The Steampunk World
There's not a day that goes by that I don't cry. My problem is that I read the paper, or watch the news, and every day there's something that I just can't handle. Did you see that CEO of Cantor-Fitzgerald? Amazing. Not the sort of compassion you'd expect from a brokerage CEO, but then again, most of them don't face many hardships in life. This guy lost 700 employees, every one who was at work that day. He said his remaining 200 employees voted, against his wishes, to return to work- so that the company can support 700 families. Incredible.
Today, it was the story about the guy who was shot and killed in Phoenix just for being remotely Arab-looking. The worst part about a murder like that is that every non-terrorist immigrant in this country came here for a better life, because they wanted to be here, in America, instead of amid the poverty and death of their former home. To arrive only to be shot and killed because of prejudice...
And now Bush says, "Wanted: Osama bin Laden, Dead Or Alive." Well, that's just great. I mean, the guy ain't comin' in alive (if he doesn't kill himself, then I doubt the marines will be gentle), but to openly flaunt the ideas of due process, of justice, of the sanctity of human life... scary words, from a president. And I've still got a year before I'm out of the Selective Service. Last November, I thought one year would be a piece of cake.
I've been thinking about the draft. Obviously we're a long way from needing it. I think it's criminal, of course, to legally shanghai someone into killing others at the whim of some general with a pocket stuffed full of defense contractor kickbacks who needs to kill some brown people to justify his job, is an atrocity. Now, they could make it quite acceptable in my eyes if you were given the choice between military service and service in some sort of Americorps work-for-your-country deal. Make it mandatory at 18. It would serve our country well to make all those big-pants-wearin' brats actually do some work, if only for a year. Working in the paper mill sure as hell got my ass through college. Don't I sound like a codger? Young whippersnappers today, they don't know what it was like, back in the 90's!
I guess my point is that there are people who want to serve, and people who don't. Everybody has a duty to their country, of course, I just wish that we spent as much money helping the third-world conditions in this country as much as we did on fusing the sand into glass in some faroff land.
You know the solution, of course. If the military needs people, how about lettin' in all these women and queers who want to join up, before conscripting a bunch of straight stoner guys who will make lousy soldiers? You're telling straight men they gotta kill for Uncle Sam, and to get to them, you gotta shove aside a straight woman who would probably make a killer pilot, a big butch leatherman who's probably already got a uniform (only with the buttocks cut out), and a diesel dyke who's ready to bite the adams apple out of the next terrorist she finds. And if you think sissy boys can't fight, ask one of the increasing number of homophobes who set out to do some gay-bashing and end up getting their asses kicked by a couple of faggots. Plenty of people who want to serve, can't. Why should only future politicians be able to get out of military service? ;)
Of course, there are women in the military. But don't they still keep them out of combat? I know some women in Desert Storm got a chance to kick some ass, but I don't know the official situation. As for queers, well, I've met plenty of queers who joined up to get laid, discovered that it sucks to be someone's property, and try to get out by telling their C.O. that they're gay- only to be told, "So?". What's this country coming to, when you can't even get kicked out of the Navy for being a "Rear Admiral"? Next thing you know, we won't be able to skip jury duty just by telling the lawyers that you hate everybody ;).
---
Some guy's bitching in the paper about how we're mistreating the flag by displaying it everywhere. How it's gotta be lit, taken down in the rain, can't be worn as clothing, can only be attached to the right rear bumper of a car, etc etc. What a load. I remember all that sacred-flag hoo-ha from Boy Scouts, and it makes no sense. If you're gonna show some patriotism, put that flag everywhere! Shirts, windows, cars, trees, tattoos. Likewise, allow people to burn the flag as a political statement. When Congress starts talking about banning self-expression through flag burning, Thomas Jefferson starts spinnin' in his grave and the slave lady ends up on top.
And what a show of patriotism in my neighborhood! First off, as an aside, can I say Why? O why, has it taken me 25 years to move to a neighborhood where people actually have those "La Cucaracha" horns in their cars? I love it! That said, I'm amazed at the number of cars with a huge U.S. flag flying from it with a little Puerto Rican flag underneath. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, seeing as they are Americans, but before I met any PRs I assumed they were bitter about their lack of representation- I guess lack of taxation makes up for it in an age where people don't really feel that the voters choose anything. We sure didn't choose our current president.
There's a six-month-old Leno joke in there somewhere. "Puerto Ricans finally feel like residents of the 51st state, now that the rest of America is just as disenfranchised..."
At any rate, every PR I've ever met considers themselves to be just as American as I. I'm sure that's not how rural America feels about it*. But lower taxes and lower labor costs are luring companies to Puerto Rico, with the help of their big promotional campaing, "If it's made in Puerto Rico, it's made in the U.S.A." So I guess they can put that little American flag on the tag of any clothing made there. But then you can't throw the clothing away. ;)
---
*Until there's a crappy job to be filled, of course. I hear rural states are pushing for more relaxed immigration policies, just so we can get enough people to work all the shitty jobs that Americans won't work because unemployment is so low. What was that joke Brooklyn told me? Stand up comedian says, "Are there any Irish folks in the house?"
(applause)
"Any German folks, any folks of German descent?"
(applause)
"What about Mexicans, any Mexicans here?"
(silence)
"Of course not, because they're all WORKING!"
Today, it was the story about the guy who was shot and killed in Phoenix just for being remotely Arab-looking. The worst part about a murder like that is that every non-terrorist immigrant in this country came here for a better life, because they wanted to be here, in America, instead of amid the poverty and death of their former home. To arrive only to be shot and killed because of prejudice...
And now Bush says, "Wanted: Osama bin Laden, Dead Or Alive." Well, that's just great. I mean, the guy ain't comin' in alive (if he doesn't kill himself, then I doubt the marines will be gentle), but to openly flaunt the ideas of due process, of justice, of the sanctity of human life... scary words, from a president. And I've still got a year before I'm out of the Selective Service. Last November, I thought one year would be a piece of cake.
I've been thinking about the draft. Obviously we're a long way from needing it. I think it's criminal, of course, to legally shanghai someone into killing others at the whim of some general with a pocket stuffed full of defense contractor kickbacks who needs to kill some brown people to justify his job, is an atrocity. Now, they could make it quite acceptable in my eyes if you were given the choice between military service and service in some sort of Americorps work-for-your-country deal. Make it mandatory at 18. It would serve our country well to make all those big-pants-wearin' brats actually do some work, if only for a year. Working in the paper mill sure as hell got my ass through college. Don't I sound like a codger? Young whippersnappers today, they don't know what it was like, back in the 90's!
I guess my point is that there are people who want to serve, and people who don't. Everybody has a duty to their country, of course, I just wish that we spent as much money helping the third-world conditions in this country as much as we did on fusing the sand into glass in some faroff land.
You know the solution, of course. If the military needs people, how about lettin' in all these women and queers who want to join up, before conscripting a bunch of straight stoner guys who will make lousy soldiers? You're telling straight men they gotta kill for Uncle Sam, and to get to them, you gotta shove aside a straight woman who would probably make a killer pilot, a big butch leatherman who's probably already got a uniform (only with the buttocks cut out), and a diesel dyke who's ready to bite the adams apple out of the next terrorist she finds. And if you think sissy boys can't fight, ask one of the increasing number of homophobes who set out to do some gay-bashing and end up getting their asses kicked by a couple of faggots. Plenty of people who want to serve, can't. Why should only future politicians be able to get out of military service? ;)
Of course, there are women in the military. But don't they still keep them out of combat? I know some women in Desert Storm got a chance to kick some ass, but I don't know the official situation. As for queers, well, I've met plenty of queers who joined up to get laid, discovered that it sucks to be someone's property, and try to get out by telling their C.O. that they're gay- only to be told, "So?". What's this country coming to, when you can't even get kicked out of the Navy for being a "Rear Admiral"? Next thing you know, we won't be able to skip jury duty just by telling the lawyers that you hate everybody ;).
---
Some guy's bitching in the paper about how we're mistreating the flag by displaying it everywhere. How it's gotta be lit, taken down in the rain, can't be worn as clothing, can only be attached to the right rear bumper of a car, etc etc. What a load. I remember all that sacred-flag hoo-ha from Boy Scouts, and it makes no sense. If you're gonna show some patriotism, put that flag everywhere! Shirts, windows, cars, trees, tattoos. Likewise, allow people to burn the flag as a political statement. When Congress starts talking about banning self-expression through flag burning, Thomas Jefferson starts spinnin' in his grave and the slave lady ends up on top.
And what a show of patriotism in my neighborhood! First off, as an aside, can I say Why? O why, has it taken me 25 years to move to a neighborhood where people actually have those "La Cucaracha" horns in their cars? I love it! That said, I'm amazed at the number of cars with a huge U.S. flag flying from it with a little Puerto Rican flag underneath. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, seeing as they are Americans, but before I met any PRs I assumed they were bitter about their lack of representation- I guess lack of taxation makes up for it in an age where people don't really feel that the voters choose anything. We sure didn't choose our current president.
There's a six-month-old Leno joke in there somewhere. "Puerto Ricans finally feel like residents of the 51st state, now that the rest of America is just as disenfranchised..."
At any rate, every PR I've ever met considers themselves to be just as American as I. I'm sure that's not how rural America feels about it*. But lower taxes and lower labor costs are luring companies to Puerto Rico, with the help of their big promotional campaing, "If it's made in Puerto Rico, it's made in the U.S.A." So I guess they can put that little American flag on the tag of any clothing made there. But then you can't throw the clothing away. ;)
---
*Until there's a crappy job to be filled, of course. I hear rural states are pushing for more relaxed immigration policies, just so we can get enough people to work all the shitty jobs that Americans won't work because unemployment is so low. What was that joke Brooklyn told me? Stand up comedian says, "Are there any Irish folks in the house?"
(applause)
"Any German folks, any folks of German descent?"
(applause)
"What about Mexicans, any Mexicans here?"
(silence)
"Of course not, because they're all WORKING!"
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