriage harm anybody who is not party to that marriage?
We do much, much more harm by not allowing a caring, loving couple to marry than any supposed harm can be done by their marriage, even if they be of the same sex. 

I realize this is a "hot button" issue for some politicians and their followers. It is not something I would rant on about either as I see no need to voice my opinions on what I think is a very private matter. OK, so why this rant? Well, because it IS an issue in the politics of the USA. This is most unfortunate. I see it as unfortunate because we should be mature enough to not care about what sex the two parties of a marriage are. What does it matter if the marriage is a man and a woman, or two men,or two women? Unless they want to reproduce, it should not matter at all. Even the reproduction can be dealt with as any competent doctor can tell you. 
While I believe that gay marriage, any marriage, should not have any bearing at all for any elected office, it IS a huge issue to many in the USA. It is an issue because some very, very immature people live in  the USA and many of those same immature are politicians. No doubt that Mittens and his "best bud" Paul Ryan (if he ain't dyin' he be a lyin', that sort of ryan) will make it an issue. And, of course the Gobomber gang will have to counter somehow or other. Now, to me at least and no doubt some of you as well, the real reason that "gay marriage" (those damn "  " again) is an issue is that it distracts us from the REAL issues. Yes, we are given uncounted hours of "gay marriage" pro/con and little to zero time for real issues like the damn fool wars of choice and the government debt, obscene credit card interest, ungodly student loan debt, and many REAL issues that not a single politician want to ever discuss in any way. The whole deal about gay marriage (no "  " this time!!) is to keep our minds off of the real problems, problems that the same politicians have created and have no clue how to fix or stop. The same can be said of abortion. The only male who might have any say whatsoever about abortion would be the male who  is the biological father of the unborn child who may or may not get aborted. NO other man should ever be allowed to have any real say about abortion. There I leave myself open to attack, but what the hell, I was a Marine and saw combat in Vietnam, so big deal, I can take it.

Once more, for the final time in this post any way, nobody is hurt by gay marriage. Nobody at all. The bigots who oppose gay marriage are disgusting and open themselves up to ridicule and scorn. We all should be happy to see a loving couple no matter what sex they are. This old world needs all the love and joy it can get, if gay couples wish to be married, we should all rejoice at the care and love they wish to share in a loving marriage. In a sane world, there would be no need for this post as the very idea of gay marriage, any marriage in fact, would be a given and the happiness of the married couple would bring joy to all who encounter them every day. All family members of each person in the marriage would be over joyed that their son/daughter had found a caring, loving life partner. We would no longer talk about gay marriage and only talk about marriage, plain and simple, the way life should be. We should all be happy to see a caring, loving couple. End of story.
semper fi

Random thoughts on a hot summers day

Greeting to all again.
The old corner has been a bit lazy of late. Oh well, we have had more than a few days of heat and humidity of late. There have been many days where we have the heat index at or very near 110 this summer here in central Louisiana. It reminds me of my first summer here, in 2000. Back then the state was in the middle of a drought and the heat index was in the 100's for weeks on end.
OK, that is one explanation for the lack of posts here. Another is that I have been devoting time to reading for pure enjoyment recently. I dug out a few books that I had not read in many years. Just recently finished ""The Sirens of Titan" by the late Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Also, a certain blogger, yes Bill, you, has kept my interest with his excellent posting of original work at his wonderful blog. (Bill, you said to promote you, is this OK?) The link to his site is among the links I have listed, check out "Bill the Butcher" for some very thought provoking and entertaining writing. In the opinion of this old guy, Bill is a master story teller.

While I have allowed my following of the "news" to slip some recently, a few things did catch my attention, so, buckle up, here we go, into the deep end...........again.

Recently there have been a couple articles at another web site where the author said that voting for any third party candidate was a "vanity" vote. Yes, the author is an American. Of course, what else could he be? To call any persons' vote for the candidate of his/her choice as a "vanity" vote is beyond disgusting. It reeks of pure "party politics". Of course said author wants us all to vote for Gobomber. And it also seems(??) that this election is, once again, the "most important" election ever. How many times have we heard that load of pure horse manure? Take a minute and think it over. Ready? OK, we hear this very same "argument" EVERY election. In 1980, we had "the most important" election ever. Now that one I'll grant them. Dad was so set against "saint" Ronnie that it MAY have been the "most important" election up until then. Old Mr. "peanuts" Carter lost and Dad died the Saturday after "saint" Ronnie won the election. OK, that one was important then, maybe.

Think back to the first election of Billy Bob Bubba from Arkansas. Yep, another "most important" election ever. And then when he ran for re-election, same story. And who can forget the stolen mess of 2000? Yes, another :most important" election ever. Well, Gore lost, mostly due to his own damn fault and NOT because Ralph Nader was running. Hell, Mr. Nader didn't grab enough votes to move the tally one way or the other if we look at the entire country. Would that Mr. Nader HAD won. No doubt the real rulers of the country would not have allowed him to be sworn in. Bets that he would have met with an "accident"? Maybe an accident that involved an automobile, as a sort of "gottcha" with a bit of irony added for free?

Again in 2004, we had another in the long line of "most important" elections ever. W. Shrub "won" that one also. Yes, Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004 did have some small input in those "wins" by Shrubbie. And we cannot forget the "nine supremes" who aided his "win" in 2000. Ah yes, the "nine", bloody damn fools who serve the corporate masters. How else does one "explain" the Citizens United decision? It would appear that the "nine" know where their pay comes from and it is not "we the people".

In 2008, again, we had the "most important" election ever. Now, I'll grant that one some credit. The nation DID elect a "person of color". That was a real first, but unfortunately, it didn't quite turn out as expected. Yes, old Gobomber is NOT any "savior" of the common folks after all. How many of us have read articles by leftists who moan about the abuses being heaped on the poor and working class by "dear leader" Gobomber? True, the "left" is very careful when it comes to being the least bit critical of Gobomber.

Now we are being told that we "must" vote for Gobomber and whoever he "decides" to pick as his number two. It is so bad that those of us who refuse to play along with the two wings of the war party (the elephant wing and the donkey wing) and vote for third party candidates, are just doing so because of our "vanity". Well, I call BULL SHIT on that! Total BULL SHIT even. My opinion for this attack on those who vote for candidates other than the "big two" is because the donkey wing and its hangers on fear that Gobomber just might be debated even though Mittens is a much worse candidate than even W. Shrub was. Wow, think on that one for  a minuet or so. Mittens is worse than Shrubbie. Mush worse as I think he would sell off every asset still remaining in this country. Shrub just started wars he never could win. Mittens would bow down to the zionist entity and has done so already, witness his recent trip to that poor fake excuse of a country. He went begging for bucks in foreign countries folks. Since when did candidates for president of the USA hold fund raisers in foreign countries? To me, that sounds down right un-American, but then who the hell am I?

In a way, electing old Mittens may actually be the best thing we could do. Hold on a second before you get the tar and feathers out for me. Think about it a second. Mittens as "commander-in-chief", as our CEO in fact. If he holds true to Bain Capital form, he'll sell off everything that is not tied down and mortgage the rest to the maximum. In short, he and his "best bud" Paul Ryan will turn the USA into something worse than a third world country.
How is that "good" you ask? Well, we ARE on that very road right now. Don't believe me? Just look around this country. See any decent paying jobs available? See any recent college graduates unemployed? See any highly skilled people out of work and nearing the end of their unemployment benefits? See any folks on food stamps?  I bet it didn't take much looking to find all that an much more. So, the way it looks, the USA is already on the road to third world status. So, why not just go all out and get there sooner? The sooner the country bottoms out, the sooner we the people can start to rebuild. During said rebuild, maybe this time we can set real limits on greed. Yes, I know, greed is a human thing and cannot ever be eliminated, but I do think we could limit the absolute greed as seen on Wall Street and among the "too big to JAIL" banksters and other war industry crooks. While greed and envy are very real human emotions/feelings, there needs to be some limits to such greed and society can impose decent limits on it. We might also demand that our civil rights be extended to ALL human beings in the nation and make that stick. No more "talk" of rights, but real rights that are respected by all, not separate "rights" for the rich and "other" rights for the rest of us.
One thing that I believe that we all have forgotten here in America is that with our rights comes certain responsibilities. For far too long, those responsibilities have been ignored. That is one of the reasons the country  is in the state it is today. Everybody goes on and on about their rights, but very, very few ever mention, let alone act on, their responsibilities. Go back and read what the founders said about rights and responsibilities. If you want your rights, they come with a set of responsibilities. You don't get the one without the other. 
I take responsibility for my actions. I am ready to take full responsibility for my vote also. I WILL vote for a candidate for president who is NOT a member of either wing of the war party. So, I supposed if Gobomber comes out on the short end of the coming election, all you "true believers" in Gobomber can lay the blame for his defeat on me. No problem, I have found that I am very capable of carrying more than my fair share of the burdens. Hell, I was a Marine so another bit of mess to carry is no real bother.

Another thing that has me riled today was an article that said that being cynical was a form of cowardice. What the hell is THAT about? Also, who the hell is Henry Rollins and why should I or anybody give a flying crap about what he says?  He is one of those who is  quoted as saying that cynics are cowards. Another load of total BULL SHIT! 
Being a cynic and being public about it is NOT cowardice. In fact, in some areas of this country, it is an act of real courage to be cynical. Don't think so? Come down here to the "bible belt" section of the USA and try to be cynical about religion, any religion. Or, politics here in Louisiana. Some say that in Louisiana, politics is a contact sport. And they mean it, for real.
Now, maybe I might allow that being cynical is not exactly an act of courage IF, and only IF, all one does is make cynical comments and does not act on what one says. To just sit back and make comments while not doing anything might be a bit chicken. Either way, being cynical is NOT, in any way at all, an act of cowardice. In some cases, being a cynic IS a true act of courage. Go ahead and be the least bit critical of those in power in your home city and see how many "friends" you win over. Yes, I do put being cynical along side being critical. True, they are NOT exactly the same, but I think they are close. 
To just make cynical statements and not give any possible solutions might be a bit chicken, I'll grant you that. However, I refuse to see being cynical as anything close to being a coward. And Henry Rollins, who ever the hell he is, can put that in his goddamn pipe and smoke it.
Until the next rant at the old corner.
 Thank you for your time.
semper fi

Drones.........more damn drones

Greetings to all who stop here and read. Thank you for your time.


Yes, drones are back, or rather, still in the news and therefore the topic here at the old corner. I am not a "fan" of these tools (drones), nor do I enjoy posting about them and their uses. OK, so why keep ranting on about the drones then? Well, they seem to be the number one "weapon of choice" for "dear ;eager" Gobomber (aka DOBO/Obama-fay). 
Many of you will have read how our (assuming you live in and are a citizen of the USA) president is personally responsible for maintaining his personal "kill list". How he and his special side-kick a certain Mr. Brennan, "agonize" over the choice of target for the drone force to "take out". By "take out" I refer to killing and not to a Chinese menu/meal. Take out can and does have various meanings, depending on where in the world one happens to be.
Some of you good people may have seen the article in the New York Times by a Mr. Scott Shane regarding the use of drones in the war OF terror. (It is not a war ON terror any more, but a true war OF terror. Or so it must seem to those who are on the receiving end of the drone strikes.) In truth, even the "special forces" raids in the dead of night must also seem a war OF terror to those whose homes are broken into by heavily armed foreigners, aka US/NATO troops. 


Full disclosure; I have not read the article by Mr. Shane. The reviews of it so far have basically said his article is a "justification" for the use of drones. He tells us that government officials, mostly un-named of course, believe that drone use is more "moral" and a "nicer" way to kill other people. Yeah, sure thing sparky. Dead is dead, no matter how one ends up dead. I doubt the surviving family members of the drone strikes feel any relief that their family member(s) were killed by drone rather than an actual human being at relatively close range. As I said, dead is dead, no matter how you end up dead. "Our" killing of "suspected"(!!) militants just increases the number of people who will now hate and despise the USA/NATO for the rest of their lives. Yes, we make enemies even faster than we kill them. Not quite how I'd go about trying to win the "hearts and minds" of other people, but then, I am just an old working class guy who is now unemployable due to disability and not some high ranking governmental official or military type. After all, why should any form of common sense enter into the foreign relations the USA has with other countries? No reason at all it seems, as our recent and current leaders seem to have little or no use for any form of common sense. At least they do not display any such common sense by way of their public statements and policies. Funny thing about that common sense, it does not seem to be so common of late here in the USA. Maybe we no longer teach it in schools, the way the Texas Republican party wants to eliminate the teaching of critical thinking in all Texas schools. Yes, that IS a real position that the Texas elephant gang made public. They may have pulled back from that, but I have seen nothing to indicate any such pull back. I know, that means that critical thinking will, if the elephant gang wins, no longer be taught to Texans. Hell, I was wondering if they ever were taught the subject. 


Another article or three popped up after the last rant here regards drones. It seems that the US Air Force(farce) WILL be awarding medals to the drone "pilots" after all. Yes, they will be eligible to be awarded such medals as the Distinguished Flying Cross among other possible awards for their "bravery". Yes, "bravery" IS in quotes. Just how "brave" does one need to be to kill from a distance of hundreds, if not thousands of miles, by remote control? You all can debate that among yourselves if you wish, for me, there is NO bravery at all involved in such killing. And as a combat veteran, I will go out on my limb and say that remote control killing is cowardly. There, I said it. The drone killers are cowards. If you think other wise, OK, but you will never convince me you are correct and I am wrong. No way, no how.


On an unrelated note, a list of "code" words has made the rounds recently. While a few seem to treat this list as new, I beg to differ. I have a copy of these words from an article posted at the Activist Post dated 28 February 2012. Yes, the same list as has recently popped up on the web. Why it made so little "noise" back in February I do not know. Odd in a way. Any way, a Mr. David Lindorff had an article recently on the web where he "incorporates" many words from said list into his article. Personally I think he did it wrong. OK, who the hell am I to be critical of his work? Well, nobody actually, just an old working class guy. I do think he could have, should have for a "professional" writer, done it much better. All he did was inject at random, in various places in an article that did not deal with the word list. He just "sprinkled" various words from the list at random all throughout the article. It made for a very odd read, as the "code" words would pop in like this power with no rhyme or reason and did not add to the sentence they were stuck into. See, the word power did NOT add to the last sentence. Why not do like this; then we have the power grid to deal with.....? At least it would have read better or easier. But, again, who the hell am I to be critical of an "accomplished professional" writer? Again, nobody at all, just an old guy from the working class, not an "educated" person with "credentials". OK, I need to stop picking on poor Mr. Lindorff. Hell, he might sue me if he ever read this post. Oh well, what the hell, if he can't take a joke or handle criticism he needs to be less public. Yes, I am still being somewhat snarky. Somewhat? OK, ok, I'll stop. 


An experiment with "listed" words follows. Hope it doesn't totally suck on toast.
The street gangs in the town recently discussed an attack on the local power grid. The leadership said it would be an exercise for the newest members. It would allow the top members to see who among the new members might take the hostage with the fewest shots fired during the evacuation of the complex. They may also have the opportunity for looting and explosion recovery. The participants would try their skills at making pipe bombs and chemical fire during the routine. They may also try to collapse power lines and also computer infrastructure as an extra credit portion of said exercise in breaking the National security.


Well, how was that? Please do let me know what you think of the above "experiment" as I would like feedback on it. All the words in italics are on the "watch" list or "word list" that the Feds  are supposedly monitoring the entire net for. Yep, this post may get me "noticed" by DHS or the FBI or who knows what alphabet soup outfit. Well, like I give a flying rats hind end. Actually, if any of you have a spare flying rats hind end please let me know, we are rather short on them here at this time. Any reasonable offer will be considered. Honestly.


OK, my point is this; go to Information overload and after you read the article, just take a few seconds to compare with my experiment above. I promise to not ask such in the future, or tallest not for some time as I understand that I am imposing on you all. Hey, you do not have to follow the link unless you wish to. I would never even try to "order" or "boss" anybody, particularly not any readers of this old corner stop. I may try again at some future time to do more with the "listed" words in a post. No, I am not even considering a move to pure fiction writing. I have little enough talent for ANY writing as it is. For some excellent story telling, check the site and link here for Bill the Butcher. There is a man who can write! He is very inventive and always a very good read. Warning, at times he does weave in a moral or three, but still a very good read. Damn good read actually. Check his site, you will not be sorry.


Thank you all for you valuable time with this post. Again, I promise to not ask your help like I did this time, at least not for some lengthily period of time. Honest. Really.
As always, thank you for stopping by and for your time.
semper fi

Some changes and a few random thoughts

Greetings to all again.
Yes, another post and it has not been weeks since the last one. 
I want to point out some new items here at the old corner. I have added a link to "Lolcats". Yes, internet cats/kittens. Well, it is my blog and I like cats. So, I figured, why not share, so there is now a new link to that site in the links section. The other new link is to an excellent site that I found some short time ago. I should have put up the link sooner, for that I apologize. The site "Bill the Butcher" is a wonderful site with commentary and some of the best fiction on the web in my opinion. Bill has a super imagination and his stories will make you smile, and think among the emotions evoked by his writings. 


Actually, one of his latest articles titled "Drone Pilot" got me off on another rant which follows. I highly recommend reading this story as it is a very good description of the drone wars the US is waging in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and who knows where else.


Bill's story got me to remembering an article I ran across in the very early years of drone usage. I have not found the article I wanted to quote, but a simple google search for "drones + medals" brings up many hits. True, many are duplicates, still, many are interesting to me. 
I found it most interesting that active duty and recently retired military people have little to no good thoughts about the drone pilots getting medals for, of all things, bravery. Yes, back in the early days of the drone, an Air Force (perhaps Air Farce?) general was complaining to some reporter that he was trying to figure how to award medals to the drone pilots. As if that was a major concern for the military. Apparently it was as the general seemed quite upset that this had not been addressed at that time.


On to the search results. Well, there are many "hits" for my simple search of "drones + medals".  One article mentioned the "clinical stress" of the drone pilots. That article says the main source of this "clinical stress" is NOT the actual killing being done. Nope, the main source of said "stress" is the long hours and "inadequate staffing". A few of these pilots did seem to have some form of PTSD, however that number was quite small and an actual number/percentage was not mentioned. The article further noted that the "alarming" aspect of "burn out" was among the sensor operators of the Global Hawk drones. Also, "34% of them reported burn out and 25% showed clinical distress, the study found".  Here is the link to the article if you wish to read it in total. overstretched-drone-pilots-face-stress-risk.


Another version, with different percentages for burn out and clinical stress is at the UK Daily Mail. The article, which does NOT want me to link to, was in the 19 December 2011 issue and has the byline of Jill Reilly. It is basically just a rehash of the above linked article with differing percentages. Sorry that I am unable to provide a direct link. Maybe the Daily Mail does not like a Yank from linking to one of their stories. Oh well, and so it goes.


Even NPR has a story on the stress of being a drone pilot. The link is; High levels of "burnout" in US drone pilots. This is also from December 2011.


For a different perspective, I give you the following link. Yes, it is by a US Marine, that did not influence my adding it here. Just because I was a Marine does not mean I support anything they do or say. This Marine, however does hit it squarely in my opinion. One Marines View on drone operators. You can decide if you agree with him or not. As always, your comments are most welcome.


More on the subject of medals for drone pilots is here. Medals for UAV "pilots". Along with these comes this one. Give that drone a medal.


Another view on medals for drone operators is here. Air Force "valor" for operating drones. It looks like among active duty military, not members of the Air Force necessarily, the awarding of medals for drone operators is going over much like the proverbial lead balloon. Ouch. 


Continuing with the drone subject, yes, it does seem as though this blog post IS droning on and on. Sorry for the bad pun, I could not stop myself. I'll try and keep that sort of thing under control.
The Washington Post has a rather long article on drones and the future of the Air Force. The story follows; Combat generation:drone operators climb on winds of change in the Air Force of change. This gives a decent over view, but I recommend the new book from TomDispatch titled "Terminator Planet" subtitled "The first history of drone warfare 2001-2050" by Nick Turse and Tom Engelhardt. I have not read it yet, still saving to buy my copy. 


And, just when you thought it was safe to venture out of doors, here is an article from the good old Stars and Stripes news. It is a study by Bloomberg titled; "Drones most accident prone Air Force craft. Once again, the link gremlin will not allow me to give a direct link. I can inform you that it was written by Brendan Gregory for Bloomberg News and the date is June 18, 2012. Yes, very recent so it should be up to date. 


The last (I know, finally he gets to the end of this subject) is; With its deadly drones, the US is fighting a coward's war by George Monbiot in the UK newspaper The Guardian. I agree that using drones and other robotic weapons is a cowardly way to fight a war. Here is another quote from Mr. Monbiot that catches the sentiment quite well. "Without risk, there's less restraint. With these unmanned craft, governments can fight a coward's war, a god's war, harming only the unnamed." Well put sir. 
I have one more item to add on drones for this post. I ran across this while doing my research for this rant. The United States Air Force (air farce?) does NOT like to call their drones "unmanned aerial vehicles" (UAV's). They prefer to use the label "remotely piloted aircraft" (RPA's). And as a better writer than I'll ever hope to be said, "a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet". 


One "extra" if I may. I want to thank a good friend by way of email and articles, Mr. Brian Cloughley (the link to his web site is in my links here).
Brian has contributed a new "name" for dear old Gobomber. No, not "Mr. Hopey Changey" that we already had here. Brian came up with DOBO. What is DOBO you ask? Well, it is Disney Owned Barack Obama. Hey, if he is going to feel out to the corporations, he may as well get his kids some entertainment value from the deal. 
And with that, I say a huge thank you to all those who stuck with me until now.
semper fi

My vote goes to......

As a follow up to my last post on voting, I have found my possible candidate.
I am not sure yet if this candidate will make it on the ballot here in Louisiana, if he does, I'll vote for him.
Here is a link; http://bear47.cheezburger.com/6355755008

For those who may not know, I like animals, but cats are my favorites.
Shnookums is my choice. Hey, we suffered through W. Shrub and Gobomber. Could Shnookums be any worse than they are/were? Surely Shnookums would be far better than Mittens Romney. Unless that is, if Fluffy makes a run at the office. 

Election USA, vote or not

Oh joy, the election 2012 fast approaches. The question, or so I think it may be, is who to vote for. A thought or three on that will be the basis for this rant.
A very loyal follower of this small corner is a certain Mr. Lee. Since he found this hideout of mine, I don't think a post has gone by without a comment from John. For that, I offer my most sincere thanks. Comments, on the blog or in private emails, are the life blood of this corner. Without feedback, I cannot know if what I say has any resonance with the world. All that I ask of any commenters is that we try to stay civilized. John, you have done that and more. 
I may be out of line by singling out one person. Well, he has been the most prolific commenter here and he has offered much to think about. He is the main person behind www.28amen.org. I urge all readers to check out this interesting web site/idea. 


As to voting in the upcoming US election, I would think that any vote for either of the animal gangs is a waste. Here in the "great"(?) state of Louisiana, we are not allowed to use the "write in" option. It is against state law to do so. For another reason, we use an older "electronic" voting machine, or do so here in Rapides Parish where I have lived during my entire time in the state. There is no provision for any write in vote. Just another reason we cannot do so. My suggestion then is, vote for a third party. Contrary to any negative comments on third party votes, such a vote is NOT wasted at all. When I lived in southern California, I voted for the "Peace and  Freedom" party. I did so in 1972, the first time I could vote, as one had to be 21 at that time. I knew that Nixon would never get my vote and was unsure about McGovern. In the voting booth I saw other parties listed on the ballot (I had not received a sample ballot that year) and when my eyes came to rest on the "Peace and Freedom" candidate for president, I knew I HAD to vote for that person. I had already served four years in the US Marines and done a tour in Vietnam. Having seen war up close and all too personal, I knew I loved peace and I had always liked Freedom. My Dad and my grandparents instilled a love of freedom in me at an early age. My desire for peace was at its highest ever when I returned front the imperial war in Vietnam. The party won my vote that day and I was quite loyal to them afterwards as well. Some years after my first vote, I learned that the party were socialists. Oh, and how does a former Marine/combat veteran vote for a socialist party? Easy, I just marked my sample ballot before every election, went to the polling place, took out my sample ballot and cast my vote. Easy as pie as the saying goes. The "pie" you might eat, not the pi of mathematics, as if you need to be reminded.  Sorry for the poor attempt at humor, it just pops out every so often, no doubt another of my many faults.


If you are eligible to vote where ever you live, your vote, even if it is for a "third" or "minor" party is never wasted. That is propaganda pushed by the "big two" here in the old US of A. Do not believe it, ever. If you are eligible to vote, then do so, but be careful who you vote for.


Yes, I am still dumb enough (I do not consider myself at nearly 65 to be in any way naive) to actually think that voting does matter. {John, I am prepared for your reply to this.} Seriously, voting is the only legal way we have to change things. A revolt is not legal and I would never advocate the overthrow of the government. Yes, I am 100% certain that what passes for the government in the US is disgusting. Still, we need to do things legally. No, working to "change" either of the two "main" parties (actually, just the two sides of the same damn coin, as I have said many times before) will never work. Yes, this IS a dig at those who want to "reform" the donkey gang from the inside. What we in America do need is a strong, viable third party. We do have a few "minor" parties to choose from already. Unfortunately, none seem to be truly national yet. The Greens seem to be very close if not there by now. 


The thing I try to do, is to vote for the person I think would be best for us all. True, here in Louisiana, my choices are limited as no write-in votes are allowed. I ask that all of you look for the person you think will be the best for all the people and vote for that person. If the 28amen.org were adopted, the whole deal of voting would be much different. I think that difference would be much better for us all.


What changes would I like to see? Limit the time for campaigning to 100 days before the election. Yes, I know that we cannot stop those in office from making campaign speeches outside such a limit. We could, however, point out every time this was done and hold said politician to account, possibly by not voting for him/her. I'd like to see the "corporate personhood" eliminated.  IF corporations are in fact people, then when they break a law, put the officers of said corporation in jail. Limit ALL campaign contributions to no more than the salary/wages of those earning the national minimum wage for 8 (eight) hours of pay. As an example, if the minimum wage is $10.00, the maximum anybody could contribute would be $80.00 per candidate. Any contributions made illegally would be punished by a fine of 1,000 times the maximum donation limit. I'd like to see and end to the "fractional reserve" banking scheme that has ruined so many working class people. And end to excessive credit card interest rates. No credit card company would be allowed to charge more than 10%, or less, I am open to suggestions. A 5% maximum rate? OK, why not? I have not set much of this in stone as it were. Loan documents, for house, car, or any other purchase would have to be done in plain English. No more "legalese" to confuse the people. 


There are more changes that could be made to the US of A that would make life better for all of us. The top priority of course is a true national health care system. How shameful is it that the United States of America is the ONLY industrialized nation that has no national health care system? Extremely shameful to this old guy. A true national disgrace. But, as the video a few years ago made known, the USA is number 37!  Yes, there are 36 countries that have better health care than the US of A has. Now, if we only count the cost, well, then the US is number 1. Oh joy, we pay MORE for health care than any other country, and yet, we are only(!!) number 36. Amazing, and yet so very shameful. We CAN do better people. We need to demand better. 


We need a government that takes a serious look at global warming also. Yes, the Rio+20 summit was a total bust. Of course it was and it had about zero chance of being anything but that. The "powers that be" do not want any action of this now. How damn stupid can they be? The Pentagon (aka; the five sided puzzle palace) has done studies that say outright that climate change is going to impact, big time, on how and where the US military operates in the very near future. Hell, even the top brass at the Pentagon knows global warming is going to cause huge problems. How often is it that the US military gets things right? Not very often as we all know. And yet, we have the same generals and admirals telling us all that global warming will have major impacts on the military. Is anybody listening? Not, it seems in the halls of congress nor the White House. Shame on government. This is a problem that will not go away if it is ignored. I truly fear for the children and the future we are leaving for them. They deserve much better. We deserve better. There are so many things wrong with the way America is being run that I cannot even list them all in one posting. This will be a continuing line here at the old corner and will be addressed again, no doubt many times over.


Thank you all for your time.
semper fi

Where I try to get caught up

The posting here has been slow the past few weeks. I apologize to all. Life has been keeping us on the run of late. I'll try to catch up a bit now.

A very good article came out shortly after the last post at the old corner. I think it is worth your time even though it was first available two weeks ago. Here is the link;www.counterpunch.org/2012/05/18/no-freedoms-to-hate-us-for-anymore/

According to the author, Missy Beattie, the Muslims no longer have any need to hate us as our freedoms have been sacrificed to the war on terror. Or as I have taken to calling it, the war OF terror. It is a war OF terror in my view as what else does one call the use of drone aircraft? The terror comes from the sky courtesy(?) of uncle Sam and the Air Force/CIA. All from the comfort of an air conditioned room somewhere far from the war zone. At one Air Force base the sign that the personnel see as they leave the base reminds them to drive with care as they are now on the most dangerous part of their day. When the drive home from fighting the war is the most dangerous part of your day, well, war fighting sure isn't what it was during the Vietnam war days.

By now, I am sure you are aware of the "kill list" that "dear leader" Gobomber and his trusty side kick a certain Mr. Brennan have. While they put the names on that list, it is up to Gobomber as to who gets targeted. He alone decides. Decides, decider. Brings back the days of W. Shrub doesn't it? If you remember, old W. said he was the "decider" during his two terms. Now it appears that Gobomber is our current "decider". Well as far as who on the kill list gets "hit" any way. Sort of almost gives one a warm fuzzy feel, no, no, it does NOT.

OK, we remember, or those of my age and older do, the "enemies" list that Nixon had. That is child's play folks. This "kill list" is all too real and real people who are placed on it get killed, for real. No judge, no jury, and surely, no trial. On what evidence is one placed on that list? Well, no doubt that its a "state secret". Oh to be sure, we peons will never be allowed the "ins and outs" of how one is put on the list. Yeah, "national security" and all that. Bull crap! This is NOT America any longer. We have become everything we used to be against. Excessive "national security", kill lists, unitary executive, CIA and "special ops" types as the presidents personal army, that is not what America was. Unfortunately, it IS what America is today.

Shame on us. Shame on congress. We allowed this to happen. We sat back and didn't bother with the news. True, what passes as news on the TV is not worth much. Still we let this take place. We didn't read and research what has been going on in our government. We let the people in power do was they wished. We did not demand accountability.

There is a petition for you to sign asking Gobomber to not kill you. I have not checked it out and will not. Why bother? If I am on the list, it won't matter what else I sign. Signing a "please don't kill me" list is about useless. If "dear leader" decides to place me on the list, what will it matter if I have already signed the "don't kill me" list? Answer, not one bit. It will not matter in any way. If our president "decides" you or I need to die, well, no pleading will matter. Nope, it will just be a matter of time until you are in the sights of a drone or a "special ops" team. Then, lights out, end of story.

America didn't used to be like that. Oh sure, there have been clandestine ops going back decades. The difference is, those ops were secret and "we" didn't brag about them. Things have deteriorated now to the point that the media trumpets the "kill list". Hell, the New York Times broke the story on that list. No doubt previous presidents who authorized covert kills may have celebrated when the ops were a success. But any such celebrations were very private. If they were made known, it was years later, after the major players were all dead and buried. Now, well, the current president admits that he "decides" whom to kill today. Wow. America, where are you now?

I have no idea how to stop this behavior. All I know to do is rant on about it. I can tell you what is going on and how outrageous it is, but stopping it? I wish I knew. I'll rant on as long as I can, that is my promise. Will it matter? Will my rants make a difference? I doubt it, but I'll keep on any way. I cannot be silent to this outrage. I refuse to stay quiet. Silence is NOT always golden. I think at times it can really be a crime to stay silent.

We can never know with any real certainty if our words or actions will make a real difference. Still, I think one has to try his/her best what ever that may be to expose the crimes and outrages. If more Germans had joined the White Rose would WW2 have ended sooner? Would Hitler have quit? We'll never know. Patriotism does not consist of always saluting the flag no matter what is done in the name of your country. Patriotism is not blind obedience to any government. Dissent IS patriotic. If we care, really care about humanity, we cannot sit quietly while crimes are done in our names. This new "executive action" crap must end. America was not supposed to be like this, kill lists, unitary executive, the list goes on. The promise of America was life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is time to say ENOUGH to all the damn fool wars of choice. Time to stand up for our common humanity and human dignity for ALL peoples.

semper fi.

Where I try to get caught up

It has been slow going here at the old corner for some time. Sorry about that folks. Life has been keeping us hopping of late and I have fallen behind in my reading and posting. I'll try to make up for that somewhat now.

An article that is a must read came out shortly after the last post here. It is well worth your time in my opinion. Here is the link; "No freedoms to hate us for anymore"

A very good history lesson

Greetings once again to all.
I have a great history lesson I want to share with all today. This is a n article by Mr. Gabriel Kolko at the Counterpunch web site dated 14 May 2012. Here is the link;http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/05/14/why-america-is-doomed-to-one-disaster-after-another/. Mr. Kolko, a very good historian, shows how recent developments (like this past weekend) are going to have a possibly great negative effect for not just the US, but the rest of the world as well.


He points out the failure of the US military to actually "win" a war since 1945. Yes, we all know this to be true, Mr. kolko just restates the fact and adds some insight into the why. The US military planned for a war with the Soviets to be fought mainly in Europe. What we did instead was to fight in Asia,that is to say Korea, Vietnam, and now Afghanistan and Iraq. We have not fought a standing army since 1945 with the exception of the Chinese during the Korean war in the later stages of that war. We have been fighting the "home team" in our wars, as happened in Vietnam and now Iraq, Afghanistan and the other wars "we" are fighting today. The weapons and weapon systems the US military has are not designed for counter insurgency wars. Again, the US military has planned and bought weapons to fight large standing armies such as Russia and China. 


Mr. Kolko also tells us what we know, that a war with China would be beyond stupid. In fact, it could mean the end of human civilization as the Chinese have nuclear weapons. A war with China might lead to the use of nuclear weapons if one side or the other thought it was not going to "win". Nuclear war would be the end of us all, as even the folks at the five sided puzzle palace know and have known for decades. 


America cannot maintain its world wide empire. We are so deep in debt, yet what passes for our leadership continue to act as if the US were going to remain THE dominate force for the foreseeable future. How in hell can "we" pay for such stupidity? Where will the money come from? Even if the clowns in D.C. cut ALL social spending to the absolute bare bones, or even if they were to eliminate ALL social spending, we could not afford the empire. Who would "loan" us the money to fight a war with China? Wall Street cannot find that much money even with their derivatives scams and other "off the books" cooking. Again,it would be national suicide to go to war with China, as sooner or later, somebody would use the nukes and that would be the end.


The people are getting very restless, and not just here in the US. In Germany, Ms. Merkel's party lost the election recently in the largest (by population) state in Germany. Look at France, say "good night" Mr. Sarkozy. Greece is close to an all out revolt over the "austerity" measures that have been "prescribed" by the European Central Bank and the German financial masters. Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland are close to open revolt as well. Will this unrest spread to the US? Maybe if the Occupy movement gets rolling, who knows what the future will bring us. 


In my opinion, this is way past time. I personally think that the working class and the poor have had to bear the brunt of all the tax increases and empire for far too long. I would hope that the working people in the US would finally get past the falls "differences" they think(?) they have. Actually, the working class should be in solidarity with each other as the supposed "differences" they have been taught that they have are totally artificial, manufactured to keep the working class divided. Yes sir, keep the rubes separated, all the better to rule over them. As Howard Zinn has stated, he even used this as the title of a book he wrote that I am currently reading, if the working class ever put aside their supposed "differences" we would have "A power that governments cannot suppress". There you have it folks, toss off the bull shit, made up from whole cloth "differences" and we CAN become a real power that government would have to pay attention to. We have it in our own power to be the force that we should be. Imagine, if we were to finally get rid of the false, manufactured "differences" we have been taught that we have,  no government could ignore our needs and desires. As the song by John Lennon says; "Imagine". Yes, imagine how nice life could be. National health? No problem, ALL people would have access to decent, affordable health care. A good education and decent prospects for a decent wage job? Again, no problem. Add to the jobs deal, those jobs would be making products that would be useful to ALL people. We already have more than enough weapons to defend the country with, we do not need more and more "new" weapons and weapon systems. 


Here is another "radical" idea. How about we eliminate our standing Army. Keep the Coast Guard, they do preform a vital need for ships and sailors on waterways that are vital for trade and recreation. Instead of standing armies, we would have a "well regulated militia", as in the National Guard. We could do like Switzerland, all men from age 18 to 65 would be issued a rifle and ammunition. Once a month, they would meet to practice their readiness to respond to emergencies and show their proficiency with their rifles. 


America must give up the foolish idea of empire. We cannot afford it. The world is way too large for any country to rule over. 


So many in this country claim that America is a Christian nation. Well, if so, then how about we act as one? How about as a nation we start to treat ALL as we wish to be treated? Any takers for that idea? How about it Christians? Does that sound like a good idea? Is it something the churches might get behind? If not, WHY not? After all, that is what your Christ told his disciples to do. The famous; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Why can't we do that as a country? It should be quite easy in my opinion. Toss out the false bull crap of "American exceptionalism". It was and always will be, a total lie. NO country is "indispensable". Never was such a country, never will be one. It is just another lie we have been taught, just like those false "differences" we supposedly have. It is time, long past time actually, for all of us to throw that old garbage in the trash and start acting like decent adult human beings.  Stop allowing the politicians and "celebrities" of the various media from keeping us divided. The next time some clown tells you that you or your group are "special" or "better than" another group, call them out for the bull shit they peddle. ENOUGH! Enough of the damn fool wars of choice. Enough of all the manufactured divisions that keep us so divided. Time to grow up folks, put aside the childish notions of our "differences" and act like adults. 


semper fi

The poor and the working class get the shaft.........again

Greetings to all who stop by the old corner.
First off, I want to recommend an excellent source for reports that may be of interest. The web site, added to the list on this page, is Public Intelligence. They have many actual reports available for reading and/or download. Among the reports are many of those I have linked to in other posts here. Their web site is; http://publicintelligence.net/. Stop by this site, you might be surprised at the information available there. 


Now for the rant. Warning, the language may get nasty. While I have let my postings get behind and my reading has also become overdue, I think this may make up some what for that. What set me off were two separate articles at Think Progress earlier this past week.


The first is; http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/05/08/478673/paul-ryan-food-stamps/. The second, ties in with the first and is; http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/05/08/480017/mccarthy-trimming-fat-poor/.


Yes, the elephant gang is once again attacking the poor and working class people who are already hard pressed to afford enough to eat. First off, Mr. Ryan says that; "You have to savings in some of these areas." Sure thing Paul, screw those who work and still cannot afford food to feed their families. Then along comes Mr. McCarthy, who thinks(?) that kicking  some 300,000 children off school lunch programs to protect the over-bloated "defense" budget is "trimming the fat". Sure thing Mr. McCarthy. Here they go again, screw the poor and working class. Hell, this time they even want to punish the kids! All of these cuts are being proposed to ensure that the five sided puzzle palace (aka the Pentagon) does not have to "do without" as it were. As every reader of this blog and who has an interest in the US government and its military spending knows by now, the Pentagon has never passed any budget review and is still unable to even find a place to start such a review. The clowns who run the show at the Department of "Defense" could not care less who best screwed so they can continue to sate money with every single "tick" of the clock. The US military has got to be the most wasteful organization on the face of the planet. Add to this the fact that what passes as our(?) congress today has never failed to keep funding weapons and weapon systems even after the military has decided that a particular weapon or weapon system is not needed. Well, so the congress critters keep telling us, they keep funding the military so as to keep those jobs making weapons and weapon systems. 


While I know full well that the US does need to defend itself, it is also true that we, the US, have more weapons than we actually need. The US still has more nuclear weapons than any other country and this after the supposed reductions in those vile weapons of mass destruction.


My reaction to all of this is; just what the bloody hell are these "representatives" thinking? Are they thinking at all even? Well, yes, they are, unfortunately. They are thinking of the campaign contributions they get and want to continue getting from the "defense" industries. Hey, there is BIG money in weapons. Also, when the TV snooze shows video of said weapons being used, why, it all looks so very "sexy" and all that. No doubt such video increases the ratings as well. Maybe we, as a nation, actually DO love war and destruction. In my opinion, the people who are the most FOR wars are those who have never been in a war, let alone, actually been a member of a military with the possibility of getting sent to a war. The term for these war lovers is chicken hawks, and I think it fits them to a "tee". Yes sir, a damn good it in my opinion. 


The troops are not exactly "pro-war" either. That is because they know just who it is who will be doing the fighting and the dying when they go to war. The politicians who vote for the newest weapons and vote, when or IF the president asks them for a vote, never go to war. They do not do any fighting and they sure as hell do not do any of the dying either. They get to stay all safe and sound here in the old US of A. They risk nothing by voting for and supporting any of the damn fool wars of choice the US is now bogged down in. Bogged down is just what we are in all of our current wars of choice. If you don't think so, just ask any politician how soon "we" can leave a particular country where our troops and/or advisors are currently in. My bet is that you will be told, IF the politicians even danes to reply, that "we" must stay "until the job is done". Yeah, and just what that job is? Well, that is a "national secret". Why of course it is. And it MUSt be classified. IF the real war aims were to be made known to the people, the really true reason our troops are fighting, killing, and dying, well, that would surely piss off the people. My personal opinion, every damn fool war of choice, all of the current US wars ARE by choice, is to increase and maintain the obscene profits flowing to the "defense" industries and every other multinational corporation and of course the vile rat bastards, the Wall street banksters. Wars make for good profits. I would like for the shareholders of those corporations to choke on their "profits". It almost makes me wish that I believed in some god, just so I could ask that god to damn them all to hell and back. Not a single country or group that the US military is currently fighting with, and this includes every country where "we" are using drone aircraft, has the capability of attacking the US mainland.  The US is blessed by geography. We have an ocean on either side of our country.To the North, there is Canada. Not a threat in any way. In some ways, Canada is almost like the 52nd state, we are that close to that country policy wise. To the SOuth, there is Mexico. True, that poor country is and bass been racked by outrageous drug gang warfare. The death toll from the Mexican drug war is staggering. Yes, that war is funded by old uncle Sam, just like the other wars raging around this poor, tired old planet. Poor Mexico cannot win. There is big money in wars, even relatively low intensity wars like the drug war in Mexico. There is also huge money to be made from the illegal drugs. Mexico is caught between the quest for profits by the "defense" industries and the drug gangs. Money for all who play the game, a bullet for those who oppose that war. Poor Mexico. And yes, poor Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Chechnya, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, the Palestinians, and other countries that I didn't name here. No country is safe from the war lovers and their bankster financiers. When there are profits to be made, nobody and no place is safe. Predatory capitalism at work, all living creatures run for your lives. 


That the wars are being financed with borrowed money is almost too sick of a joke to be serious. That the members of our(?) congress want to cut social spending to keep the profits flowing to the war lovers is just obscene. Damn them all to hell. They are like leaches. Pests that suck the life out of all else, for their own personal enrichment. The people be damned, there are profits to reap. Yes, and there will be the dead to bury and the wounded to beg for medical help. The survivors may be jealous of those who are killed in these damn fool wars of choice. What sort of life will there be for those who survive these damn fool, idiotic wars of choice? I am sure of one thing, for the vast majority of the survivors, life will be at best a very poor imitation of a decent life. Wars destroy. They destroy people, homes, communities, entire economies. And the war lovers do not care at all about the destruction, they only see those vast profits, never the suffering. Why would they? They and their families do not actually go the the wars, they stay home safe and secure, counting their profits. It is only(!) the "little people" who do the actual fighting and dying.  It is the poor and the working class who suffer the wounds of war, physical and psychological. The rich who profit from war never have "bad dreams" or flashbacks. Why would they? The war profiteers do not suffer the physical and psychological wounds as they do not go to war. No, they send others in their place. All future wars should be fought by those who favor war. How soon would war end if that were the law? And NO, they would not be able to buy their way out of going to war as many did during the War Between the States in the US 1860-65. OK, I admit, that is just a "pipe dream" of mine. And yet, I wonder, how many wars would there be if that were the case? At least then, the only ones who would be killed or wounded would be those who wanted the war. 


Before I forget, the US House of Reprefentitives voted Thursday, 10 May, 2012, to cut food stamps so that the military would not have to suffer(?) any cuts in funding. America, what a country.




Thank you for your time. I wish you all the very best, but we all must do what we can to prepare for the worst. As a Marine, there were signs in boot camp that said' "Train for war, but pray for peace". So, prepare for the worst, but hope for the best.
semper fi.

Some very interesting items.

Greetings good people.
I ran across some very interesting things today and I just have to share with anybody who might want them.
Now, let me give a simple explanation of this. The items were acquired legally. OK, supposedly they were given out due to some "oversight" or other. Still, they were obtained legally and the links to them were posted on a web site that is open to all. Sort of like this corner is open to all who stop and read and even reply. No restrictions here at the old corner, and I intend to keep it that way. As long as Google lets me at least.
OK, here is the link to an article that describes the items and provides links to the actual items that you can download and print out and/or save. I have copies of all four saved in multiple places as I don't need to print them all yet. www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/richmond-police-protest-guide-anarchist/13391/

Yes, the web site green is the new red is the site that posted the story and has the links to those very reports. As they have been posted on the net and they were given by request in a Freedom of Information Act request, even though, perhaps by accident. Well........one cannot put this sort of thing in my grasp and then tell me; "Oh, don't read them. Don't even look at them. By all means, do not share them." No, do that and I WILL post links or even the very items themselves. Hey, why worry? An old former US Marine, Vietnam war vet, what do I worry about? Hell, I am permanently disabled so I have no job to get fried from. Oh, true, that nasty NDAA signed recently by dear Gobomber. Well, I have enough health issues now that it would cost the Feds more in medical expenses than I will ever be worth, in jail or not. 


Call this the new "wikileak" of 2012 or what ever. Just check it out if you wish. It looks like it might be interesting reading. The people can read the tactical information that the police use against the Occupy Movement among others. Why keep this secret? I have yet to read all of these items, so that question may have an answer.


Well, there you have it folks. A link to the web site that links to the items, available for reading and/or download.
America, hat a country.
semper fi

Here we go again.

Well, some of our troops have just gone and done another damn fool stunt.
This time it is not Marines who made total fools of themselves. Nope, this time it was the US Army. These clowns are members of the 82nd Airborne Division.


What you may ask have these guys done? Oh, just posed with body parts of Afghan suicide bombers is all. Yes, I said they posed for photos with the body parts of dead suicide bombers, They were supposed to check out a report that the Afghan police had recovered  the mangled remains of an insurgent suicide bomber. Their mission was to try and find out if they could get an iris scan and/or finger prints from the remains. OK so far as that goes. Apparently, that is standard procedure in Afghanistan. Nothing unusual.


Well, that wasn't enough for these troops. No sir, they had to pose for photos with the remains of the dead. Some of them posed with the hand of the dead person with the middle finger raised as in "giving the finger". Oh nice guys, real compassion from you all. Respect for the dead? Not here folks, no way. 


As I have said before here on my soapbox, while I was in Vietnam during that miserable war, we didn't actually like the VC, but we sure as hell gave them our respect. These troops need to read old Sun Tzu as it sure looks to me that they never have done so. They may never even have heard of him, though that is highly unlikely in my opinion. This lack of respect for the enemy or opposing forces is not the way to win any war. Naturally, you are never expected to like the enemy. Actually if you like your enemy, it seems to me, then the enemy would no longer BE an enemy. My point is, you must respect your enemy. These troops sure do not.


After the most recent "incident" with the Marine snipers urinating on dead Afghans, how this could take place is amazing. One report on this mentioned a lack of discipline and a breakdown of leadership. No kidding. If this is the result of leadership in the US military today, I pity us all.


Will these guys get any punishment for this act? I wonder. Does anybody know if the Marines who urinated on dead Afghans get any punishment? I have not seen any mention of those troops since the news of their "act" broke in the US. Bets they got no punishment at all. Hell, they may even have been complimented for their "act". Yeah, see what "we" do? We piss on the "bad guys". What a way to win hearts and minds..............not.


It is time to get ALL US/NATO troops out of Afghanistan. Not next month, not next week even. NOW, today. Start packing all your personal equipment and stow all the gear and get out of that country NOW. There is no point at all in staying n after these recent "events". If this is how our troops act, well, America is in even deeper crap than I thought we were. Where is the leadership? Where is any military discipline? We do not see any at all in the recent examples from our Marines  and soldiers of the 82nd Airborne. How sad, and so very disgusting.


America, what a country.
semper fi

It never stops

Wars and rumors of wars. No, not the "biblical" hash about some "prophecy" or other from some old book of tales, but just a cursory look at the web any day recently.
The latest example being Syria of course. That country looks to be in the midst of a civil war. "Civil" war? When have wars ever been "civil"? OK, that might seem to be a trick question as in my opinion no war has ever been or ever will be "civil". In fact one could make a very good argument that war is the most uncivil thing we humans ever do or have done. Unfortunately, we seem destined to continue to have more wars, not less. That might be a sign that as a species, we humans have not evolved much in our somewhat brief, in geological time  at least, short history on this planet.
And yet, it still seems to me at least, that we should have evolved much further than it appears we have. By now, I think that the human race should have come at the very least to getting closer to have outgrown our "need" for war. What with all the supposed teachings of various religions, one would hope that we no longer went to war for petty grievances and maybe even renounced war totally. No such luck. Does this mean that the religious teachings have not "taken" hold of the human conscience? Could it be that a majority of religious people really do not practice what they preach? 
While these question I just mentioned may be unanswerable, I do not ask them purely as rhetorical questions. Somebody should be able to provide a real answer. By a real answer I mean that I will not accept the standard reply to such questions as we, the human race need to "have faith" or that we just need to "believe" in some god or other. That, in my opinion is a cop out, a total non answer. It is too easy by far, and it has been and continues to be given by the supposed church leadership of the various religions that seem to occupy so many of our fellow human beings. What a crock! I do have faith, faith in the capacity of our fellow human beings to be very kind and caring to others, even those we do not know personally and are not related to by either blood or marriage. Of course I also have faith that our fellow human beings have the capacity to do great harm to other human beings and all non animal species as well. This from personal experience in the imperial war in Vietnam which I was a participant in. I have seen first hand what war does to human beings, physically as well as emotionally and mentally/spiritually. War is a destroyer, period. There are no winners in any war. Of sure, one side emerges "victorious" in that they beat the others into submission or exterminated so many that the capacity to resist further was eliminated. And yet, some call that victory. 
I ask questions that I want answers for. Unlike school days, I do not do as the teachers did, I ask because I do not know the answers. Ever notice in your school days how every teacher asked questions that he/she knew the answer to? Yeah, just what did they learn from asking? OK, maybe I am taking this "line" a bit too far off topic, but just think about it for a minute or so. Why do we tend to ask questions when we already know the answers? Some will say to test or teach others. OK, true, to some extent, but it is more than that I think. In part, at times any way, I think we do so to keep from asking more serious questions. We even ask when we already know the answer to impress others, not always, but some times. Yes, I do this myself at times. Asking the hard questions isn't so easy every time. We tend to stay away from hurtful things. Pain is way we do our best to avoid. I know in some respects I sure do. Take my own life as an example. I take pain medications to keep the pain from getting intolerable. Damn straight I want to avoid real, serious hurtful physical pain. Thanks be to chemistry for the pain meds I am given by my pain management doctor. Personally, I detest taking these medications. They are quite powerful and I don't ant to get addicted to them. After a time, the meds I take no longer control the pain and we need to increase the dosage and/or change to a different pain killer. Ah, there is a misnomer if I ever saw one. The pain killers do NOT kill the pain at all. At best, they mask or suppress it to the point where one can still function as a somewhat normal human being. 
We do our best to avoid psychic pains also. Americans take a great number of medications to relieve mental pain/emotional distress. Yes, I am talking here about meds like Paxil(tm), prozac(tm), and others of that "family" of chemicals. And yes folks, ALL drugs/medications are chemicals, just in case you weren't aware of that fact. You might be surprised at how many people do not know that. I am certain that some don't know that drugs are chemicals knowingly. Hey, we "all" know that chemicals can be bad and the same goes for drugs. By drugs, most people immediately think of "street drugs", or "recreational" drugs. Funny, but I have never seen any drugs out recreating. Has anybody? OK, that may not be a "serious" question. My mind(if I really do have one and it is functioning anywhere near correctly) tends to "think" up odd questions like that.
I think that we do ourselves a great dis-service at times by relying on medications/drugs/chemicals to relieve our various pains. America tends, according to various reports (sorry no links) to over medicate. The USA has the highest number of prescriptions for various "psychic" medications in the world. While these do actually help a great many people function, I wonder about the long term use of these powerful chemicals on us. Read the research, most of the medications like Paxil(tm) and such are NOT intended for long term (more than two{2}years) use. And yet, no doubt all of us know people who have been taking such meds for much longer. Another question that NEEDS a real answer, what is going to happen to all the children who during their school years have been on chemicals like "Ritalin(tm)? When they finally graduate (fewer do now than before) from high school, they no longer get these meds. What does the withdrawal do to these children? Are they supposed to stop NOW, cold turkey as it were? What are the long term consequences of their taking these powerful chemicals for years and then, suddenly taken off them? I have not researched this and maybe it will be one of my own next projects to search out any, if there are any, reports that give any answers to those questions. If any of the readers of this blog have any information at all on this PLEASE send me any links you have. While I do not have any children, I am very concerned about what we are doing to our children. They ARE the future. What sort of future are we giving them? By that, I am not asking about the future occupation or economics wise, that looks fairly certain now, it will NOT be as good as what their parents have had. For the first time in the history of the US of A, the kids graduating high school and college may NOT have life even as good as their parents have had life. They will be hard pressed to even attain the life style the parents have. We used to "know" that the kids would be AT LEAST as well off as the parents and probably better. No more folks. We can all "thank" the "too big to jail" banksters for this. Way to go there Wall Street. You rat bastards.
I apologize for my "bad" language here. I have tried over the last few years to keep my language polite. Well, there are just times when I cannot do so and make my point clearly.  I'll try to keep the rest of this post "nicer", but make no promises. Yeah, I AM hedging my bets......LOL. NO, that does not make me a hedge manager, just human.


Back to the wars. Useless, damn fool wars of choice. Again. And again, and again, ad infinitum. "We" preach tolerance and "good will to all" and yet, we maintain the biggest military force ever along with the largest  number of nuclear weapons on the planet. The US out spends every other country on this rock. The last I checked, the US accounts for at least one half of ALL military spending for the entire world. We outspend the top 20 or so of our closest "competitors" combined. 
Oh we are told, the weapons and weapon systems "create jobs". Yes, but not as many as the politicians would have you believe. There are numerous reports/studies that show how much the country could accomplish for the benefit of ALL Americans for the cost of a single weapon or weapon system. Take for example the new F-35. This "fighter/bomber" aircraft is the costliest weapon/weapon system ever. It is extremely way over budget and it under preforms by a large margin. It is no way near as fast as originally planned. Its "mission" has increased to the point of nearly being the "one tool that does many jobs". Yes, just like the old "Jack of all trades, master of none". This aircraft fits that description to a tee. Almost as if that definition was coined to describe this over budget, under performer. 
There I go again, off on another tangent. Sorry about that. My mind is wandering across a wide range of topics and I can't seem to hold onto one before another pops in and demands its own "say".
Poor Syria, the country is in the midst of what looks to be a civil war. Yes, it is not all just Syrians fighting other Syrians. There ARE many outside forces at work there. Not just jihadis from the Iraq, Afghan, Libyan wars either. Reports have stated that there are various "special ops" types from Britain and France there along with the al-Qaeda types. No doubt there are a few mercenaries as well, hey, they fight for the highest bidder, yes, even Blackwater or whatever that outfit calls itself today. Mercenaries have no loyalty to any country/flag, just to who pays the best for their services, that is why they are called mercenary. Look it up in the dictionary. The "goal" of the "West" is regime change of course. Apparently the current leader is no longer of use to the US/NATO types. Also, the zionist entity would love to see the current regime go the way of Saddam and Gaddafi. Chaos is what they are giving that country. Just as they did in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Serbia, Kosovo, Vietnam, Korea.......the list goes on and on folks. Another reason  is that there is oil under the sands of Syria, and we all know how "we" must control that oil, determine who gets to buy it and at what price. Add to the invaders of Syria the GCC, as Pepe Escobar calls it the Gulf Counter-revolution Club, called by the West, the Gulf Co-operation Council. Members Qatar and Saudi Arabia are the prime members of that gang, having supported the elimination of Gaddafi from Libya, they now want to eliminate al-Assad. Poor Syria, the people there do not deserve such "attention" from the US/NATO. Syria is not any threat to the US or Europe. Yes, they do allow the Russians to have a naval base on Syrian territory. So what? Is Syria a "sovereign" nation or not? 
On to Iran. Trying to keep from boring the reader. 
I saw another article today that said the the zionist entity is making demands on the talks between the 5+1 and Iran. he 5+1 being the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany as they attempt, I hope they DO, discuss with Iran, the nuclear program that Iran is running. From the reports and web sites I have read, the Iranian nuclear program is entirely for civilian use, in short, to generate electrical power with one smaller reactor being used to make medical isotopes. There is NO evidence whatsoever that Iran is doing ANY work towards making a nuclear weapon. The Supreme Leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Khamenei  has stated publicly that the possession of such a weapon is a sin against Allah. This from the highest authority in Iran. Yes, we all know the president of Iran has been accused of making ridiculous, outlandish statements. Well, big deal, he does not have the final authority, that is where the Ayatollah Khamenei comes in. Only the Ayatollah has the final say on the matter, if he says no nikes, the no nukes is what will be. The US "media" in particular needs to stop paying such close attention to what the president of Iran says and pay more attention to what the Ayatollah says. Listen to the REAL power in that country. 
Iran has the LEGAL right to possess nuclear power for generating electricity and to make medical isotopes, in short of non-military/commercial use. ALL countries in the whole world have that RIGHT. It is stated so in the agreements/treaties of the United Nations and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). EVERY country has that right, including Iran. What would be almost comical, if it were not so awfully serious, as in life or death serious, is that the ONLY nuclear weapons holding country in the Middle East is demanding that Iran not be allowed to have ANY nuclear power of any sort. Sort of a "I got mine, but you can never have any". What I call, for lack of a more polite term, chickenshit and cowardly. Yes, I know about the holocaust and World War Two and all that. Iran has not attacked another country in more than 100 years. During the Iran/Iraq war in the 1980's Iraq invaded Iran and Iran naturally fought back. That miserable war, during which the USA supplied Saddam and the Iraqi forces with in tell and weapons, was finally fought to a standstill after the loss of more than one million of both sides. In short, another damn fool war of choice that may have been instigated by the USA in retaliation for the take over of the US embassy in Tehran during the Carter administration. 
Now the US and the zionist entity want to punish Iran for doing what they have a legal right to do. Can you say double standards? Of course you can, but, will you? Yep, there is the question to ask yourself. So far our(?) congress looks to be all set for yet another damn fool, useless war of choice by making threats to Iran to stop what they have every legal right to do. Of course the biggest war mongers in congress are all for a war with Iran, you know the "top" ones, McCrazy, LIEbermann, and Graham(bone). As one commentator called them, the "three Amigos". I bet they never saw a war they didn't favor, particularly if they didn't have to do any fighting. The (ig) Nobel Peace Prize winner, Gobomber, keep making disgusting comments like the old standby; "nothing is off the table". Yes, apparently that means that he would use nuclear weapons against Iran. 
A bit of history here folks. The USA is the ONLY country to ever use a nuclear weapon in war. You remember that "we" dropped two such vile weapons on a basically defeated and undefended Japan in 1945. No other country has ever used these weapons in a war............yet. Would the zionist entity use any of their estimated 200-300 such weans on Iran? Personally I would not trust "Bibi"Nutty-assed-Yahoo to refrain from that, but at the same time, no doubt he would prefer the US to use its nukes instead. All the "better" to save their own and let us do their dirty work.
If I have bored any of you good people, I apologize for that. It was not my intention to do so. Honestly. It is just there are so many things to rant about. So many negatives in this world. Notice, I have not even mentioned Africa in this post. That alone could be its own long post even if I don't mention the "viral video" from the Invisible Children group. Or poor Somalia or South Sudan and the oil that may be there. From just a casual glance across the internet or a major newspaper, one can see that the US military/intelligence community is always at work with war or rumors of war. As to any possible connections to any religion with regards that last comment, just when in human history has there ever been a time when there were NO wars or rumors of wars? Yeah, I thought so. That sort of puts a lid on that "prophecy" in my opinion. We humans seem to have never enjoyed a time where there were no wars or rumors of wars. How very sad and disgusting that this is still true today in the early part of the 21st century. Will we ever learn to actually live in relative peace and harmony with our fellow human beings? For the lives of the children and their children I sure hope that we find a way to do so, the sooner the better for all.
One last comment on war before I end this post. This comes from good old Tom Paine and his writings on the rights of man and common sense. He says:"....taxes were not raised to carry on wars, but that wars were raised to carry on taxes".
One final quote from the good Mr. Paine. This one I particularly like as it seems to give some small measure of hope to me.  "Ignorance is of a peculiar nature: and once dispelled, it is impossible to re-establish it. It is not originally a thing of itself, but is only the absence of knowledge; and though man may be kept ignorant, he cannot be made ignorant." That gives me some hope for the future. Now, go and spread some knowledge so that we might end some of the ignorance out in the world.
semper fi