Welcome to the Machine

I wonder how many kids will be turning 18 this year. This being Christmas weekend I’m going to give myself a break and not track down the census info. It doesn’t take a genius to know that the answer is a lot.

Do you hear an engine that sounds vaguely familiar? It’s been dormant for some time, but the gears of Selective Service are turning once again.

“The agency is planning a comprehensive test - not run since 1998 - of its military draft systems, a Selective Service official said. The test itself would not likely occur until 2009. Scott Campbell, the service's director for operations and chief information officer, cautioned that the "readiness exercise" does not mean the agency is gearing up to resume the draft.”

Why does it not mean that? Oh, I see, it’s like a fire extinguisher—just in case.

“….the White House said Thursday that policy has not changed and no proposal to reinstate the draft is being considered.”

Wait, I could have sworn I read…..

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 — President Bush said Tuesday that the United States should expand the size of its armed forces, acknowledging that the military had been strained by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and would need to grow to cope with what he suggested would be a long battle against Islamic extremism.

“I’m inclined to believe it’s important and necessary to do,” Mr. Bush said. He said this was an “accurate reflection that this ideological war we’re in is going to last for a while, and that we’re going to need a military that’s capable of being able to sustain our efforts and help us achieve peace.”

So what is this "just in case" business? He clearly stated that he wants a bigger force and that this will require a increasing the active component. Logistically, and in the face of serious recruiting problems, a draft (likely to be under the banner of National Service) is the only way to accomplish this stated goal.

President Bush’s Secretary for Veterans Affairs would like us all to begin cozying up to the idea that a draft would be beneficial to society.

“He later issued a statement saying his comments had been misconstrued and thathe does not support bringing back the draft.”

Orwell had no idea what he was talking about. Just because two statements are fundamentally opposed doesn’t mean they can’t co-exist. It’s no different than the chocolate/vanilla Jell-O Pudding Pop or the Reeses Cup—just two great tastes that taste great together. If the two statements seem absolutely contradictory to you, well, that just means that a) you’re not listening close enough, or, b) you’re not thinking hard enough. It takes some time to overcome the fundamentals of logic, but I know you can do it. Remember, practice makes perfect.

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As the family is gathered around the warm hearth of the television singing along to the Product Hymns this holiday season, don’t forget to (as you see news clips of Iraq whizzing by, if you see them at all) remind your kids that they will likely get to go there one day to “protect the Homeland.” Also, don’t forget to remind yourself incessantly that it’s all going to be okay eventually, it will all work itself out in time—even though in the back of your mind you still hear the echo’s of the sentiments beaten out to you from the elitist war drum.

This war is going to last generations. It will require additional and ongoing sacrifice.

Sacrifice. Provided by you, the working adults, in the form of your children and way of life. How’s that housing market smell? The Peso Dollar?

You may not have known that you wanted a meat-grinder for Christmas, and Santa probably missed it, too. But George knows what you want, and more importantly, he knows what you need, and by God, he’s going to make sure you get it.

George doesn’t cut and run when it comes to giving meat-grinders to his beloved sheeple.

Merry Christmas, everything is just fine.





Technorati: Politics Iraq War Commentary Bush New World Order Draft Selective Service DoubleThink

On Point

Hi there, how was your dystopia today?

Mine was good, thanks for asking.

Say, did you have to pay any tolls today?

*****

I watched Bush this morning in what was said to be his last press conference this year. You can watch the speech here (click on the left-hand bar to watch it)

Quoth the President, “A recent report on retail sales show a strong beginning to the holiday shopping season across the country….And I encourage you all to go shopping more.”

I’m honored to know that I, too, can think in as American (Express?) a manner as the man himself.

That’s right bitches, I just linked myself.

Technorati Tags: Politics Commentary Iraq War Shopping Debt Economy Globalism Propoganda Bush

Lessons from CNN and George

What did I learn today on CNN?

Let’s see. I learned that Laura Bush has a bit of the skin cancer on her leg. It’s good that I know that because it reminds me of the inherent and ever present danger posed by the (some might say, Islamofacist) sun. I learned that the search for the three hikers on the mountain is scaling down, but the “human drama” (and consequent news coverage) still has plenty of get up and go. I also was informed, however briefly, that the reports are out saying inflation has increased by 2%, rather than the expected 0.5%. Directly following this was an oblique report about how scary it was that holiday sales are lower than expected. It was the “expected” that got me thinking. Therefore, I, being a good American, promptly went out and maxed out all of my credit cards.

I’m not worried. Soon, everyone will do the same after realizing their obvious folly. See it works like this. If we buy more stuff (as analysts expect), the economy does good, and that makes us all feel good. It’s what being American is about. If one says that they don’t feel good about something, well, that just seems un-American, and that makes me feel not good. If I feel not good then it must mean that I am becoming un-American and I certainly don’t want that. I should probably go buy something now, just in case. I’m sure there’s a new upgrade to something out there that I need.

Here’s what I missed.

“Bush, who gave an interview to the newspaper on Tuesday, said he had instructed new Defense Secretary Robert Gates to report back to him with a plan to increase ground forces, the Post said.”

The article went on to state:

"It is an accurate reflection that this ideological war we're in is going to last for a while and that we're going to need a military that's capable of being able to sustain our efforts and to help us achieve peace," he said.

**sigh**

Why didn’t I see it before? It was probably all of that unbidden freedom of speech drowning out my ability to properly relax. Thanks to Newt telling me why, I’m firmly committed to shutting that stuff down ASAP. Remember, can’t relax, can’t feel good, can't be American. If you don’t feel good about the Glorious War, I don’t blame you, and neither does George. He realizes, like you probably do, that the reason you’re worried is that we’re losing. But he also realizes, like you probably don’t, that the reason we’re losing is that we haven’t thrown enough bodies onto the pyre. I mean, what do we expect? Any idiot knows that the only way to make peace is to deal more death, and to do that one has to have more troops. Jaysus, you people have no idea what it is to lead. You just go on your merry way not buying stuff and free speeching it up when the country has serious war business to attend to.

“Gen. James Conway, the commander of the U.S. Marine Corps, also has expressed concerns about the strains being placed on his force and suggested last month it may need to grow.”

Just like the economy. Is it coming into focus now? This is the call for all good Americans to get out there and “shock and awe” some analyst expectations with our mighty debt.

With the largest ever naval deployment to Persian Gulf, a healthy injection of troops, and a grateful public wielding a mighty debt hammer, we’ll have those dangerous terrorists crushed in no time and then we can finally deal with that nasty sun.

Feels just like a Mission Accomplished.

Patrick Leahy-Opportunity Knocks

In the October of 2001 Senators Daschle and Leahy received some anthrax in the mail. Congress was completely shut down. In the beginnings of the oppressive hysteria that followed 9/11, this incident was the sneeze that sent America headlong over the edge of the abyss. Recall, if you will (and if you can’t recall, look it up), that these attacks conveniently targeted the two biggest detractors of the Patriot Act which at the time had a great deal of ramming force behind it—a Patriot Act that was sitting on John Ashcroft’s desk on Sept. 10 (for the numerically challenged, that’s before 9/11).

Five Years Later.

Five years and no updates—I wonder quite often these days why they haven’t been screaming much louder at this outrage much sooner. If this was you, or one of your family/friends, would you sit patiently and wait? And hey, perhaps they have been screaming long and loud, but the media just now decided it was time to let the braindeads know. It doesn’t seem too unreasonable seeing that the only thing that got any real news coverage beyond the sound bite (or what whizzed by on the hard-hitting ticker) in the US today was a serial killer suspect in Britain, a blurb about Robert Gates private swearing in ceremony, and three guys who are lost (and likely dead) on a mountain. Thank goodness there’s not too much else going on in the world—I might be inclined not to pay any attention to what they tell me (oh, wait).

Perhaps these Senators have been patient and hopeful because they have an idea of what they are really up against.

The thing that separates what happened to these senators (and their staff, some of whom were killed) from the rest of the folks involved was that it was anthrax in its most potent form--as in super weapons grade—a potency that, properly analyzed and investigated, would have led back to very few places, all of them within our government.

So says me? So says Robert Boyle. From the article:

“Boyle is a leading American professor, practitioner and advocate of international law. He was responsible for drafting the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989, the American implementing legislation for the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention. He served on the Board of Directors of Amnesty International (1988-1992), and represented Bosnia- Herzegovina at the World Court. Professor Boyle teaches international law at the University of Illinois, Champaign. He holds a Doctor of Law Magna Cum Laude as well as a Ph.D. in Political Science, both from Harvard University.”

I’m sure if anyone is going to know about this subject, he likely will.

In case your curiosity still isn’t piqued—perhaps you would like to hear from the horses mouth (click to listen to the stream—Dr. Boyles interview will be in hour three and will keep refeeding until the next live stream tomorrow. If your reading this after 12/18 just dig around, you’ll find it.)

It was shortly after Dr. Boyles went to the FBI with his info that the spore database in Ames, IA was ordered destroyed. The FBI has been completely mum on the subject since the first Patriot Act was successfully rammed through. When this tyrannical piece of legislation came up for renewal and was facing a heavier resistance, the same pattern of activity repeated, only this time with alarms relating to nerve agents that cleared out the Senate.

All in a long line of government sponsored terror that has been with us for decades. I can’t help but wonder what our governmental nannies might have in store for us and/or the world over the holidays. Hopefully nothing. Perhaps they'll be taking a break with a tastefully thrown and terrorist-free holiday extravaganza hosted by Pastor Taggert. All you can eat gay hookers and meth--don't forget the navel mistletoe at the door!

This is government holding the reigns of our future. This is the administration, rife with war hungry neocons and Zionists, that is killing us. This is the government that seeks to intrude on your life in an ever-increasing manner. This is the government that, if it’s corruption was combined and placed in a photograph, would look like a leprosotic and overused hooker vagina pulsing with a virulent strain of ghonnorratic syphillitosis of the most advanced stage. This is our government that routinely tries, and often succeeds, with efforts to pass legislation that “helps” us by stripping one and all of every last liberty. Pathetically ignorant legislators do what they are told as the bordering-on-retarded-but-oh-so-festivally-plump citizen mass heeds the droning clarion call for new and larger wars, new and larger heaps of human misery. The list is so long it threatens the very cycle of the 24 hour day just trying to mention it all.

Patrick Leahy will take his seat at the head of the table on the Senate Judiciary Committee when the new congress convenes in January, and it is there that he will have his greatest real opportunity to begin using his subpoena power to start the arrest of this frenetic unreality. It may also be the last, as he represents a final few that might have the integrity along with the courage to do so. It’s not just one of the last chances for him get closer to the truth personally, but a last chance for Americans to get closer to the truth as a country. Pray that he uses it. Demand that he use it. Contact the Senator and let him know that there are still thinking Americans that are behind him that will help him push for the truth that is so desperately lacking.

Bipartisanship be goddamned.