"When I do not want to say things in real life I often say them here." — Mimi Smartypants
Because we can’t be trusted to run our own lives
About this proposed 700 billion dollar bailout: considering the people this administration has put in charge of every other huge mess it’s made for us . . . the L. Paul Bremers, Monica Goodlings, Donald Rumsfelds, Michael Browns, Alberto Gonzaleses, Paul Wolfowitzes, Scooter Libbys . . . how can we possibly expect anyone associated with George […]
Donna and I went riding with friends this morning in Green Valley, a retirement community 20 miles south of Tucson. I’m glad I had the digital camera in my fanny pack, because this sign cried out for documentation: This long shot doesn’t show it well, but when you’re looking at the “buttes” with your own […]
We are meant to think, apparently, that Bruce Ivins, the civilian US Army scientist who committed suicide after becoming the FBI’s main suspect in the 2001 anthrax killings, was guilty. He was an insider, he had access to anthrax, he was brilliant but troubled, he had a long history of making homicidal threats, he exhibited […]
Some maniac went on a cross-town cop-shooting rampage today. From what I see on the news, he shot a policeman on the west side of Tucson, then shot two additional pursuing policemen as he headed east. They caught him somewhere in my neighborhood. One policeman is on life support and not expected to live. I’m not […]
Avedon Carol rants on the Transportation Security Administration: I haven’t linked to the nipple-ring story because every time I see a reference to it I go into a towering rage about the way TSA drones have been given the power to hold you and all of your possessions hostage to their whim in the name […]
There’s always been a strong strain of puritanism in military leadership, perhaps nowhere stronger than in the U.S. Air Force. The latest expression of it is the outright banning of blogs and blogging on USAF computer networks, including USAF-operated internet cafes at bases worldwide. For years now, the USAF has filtered liberal and progressive web sites […]
Donna and I went to a party today. At one point our host put on a DVD his son sent from Iraq, where he’s serving with the US Army. We’ve known our friend’s son since he was in junior high, and we’ve seen him grow up into a fine young man. The DVD he sent […]
Up to the rank of colonel, the military grows and promotes its own officers, independent of political influence. This is sacred. Is there a military man or woman anywhere, active or retired, alive or dead, who would not be outraged to learn that President Bush wants to take control of the promotion of military lawyers? […]