"These killings are shameful and distressing to our society."-- President Jakaya Kikwete, of Tanzania, in his recent State of the Nation speech
Yes, yes, I know - many of you were hoping that quote was from President Bush commenting on Iraq - but no, it's actually in reference to what African witch doctors are doing to people for,..well, I'll let President Kikwete explain it further:
"Sometimes, word spreads around that body parts of people with certain physical attributes like bald people or albinos contribute greatly to attaining quick prosperity."
"Quick prosperity". Great. Can't Tanzania just get Bill Clinton and Tony Robbins to arrive and do their motivational dog-and-pony fire-walking medicine show? Fire-walking should have even more appeal in Africa.But how embarrassing is it to know a President of the United States is involved in that nonsense? I mean, look at the pictures I'm using to accompany this post. Now, I don't care if he's wearing a suit-and-tie - these might as well be pictures of our former president - and, no matter how you cut it, that's pretty fucking "shameful and distressing" in itself. Here, try this one for a more accurate reference:
That asshole just announced he made $109 million pulling that crap - and that's mostly American money he took from gullible people. Yea, he can "feel your pain" alright - in his wallet. I swear, Bill Clinton is a fucking low-life on a personal journey to discover where the bottom is. But, hell, I have to admit, I'd pay 'em myself to stop African witch doctors from pulling this Tanzanian body part scam.Bob Geldof says we Americans don't pay attention to Africa unless the "odd horror" occurs (which is true: I don't even pay attention to what's happening down the block) so it's not like I want to pile on, just because. It's just that, this story got me to thinking about all this nonsense I cover (or un-cover, as the case may be) and what'll be going through my mind when I die.
See, when I die, I imagine I'll be trying hard - really hard - to think of something "good". (I used to think, if I was lucky, I'd be staring into the eyes of my wife but that imagery won't fucking work anymore,....) Now, knowing all that I know about cultism, etc., I'm sure it'll be particularly difficult to come up with *anything* positive to focus on - and especially under duress. From where I'm sitting now, it'll just be a lonely ordeal with nothing more pleasant to look forward to than this nightmare - started by my ex-wife - finally being over: No more NewAge. No more betrayals; no more gullible idiots; no more dealing with people, like the Clintons, who are out to do nothing more than swindle another sucker.
There's one born every minute, right? Sure, but - while I can understand the impulse to fleece 'em - damn it, no one can convince me it's the right thing to do. And the idea of a president engaging in it is just down-right depressing. I really don't like thinking about it. I don't like thinking about any of it. And I know I won't want to "later".
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But "whatever" for now: one of these days this war will be over, and I'll be able to take down my poster of Osama bin Laden (authentic, right from Pakistan) and replace it with a picture of President Bush - my president - much the way people (during WWII) used to display a map of Europe, and eventually replaced it with a photo of FDR - their symbol of strength, courage, and integrity, through tough times - while, for me, President Bush's picture will represent the official end of the madness of the 60's: a thought that has always brought a smile to my face. So, if I should die alone, I'll (hopefully) have to look on President Bush. Which, I'm sure, to many people probably seems like a strange thing for me to write. But, to many of those same people, it's gentlemen, like those in these photos, who have always been seen as a comfort: as long as (rather than killing albinos and bald guys for body parts) they were ripping off Americans to the tune of millions,...just "making a killing",...but doing it in a suit-and-tie.
*Thanks to Elizabeth Mika for the Tanzania story. No thanks, to the Clintons, for the rest.
The sociologist Peter Berger once remarked that if India is the most religious country in the world and Sweden the least, then the United States is a nation of Indians ruled by Swedes. Not anymore. With a Jesus lover in the Oval Office and a faith-based party in control of both houses of Congress, the United States is undeniably a nation of believers ruled by the same.
ReplyDeleteThings are different in Europe, and not just in Sweden. The Dutch are four times less likely than Americans to believe in miracles, hell and biblical inerrancy. The euro does not trust in God. But here is the paradox: Although Americans are far more religious than Europeans, they know far less about religion.
In Europe, religious education is the rule from the elementary grades on. So Austrians, Norwegians and the Irish can tell you about the Seven Deadly Sins or the Five Pillars of Islam. But, according to a 1997 poll, only one out of three U.S. citizens is able to name the most basic of Christian texts, the four Gospels, and 12 percent think Noah's wife was Joan of Arc. That paints a picture of a nation that believes God speaks in Scripture but that can't be bothered to read what he has to say.
Don't believe the hype - all that talk (about Europe's supposed-atheism) is just bullshit: they believe in their occult and pagan crap, instead of mainstream religion, which is just as idiotic. And more sinister because - as your statement proves - they don't talk about it openly so Americans can rationally assess what's going on over there. I've lived there, and seen it and heard it with my own eyes and ears.
ReplyDeleteAnd (as far as the "Jesus lover in the Oval Office" is concerned) Bush is saving my country's ass - and the world's - when no one else (here or in Europe) had the balls to step up. And, if that's what a bit of Jesus can do for you, then this atheist will take that, and the United States, over the outlook of Europe any day:
Slander my president - or my country - asshole, and look for a fight. "I'm so bored with the U.S.A."? Fine.
Let's see how you like it when the U.S.A. gets bored with YOU.
A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.
ReplyDeleteThe classified National Intelligence Estimate attributes a more direct role to the Iraq war in fueling radicalism than that presented either in recent White House documents or in a report released Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee, according to several officials in Washington involved in preparing the assessment or who have read the final document.
The intelligence estimate, completed in April, is the first formal appraisal of global terrorism by United States intelligence agencies since the Iraq war began, and represents a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government. Titled “Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States,’’ it asserts that Islamic radicalism, rather than being in retreat, has metastasized and spread across the globe.
An opening section of the report, “Indicators of the Spread of the Global Jihadist Movement,” cites the Iraq war as a reason for the diffusion of jihad ideology.
The report “says that the Iraq war has made the overall terrorism problem worse,” said one American intelligence official.
“Indicators of the Spread of the Global Jihadist Movement,” cites the Iraq war as a reason for the diffusion of jihad ideology.
ReplyDeleteYea, yea: like all they needed - after committing an act like 9/11 - was for us to really piss 'em off. Get a clue - and some balls.
This is war, you idiot, and if you don't think resistance is going to make the enemy fight harder then you're not thinking at all. (What did you think - they were just going to fold?)
And, I assume, the fact we've destroyed most of their command structure, there's dessention in their ranks, or that we're killing them daily - having never lost a battle to them - doesn't make a dent in your defeatist view, does it?
No, you're more concerned with demoralizing Americans, so we can - what? - give in to the people who declared war on us? Who chop off heads - in the stadiums we built for them? Who kill gays? Who oppress women? Who consider blacks their slaves? You want us to "talk" to people who have sworn to kill us?
And how about the Iraqis? What do we tell them? "Um, sorry guys, but that freedom stuff was just a lark"? You'd do better under Osama?
Face it - you're a coward - and the sooner you leave this war, to people determined to fight it, the better.
"It's a very candid assessment," one intelligence official said yesterday of the estimate, the first formal examination of global terrorist trends written by the National Intelligence Council since the March 2003 invasion. "It's stating the obvious."
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