A Passing Thought

So many appalling events have happened recently. Each one triggers the urge to sit down and blog a blue streak but it doesn't happen, well it happens on other blogs but not this one. According to me, a discussion about Don Imus does not include a critique of rap or hip hop music they are separate and not equal. By the way, Imus comfortably fits under the appalling events umbrella. Instead of an umbrella it should be a circus tent so there will be plenty of room for the hoopla that surrounds our Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his seemingly "unremarkable" contributions, unremarkable based on the forty-something times he told the congressional committee "I don't recall," when questioned about the nuts and bolts behind firing the eight federal prosecutors.

There just seems to be too many cameras focused in on a possible misuse of one of the president's legitimate applications of authority. Maybe my priorities are wrong but didn't this administration lose, misplace, squander 9 billion dollars in Iraq? When asked to account for the money all they come up with is "Don't know, can't say" while shrugging their shoulders. Now the administration is asking Congress for more money, without accountability strings attached. Hasn't a top white house staff member(Mr. I. Scooter Libby) been found guilty of perjury, making false statements and obstruction of justice? Weren't these crimes committed during an investigation to find out who publicly revealed the identity of a C.I.A. agent? At the risk of sounding a bit melodramatic, isn't exposing an international spy called treason? A camera or two could be focused on that congressional committee investigation. Is there a congressional committee investigating this? This list, of what I see as more important issues could go on but you get the point.

Somehow it's all related

Barack Obama is already apologizing for telling the truth. This time he tells a crowd that American lives have been wasted in Iraq. Someone is offended and he says he misspoke not only that but he knew he misspoke as it was rolling off of his tongue. Of course I just paraphrased all of that. He told the truth plain and simple. This is a life and death issue, people are dying daily for no justifiable reason, yet we still can't speak honestly about it. When is the time to speak the truth?

And another thing, our soldiers aren't saints, gods or demons. Any critical mention of the war in Iraq and somewhere, somehow, if not actually stating it out right, the idea that you support our troops must be made apparent. The main reason the congress has delayed the passing of a non-binding resolution is because the empty phrase we support our troops was not mentioned or implied clearly enough in resolution. Just like the "required" qualifications when speaking of Saddam Hussein. If you weren't making a clearly negative statement about the man whatever it was you had to say had to start with or end with some variation of at least one of three phrases. "Don't get me wrong Saddam was a horrible man." or, "Saddam did do terrible things." or, "Iraq is better off without him." If you didn't your patriotism was questionable. It's just stupid. I suppose if you had a "God bless our troops" or "Support our troops" magnet on the back of your SUV you were beyond reproach.

This can't be related but I'll bring it up anyway, all this talk of patriotism yet exposing a C.I.A. agent, who gathered intel on the progress of nuclear development of other nations, is treated like a faux pas. The vice president's go to man, Scooter Libbey is on trial for lying to those who were investigating the source of the Plame leak. As time passes more evidence surfaces showing the pre war intelligence was slanted to hasten the occupation of Iraq. As compelling as Colin Powell's testimony before the United Nations, to sell the need for U.S. aggression against Iraq, there was a time when journalists would have double checked Powell's sources and raised a few questions. Newspapers and free lance reporters would be doing all sorts of investigations on their own and undoubtedly new information would turn up just from their efforts alone. This doesn't happen anymore and we're paying the price. Given what we now know and suspect, we still must remain two steps away from the truth. What's the pay off?

Hmmm

John Edward's presidential campaign has received the first of a thousand cuts. The fuss over Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon and Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare's Sister being recently hired by Edward's camp will undoubtedly alter the blogosphere. I could be wrong... but I'm not. We'll see who sanitizes their blogging entries during the next year or so. Of course these two brilliant women will have to tone it down, which is understandable they have a candidate to sell. But still, knowing the U.S. porn industry makes several billion dollars from domestic sales annually, the idea of words like "fuck" and "slut" being offensive to american eyes is just a little hard to swallow. I'm not sure how I feel about this.