Iraq’s next elections are postponed but the US puppets are taking their place in line for winning when they finally get around to being elected.  The artificial “peace” established by the surge is bringing the people out of their homes and the politicians out as well. In a Newsweek Article there is a picture of kids swimming in a bomb crater in the neighborhood where they live. There is also pieces of an interview with American backed Shiek Ali Hatim. Probably a winner in the election, whenever they are finally held, he feels Iraq is ready to do it on their own. Especially since he has gotten the credit for supporting troops that got Al Qaida beaten down in the country.

The freedom in Baghdad is fragile at best what with the lack of electricity and small factions still sending suicide bombers out to kill but maybe they are right. Maybe the surge worked.

It’s just time for The United States to back off and let them do it on their own. If their leader wants us out in 16 months or thereabout I supprot that. The sooner our folks come home the better.

Been kinda confused lately. A few days ago I heard some crap spewing from a mans mouth that made me cringe. I haven’t talked about it much because I don’t want any crap from the federal cops if they happened to overhear it and want more information. You probably know by now that I really avoid talking to cops because they make me uncomfortable and make me feel like a criminal even when I have done nothing wrong. But hell…the cops don’t read blogs so I’ll write about it here. Besides with todays announcement of Obama’s plans to accept his nomination at the Invesco Field at the Mile High Stadium complex it may be easier for him to carry out his babbling.

Some of you have read here about my frequent late night/early morning trips to the local Dennys when I can’t sleep and don’t want to disturb my hard working room mate. You may have seen the stuff I wrote about racism here in Roswell and how the conversations often turn to politics. How even the brown skinned people call Obama a nigger while they sit devouring greasy food and slurping the weak brew they call coffee. How some of the folks aren’t necessarily McCain fans but will vote for him over Barack based on skin color alone. Today I want to talk about just one of those Dennys regulars and how he is one of the most backwards woman hating racists I have encountered since I moved from Calhoun City, Mississippi in 1977.

Steve is a Viet Nam era Marine vet. One of those who believe no one is a true American unless they have been a member of a branch of the military. One who was so twisted by his Nam experience he still tells tales of the war in graphic detail. He plasters all of his vehicles with Marine Corps emblems and almost never ventures out unless he is wearing a shirt or hat emblazoned with some Marine logo or slogan. So gung ho that he judges everyone as un-American if they don’t blindly support Bush and his war in Iraq.

In my humble opinion he is a first class asshole. Not just because he is blindly a Semper Fi war supporter but because he also treats all women as beneath him and people of color as servants. A person who feels that his service to the USA entitles him to be rude and mean to anyone he wants to. Especially females with Mexican heratige.

While sitting at the counter a few days ago I watched a new waitress being broken in. Her first night at Dennys was becoming frustrating. The cook and a couple of the regulars were being helpful and showing her stuff she became confused about. Pricilla is a young Hispanic woman who was doing a good job of keeping up with her customers but was at a loss of how to use the computerised cash register.

While re entering one tables bill into the register she pressed the wrong button or something and had to call the cook to cash them out. another couple was waiting at the register when Steve the Moron…I mean Marine… came in. She stayed at the register learning what her mistakes were and taking care of the customers who were leaving. Steve didn’t get his coffee immediately and started talking loudly about how “Spic women aren’t worth a shit for anything. They can’t even be trained to serve coffee.” (his words, not mine)Naturally she became flustered.

To keep his mouth shut and not offend her more I went around the counter and got his coffee. Spilling some around the cup on purpose to piss his neat freak self off I tossed his creamers towards him.

“I’m not hispanic or a woman.” I said. “I can’t be trained either.”

He thought I was joking and laughed. Then after he sopped up the spilled coffee he picked up the paper and ignored me, thankfully. He mentioned an article about Obama to the guy sitting next to him. The other man said some crap about sending Barack “back to Africa” and asked me why anyone would consider voting for a nigger. Steve was salivating waiting for my response and since it wasn’t Steve asking I responded. (I learned long ago that ignoring Steve’s outbursts was the wise way to go) I responded with “Maybe it’s because Americans are tired of losing their kids to this war based on lies and want to see a positive change. McCain is just more of the same old bullshit and everyone is tired of the road the administration is dragging the natoin down.”

Steve got enraged. He started babbling about how he would rather see a woman in there than a black man and how somebody should shoot him to get McCain in. then he laid out a shocker.

“If he gets elected I will shoot him myself.”, Steve said. Crowing about how the Marines had trained hm to kill and his sharpshooting skills he began to expound how he wouldn’t feel like an American unless he killed Obama. As he got louder and more worked up he swore to all who would listen that he was a “nigger killer” and promised us he would be the one who took Obama out.

Personally I think he is serious.

Somebody official needs to take Steve out in my humble opinion.

The Steves of the world are the ones who are un-American. They are the ones who are keeping us from progress and peace. His service was years ago and I think he needs to come home from the jungle and start living the freedom he believes he fought for.

Christopher Hitchens’ words about waterboarding. Not just idle accusations but firsthand experience.

Vanity Fair asked him if he would agree to get the waterboard experience administered by members of the waterboarding experts, our very own Special Forces.
Watch the video of his experience here. Seems like the music itself would make me feel tortured.

The VF story written by Hitchens can be read here.

While the right wing and the current administration advocate it and say it is not torture those who have been waterboarded seem to have a differing opinion.

Tip o’ the space helmet to Snakebite.

Springsteen.

Listen to what he says before breaking into “Livin’ In The Future”

In this election year I have been wondering how to cast my vote. Not totally on board with Obama I am searching for a reason to support a candidate. I found this little ad that makes me rethink everything I have said so far. Take a look and see if it can help convince you to vote Republican as well.

tip o’ the space helmet to Mahakala.

Mary K said she wrote this in 1984. She hoped it was just seasonal but…..

Shell shock, now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is claiming casualties all over our country. Soldiers come home not always able to make the distinction of being here or back under attack. Victims of the war even while back in peaceful surroundings.

I knew a Viet Nam veteran who was an officer in that conflict. Crazy George, as he was known by everyone, was a jumble of paranoid nerves that was always set to explode. His trips to the V A hospital to get his meds sometimes led to extended stays in the psych ward for a few months. I have seen him hide from “Charlie” when an Asian person walked by. He was always looking around sure someone was out to get him. Years after the conflict in Viet Nam was over he still lived in the jungle…in his mind.

In trying to help him they experimented with drugs and therapy to no avail. He couldn’t come home, always staying behind to be with his “brovets” (as Buzz calls them) that didn’t survive. He fought back against all those he felt were threats and was eventually shot to death by the Baton Rouge City Police while laying on his back, unarmed, in his own bedroom. (RIP my old friend)

Alicia at Last Left Turn Before Hooterville wrote about the hell that is coming back from war. Quite a disturbing post considering my old friend was just one victim of this horrible way of life returning vets face. So many new faces of this horrible condition are showing up in our hometowns as kids…yes kids…(I mean no disrespect at all as most of the soldiers fighting in Iraq weren’t even born by the time I finished college)…return home with fresh horror every day.

So they put them on new experimental drugs. Chantix is the popular one now. It, like so many other “anti-depressant” drugs is linked to violence and suicide. ABC’s Good Morning America did a story about this this morning. I haven’t figgered a way to embed the vids from there so I will post this link to ‘Disposable Heroes’: Veterans Used To Test Suicide-Linked Drugs. The story from this morning along with the vid clip I want you to see.

I guess there are many more casualties than the 4100 official KIA’s the DOD lets us know about.

Again I ask that everyone do whatever it takes to let the powers that be know we don’t want our fellow Americans over there anymore.

(UPDATE) Obama is outraged. As well he should be. We all should be.

Seems like all of the biggies (AP, Reuters, ABC, NBC….) have chucked the very newsworthy story about Rep. Dennis Kucinich and his articles for impeaching George.

Grateful Dissident wasn’t so quiet. He posted a link to the Raw Story.

He, like so many others, is supporting this impeachment.

There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes…

John Prine

“Sam Stone”

Nuff said.

Ted got on his Soapbox 2.0 to talk about drugs and our soldiers. No…not that fine Afghani hash or the deadly opium and heroin available in the middle east, but about the prescription anti-depressants they are giving the troops. Maybe if they were smoking the hash they would be in a better mental state…naw…your mental health is gonna be horrible when death and suffering surrounds you. Especially when you are part of the cause of the suffering and your best buddy from The World just died in your arms.

As a former user of anti depressants I know that they “help” you cope with horrible life events by giving you an “I just don’t give a fuck” attitude about life…or death. What a handy tool for the government to keep problems down when the soldiers are told they are being flopped into another tour as part of the stop-loss backdoor draft. What a great stride to keeping the troops who invade homes filled with children and old folks in an I don’t care place of mind.

The article he links also talks about the numbers of antidepressant patients deployed in the middle east who are committing suicide. I like the pill’s depiction in the graphic in this Time article.

I have a friend….no…really…I do. She is a sweet caring thinking mother of three. All boys that are completely wonderful. Notice I said she is a thinking person. Not one to just fall into lockstep to the political dogma Faux News or Rush Limbaugh marching tunes. Not one to puke up the soundbites of the so called liberals either. A woman who I admire greatly because her views don’t line up with most of her friends opinion yet she stands fast with her beliefs.

While she by no means endorses John McSameolBushit she loaths Obama. In many of her onesided arguments she posts on her My Space page she berates Barack while saying she is not a Republican. I’m sure she is not. Like I said…she is a thinking person. I try to fancy myself as a thinker too.

So I have been doing some thinking about the effect slamming Obama has on the whole presidential race. While I know it is the stuff right wing folks seem to thrive on, you know, the problems with the preachers sermons, the flagpin issue, pics of Obama in the native clothes of a region he was visiting (which all political officeholders including Bush and McCain do) it doesn’t seem to be the norm with thinking folks. Thinkers want to deal with real issues. The things that affect the majority of Americans. Regular people like she and I are.

I believe that each slam against Obama (the presumed Demo candidate) is a homerun for McCain (the presumed Repube guy). Each time someone lashes out against Obama it a supportive lash for the same old stuff to continue in America. This isn’t to say that Barack is perfect just sayin’ that in our 2 party system he is the only choice to stop things from continuing down the same destructive path John wants to rush down.

Every time anyone puts Obama down they are in a sense supporting war. The already failing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the one McCain supports against Iran. Supporting the reinstatement of the draft that will be the only way to restock the cannon fodder children of America. Supportive opinion for this war is negligable and if we start another unwinnable war with Iran all support will wane.

In my opinion, every time someone talks about Obama’s faults they are supporting at least 100 years of occupation in Iraq. John McSameolBushit has compared his dream of peacefully occupying the country similar to Korea and Japan. But both of those nations had to be brutally conquered before the peaceful occupation could begin.

The people of Korea and Japan were not as heavily influenced by religion as the people of the middle east are. The zealots there will not be so easily conquered. Even nuclear weapons, like the U.S. dropped on Japan, would not deter the defense of Iraq or Iran. They want to be left alone and will fight harder than the other countries our military occupies. So overcoming their will is a long and deadly process. That could be a verrrrrrrrrrry long time before the “Hundred years…maybe a thousand” desired by McCain could even begin.

Which all comes together to mean that not only will the American kids that are already alive today be forced to be put into harms way in the middle east so will those of generations to come. The human toll alone with McCains dreams will be incredible. The financial cost will be enough to destroy our country as we know it. And with our military fighting a losing war in the middle east who will be here to defend those who would invade us in our time of weakness and vulnerability?

I guess what I am saying is this. Every slam against the man who can defeat the same old Bush stuff is a voice supporting endless war and the devastation of America.

“Nuff Said!

The coffee was steaming in my cup at the Dennys counter. The sun was starting to peek above the horizon over the Pecos river west of town. All of the usual crowd was either gone or weren’t stopping on the way to work because of the day off. I was chatting with the waiter while he rolled silverware and watched the clock. The early morning waitress was late as usual and he couldn’t leave until she relieved him. We both looked at the door when it opened but it wasn’t her. A man I had never seen before came in and took a seat 3 stools down from me.

“Happy Memorial Day”, he greeted us.

WRONG!!! It’s usually best to not piss me off early in the morning. Especially when I have had a rough night full of pain. But he charged forward with his exuberant chatter about the family bar-b-que he was headed to. How he had a three day weekend and was celebrating. Wondering what time the stores started selling beer here because he was in charge of the alcohol for the party. Very up beat and bubbly he repeated his “Happy Memorial Day” greeting when the dishwasher came out from the back.

I asked the man if he had any relatives who would be absent because they were serving in our armed services. He didn’t. I then asked him if he had any family members who had died serving the country. He didn’t. I asked him if he knew how many U.S.soldiers had died so far in Iraq. He didn’t so I told him that the official numbers were approaching 4100.

My rant started then. I told him that Memorial Day was a day set aside to remember those who have fallen while struggling to preserve his freedom. A day to remember the troops killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and all other wars in our nations history. I reminded him that every soldier slain had a family at home who wouldn’t be having a “Happy” Memorial Day. I told him that his wishes brought hurt and pain to those who are home wishing their son or daughter could be home.  I let him know how insensitive his greeting was and how I didn’t feel this day was meant to be a celebration. I made sure he knew that memorializing our fallen Americans was the true meaning of the day.

He paid his bill and asked the waiter to make his order to go.

He went and stood by the door to wait for the cook to finish cooking his breakfast.

I guess I’m not much of a people person when it comes to matters like this.

I remember why we have this day. I remember all too well.

Thanks to all of you who have served. My best wishes go to all of the families who have lost loved ones who were defending my freedom.

Remembering those who fought and paid the price for us.

Jerry Garcia and David Grisman doing “Two Soldiers”.