Not-so ugly Americans

Working in Germany for about six weeks has given me a little time to travel. Last weekend was Zurich, Switzerland....and we're going back there this weekend as well. (the first trip was primarily for a Zurich Harley shirt....this time we'll actually stay and see the city)

But the first weekend here, I took two friends to Strasbourg, France.

Ah Strasbourg.........the favorite and most romantic European city for my wife and I....

But there I was......in Strasbourg with no wife.....what to do, what to do.....

Allen (on left) and myself enjoying the finer aspects of European culture.

Take a moment and thank a Vet

Don't shower them with accolades of 'defending our nation' and 'fighting for our freedom', because we're not. We're engaged in two conflicts that have little to nothing to do with preserving our national security. Simply thank them for serving and tell them that they are appreciated....hell buy them a beer. Just don't patronize them with bumper sticker rhetoric.

Thank that man or women for taking the oath to preserve the freedom and liberty that we all take for granted; understand that they may not wish to recite war stories for your amusement, because those stories may contain episodes of the death or wounding of their friends; those stories may contain events that keep them awake at night and bring them to tears at inopportune moments. If this happens, they are not weak, they are not to be pitied.....they are to be regarded as compassionate humans conducting themselves in the worst environment we have created for ourselves....war.

Just as the statement ascribed to Plato reads: only the dead have seen the end of war....only the dead have seen the end of the nightmares and trauma that come with it.

Troubling new data show there are an average of 950 suicide attempts each month by veterans who are receiving some type of treatment from the Veterans Affairs Department.

Seven percent of the attempts are successful, and 11 percent of those who don’t succeed on the first attempt try again within nine months.
Air Force Times


Flogging Molly "Punch Drunk Grinning Soul" with PSA

Flogging Molly | MySpace Musikvideos

Punch Drunk Grinning Soul lyrics

It took me everything I had
To give all that I could
Walk beside me while I sleep
Steer me from the slumber wolf
Tangled forest of the mind
Speaks to me of self-despise
Close the window through the pane
Hear the siren's serenade

Could have been the comeback kid
The southpaws' legend glove to fill
No shadow boxer but the one
A true contender for the crown
Now this punch drunk grinning soul
In its' corner begs 'no more'

[Chorus]
Hey now, stay proud
You were lost on a blue day
Hey now, stay proud
Hey now, stay proud
you were lost on a blue day
Hey now, stay proud
But we hardly knew ya

The chamber echo never speaks
The rushin' tide devours my feet
No global warming fills this soul
For hell it freezes what it stole
From the beggar's empty plate
To our world that stuffs its' face

[Chorus]

But these tired eyes are crashin' down on me
While the paint never dries
On these four walls that now suffocate me
But tonight, maybe tonight
All will be free

Release, unlock this prison door
It can't hold me anymore
Serpent lied with sting of tale
Hand of reason rusts the nail
Now this punch drunk grinning soul
In its' corner begs 'no more'

[Chorus]

Does Christian = American?

Recently Sarah Palin spoke at an Evangelical Women’s Conference and made the following comments:


“God shouldn’t be separated from the state.”

“Hearing any leader declare that America isn’t a Christian nation and poking at allies like Israel in the eye — it is mind-boggling to see some of our nation’s actions recently, but politics truly is a topic for another day.”

“This nation needs you,” Palin told the women. “Know the facts. Stand for what’s right. Don’t be discouraged by the mocking of those who want to claim we just cling to our religion. I’m the first to admit — yeah, I do cling to my faith. That’s all I’ve got.”
Courier-Journal

Now, one may be tempted to claim that she was merely speaking to her audience….but as she makes these same assertions at her frequent political rallies and media appearances, it would be off the mark to dismiss it as such. So her remarks [and similar remarks by other right wing pols and pundits] beg some simple questions:
Are we a “Christian nation” and what does that even mean? And why is making that claim so important to so many people?

I am a firm, unyielding proponent of religious freedom, and I give due to our founders and national leaders who have contributed to this nation, while believing in God. But if I am not a Christian, am I not an American? If I were Jewish, or Hindu or Rastafarian, or an Atheist…….would I not be an American, or would I be a second class citizen? Are we so vain as to believe that a God ‘blesses’ our nation and that good fortune comes not through our actions but because of an invisible guy in the sky?

I don’t have an issue if an elected official proclaims a belief in an unprovable omnipotent deity, but I have a metric ton if issue when that elected official attempts to direct policy not through law, but through religion. The modern interpretation of the bible makes it clear that it does not encompass equal rights and civil liberties for all law abiding citizens of a nation, so why do we bestow such credibility upon politicians who place an inordinate amount of stock in a belief system that does not aim to protect all of their constituents? And why are good, intelligent and caring citizens realistically denied a chance at holding office based on the fact that they are not [at least publicly] a member of the faithful flock?

I understand that people draw inspiration and perseverance from their faith, but does it objectively make sense to admit following the alleged guidance from the unseen hand of an invisible deity? Hold any issue to that same standard, and see where it gets you…..just replace the word God with another unprovable being.
We readily rail against theocratic regimes such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Taliban….but with exception to the chosen means for an end, there doesn’t seem to be difference between Sarah Palin and her ilk, and your average Mullah.

Jetlag Hiatus

Haven't posted in awhile due to be in Germany and having some killer jetlag. I hope to be back on board soon.

Today's tribute to musical genius

Not biased my arse......

Note the disgust in Brian Kilmeade's voice at the mere thought of someone not kowtowing to the flag.

Hey Teabaggers

Just remember, this isn't YOUR flag.

A checklist that is quite apt....

From Down With Tyranny!:

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed energy company officials to dictate energy policy.

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn't get mad when the PATRIOT Act got passed.

You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion (and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.

You didn't get mad when we gave a 900 billion dollar tax break to the rich.

You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.

You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans... oh hell no.

Exposing Glenn Beck

Right. I get it. I should probably ignore him. Why should I waste time writing about Glenn Beck again? As hard as it is to believe, most days I intentionally ignore Glenn Beck posts and videos on the blogs. My reoccurring reaction is generally twofold. One: he's exhausting to watch because just as I'm wrapping my head around one line of googly-eyed horseshit, he belts out another ridiculous, melodramatic or dangerous line, and before I know it, I'm faced with a log-jam of crazy, forcing me to scramble for either an oxygen mask or a stiff drink. And, two: why pay attention to the television equivalent of an escaped mental patient screaming gibberish on the median strip at a busy intersection?

But to underestimate Glenn Beck as just some sort of random extra from Cuckoo's Nest, as I admittedly have done, is a mistake as it barely scratches the surface of what his scam is all about. A schizoid raving street loon tends to command attention purely for the freak show curiosity of passers by, yet the nonsense is rarely taken seriously.

This isn't the case with Glenn Beck. Several million people every day take his word for it. They're suckered into buying the ruse. And it's bad for America.

And so I intend to expose Beck as the dangerous grifter he really is. He's committing a nationally televised fraud and, given the sorts of people who are the most susceptible to his trickery, it's only a matter of time before Beck's deception takes a tragic turn.

Please read the rest...

Bob Cesca at HuffPo

Random Thought

Do you ever wonder why the people who produce nothing and add no tangible value to society are always the richest and most celebrated.......while those who bust their asses day in and day out to keep this nation and society functioning are underpaid invisible people?

In a perfect world Paris Hilton would be unknown and the truck drivers, firefighters, and teachers would be famous.