Thought That Came Unbidden

Spin until the truth can no longer be seen.

Last night ABC news covered the story of a U.S. Marine who is currently being tried for murder in connection with the shooting deaths of two Iraqis in April 2004. Second Lt. Ilario Pantano maintains that he killed the men in self-defense in a combat situation. The thing that struck me about the report was a comment the Lieutenant made, captured on home video, shortly after he was shipped to Iraq. Paraphrasing, his comment was that the Marine Corps was currently engaged in the business of exporting violence to the rest of the world to make sure that America was never attacked as it had been on September 11, 2001. He also remarked that anyone who thought otherwise wasn’t paying attention. Travel the world, meeting interesting people, and kill them, the unofficial motto of America’s armed services.

The Bush administration is doing all it can to sanitize the war, and they’re doing a damn fine job. We’ve been at war in Iraq for slightly over two years and I think anyone would be hard pressed to count the number of “iconic” images to come out of the conflict and use more than one hand. Control the information, you control the people. You prevent images like these from Vietnam from influencing public opinion.

I can’t decide if we’re sheep, passively looking for a place to die, or lemmings. And I’m not sure which is worse.

Today was the second time in two weeks that someone has needed something from one of our project people and absolutely. no one. could. find. him. Over lunch someone jokingly suggested that we put a GPS bracelet on his ankle so we’d always know where he is.

This got me to thinking.

Given the reports about how police can’t keep track of registered sex offenders, and the fact that the FDA has already approved the use of subcutaneous computer chips, I’m just waiting for the press release from the Department of Justice that announces a federally mandated GPS program for sex offenders.

Soon, mark my words.

Who should I vote for?

Your expected outcome:

Green

Your actual outcome:

	Labour 14
Conservative -47
	Liberal Democrat 66
	UK Independence Party 9
	Green 84

You should vote: Green

The Green Party, which is of course strong on environmental issues, takes a strong position on welfare issues, but was firmly against the war in Iraq. Other key concerns are cannabis, where the party takes a liberal line, and foxhunting, which unsurprisingly the Greens are firmly against.

Take the test at Who Should You Vote For

What really scares me is that if anyone ever programmed such a thing for an upcoming U.S. election, some yahoos would probably use it to decide their votes.

Or maybe it is.

MT-Blacklist seems to have decided to close down on content like an outraged Southern Baptist Grandma who’s just seen a showtimes listing for Inside Misty Beethoven at the local movie theater. (Well, it told me, me of all people, that the phrase “Can I post a comment?” was banned for questionable content <hrumphs angrily>).

So, until I figure it out, I’ve closed down comments and pings (and may leave pings closed down for a while since they’re just a pain the ass).

If you want to leave me a comment, please send it to (minus the no.spam): woodstockdc AT no-spam-please.yahoo.com
[Read more…] about It’s not a tumor

My friends Bill and Robert have been anxiously creeping their way through the Texas Child Protective Service’s training for foster parents. They could accept the idea that if, eventually, they wanted to adopt only one of them could legally do so (under current Texas law gay couples are prohibited from adopting as a unit). Fostering seemed like a good way to go given the need for stable, solid foster homes, and the fact that adoption is a five or six year process even for heterosexual couples when pursued through the state.

Now they can’t even do that.

Yet again, while screaming about how liberals, gays, and lesbians “push” their values into schools and churches and public discourse, some conservative Christian state Representative in Texas has done just that: pushed his views to the forefront. This thinking, self-aware soul who has only the welfare of children in mind introduced a rider to a funding bill that would ban gay foster parents, and not just new gay foster parents. Gay and lesbian foster parents with current placements, some of them long-term, will now have to have their children removed from their homes. Because, as you know, upheaval is so good for children who may already have emotional and psychological issues with abandonment.

“Texas House endorses ban on gay foster parents”: html or pdf

How the hell are we, gay men and lesbians, supposed to live like this?

Oh, wait, we aren’t. We’re supposed to curl up and die, or worse, go straight and live a lie, lying to ourselves, lying to our partners, lying to any children such a relationship might produce.

Yeah, ’cause compulsive dishonesty is so much better for the soul and the moral fabric of the universe than being queer.

Tell me how this can be fought? Tell me how I’m not supposed to just start smoking some cigarettes and shooting everyone? Tell me, exactly, how I’m supposed to “turn the other cheek” and keep giving a shit about the fate of humanity as a whole?

Tell me…somebody…please