Cheney Introduces Cadets to Army Service

Today Dick Cheney gave the commencement address at West Point to a crowd of 20,000. The image of the Vice President, who actively avoided military service during Vietnam, rallying the Cadets was greeted with raucous laughter by most of the country.

Making matters worse, Cheney quickly slipped the moorings of reality while attempting to explain that Iraq is somehow tied to the increasingly nebulous war on terror because that is where the terrorists “have massed.”

Cheney then broke the sense of rapture displayed among the audience by saying “Nobody can promise us we won’t be hit again.” Somewhere a big dog barked.

"The truth is I have terrible dreams at night," Cheney said. "I dream of towers crumbling to the ground. I dream of soldiers sent into action, ill equipped, fighting with leftover equipment, led by corrupt leaders with delusions of....I'm sorry, where was I? Oh, yes, Iraq!"

Many neoconservatives point to Iraq and Vietnam as an example of weak American will. Cheney, whose military record includes five draft deferments to escape serving in the Vietnam War, happily welcomed 978 cadets into the Army many of whom will spend time in Iraq training Iraqi soldiers.

“You did not give in to other priorities as so many others have done,” Cheney said. “Instead you have offered up your time, your youth, in service to this country. And I pledge to have you all out of Iraq as soon as it is politically expedient to do so. For now just trust me on this one.”

Losing Our Religion

What's the fastest growing religion in the world? Many people say Islam. But if you're talking about world-views, the fastest growing belief is non-belief whose ranks have swelled considerably over the last few hundred years. A non-believer is anyone who identifies himself as an atheist, agnostic, or a non-believer in God and their population figures might surprise you.

Phil Zuckerman, a sociologist at Pitzer College, in Claremont, California, puts the number at between five hundred million and seven hundred and fifty million. Although smaller than the three most popular religions, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, that figure is nothing short of miraculous when you consider that non-belief is a relatively recent world-view, with origins in the 18th century.

In other words, given the last 300 years there are roughly half as many non-believers as Christians. Forget about Islam, or any other number of so-called expanding religions, non-belief's rate of increase dwarfs them all.

Non-belief has one unique element on its side; it can draw numbers from any religion, while it is extremely unlikely that a practicing Christian will ever convert to another faith. It is more likely that they will abandon their faith altogether.

A leading theory explains the sharp rise in non-belief by advances in food production, health care, and housing. Non-belief is especially prevalent in Europe and other modern countries (except America, of course). In countries where food is scarce, health care is lacking, and life is more precarious, religious belief remains high. Perhaps man truly cannot serve both God and money.

I've witnessed how security affects religion first-hand. I once took a mission trip to a Haitian village where there was at least one funeral a day for someone who died probably from lack of food or basic health care. The Christians in that village worshiped God with a passion and sincerity I have never found among even the most feverish American Christian, probably because they really believed their fate depended upon God’s grace.

In countries like Haiti many continue to starve or are afflicted with disease, and they pray all the more while people in modern, secular countries have longer life spans, higher per-capita-income, and higher literacy rates than their counterparts. The correlation is often made between high non-religious populations and higher societal health. Does religion augment an unhealthy society? Or does a healthy society naturally do away with the need religion? Is the increase in unbelief responsible for so-called healthier societies? Or did the healthy societies come first? The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. The results, however, are unambiguous.

Here in America preachers like Rick Warren, a man not wanting for food, will have you believe that there is a purpose for your life. Many find it comforting to take that idea one step further and believe there is a reason for everything. But for every one person who runs in this direction, many more run towards pragmatism. There is simply too much injustice in the world for most people to cope with and praying about it doesn’t seem to yield much fruit. Perhaps what makes unbelief so popular is in its miracle: people are fed, and cured, when other people resolve to make it happen. Perhaps non-believers are people who believe in what people can do.

Half-Baked

Ever since the horrific shooting of 33 students at Virginia Tech the news media has monitored the college's progress very closely. The questions have been asked: will the VT students be able to pick up the pieces and move on? What will their transition into the working world like?

Recently a report was released showing how veterans returning from Iraq face an increased risk of suicide because of lack of psychological care available at many VA clinics. Many facilities lack a 24 hour staff, adequate screening for mental problems, or properly trained workers. Meanwhile one-third of returning veterans report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. Here are questions the media almost never asks: how will these returning Iraq war vets pick up the pieces and move on? What will their transition into the working world be like?

The response to the tragedy at Virginia Tech bore the ostentatious earmarks of our response to the Iraq War. For Virginia Tech many sports figures donned the university's maroon and gold baseball cap in a display of solidarity. For Iraq people placed pretty yellow ribbons on the back of their cars. These gestures are honorable, they are a good place to start, but they accomplish little unless accompanied by some solid action.

In the case of Virginia Tech this would mean a little less media drama and more of a serious discussion about gun control in this country. In the case of Iraq it would be less focus on rhetoric and more on the reality for the men and women of the armed forces who bear almost all of the weight of what President Bush has labeled "the great ideological struggle of the 21st century."

Is it right that a troubled young man can acquire automatic weapons and end the lives of 33 hopeful students? Does that horror not only require adequate grieving but a sober look at the circumstances that allowed it and how we can prevent such a thing in the future?

Is it right that young men and women who volunteer to serve their country be led into a war without proper planning and oversight; asked to fight with inadequate equipment; asked to return home to inadequate medical care? Shouldn't this horror require not only accountability a demand for change?

It seems our society is long on sympathy, and short on empathy. What I mean by that is we have no trouble showing our support to a group of people or a cause, but that response almost always lacks the power of true change. As Virginia Tech students graduate, and veterans return home from Iraq, their transition into the world will be closely watched. Rather than spectating, we need to answer the call to answer the hard questions put before us.

My Review of Spiderman 3

It sucked.


The movie is about the power of choice and the ironic thing is that it grossed $150 million over the first weekend, proving people, like me, will watch anything. This movie is a cinematic horn-of-plenty featuring no less than three villians, two damsels in distress, two super heroes, a cosmic sludge with transformational powers, and one James Cromwell sighting.

When it's all said and done "Spiderman 3" manages to nullify its powers and settles safely into "Superman Returns" land, where, by the end of the movie the viewer is wondering what the hell just happened.

For example, the film gives you villain Flint Marco who has been a victim of circumstance, leading to a life of crime. You get a chance to see how he really does care for his daughter and how he would probably do things better if he could. So it only follows that, later, when he is transformed into Sandman, essentially a second chance on life, he goes on a city-wide killing spree. In-fact, Sandman grows so powerful the writers couldn't figure out how to kill him off. He simply floats away at the end of the movie after Spiderman forgives him.

Huh?

Topher Grace has no place in this movie. His smarmy, frat boy vibe ruins the whole feel of this thing. He later becomes Venom, shoehorned into one of the most uninspired action film endings ever.

When not screwing up the antagonists the film gives you healthy doses of Peter Parker, Mary Jane, and the James Franco character whining about crap. Peter Parker is sabotaged by a crawling black substance from space which transforms the quiet geek into a some type of mean-spirited funk master.

Huh?

"Spiderman 3' wins a Poochy Award for being completely overblown and void of any substance. By the end of the movie you're just begging for someone to die.

I eagerly await this summer's next, huge comic book movie. Yes, I'm talking about the "Fantastic Four" sequel which proves Hollywood's singular ability to create money ex nihilo (Latin for: out of bullshit). Just the fact that they've made a sequel from what was one of the worst movies of 2005 should insult you deeply. This time they've conjured up the Silver Surfer, voiced by Lawrence Fishburne and played by a T-1000 from "Terminator 2." Also scattered about the plot are Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and that bald guy from "The Shield." Should be great.

Scotty's Ashes Lost in Mountains After Brief Star Trek

The cremated remains of James Doohan ("Scotty" of Star Trek fame) and 200 others, were lost in the mountains of New Mexico after a brief trip into space.

Family and friends had waited over two years to send Doohan's remains into space. A UP Aerospace rocket launched on April 28 with its payload, went into sub-orbital flight, and then vanished. The flight was successful, but the rocket's components, along with the ashes, parachuted into New Mexico's mountainous landscape and have not been found.

"The steep canyons and mountain terrain reflects the radio frequency making directional finding almost impossible," wrote UP Aerospace president Jerry Larson at Live Science Blogs.

Four Years Ago Iraq Mission Accomplished

Four years ago today combat operations in Iraq ended, marked in a speech by President Bush on the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln May 1, 2003. Bush, who rode in the back of an S-3 Viking which landed on the carrier, spoke in front of a large banner which declared "mission accomplished" and began the speech by declaring an end to major combat operations in Iraq.

"In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed," Bush declared. He also noted the destruction of the Taliban in Afghanistan. "You are homeward bound," Bush said to the men and women aboard the Abraham Lincoln.

And, as if in a dream, it all turned out to be exactly as the President said. The banner was perhaps a premonition. The war, like wars of old, ended with the words of the President. Like World War Two, it ended on the deck of a mighty ship. The symbolism was acute. American marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen returned home and grew old with their families. They watched their children grow old with them. They drove their cars under the haze of beautiful American summers. They spent Christmases decorating trees and gathering family members in front of the fireplace.

Iraq moved from years of oppression and division and became a healthy model of Democracy in the Middle East. Iraq influences the entire region as it once did. The oppressed peoples in neighboring countries see what is happening and the call of freedom resonates in every heart. It rings across the entire Middle East. Iran's days of sponsoring terrorism and seeking nuclear weapons are over. Israelis and Palestinians live side-by-side in a two-state solution long advocated by President Bush. The Middle East, long a hotbed for crisis and violence, has become a flowering Democracy ruled by peace.

And I trace this all back to that fateful speech by our stalwart President. His bold vision, enacted at a moments notice, with only the slightest logistical thought, with merely a moment's logical reflection, has changed the world forever. It all started with Iraq. Americans were able to wage war and go shopping at the same time. The Iraqi oil revenues paid for it all.

Terror attacks up 25 percent in 2006?

Six years into the War on Terror and terror attacks are increasing. Should you be worried?

Short Answer: Good thing we're winning the war on terror or this could be trouble.

Long Answer: Terrorist attacks worldwide shot up 25 percent last year, particularly in Iraq where extremists used chemical weapons and suicide bombers to target crowds, according to a new State Department report. Deaths were up 40 percent due to increasingly lethal means around the globe.

On the surface this may seem to undermine years of upbeat administration reports on the war. The first use of chemical weapons by terrorists in 2006 also seems ominous.

It's amazing to me that even though attacks are on the rise we are still finding a way to win this war on terror. This, in my humble opinion, is nothing less than a testament to the excellence of our brave war leaders and their omniscient advisers. Seriously, report after report, book after book, outlining in painstaking detail so many signs of failure, and still our leaders move from victory to victory? All hail our glorious leadership!

Remember, this is a war that will be won, primarily, by the belief of the American people. There will always be liberal reports, penned, no doubt, by cowardly pacifists; there will always be those Democrats who are now trying to strip the ball away as we are so close to victory; there will always be doubters. These are the fears you must slay if we are to win this war on terror. Be glad we are winning or this spike in terrorism could be the cause for some concern or even reflection.

Obama the 'Magic Negro'

Trying to one-up Don Imus, Rush Limbaugh played a song on his show called "Barack the Magic Negro." Limbaugh was inspired (and I use that term loosely) from an article in the L.A. Times which points out similarities between Obama and a type of film character known as a 'magic Negro' (see: any Morgan Freeman movie).

In movies and fiction a 'magic Negro' is:

• An African American usually disabled by discrimination, disability, or social constraint.


• He appears one day to help the white protagonist.


• He is a black stereotype prone to criminality or laziness which is counterbalanced with some sort of magic power (Scatman Crothers in "The Shining") or exceptional ability.


• He is patient, wise, and full of sage advice


• He typically uses his power to help the white protagonist get out of trouble, usually by helping him recognize his own faults and overcome them

By now you probably have a good idea of what I'm talking about. According to David Ehrenstein, the writer of the L.A. Times article, and an African American, Obama has arrived, seemingly out of nowhere, with his incredible political ability (or, magic) to "assuage white "guilt" (i.e., the minimal discomfort they feel) over the role of slavery and racial segregation in American history." Ehrenstein points out that Obama's popularity has little to do with his political record, or his books, but has much more to do with his charisma and demeanor. It's a provocative article.

Limbaugh's take on the matter is entirely different. His song is sung by Paul Shanklin, a white, good ol' boy from Tennessee, who channels Buckwheat in order to sing the song like Al Sharpton. The's become da's, and grammar quickly goes out the window because, well, it's supposed to be a black man singing.

Listen to the song here.

The chorus goes like this (to the melody of "Puff the Magic Dragon"):

Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C.
The L.A. Times they call him that because he's black but not authentically

But the point of the L.A. Times article was not to question Obama's "authenticity" as an African American. The article questions Obama's experience. Is he ready to be President? Or is he simply well-liked because whites feel sorry for blacks? Is he, in effect, a "magic negro" to many whites? These are legitimate questions. But criticism of Obama's "authenticity" as a black man is something the author is all too familiar with.

"The only mud that momentarily stuck was criticism (white and black alike) concerning Obama's alleged 'inauthenticity,' as compared to such sterling examples of 'genuine' blackness as Al Sharpton and Snoop Dogg. Speaking as an African American whose last name has led to his racial 'credentials' being challenged — often several times a day — I know how pesky this sort of thing can be."

The author wants Obama to be addressed fairly, based on his merit, not as some 'magic' black character come to save the protagonist. Anyone who views Obama in this way is guilty of a sort of reverse racism. But Limbaugh, Shanklin, and so many others are really only curious about Obama's race, the traditional kind of racism. Obama is so popular because of his charisma, and it seems to surprise some people, including perhaps David Ehrenstein, that charisma is not race based. If Obama were white would anyone question the legitimacy of his charisma?

Qualifications mean little when it comes to running for President. The modern day presidency is dominated by the more charismatic person, starting with the inexperienced John F. Kennedy who beat out political heavyweight Richard Nixon. I can't think of a President from the last 25 years who wasn't more charismatic than the person he beat (Carter over Ford, Reagan over Carter then Mondale, Bush Sr. over Dukakis, Clinton over Bush Sr. then Dole, Bush Jr. over Gore then Kerry).

Because of this Obama's charisma has many conservatives very worried, and they've been trying hard to discredit him, not by talking about lack of qualifications, which they know does not matter, but by talking about the more incidental and, ironically, provocative things: Obama's religion and skin-color. The election in 2008 will show how low we are willing to go, which base prejudices we will allow to rule us.

In this post-Imus era some, like Limbaugh, probably feel compelled to talk about race. Unfortunately when Limbaugh tries it you wonder if he hasn't suffered some sort of brain damage from all the pills he took. Or, more likely, he's just an ignorant fool. But what he shows us is that, maybe, the only thing more important than charisma is the color of your skin.

"The Truth Needed to be Supressed"

I haven't offered any comments on Alberto "Henceforth to be known as Gonzo" Gonzalez, and the debacle formerly known as the Department of Justice. The politically motivated firings of eight key Justice Department attorneys, Gonzo's dismal showing at a Senate hearing last week, and Bush's reaction of "increased" confidence in the attorney general, failed to register any surprise with me.

Today, however, I read something that sparked a little fire. Pat Tillman's brother accused the military of "intentional falsehoods" and "deliberate and careful misrepresentations" in portraying the football star's death as heroic, rather than what it was: a tragic accident by friendly fire.

"We believe this narrative was intended to deceive the family but more importantly the American public," Kevin Tillman told a House Government Reform and Oversight Committee hearing. "Pat's death was clearly the result of fratricide," he said.

This registers with me because here is a family personally affected by the war on terror. The Tillman family, like a small number of other military families, has had to carry the burden of the President's crusade, while the rest of us have been instructed to "go shopping."

Pat Tillman's death is also a microcosm of the administration's handling of the war in general: covering up the truth and painting a rosy picture for the American public. Jessica Lynch was also on-hand today to hammer away at the ruse the administration has perpetrated on the American people. You remember Jessica Lynch, right? The Army private famously rescued from Iraqis then turned into a poster-girl for the war on terror. Today, four years later, she had this to say, "The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals of heroes and they don't need to be told elaborate tales."

Much of the War on Terror has been nothing more than an elaborate work of fiction by a handful of neoconservatives and their recently baptized President. Brave Americans have died for this fiction. Careers have been ruined for trying to reveal this fiction. Billions of dollars have been lost for this fiction.

Marry Tillman, Pat Tillman's mother, said today she was "appalled" when she realized how much the military had mislead her about her son's death. The sad truth is that her son did an honorable thing by leaving his football career to join the Army. He trusted the military with his life. And when that life was gone they couldn't even honor his death with the truth.

The president and those who put personal loyalty above the good of the country do not deserve your sympathy. They do not deserve your trust. They deserve your good judgment which is based on the truth

President Bush Meet Sanjaya Malakar

My anxiety over President Bush falls in correlation to how low his popularity ratings go. The more people disgusted with him the less I feel I have to vent on my blog. I've now come to regard him as a Sanjaya: an unforeseen anomaly of the system. One who fooled us, slipped in under the radar, and wrecked the place before we ever knew what hit us.

But, after six weary years, it looks like Bush has finally jumped the shark. Oh sure, we still have the war in Iraq, which may now be responsible for over 600,000 deaths and a mass exodus of over a million Iraqis. Sure, he is still in power for another 18 months and he still shows an unwillingness to make any prudent command decisions but I think America has finally seen the light.

When both the House and Senate pass a bill calling for a timetable for withdrawal and the President threatens a veto I don't even feel a twinge of excitement anymore. Scoffing at the electorate's wishes is just his way.

When Alberto Gonzalez is revealed to be a liar and the President refuses to hold him accountable I am not even surprised. Rewarding loyalty over competence is the first priority of the Bush White House.

When Dick Cheney lurks behind a hedge during a Bush press conference I don't even find it interesting. Cheney is just a creepy guy.

What is worse than negative press? No press. And I think that's the realm that Bush and the neoconservatives have fallen into. It's not that they're not bungling the war, ruining the future stability of the Middle East, and in-debiting the country for future generations, it's that the on-going bungling is hardly newsworthy anymore.

The neoconservative thought that enthralled so many Americans after 9/11 was this: That America should be filling the cold-war vacuum with it's power, setting the peoples of the world on a natural course towards Democracy. Iraq, for it's continued insolence, became the unwitting subject of such ambitions. It was believed that freedom would sprout where a dictator was removed. High thinkers like Richard Perle thus claimed Iraq a suitable candidate for Democratic reform.

Six years later I think we can rule the test a failure, the policies not just inept but unjust. To invade a country and remove its ruling powers with no plan for rebuilding is not just lazy, it is criminal.

My hope is that we have learned there are limits to our power. It's not how we can wield such power, but when, and why. These, and other unasked questions fall into the realm of judgment which someone like the President has never had any need for. Even now, after crashing the nation on some ill-advised joyride his father brings his lawyers in to help.

No one wants to view their president as a bungling fool. I certainly don't. But let's face it, anyone who demands to be recognized as "the decider" and then rattles off one mistake after another deserves a little chiding. When put to the test he has become a running gag in the daily news and is now held in contempt now even among his own party.

It's hard to imagine what could happen in 18 months that would surprise me. If tomorrow I were to pick up the paper and read we have invaded Iran I wouldn't be too stunned. That is where we have sunk to and why no one really cares anymore: the more insane the less surprising. What would be a real shock is to hear some true wisdom and leadership come out of the White House. Until then I am going to try to think about better things. In 18 months it will all be over, and Bush's place in history will be secure. Then, like the Romans, we will work on blotting it from our memories, like sewing salt over the ruins of Carthage.