I heard (for as long as it took me to find something else to listen to) some reptilidrone nattering on about changing this country from one of "entitlement" to one of "opportunity. What a load of bullshit.
I haven't had a real job since 2006. Part of that is because I've been doing things that conflict with a regular schedule, part of it is due to some medical/body issues (all good, at the moment), part of is due to my ageistic decrepitude. The bulk of it is due to hiring/labor practices and the LACK of jobs.
The GOPlutocratwannabes pontificate about not wanting a country filled with "entitled" people (I think that must be the new, 300#, chain smoking--crack--booze' guzzlin', oxy poppin', 80" LED screen addicted, Cadillac CTS drivin' welfare queen*) . I'm all for shitcanning entitlements. I think a great place to start would be with the home mortgage tax deduction. Moving on, we could make sure that none of the leeches currently borrowing money at lower than market rates or paying for their education with Pell Grants and the like are allowed to continue bleeding the state (that's us) white.
After that we can discontinue all of the tax incentives and actual handouts to big business and, well, I think you can see where I'm goin with this.
Bottom line is that:
A.) There are millions of credulous boobs who conflate the GOP's (or, more to the point, their deep pocketed underwriters') desire to erase most taxes NOT paid by the little people with actual, y'know, tax relief.
B.) One man's "incentive" is another's "welfare handout".
There, are, beyond any doubt, many thousands of people who scam the social safety network. There are, also beyond any doubt, thousands of capitalists and corporate entities (only "REAL PEOPLE" where political campaign donations are concerned, otherwise they're faceless and cannot be held to any genuine accountability for their actions) who scam the the gummint handout network.
It was revealed, a few days back, that Mittmoroni may have been in a "passive" mode at Bain--for campaign purposes--while being in an "active mode, for tax purposes. Considering the arcane and confusing nature of the U.S. tax code and corporate legal rules it may be impossible to determine if Romney is guilty of having broken any laws or violating any of the provisions of the tax code. It is not so difficult to look at what he says v what he does and conclude that he's a typical reptilicanlyin'fuckbag.
* Sorry, I forgot; she's BLACK, BLACK, BLACKITY, BLACKING BLACK, TOO, ALSO!!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
The NYC shootings
CBS has this:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57500574/all-9-empire-state-building-shooting-injuries-by-police/?tag=stack
which says that police officials in NYC conclude that all injured parties in the recent shootings outside the Empire State Building were wounded by police gunfire.
Predictably the comments section's first page has several comments by gunzloonz who decry the police' lack of firearms training and posit that they could do a better job of perpblastin' with less damage to the innocent bystanders. They question the professionalism of armed, uniformed officers doing a job that requires both split second decision making AND adhering to the rules governing the use of deadly force. The video that has been aired shows, fairly clearly, that there was very little time between the shooting of the original victim and the police/shooter confrontation. It would have been nice if the police had been able to clear out all of the pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the area and maybe get a range officer to tell them when it was safe to discharge their firearms. In the event the officers who did not know what they were up against or what the gunman might do when confronted made a decision to use deadly force and, fortunately, only killed one person--the shooter.
The gunzloonz will, of course, say that the NYC shootings only underscore the TRUTH; that it's impossible to keep gunz outta NYC or anyplace else, because GUNZLAWZ don't work, one,11ty! Well, firearms laws that are not uniform from state to state and are anything but uniformly applied will NOT be effective--there is no doubt about that. There is also no doubt that the constant drumbeat of lies and distortions from the upper echelon of the NRA and their confederates with organizations such as ALEC do much to fan the fears of the average american.
After every mass shooting there is a spike in calls for more and better policing and a spike in gunz and ammunition sales. The average american is fed a steady diet of horrific tales about rape, murder, robbery and other crimes; crimes which are perpetrated--as far as they are aware--by a mysterious cabal of criminal, armed to the teeth and bent on the wholesale destruction of society. They are not offered reason, they are offered titillation and they seize on it, like a junkie seizes on a fix. The drug is fear and the only antidote, it seems, is hatred.
So, instead of having a calm, rational and civil discussion about some reasonable steps that might be taken to address the problem of there being millions of firearms in the hands of those who are unqualified emotionally, mentally or physically to use them--we have the NRA and its fringe members screeching about having their RIGHT, an unqualified and unlimited RIGHT, to own whatever firearms and ammunition they are able to amass.
If the gunzloonz were stamp hoarders, we could afford to laugh at them.
After every mass shooting there is a spike in calls for more and better policing and a spike in gunz and ammunition sales. The average american is fed a steady diet of horrific tales about rape, murder, robbery and other crimes; crimes which are perpetrated--as far as they are aware--by a mysterious cabal of criminal, armed to the teeth and bent on the wholesale destruction of society. They are not offered reason, they are offered titillation and they seize on it, like a junkie seizes on a fix. The drug is fear and the only antidote, it seems, is hatred.
So, instead of having a calm, rational and civil discussion about some reasonable steps that might be taken to address the problem of there being millions of firearms in the hands of those who are unqualified emotionally, mentally or physically to use them--we have the NRA and its fringe members screeching about having their RIGHT, an unqualified and unlimited RIGHT, to own whatever firearms and ammunition they are able to amass.
If the gunzloonz were stamp hoarders, we could afford to laugh at them.
Dog Gone, welcome to Polrant
Update: One of the things I love about my own blog is that I can correct mistakes with a few keystrokes, to wit:
As of now, Dog Gone has author status on this blog. This action was taken by me, for two reasons.
The primary reason is that Dog Gone is a smart, sassy and sardonic writer. The secondary reason is that it's a nuisance to have to moderate ALL comments, instead of just the ones from idiots. Any of my regular commenters--as few of you as there are--can let me know if you want permissions. It don't mean you gotta write posts; it does mean that your comments will not be moderated--unless of you bring up that embarassing incident involving a bullhorn, several rubber duckies and 100 pounds of Gravlax.
Welcome, Dog Gone!
As of now, Dog Gone has author status on this blog. This action was taken by me, for two reasons.
The primary reason is that Dog Gone is a smart, sassy and sardonic writer. The secondary reason is that it's a nuisance to have to moderate ALL comments, instead of just the ones from idiots. Any of my regular commenters--as few of you as there are--can let me know if you want permissions. It don't mean you gotta write posts; it does mean that your comments will not be moderated--unless of you bring up that embarassing incident involving a bullhorn, several rubber duckies and 100 pounds of Gravlax.
Welcome, Dog Gone!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Commie Western Music and the posthocturborenaissance
It's all about the music.
Someone on another blog suggested, after reading one of my comments re: Hank Waste-O-Semenwilliams, in which I said I might have to start a new musical genre, "Commie Western Music" that I should do so.
It occurs to me that Woody Guthrie has sorta beat me to the punch--by about 80 years--but I can stand on the shoulders of giants. Now, all I need's some talent at song wranglin' and I can git 'er done!
I did help pen a tune (most of the lyrics), "Nikita the K" back in the early--mid 70's.
Nikita the K
(Instrumental Intro)
(Verse the first)
Oh, they're playin' rock'n'roll in Moscow, now.
Don't understand the beat but dig it anyhow.
When they're not armin' the arabs, or cancellin' some czechs,
they're groovin' to the music of Bowie and Beck.
(First instrumental bridge)
(Chorus)
Oh, Nikita the K must be rollin' in his vault, Lenin would've put this shit to a halt
and Mao says that it's all THEIR fault!
(2nd Instrumental Break)
(Verse the second)
All the Volga boatman and the Cossacks on the Dan,
They're listenin' to hard rock, just as much as they can.
There may be purges in the Kremlin and tanks on your block,
just inform on your neighbors and listen to us rock!
(Chorus)
Oh, Nikita the K must be rollin' in his vault, Lenin would've put this shit to a halt
and Mao says that it's all THEIR fault!
(Third instrumental break)
Verse the first and chorus reprise:
Fade and out.
I actually have a recording of this that was done back in the 70's, the sound quality absolutely sucks.
I know a fuckton of musicians, I may have to see if I can get some of them to cover this.
Then, of course there's the tune I wrote by my ownself (lyrics and chords, with some help from Ed "Slowhand" Connare--okay he figured out the music, based on my chords), ca 1974.
V.F.W.
(Instrumental Intro)
(Verse the first)
Well, I'll only be gone till the fightin' is over,
I'll only be gone till the killin' is done.
I'll only be gone till destruction's complete.
and our side, the RIGHT side, has won
(Chorus the first)
They're not coming home this year
to swap war stories for free beer.
They died in battle gear.
Vanguished in Foreign Wars. Vanguished in Foreign Wars.
(Bridge)
(Verse the second)
Old soldiers fade while young men die in the rain,
Wall St. gets rich from the death and the pain.
Politicians keep voting to send more bullets and guns,
but you know they won't send their own sons.
(Chorus the second)
They're not getting G.I. Bill,
They're not working at the mill.
They served and died on unnamed hills.
Vanguished in Foreign Wars. Vanguished in Foreign Wars.
(Bridge)
(Instrumental Break--a little country, at that)
(Bridge)
(Verse the third)
This country's so quick to make soldiers of boys;
Take their girls and cars and give them deadly new toys.
Genrals, admirals and pols call all the plays,
When they're wrong it's the young men who pay.
(Chorus the third)
They won't march in the parades,
Wear their medals, hear our praise.
They lie dead so far away,
Victim of Foolish Wars, Victims of Foolish Wars.
(Instrumental out)
Both of these tunes are, btw, copyright protected by other myself and other parties and may not be used without permission.
It appears to me that despite the nearly forty years that have elapsed since I wrote V.F.W. that not a lot has changed re: U.S. foreign policy. That is a fucking shame.
Sometimes I wish I was Joe Strummer--when he was still alive, I mean.
All hail "The Clash"!
Someone on another blog suggested, after reading one of my comments re: Hank Waste-O-Semenwilliams, in which I said I might have to start a new musical genre, "Commie Western Music" that I should do so.
It occurs to me that Woody Guthrie has sorta beat me to the punch--by about 80 years--but I can stand on the shoulders of giants. Now, all I need's some talent at song wranglin' and I can git 'er done!
I did help pen a tune (most of the lyrics), "Nikita the K" back in the early--mid 70's.
Nikita the K
(Instrumental Intro)
(Verse the first)
Oh, they're playin' rock'n'roll in Moscow, now.
Don't understand the beat but dig it anyhow.
When they're not armin' the arabs, or cancellin' some czechs,
they're groovin' to the music of Bowie and Beck.
(First instrumental bridge)
(Chorus)
Oh, Nikita the K must be rollin' in his vault, Lenin would've put this shit to a halt
and Mao says that it's all THEIR fault!
(2nd Instrumental Break)
(Verse the second)
All the Volga boatman and the Cossacks on the Dan,
They're listenin' to hard rock, just as much as they can.
There may be purges in the Kremlin and tanks on your block,
just inform on your neighbors and listen to us rock!
(Chorus)
Oh, Nikita the K must be rollin' in his vault, Lenin would've put this shit to a halt
and Mao says that it's all THEIR fault!
(Third instrumental break)
Verse the first and chorus reprise:
Fade and out.
I actually have a recording of this that was done back in the 70's, the sound quality absolutely sucks.
I know a fuckton of musicians, I may have to see if I can get some of them to cover this.
Then, of course there's the tune I wrote by my ownself (lyrics and chords, with some help from Ed "Slowhand" Connare--okay he figured out the music, based on my chords), ca 1974.
V.F.W.
(Instrumental Intro)
(Verse the first)
Well, I'll only be gone till the fightin' is over,
I'll only be gone till the killin' is done.
I'll only be gone till destruction's complete.
and our side, the RIGHT side, has won
(Chorus the first)
They're not coming home this year
to swap war stories for free beer.
They died in battle gear.
Vanguished in Foreign Wars. Vanguished in Foreign Wars.
(Bridge)
(Verse the second)
Old soldiers fade while young men die in the rain,
Wall St. gets rich from the death and the pain.
Politicians keep voting to send more bullets and guns,
but you know they won't send their own sons.
(Chorus the second)
They're not getting G.I. Bill,
They're not working at the mill.
They served and died on unnamed hills.
Vanguished in Foreign Wars. Vanguished in Foreign Wars.
(Bridge)
(Instrumental Break--a little country, at that)
(Bridge)
(Verse the third)
This country's so quick to make soldiers of boys;
Take their girls and cars and give them deadly new toys.
Genrals, admirals and pols call all the plays,
When they're wrong it's the young men who pay.
(Chorus the third)
They won't march in the parades,
Wear their medals, hear our praise.
They lie dead so far away,
Victim of Foolish Wars, Victims of Foolish Wars.
(Instrumental out)
Both of these tunes are, btw, copyright protected by other myself and other parties and may not be used without permission.
It appears to me that despite the nearly forty years that have elapsed since I wrote V.F.W. that not a lot has changed re: U.S. foreign policy. That is a fucking shame.
Sometimes I wish I was Joe Strummer--when he was still alive, I mean.
All hail "The Clash"!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Hank Williams, Jr.; his own father would disown him
This:
"At the Iowa State Fair, Williams bashed Obama to a crowd saying, "We've got a Muslim president who hates farming, hates the military, hates the U.S. and we hate him!""
from here (http://news.yahoo.com/hank-williams-jr-tells-crowd-obama-muslim-hates-160236032.html)
lets us know that in the braindamaged mind of Hank Williams, Jr., the PotUS is unMerKKKin and NOT a christian.
So, the Obamas have been married to each other (and only each other) for almost 20 years. The Hankster's got Mr. Obama beat for total years married at well over 20 years. Otoh, it took AT LEAST 3 wives* and they've all left him. You gotta wonder what it takes to drive a woman away from a rootin', tootin', mouthshootin' patriotiKKKal cash machine like Hank, Jr.--well, maybe not (http://www.hecklerspray.com/hank-williams-jr-charged-with-waitress-assault/20062621.php).
And Mr. KKKountry Moosic is all hatin' on Obama hatin' on the farmers. I'm not sure, zackly, where he gets that, but I think it's safe to say that Hank's politics are a lot more likely to fuck the family farmers than those of the president.
So, to sum up. The PotUS is a "muslim" who acts a lot like a mainstream, non-fundamentally ill christian and Hank Sr.'s waste of genetic material is a "christian" who whores, drinks, drugs, curses a bit and acts, in every way, like the foul mouthed, clueless assholes that are his staunchest supporters--KKKristians, by an overwhelming %age.
Color me unsooprized.
"At the Iowa State Fair, Williams bashed Obama to a crowd saying, "We've got a Muslim president who hates farming, hates the military, hates the U.S. and we hate him!""
from here (http://news.yahoo.com/hank-williams-jr-tells-crowd-obama-muslim-hates-160236032.html)
lets us know that in the braindamaged mind of Hank Williams, Jr., the PotUS is unMerKKKin and NOT a christian.
So, the Obamas have been married to each other (and only each other) for almost 20 years. The Hankster's got Mr. Obama beat for total years married at well over 20 years. Otoh, it took AT LEAST 3 wives* and they've all left him. You gotta wonder what it takes to drive a woman away from a rootin', tootin', mouthshootin' patriotiKKKal cash machine like Hank, Jr.--well, maybe not (http://www.hecklerspray.com/hank-williams-jr-charged-with-waitress-assault/20062621.php).
And Mr. KKKountry Moosic is all hatin' on Obama hatin' on the farmers. I'm not sure, zackly, where he gets that, but I think it's safe to say that Hank's politics are a lot more likely to fuck the family farmers than those of the president.
So, to sum up. The PotUS is a "muslim" who acts a lot like a mainstream, non-fundamentally ill christian and Hank Sr.'s waste of genetic material is a "christian" who whores, drinks, drugs, curses a bit and acts, in every way, like the foul mouthed, clueless assholes that are his staunchest supporters--KKKristians, by an overwhelming %age.
Color me unsooprized.
Monday, August 20, 2012
She said, "hell" and now she doesn't get her HS Diploma, WTF?
This link:
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/20/13377164-oklahoma-high-school-valedictorian-denied-diploma-for-using-hell-in-speech
is to a story about a HS valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA who graduated from a Prague, OK HS in June and has been denied her diploma because of her use of the word, "hell", in her commencement speech.
I'm going to guess that Prague will now see a tremendous surge in the level of attention given to them and their town. The level of attention given to the moron who came up with the idea of withholding Kaitlin Nootbar's diploma until she furnishes a written apology to, well, I'm not sure who she's supposed to apologize to. There's little information available, at this point, as to who decided on the HS's course of action. I'm sure that we will be getting that information in the next hours or day at the latest. Superintendent of schools in Prague, Rick Martin (not the "Livin' La Vida Loca", Martin, I'm sure) says it's a confidential matter--not no more, Ricky--and that he can't talk about it. Well, that's okay, I'm sure that the void of his silence will be filled with other comments.
It appears that Ms. Nootbar's already been given a full scholarship to Southern Oklahoma State University so the issue of whether her diploma's being withheld has any practical effect seems to be moot. It is more than a bit troubling that this is just now becoming public, at least a month or two after her HS graduation.
Prague, OK, for those unfamiliar with the town (which would be most everyone except people in Prague and surrounding communities and Kolache aficionados who go there for the annual Kolcache festival http://www.czechevents.net/events/details/3163-prague-kolache-festival-prague-oklahoma) can look it up on teh google. It's a town of about 2,500 people, a bit to the east of OK City. Up until recently it was pretty much known for the Kolache Festival. Henceforth, it may be known for it's officious KKKristianist asshole HS administrators.
WTF is wrong with these people?
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/20/13377164-oklahoma-high-school-valedictorian-denied-diploma-for-using-hell-in-speech
is to a story about a HS valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA who graduated from a Prague, OK HS in June and has been denied her diploma because of her use of the word, "hell", in her commencement speech.
I'm going to guess that Prague will now see a tremendous surge in the level of attention given to them and their town. The level of attention given to the moron who came up with the idea of withholding Kaitlin Nootbar's diploma until she furnishes a written apology to, well, I'm not sure who she's supposed to apologize to. There's little information available, at this point, as to who decided on the HS's course of action. I'm sure that we will be getting that information in the next hours or day at the latest. Superintendent of schools in Prague, Rick Martin (not the "Livin' La Vida Loca", Martin, I'm sure) says it's a confidential matter--not no more, Ricky--and that he can't talk about it. Well, that's okay, I'm sure that the void of his silence will be filled with other comments.
It appears that Ms. Nootbar's already been given a full scholarship to Southern Oklahoma State University so the issue of whether her diploma's being withheld has any practical effect seems to be moot. It is more than a bit troubling that this is just now becoming public, at least a month or two after her HS graduation.
Prague, OK, for those unfamiliar with the town (which would be most everyone except people in Prague and surrounding communities and Kolache aficionados who go there for the annual Kolcache festival http://www.czechevents.net/events/details/3163-prague-kolache-festival-prague-oklahoma) can look it up on teh google. It's a town of about 2,500 people, a bit to the east of OK City. Up until recently it was pretty much known for the Kolache Festival. Henceforth, it may be known for it's officious KKKristianist asshole HS administrators.
WTF is wrong with these people?
Sunday, August 19, 2012
I C&P'd this from mikeb302000's blog:
"As discussed here, in trying to find reasons or causes for the alarming upward trend in military suicides, TIME Magazine reporters Mark Thompson and Nancy Gibbs suggest that combat trauma alone can’t account for the trend and offer the following data:
Nearly a third of the suicides from 2005 to 2010 were among troops who had never deployed; 43% had deployed only once. Only 8.5% had deployed three or four times. Enlisted service members are more likely to kill themselves than officers, and 18-to-24-year-olds more likely than older troops. Two-thirds do it by gunshot; 1 in 5 hangs himself. And it’s almost always him: nearly 95% of cases are male. A majority are married.
“Two-thirds do it by gunshot.” Of course, you say. Our military are trained to use guns, they are “the tool of their trade,” troops have access to guns and many personally own firearms in their homes.
Naturally, Defense and military leaders are doing everything within their power to prevent or at least reduce this horrible, unnecessary loss life among the troops.
As part of what these leaders are doing to combat the suicide “epidemic,” they would like to talk to our servicemen and women who own a personal firearm and live off post.
There is one small catch, however. A relatively new law backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) seems to prevent them from talking to these servicemembers
followed by this comment:
"Greg CampAugust 19, 2012 11:05 AM
What, you mean that in an all-volunteer military, the commanding officers can't take away the personally owned weapons of soldiers and Marines? You mean the government has limits in how it can restrict choice?
Mikeb, you've served in the military. Remember how psychiatric care was seen? Imagine how hard it would be to get someone to seek help if that person knew his weapons would be taken away from him. You rant and rave about requiring psychological testing for civilians, but what you ignore is that the same thing would happen.
You live in this fantasy world in which everyone trusts your good intentions. You think that everyone trusts the good intentions of the government and of mental health professionals. If you learn nothing else from my side, understand that a large portion of the American people do not trust any of those. "
for two reasons.
The first reason for doing so is that the original article was, at least earlier today, unavailable at the linked website (http://themoderatevoice.com/156434/the-military-suicide-%E2%80%98epidemic%E2%80%99-and-an-nra-backed-law/).
The second reason is that I don't comment at his blog anymore, since he insists that lying sacks-of-shit's--both those who sign with a screen name and those who sign as anonymous trolls-whose comments consist of nonsensical assertions and outright fabrications have their lies and distortions published as if they were genuine arguments instead of the handwaving horseshittery that they are. That policy is his right, and I support that right; I just refuse to consider the exercise of dealing with gishgalloping gunzslingerz as equivalent to debate and will not do so.
The above comment is coming from a moron (Mr. Greg Camp) who has stated unequivocally (in a number of comments going back to earlier this year at mikeb302000's blog) that he does not trust and would not consider seeking help from a mental health professional. A guy who likes to play dress up and pretend he's a badass olden dayz gunzslinger. And Mr. Camp accuses mikeb302000 of living in a fantasy world? That's rich.
The sad fact is that it is likely that relaxed standards of recruitment (re: mental health and general intellect); the harsh realities of finance, maintaining interpersonal relationships with loved ones and living/working in a highly regulated environment where refusal/inability to adhere to standards and rules may result in something much more serious than simply being sacked are probably all contributory factors to the high incidence of military suicides among those troops on active duty.
I would like to see some data re: which service branches see the highest rates of suicide and what steps each branch takes to deal with mental health issues amongst its recruits and the professional soldiers.
I would also like to see some data about how many of those troops who suicide are "first termers" and how many have re-enlisted.
Those two data sets might help me and others to gain a clearer understanding of the situations and conditions that lead to the despair that drives young men (and the study published indicates that they are, overwhelmingly, young men) in uniform to commit suicide.
The issue of whether properly trained young men may or may not have private weapons while serving in the military is one that is neither new nor previously unaddressed. I don't know what the policy is on U.S. military bases, or those in foreign countries today. I DO know that while I served (1969-1972) in Germany with the USAF that NO non-issue weapons were held by ANY service personnel while they were assigned to my station. I know this because I worked in the building that housed the base armory, it was part of my duty section. If you wanted to go the range, or go hunting, you came to the armory and signed out your weapon. I cannot speak to what regulations covered those who lived in private quarters, off-base, but I'm guessing, considering the laws of Germany at that time that they were under similar restraints (German civilians had their own set of firearms laws to live and deal with).
The only Air Force personnel that I ever saw armed were those who were performing duties as Security Police. The only Army personnel, including the Airborne and AADCOM troops stationed on my base, I ever saw armed while on duty were MP's or, in two specific instances, troops who were in deployment mode for possible deployment to the mid-east during a period of international tension there.
No troops in any barracks I ever lived in had permission to hold personal firearms while in a barracks or duty station with the exception of those mentioned above. Somehow we all managed to survive the experience of living in close proximity to other highly testosterstoned young men--for FOUR FREAKIN' YEARS! without killing anyone or killing ourselves. Were there any suicides/homicides of or by servicemen? Certainly. Were there any suicides/homicides committed with firearms? Without a doubt. Did I hear about suicides and homicides on either AFN (Armed Forces Network) or read about it in the "Stars and Stripes" (DoD's "official" newspaper), the Wiesbaden AB newsletters or "The Overseas Weekly" ( a cross between "The National Enquirer" and a serious newspaper with predictable content) ? Occasionally. What I did not hear, or read about, at the height of the Vietnam War when over a half million U.S. troops were "in country" some for several consecutive tours of duty was anything approaching the barrage of news items about violent, self-inflicted death or homicide by service members on active duty. Nor, afaia, were there stories in U.S. papers or on broadcast outlets for years after the War ended about U.S. combat veterans going on shooting sprees or killing themselves. Did those things happen?
They most certainly did. Did they happen with the frequency with which we now see them happening? My admittedly limited research on the intertoobz suggests that, no, they did not.
Looking back on those years and the number of drunken parties along with the inherent differences and rivalries between service branches I am unaware of a better set of policies regulating the retention and use of private firearms by military personnel while on or off duty and whether on or off a military reservation.
I am fairly certain that Mr. Camp, considering his adamantine indignorance of mental health counseling protocols, has zero interest in looking beyond his childish infatuation with firearms and that his interests in the matter will be confined to his repeating the nonsensical assertions that he had made in his comment, above.
That the man is a college level instructor is, to me, somewhat troubling. I guess it's better than his being a cop or GOD forbid, a security guard or neighborhood watcher. He is a soulmate of George Zimmerman, iow, a gun-toting moron with very serious self-esteem issues who might, at any moment, decide that the world needs his 2nd Amendment correctives. He considers himself a patriot and citizen; I consider him a silly boy with dangerous toys.
"As discussed here, in trying to find reasons or causes for the alarming upward trend in military suicides, TIME Magazine reporters Mark Thompson and Nancy Gibbs suggest that combat trauma alone can’t account for the trend and offer the following data:
Nearly a third of the suicides from 2005 to 2010 were among troops who had never deployed; 43% had deployed only once. Only 8.5% had deployed three or four times. Enlisted service members are more likely to kill themselves than officers, and 18-to-24-year-olds more likely than older troops. Two-thirds do it by gunshot; 1 in 5 hangs himself. And it’s almost always him: nearly 95% of cases are male. A majority are married.
“Two-thirds do it by gunshot.” Of course, you say. Our military are trained to use guns, they are “the tool of their trade,” troops have access to guns and many personally own firearms in their homes.
Naturally, Defense and military leaders are doing everything within their power to prevent or at least reduce this horrible, unnecessary loss life among the troops.
As part of what these leaders are doing to combat the suicide “epidemic,” they would like to talk to our servicemen and women who own a personal firearm and live off post.
There is one small catch, however. A relatively new law backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) seems to prevent them from talking to these servicemembers
followed by this comment:
"Greg CampAugust 19, 2012 11:05 AM
What, you mean that in an all-volunteer military, the commanding officers can't take away the personally owned weapons of soldiers and Marines? You mean the government has limits in how it can restrict choice?
Mikeb, you've served in the military. Remember how psychiatric care was seen? Imagine how hard it would be to get someone to seek help if that person knew his weapons would be taken away from him. You rant and rave about requiring psychological testing for civilians, but what you ignore is that the same thing would happen.
You live in this fantasy world in which everyone trusts your good intentions. You think that everyone trusts the good intentions of the government and of mental health professionals. If you learn nothing else from my side, understand that a large portion of the American people do not trust any of those. "
for two reasons.
The first reason for doing so is that the original article was, at least earlier today, unavailable at the linked website (http://themoderatevoice.com/156434/the-military-suicide-%E2%80%98epidemic%E2%80%99-and-an-nra-backed-law/).
The second reason is that I don't comment at his blog anymore, since he insists that lying sacks-of-shit's--both those who sign with a screen name and those who sign as anonymous trolls-whose comments consist of nonsensical assertions and outright fabrications have their lies and distortions published as if they were genuine arguments instead of the handwaving horseshittery that they are. That policy is his right, and I support that right; I just refuse to consider the exercise of dealing with gishgalloping gunzslingerz as equivalent to debate and will not do so.
The above comment is coming from a moron (Mr. Greg Camp) who has stated unequivocally (in a number of comments going back to earlier this year at mikeb302000's blog) that he does not trust and would not consider seeking help from a mental health professional. A guy who likes to play dress up and pretend he's a badass olden dayz gunzslinger. And Mr. Camp accuses mikeb302000 of living in a fantasy world? That's rich.
The sad fact is that it is likely that relaxed standards of recruitment (re: mental health and general intellect); the harsh realities of finance, maintaining interpersonal relationships with loved ones and living/working in a highly regulated environment where refusal/inability to adhere to standards and rules may result in something much more serious than simply being sacked are probably all contributory factors to the high incidence of military suicides among those troops on active duty.
I would like to see some data re: which service branches see the highest rates of suicide and what steps each branch takes to deal with mental health issues amongst its recruits and the professional soldiers.
I would also like to see some data about how many of those troops who suicide are "first termers" and how many have re-enlisted.
Those two data sets might help me and others to gain a clearer understanding of the situations and conditions that lead to the despair that drives young men (and the study published indicates that they are, overwhelmingly, young men) in uniform to commit suicide.
The issue of whether properly trained young men may or may not have private weapons while serving in the military is one that is neither new nor previously unaddressed. I don't know what the policy is on U.S. military bases, or those in foreign countries today. I DO know that while I served (1969-1972) in Germany with the USAF that NO non-issue weapons were held by ANY service personnel while they were assigned to my station. I know this because I worked in the building that housed the base armory, it was part of my duty section. If you wanted to go the range, or go hunting, you came to the armory and signed out your weapon. I cannot speak to what regulations covered those who lived in private quarters, off-base, but I'm guessing, considering the laws of Germany at that time that they were under similar restraints (German civilians had their own set of firearms laws to live and deal with).
The only Air Force personnel that I ever saw armed were those who were performing duties as Security Police. The only Army personnel, including the Airborne and AADCOM troops stationed on my base, I ever saw armed while on duty were MP's or, in two specific instances, troops who were in deployment mode for possible deployment to the mid-east during a period of international tension there.
No troops in any barracks I ever lived in had permission to hold personal firearms while in a barracks or duty station with the exception of those mentioned above. Somehow we all managed to survive the experience of living in close proximity to other highly testosterstoned young men--for FOUR FREAKIN' YEARS! without killing anyone or killing ourselves. Were there any suicides/homicides of or by servicemen? Certainly. Were there any suicides/homicides committed with firearms? Without a doubt. Did I hear about suicides and homicides on either AFN (Armed Forces Network) or read about it in the "Stars and Stripes" (DoD's "official" newspaper), the Wiesbaden AB newsletters or "The Overseas Weekly" ( a cross between "The National Enquirer" and a serious newspaper with predictable content) ? Occasionally. What I did not hear, or read about, at the height of the Vietnam War when over a half million U.S. troops were "in country" some for several consecutive tours of duty was anything approaching the barrage of news items about violent, self-inflicted death or homicide by service members on active duty. Nor, afaia, were there stories in U.S. papers or on broadcast outlets for years after the War ended about U.S. combat veterans going on shooting sprees or killing themselves. Did those things happen?
They most certainly did. Did they happen with the frequency with which we now see them happening? My admittedly limited research on the intertoobz suggests that, no, they did not.
Looking back on those years and the number of drunken parties along with the inherent differences and rivalries between service branches I am unaware of a better set of policies regulating the retention and use of private firearms by military personnel while on or off duty and whether on or off a military reservation.
I am fairly certain that Mr. Camp, considering his adamantine indignorance of mental health counseling protocols, has zero interest in looking beyond his childish infatuation with firearms and that his interests in the matter will be confined to his repeating the nonsensical assertions that he had made in his comment, above.
That the man is a college level instructor is, to me, somewhat troubling. I guess it's better than his being a cop or GOD forbid, a security guard or neighborhood watcher. He is a soulmate of George Zimmerman, iow, a gun-toting moron with very serious self-esteem issues who might, at any moment, decide that the world needs his 2nd Amendment correctives. He considers himself a patriot and citizen; I consider him a silly boy with dangerous toys.
Friday, August 17, 2012
As ye sow, so shall ye reap
I could do one of my routine routines of silliness, laced with suspect sagacity re: The FRC Massakree.
But I won’t be doing that.
Instead, I will be cut’n'n’pastin’ this:
“LGBT ORGANIZATIONS RELEASE JOINT STATEMENT REGARDING THE SHOOTING AT FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL (FRC)
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 – 3:30pm by GLAAD
Joint statement regarding shooting at Family Research Council (FRC) from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations
We were saddened to hear news of the shooting this morning at the offices of the Family Research Council. Our hearts go out to the shooting victim, his family, and his co-workers.
The motivation and circumstances behind today’s tragedy are still unknown, but regardless of what emerges as the reason for this shooting, we utterly reject and condemn such violence. We wish for a swift and complete recovery for the victim of this terrible incident.
list of signatories:
Michael Adams
Executive Director, Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)
Tico Almeida
President, Freedom to Work
Katie Belanger
Executive Director, Fair Wisconsin
Wayne Besen
Founding Executive Director, Truth Wins Out
A.J. Bockelman
Executive Director, PROMO
Sharon Brackett
Board Chair, Gender Rights Maryland
Carly Burton
Deputy Director, MassEquality
Dr. Eliza Byard
Executive Director, Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Jennifer Chrisler
Executive Director, Family Equality Council
Brad Clark
Executive Director, One Colorado
R. Clarke Cooper
Executive Director, Log Cabin Republicans
Dwayne Crenshaw
Executive Director, San Diego LGBT Pride
Heather Cronk
Managing Director, GetEQUAL
Jerame Davis
Executive Director, National Stonewall Democrats
Emily Dievendorf
Director of Policy, Equality Michigan
James Esseks
Director, ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project
Lynn A. Faria
Interim Executive Director, Empire State Pride Agenda
Jenna Frazzini
Executive Director, Basic Rights Oregon
Joshua A. Friedes
Spokesperson, Equal Rights Washington
Herndon Graddick
President, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
Chad Griffin
President, Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
Jody M. Huckaby
Executive Director, PFLAG National (Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians and Gays)
Mara Keisling
Executive Director, National Center of Transgender Equality
Kate Kendell
Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
Abbe Land
Executive Director & CEO, The Trevor Project
Gregory Lewis
Executive Director, True Colors Fund
Eileen Ma
Executive Director, API Equality-LA
David Mariner
Executive Director, The DC Center for the LGBT Community
Ineke Mushovic
Executive Director, Movement Advancement Project
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
Darlene Nipper
Deputy Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Donna Red Wing
Executive Director, One Iowa
Marisa Richmond, Ph.D.
President, Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC)
Aubrey Sarvis
Executive Director, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
Josh Seefried
Co-Director, OutServe
Peggy Shorey
Executive Director, Pride at Work
Brian Silva
Executive Director, Marriage Equality USA
Lee Swislow
Executive Director, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
Rachel B. Tiven, Esq.
Executive Director, Immigration Equality
Shane Windmeyer
Executive Director, Campus Pride
Chuck Wolfe
President & CEO, Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Institute
Evan Wolfson
President, Freedom to Marry”
I note that it took these 40+ individuals something like 6 hours to agree on the need to make a statement, draft said statement and deliver it to the FRC.
I’m going way out on the twiggy, twiggy end of the same tree that “Woodstock” of the “Peanut’s” comic strip* had his nest in, to say that if one searches for a long, long time they will be hard put to find such a letter from the SBC, the RCC or any other large religious umbrella organization to the family of Dr. George Tiller within SIX hours of his being shot to death.
There were plenty of letters sent, per this:
none of them seem to have come from churches/groups of churches who identify with the FRC’s homophobia and anti-woman rhetoric.
Groups like the FRC (and there are a fair number of them, large and small) are filled smug, self-satisfied scolds, KKKristian dominionists, homophobes, gynophobes, Wholly Babble inerrantists--except when it suits them to NOT be--and hypocrites--in combination or in toto.
UPDATE:
Damn, I forgot to add that the 40+ signatories to the letter I inserted into my last comment will now be receiving some “KKKristian love letters” from the small %age (and pretty fucking huge actual number) of mouthbreathing social KKKonservatives who spend nearly as much time in church as I do (never/ever) but who self-identify as christians.
One of the major differences between the FRC and the orgs represented by those persons who signed the above letter is that they DON'T have some number of their group actively lying about those who hold opposing views OR sending them hatemail and death threats.
* So, okay, ONE instance of inadvertent snark; sue me
But I won’t be doing that.
Instead, I will be cut’n'n’pastin’ this:
“LGBT ORGANIZATIONS RELEASE JOINT STATEMENT REGARDING THE SHOOTING AT FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL (FRC)
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 – 3:30pm by GLAAD
Joint statement regarding shooting at Family Research Council (FRC) from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations
We were saddened to hear news of the shooting this morning at the offices of the Family Research Council. Our hearts go out to the shooting victim, his family, and his co-workers.
The motivation and circumstances behind today’s tragedy are still unknown, but regardless of what emerges as the reason for this shooting, we utterly reject and condemn such violence. We wish for a swift and complete recovery for the victim of this terrible incident.
list of signatories:
Michael Adams
Executive Director, Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)
Tico Almeida
President, Freedom to Work
Katie Belanger
Executive Director, Fair Wisconsin
Wayne Besen
Founding Executive Director, Truth Wins Out
A.J. Bockelman
Executive Director, PROMO
Sharon Brackett
Board Chair, Gender Rights Maryland
Carly Burton
Deputy Director, MassEquality
Dr. Eliza Byard
Executive Director, Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Jennifer Chrisler
Executive Director, Family Equality Council
Brad Clark
Executive Director, One Colorado
R. Clarke Cooper
Executive Director, Log Cabin Republicans
Dwayne Crenshaw
Executive Director, San Diego LGBT Pride
Heather Cronk
Managing Director, GetEQUAL
Jerame Davis
Executive Director, National Stonewall Democrats
Emily Dievendorf
Director of Policy, Equality Michigan
James Esseks
Director, ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project
Lynn A. Faria
Interim Executive Director, Empire State Pride Agenda
Jenna Frazzini
Executive Director, Basic Rights Oregon
Joshua A. Friedes
Spokesperson, Equal Rights Washington
Herndon Graddick
President, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
Chad Griffin
President, Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
Jody M. Huckaby
Executive Director, PFLAG National (Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians and Gays)
Mara Keisling
Executive Director, National Center of Transgender Equality
Kate Kendell
Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
Abbe Land
Executive Director & CEO, The Trevor Project
Gregory Lewis
Executive Director, True Colors Fund
Eileen Ma
Executive Director, API Equality-LA
David Mariner
Executive Director, The DC Center for the LGBT Community
Ineke Mushovic
Executive Director, Movement Advancement Project
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
Darlene Nipper
Deputy Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Donna Red Wing
Executive Director, One Iowa
Marisa Richmond, Ph.D.
President, Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC)
Aubrey Sarvis
Executive Director, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
Josh Seefried
Co-Director, OutServe
Peggy Shorey
Executive Director, Pride at Work
Brian Silva
Executive Director, Marriage Equality USA
Lee Swislow
Executive Director, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
Rachel B. Tiven, Esq.
Executive Director, Immigration Equality
Shane Windmeyer
Executive Director, Campus Pride
Chuck Wolfe
President & CEO, Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Institute
Evan Wolfson
President, Freedom to Marry”
I note that it took these 40+ individuals something like 6 hours to agree on the need to make a statement, draft said statement and deliver it to the FRC.
I’m going way out on the twiggy, twiggy end of the same tree that “Woodstock” of the “Peanut’s” comic strip* had his nest in, to say that if one searches for a long, long time they will be hard put to find such a letter from the SBC, the RCC or any other large religious umbrella organization to the family of Dr. George Tiller within SIX hours of his being shot to death.
There were plenty of letters sent, per this:
none of them seem to have come from churches/groups of churches who identify with the FRC’s homophobia and anti-woman rhetoric.
Groups like the FRC (and there are a fair number of them, large and small) are filled smug, self-satisfied scolds, KKKristian dominionists, homophobes, gynophobes, Wholly Babble inerrantists--except when it suits them to NOT be--and hypocrites--in combination or in toto.
UPDATE:
Damn, I forgot to add that the 40+ signatories to the letter I inserted into my last comment will now be receiving some “KKKristian love letters” from the small %age (and pretty fucking huge actual number) of mouthbreathing social KKKonservatives who spend nearly as much time in church as I do (never/ever) but who self-identify as christians.
One of the major differences between the FRC and the orgs represented by those persons who signed the above letter is that they DON'T have some number of their group actively lying about those who hold opposing views OR sending them hatemail and death threats.
* So, okay, ONE instance of inadvertent snark; sue me
Friday, August 10, 2012
Gunligion--Cannon Law
A poll ,conducted in the wake of the two mass shootings--one in Aurora, CO; the other in WI--was used in a post, here (http://mikeb302000.blogspot.com/2012/08/survey-questions-general-and-specific.html?), to illustrate a point that mikeb302000 has made many times. That point is that the gunzloonz assertion that murKKKa is SAFER place wit teh gunz and that MOST people agree with them is just that, an assertion. It is NOT backed up by the numbers.
Of course the first comment in the thread (and the only one, so far) is this:
Of course the first comment in the thread (and the only one, so far) is this:
by commenter FatWhiteMan.
And y'know what? his comment is TRUE, on its face. The devil, of course is in the details.
What FatWhiteMan and other red-blooded murKKKan marKKKsman fail to consider is that the reason that people, in general, don't think gunzlawz will prevent gunzviolence is that they have been misinformed or, in many cases, simply lied to by the shills for the gunzindustry and their PAID misinformation officers.
The primary reason that gunzlaws DON'T work is because there are few that are national in scope and those few are generally unenforced in many jurisdictions due to budgetary restraints or a lack of political will to enforce them. States like NY, where I now live, have serious penalties for violating their relatively strict firearms laws*. What they don't have is any way cost effective way/neans of policing their borders to insure that illegally obtained firearms stay out of the hands of criminals**.
For so long as the states which have "restrictive" firearms laws are surrounded by states with less strict laws, illegal or illegally obtained firearms will flow in to that state with the stricter laws. It's economics, stupid. And, for so long as that situation obtains, the NRA, the gunzmakerz and their useful idiots will conspire to ratchet up the fears of a burgeoning police state and simultaneous breakdown of law'n'order which situation requires that all merKKKins be armed, all of the time.
For so long as the states which have "restrictive" firearms laws are surrounded by states with less strict laws, illegal or illegally obtained firearms will flow in to that state with the stricter laws. It's economics, stupid. And, for so long as that situation obtains, the NRA, the gunzmakerz and their useful idiots will conspire to ratchet up the fears of a burgeoning police state and simultaneous breakdown of law'n'order which situation requires that all merKKKins be armed, all of the time.
* I say "relatively strict" because compared to a number of states they are draconian, to hear teh gunzloonz wail about them.
** And, yes, you ARE a criminal if you traffic in illegal weapons or traffic illegally in any weapons.
** And, yes, you ARE a criminal if you traffic in illegal weapons or traffic illegally in any weapons.
Monday, August 06, 2012
Does the BSA have a merit badge for paedophilia?
This:
http://bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/08/05/boy-scout-files-reveal-repeat-child-abuse/KCRNc7iZvKPw5V0mfjVvAN/story.html
is a link to an article about the Boy Scouts of America and their cover-up, connivance/indifference to paedophiliac acts committed by scoutmasters against innocent youths.
I'm sure that subsequent statements by the BSA will contain information that all of the guilty parties were teh GAY. Yep, that's always what's involved. Young boys being preyed on by older men, it's ALL about ONLY teh GAY doin' it.
I was in the scouts (until they recruited some neo-nazi drill instructor fuckwad) from about age 8 to 12. My scoutmaster, Mr. G., was not a predator, nor was the assistant scoutmaster (afaia). There was plenty of adolescent sadism going on (I outed a couple of the Hitlerjugend within our troop and was somewhat less popular with a number of people for that--fuck 'em).
I'm sure that most scoutmasters, just like most priests, ministers and teachers who have young persons in their charge are NOT paedophiles. I'm also sure that the overwhelming number of those who ARE paedophiles are good, GOD fearin' KKKristians. It's just the way these things go.
I will be watching this unroll.
http://bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/08/05/boy-scout-files-reveal-repeat-child-abuse/KCRNc7iZvKPw5V0mfjVvAN/story.html
is a link to an article about the Boy Scouts of America and their cover-up, connivance/indifference to paedophiliac acts committed by scoutmasters against innocent youths.
I'm sure that subsequent statements by the BSA will contain information that all of the guilty parties were teh GAY. Yep, that's always what's involved. Young boys being preyed on by older men, it's ALL about ONLY teh GAY doin' it.
I was in the scouts (until they recruited some neo-nazi drill instructor fuckwad) from about age 8 to 12. My scoutmaster, Mr. G., was not a predator, nor was the assistant scoutmaster (afaia). There was plenty of adolescent sadism going on (I outed a couple of the Hitlerjugend within our troop and was somewhat less popular with a number of people for that--fuck 'em).
I'm sure that most scoutmasters, just like most priests, ministers and teachers who have young persons in their charge are NOT paedophiles. I'm also sure that the overwhelming number of those who ARE paedophiles are good, GOD fearin' KKKristians. It's just the way these things go.
I will be watching this unroll.
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"Regardless of changes in the law, voters in the three states don’t think future mass shootings can be stopped by laws. Two-thirds of likely voters in Colorado, 60 percent in the Old Dominion and 57 percent in Wisconsin don’t think stricter laws can stop future attacks.""