Friday the 13th

Has been a while, huh? This time, believe it or not, I have a legitimate excuse. I have been well and truly busy. The process to put me onto the new contract system with the Air Force began back in November ’06. It drug on forever. It was thanks to my boss, I’m sure, that I continued to receive my salary. My BA and MA were stuck in an obviously hopeless Ministry of Higher Education, awaiting certification. My residence visa had expired and I was almost past the thirty day grace period allowed. I was angry and frustrated and anxious and, as usual, fairly vocal about it. Then something happened that made me feel like a complete fool. At the last possible minute, everything dropped into place and, enshallah, beginning next month I will receive my new salary and maybe the following month receive the back pay for the salary increase which should have begun with December’s salary.

Q: After the Green Zone suicide bombing I saw Bush on CNN talking about the loss of innocent life and this Q occurred to me. Which group has killed more innocent Iraqis—the Coalition of the Willing or the insurgents/terrorists/militias? I don’t know the answer, but I would like to know.

Last year we had a family reunion with my father’s side of the family down in Ceredo, WV at my great aunt Sissy’s home. This year we are getting together with my mother’s sister, Aunt Betty, and her two children (cousins Liz and Laura) and all of their children. We’re going to rent a large cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and spend about a week there. Jack is going to Dollywood. I will give you all the details and the pix, promise.

Q: Can America and the world survive the remainder of the Bush government? I wonder if the bookies are giving odds. I can’t say the Bush government is the worst American government ever, I’m not that old, but I can shout out that this is the most miserable excuse for an American government I have seen in my lifetime.

So, I’ve booked my ticket for the flights home in late July. Lufthansa to Frankfurt, USAir (ugh!) to Charlotte and then to Knoxville. Will do two nights in Knoxville on my own where I will not hear my name called at all. I love that. Then the return leg is from Huntington to Charlotte and Charlotte to Frankfurt on USAir (ugh!) and Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Abu Dhabi. And the price, hold on to your hats, is over 7,000 Dirhams, which is like about $2,000. And that’s economy class. It’s unbelievable what these thieves get away with.

Q: Do the American people know how the state of Israel was founded? This one I can give you the answer to. Terrorism. How many Israeli politicians were once world-wide wanted terrorists? More than one, I can tell you that. When will America come to understand that Israeli interests and American interests are not the same, and that using our foreign policy to further Israeli interests is killing America. Israel is like South Africa under Apartheid, it’s either going have to change or it will destroy itself. I just hope it doesn’t take America with it. Read this for more.
Can American Jews unplug the Israel lobby? By Gary Kamiya
http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2007/03/20/aipac/

Here are some other pieces I thought you might like, although I took the addresses over the last few weeks, I think most of them are still posted.

Declaim Academy by Nicholas Blincoe
http://books.guardian.co.uk/poetry/features/0,,2045551,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=10

Bush’ Long History of Politicizing Justice by Alia Malek
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/03/30/civil_rights/

This one is an especially good piece on how the US media failed the country in the lead-up to the Iraq War. It’s a very insightful and informing read.
Why the media failed by Gary Kamiya
http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2007/04/10/media_failure/

Upending the Mayberry Machiavellis by Sydney Blumenthal
http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2007/04/12/bush_destruction/

Now, here’s something that I’ve heard and read about. From what I understand, you go to the link and sign in and then you are asked to post what you are doing at that moment. Just a few short lines and they’re called Tweets. I guess it’s the latest fun thing for bored people, like me, to do on the net. I haven’t visited the site because it’s blocked by the proxy here. They block websites, mostly porn, and I really don’t know why this one is blocked for us. I wrote them an email to ask them. Anyway, check it out. I hear it’s fun.
http://www.twitter.com/

Well, that’s about me for now. More later.