happiness is a war gun

war
* "The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 295 civilians employed by U.S. companies have died so far in Iraq. " LINK

* "The U.S. still has 17,000 troops in Afghanistan. On Saturday four U.S. soldiers there were killed by a landmine. " LINK

* "But despite what many of the equality proponents protest, Colonel (Ret.) Ronald Ray points out that there is no inherent right to serve in the military, and many things can disqualify people from eligibility to serve. For example, he notes, "Today if you have three speeding tickets, they view that as an indication of your lack of subordination. They can keep you out of the Marine Corps. And obviously you don't have blind pilots, obviously you don't have disabilities -- flat feet, hernia." LINK
Although equal opportunity may work well in academia and in terms of civilian employment, the colonel asserts, "in the military, all service is selective service -- even the draft was called the 'Selective Service Act.' There is no right to serve your country in peacetime or in war time."" outrageously funny. with the added benefit of being useful. if u know anyone that is likely to get drafted, tell em to start racking up speeding fines and other misdemeanours. and take photos of the themselves doing gay stuff.

* hersh interview

"Q: What will it take for a majority of Americans to say no more torture, stop the war in Iraq?
Hersh: You're missing the point. It doesn't matter what a majority of Americans say. This President has four more years. He's going to do what he thinks he must do. "

and

"Hersh: But I would recommend any American who wants to understand where the government is going in the next four years to get a copy of (Rice's) confirmation hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It's a road map, and it's pretty frightening testimony. Their definition of where democracy should go in the Middle East doesn't include Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan; it only includes Iraq, Iran, and Syria."

and

"Hersh: The reality is that Qaddafi has been trying to talk to us about his weapons system for years, and we ignored him. The Libyans even came to me about two years ago and offered me a chance to go through their facilities because they couldn't get anybody's attention here."