BBKristopher.com

I amuse myself, anyway

The Washington Post recently announced it's list of Idiots of the Year.

The winner is Laura Mallory, who tried to get Gwinnett county Georgia to ban the Harry Potter books from school libraries, despite the fact that she's never read them, because they promote witchcraft.

Third Place goes to a guy in the UK who, on Guy Fawkes Night, stuck a rocket up his butt and tried to launch it.

Fourth Place goes to the cops in Muzaffarpur, India who tried to arrest a 3-month-old baby for robbing a bus.

I just posted this over on Baen's Bar. It's a bit jumbled and rambling, but you get that. Anyway, it's a reply to a Chief Petty Officer who's more than a little upset about the treatment the military is receiving in the press.

I don't really know what to say Robin, except to hang in there.

I know the price the troops are paying. It fills me with awe that someone would do the job. It makes me wish I'd been able to wear the uniform.

since the GAY MARRIAGES started in Massachusetts.

The rivers haven't turned to blood.

The nation hasn't been overrun with frogs, gnats, locusts or flies.

The sun hasn't been blotted out.

No one has developed boils (well, maybe Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson).

The nation's livestock and first born haven't dropped dead.

The sun hasn't started setting people on fire.

There is no rioting, looting or pillaging.

We still have electricity, running water, gas, telephones and the internet.

The foundations of society haven't crumbled.

for anyone who thinks we haven't done good in Iraq.

Last Friday my oldest uncle, along with his 16-year-old son, visited us, as he used to do this once every month. My uncle is a high school manager and a history teacher at the same time in the same school. I saw that he was wearing a nice suit that I had not seen him wearing before. I said "Nice suit uncle. Is it new?" He said "Yes, I bought it about a month ago". "It must be expensive" I asked and he replied, "Yes it is, but your uncle now can afford it".

I'm a college student.

A first year college student.

A history major, but still just a first year college student.

And I can see the pattern.

When the Hoplite vanished, Greek power soon followed.

When the presence of Roman citizens in the Legions declined, so did Rome.

Anywhere in history when you have a great power built on the back of the hoplite, the citizen soldier, that power has inevitably declined when the mercenary replaced the hoplite.

America is a great power. American power is built on the backs of citizen soldiers.

But I see mercenaries in Iraq.

It's becoming more and more obvious that Iraqi prisoners have been abused (check out the CNN story here). In fact, there pretty much isn't any doubt.

Not, mind you, that there ever was.

I'm not a huge follower of the Leftist blogs, but I'm surprised there hasn't been more of a cry of outrage.

I wonder if it's because they don't expect better. That, in and of itself is perhaps the most disturbing of all.

On the 28th, a The Daily Collegian published on OpEd from UMass student Rene Gonzalez. The full text can be found here (google cache here), but the relevant points are apparently:

1). Pat Tillman "was a 'G.I. Joe' guy who got what was coming to him.

or don't. Either way, John Kerry is a dumbass.

Right now, the US economy sucks. Despite all the talk of a recovery, the economy sucks. Unemployment and underemployment are massive problems. Companies are sending jobs off shore. I could go on, but there isn't really any need. Even those who are going on about the recovery will admit we're still hurting.

And Kerry proposes tying aid to "national service".

Like I said. Dumbass.