Frankly Speaking

Why is it that any time someone alleges anything about U.S. soldiers, the U.S. media jumps all over it, playing it as the gospel truth, whether it's been proven or not? For example, Haditha. The case that is, by the way, dying a slow death because it was all a lie.

Let's all play along and see how long it takes for international outrage about abuses by U.N. Troops in the Congo.

Widespread allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse of Congolese women, boys and girls have been made against U.N. personnel who were sent to help and protect them -- despite a so-called zero tolerance policy touted by the United Nations toward such behavior.

The range of sexual abuse includes reported rapes of young Congolese girls by U.N. troops; an Internet pedophile ring run from Congo by Didier Bourguet, a senior U.N. official from France; a colonel from South Africa accused of molesting his teenage male translators; and estimates of hundreds of underage girls having babies fathered by U.N. soldiers who have been able to simply leave their children and their crimes behind.

If even one of these allegations was about a U.S. soldier, there would be rioting in the street and CNN would be running the story 24/7.

It's not that I think that our soldiers are saints or that Republicans never do anything wrong or that there aren't idiot Christians out there. I just want to be able to watch the news and know that what I'm watching is the truth, or at least a reasonable attempt at it, instead of the usual political propoganda that is delivered under the guise of "news".

Found at AoS.

Labels: mediots, military, the whacky folks at the U.N.

The Washington Post and a few other newspapers have decided that poking fun at Islam isn't the image they want, so they aren't running the latest "Opus" cartoons. The comics will, however, be available on Salon.com, according to Breathed’s official site.

Sources told FOXNews.com that the strips were shown to Muslim staffers at The Washington Post to gauge their reaction, and they responded "emotionally" to the depiction of a woman dressed in traditional Muslim garb and espousing conservative Islamic views.

There was also considerable alarm over the strip at the highest echelons of The Washington Post Co., according to the sources.

Lago said she flagged some of the syndicate's newspaper clients for two reasons: because of the possibility that the jokes about Islam would be misconstrued and because of the sexual innuendo in the punchline.

"The strip came in and I knew we would have to send out an alert to all the newspapers," Lago said. "I do that fairly regularly with materials that might pose issues for local areas. ... We knew that because it was a sex joke, it could raise issues. And there is another client that has issues with any Muslim depiction whatsoever."

This despite the fact that last week they had no problem running cartoons poking fun at the dead Reverend Jerry Fallwell. Which were, incidentally, quite funny. The part that pisses me off is that it's perfectly acceptable to poke fun at Christianity and/or Christians, but don't you dare say anything about Islam, Muslims, or the whacko's out there trying to kill us. Because when you offend them, they riot and threaten to remove your head from your shoulders.

And there is another client that has issues with any Muslim depiction whatsoever.

Replace "Muslim" with "Christian" and then try to imagine any newspaper anywhere in this country saying something like that. I'll wait while you try to make your brain go there.

You can't, can you? Because making fun of Christianity is en vogue. You're cool and hip in the entertainment world if you make fun of Christians, and you're ultra cool if you show how sensitive you are to the Muslims.

Plus it doesn't hurt that Christians usually write letters, send email, and threaten to boycott, while Muslims show up with signs calling for your death, and preferably a slow, violent one.

If The Washington Post and the other brave newspapers who decided not to run these cartoons really wanted to impress me, they would set the same standard for everyone. Either show your sensitivity to all religions and stop running any cartoon that mocks any religion, or grow a set and run the Islamic cartoons.

Until that day, you're just a bunch of spineless pussies.

Labels: christianity, jihadistan, mediots

There are plans to build a monument to Martin Luther King, Jr. in Washington, D.C. Apparently some controversy has blown up over the fact that the sculptor hired to complete the work is Chinese.

A loose-knit but growing group of critics says a black artist — or at least an American — should have been chosen to create the King memorial between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials in the nation's capital. They have been joined by human rights advocates who say King would have abhorred the Chinese government's record on religious and civil liberty.

"They keep saying King was for everyone. I keep telling people, 'No, King wasn't for everyone. King was for fairness and justice,"' said Gilbert Young, a black painter from Atlanta who has started a Web site and a petition drive to try to change the project.

"I believe that black artists have the right to interpret ourselves first," Young said. "If nobody steps up to the plate to do that, then certainly pass it along to someone else."

I read this story and my reaction was a massive amount of eye rolling. Is this really what race relations in this country have boiled down to? The fight for justice and equality for all means separate but equal? Because that's where it is all heading.

You can't sculpt a monument to a black man unless you're black. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, and, in my humble opinion, is 100% opposite of what MLK preached. But don't take my word for it, let's hear from him directly.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

Seems like a simple proposition to me. Freedom and equality for everyone, regardless of race, creed, color, or religion. Judge people on the content of their character, not by the color of their skin.

But if that happened, what would idiots like Je$$e Jackson have to whine about? Where would this country be without our moral outrage over the stupidest things.

I think the perfect legacy for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream is to have a Chinese man sculpt his monument. Because his dream wasn't just for blacks in America, it was because he believed in the words "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal".

All men.

Labels: race relations

I just got home from my fantasy football draft. Last year I was the league's leading scorer, finished 1/2 a game back from the leader, and came in 4th overall, due to a lousy coaching decision in the first playoff game. Otherwise, I would have won the league. But we all know what if-only will get you.

Here is my team for this year.

Marc Bulger - Q
Chad Pennington - Q
Reggie Bush - RB
Jamal Lewis - RB
DeShaun Foster - RB
Chris Henry - RB TN
Marvin Harrison - WR
Javon Walker - WR
Joey Galloway - WR
Eddie Kennison - WR
Troy Williamson - WR
Drew Carter - WR
Jeremy Shockey - TE
Alge Crumpler - TE
Neil Rackers - K
Patriots Defense

Last year I had both L.T. and Frank Gore. Those two could outscore most other teams on their own. This year I'm leaning more toward receivers, because drafting 8th doesn't leave much to choose from in the way of running backs.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this as the season progresses. Maybe I can even come out ahead this year. The last two years I've won the same amount that I paid to join, so I've been playing for free. It would be nice to actually win some money for a change.

Labels: all about me

I have a great many interests. I enjoy skiing. I love cycling, even though I never do it any more. I love I.T., and am a major nerd. I enjoy writing the code for my business web site, and I am enjoying trying to get my small business off the ground. But I have one hobby that I have loved my entire life. Ever since I held my first Kodak camera, and clicked that little roll of 110 film into it, I have loved photography.

When I say love, I mean that if I could make a living doing anything else in this world, it would be behind my camera. It is one of the things in this world that brings me the most joy and at which I feel the most free. Because even when there are 100 photographers all standing around the same subject, each is capturing their own perspective of it, so it never gets old.

Because of this love, I have a photo blog, also. I have paid much more attention to it, lately, then I have to this blog. Partly because it is so much easier to throw up a photo a day then it is to find the time to pound out a thousand words on a topic that is bouncing around in my head. It would be easier if I could be more succinct, but I don't anticipate my writing style changing any time soon, so I'll make do.

Anyway, the fun thing about the photo site I belong to is that people from all over the world post on this site. This brings us to the part where you are not going to believe is true. On that site, I am completely apolitical. There are a few out there that use their sites to talk about their pet causes, but I use mine strictly to share my passion for photography.

Here is the second part you aren't going to believe. Some of you may think that because of my support for the war on terror that I hate Muslims or want to see them wiped out. I hope I've not given that impression, but I know it's an easy assumption to make. The truth is that I want to see terrorism wiped out, but there is nothing I would love more than to be able to travel to the mid east and see the wonders and history of that area for myself.

Through my photo blog, I have made "friends" with people from all over the world, including a few from Iran. Through their posts, I have been privileged to see the beautiful architecture of that country, as well as some of its most famous historical artifacts. And let me just say, it has some amazing history. It is fast moving up on my list of places I would love to visit in my lifetime. I would bet that most of you would never have expected to hear that from me.

The single greatest compliment I have received through my photo site so far has been this. A guy from Mongolia who checks my site every day said, "I am learning a lot about your country through your posts."

The truth is, I wish world diplomacy was as easy as making friends through sharing photos. On there, I regularly interact with people from North America, Europe, Asia and the Mid East, and we are all linked by our love of photography. I have seen very few negative comments about anyone because of where they come from or their country's politics, and I like that. As much as I am a politic junkie and love arguing about so many things, I am just as passionate about seeing the world get along.

If I could end war tomorrow by passing out cameras to everyone in the world, I would gladly send mine to Ahmadinejad tomorrow. In the mean time, I'll work on a little one-on-one diplomacy through sharing a love of photography.

Labels: all about me

Okay, maybe not. But I did get your attention. I really have absolutely no point to this post other than it's midnight and i'm a little drunk. I've been drinking crown and Coke Pepsi (I didn't have any Coke.. dangit), for about 3 hours now. And watching The Shawshank REdemption. That is one hell of a combination.

But what the hell, it beats going out to some club, spending twice as much money on alcohol, and possible doing something I will regret upon sobering up.

If you'll excuse me now, my glass is running low and I need to refill. I have a couple more hours to go.

Labels: pointless silliness

Wanna see a bunch of Southern rednecks lose their shit? Close a deal with an investment company out of New York, and when they show up, they're all Jews. Hasidic Jews.

Hilarity ensues as everyone tries not to stare.

Labels: pointless silliness

If you're a Muslim from, say, Kuwait or Egypt, who lives in Florida, and you're planning on going on vacation, don't carry anything resembling a pipe bomb with you. You know, just in case you get pulled over for speeding.

"They admitted to having what they said were fireworks. Based on the officer's judgment at hand, based on what he had seen, we judged it to be other than fireworks," Berkeley County Sheriff Wayne DeWitt said.

Mohamed, 24, said he made pipe bombs from items he bought at Wal-Mart, according to an affidavit with his arrest warrant.

Now, I'm going to give these two happy-go-lucky kids a break here, and say I don't know that they had any terroristic intentions. Hell, I made my share of homemade explosives when I was a young lad. It was par for the course growing up around the military.

However.

If, by carrying around a trunk load of explosives you are going to fit the profile of a terrorist (20-40 year old Muslim male with a trunk load of explosives pretty much fits the bill here), then maybe you ought to consider leaving the pipe bombs at home and taking a few sparklers on vacation with you.

I know, sparklers suck, but they also keep you out of jail.

Labels: general rants, jihadistan, race relations

Wanna win a 37" LCD HD tv? You can at this site, if you register before Aug. 17. It's also sponsored by Best Buy.

h/t Ed.

Labels: pointless silliness

The above was asked of me recently. Yes, I remember that I have a blog.

The last couple of weeks have been utterly insane. We've had a major product release at work that I have been working on since January. I have been in charge of everything, and I do mean everything; from choosing the vendor to designing the advertising to training employees to dealing with customers. My trip to Austin back in May was because of this product release.

We rolled it out August 1, and it was nearly a disaster. I've been working for 7 months to get this out, and in the end, I missed the deadline by 9 hours. Nine freaking hours. Everything finally rolled out at 5:00 pm on Wednesday. Being late absolutely was not my fault. If anything, the fault lies with my CEO, who made a bad choice early on, and I was forced to correct that last Friday, giving a new vendor exactly 3 days to fix 2 months of work from the ass-clown who had been working on a portion of the product. I would say 9 extra hours isn't that bad, considering.

Who knows how this will all be remember in the end.

The good news is that customers are loving it, we are having a much higher user adoption rate than anticipated, and the good reviews are already coming in. So maybe I'll be a hero after all.

But I still won't have much time to post for the next little bit. But I'll be back. I enjoy raising Ed's blood pressure too much to stay away. :-)

Labels: all about me