American hero?

I am going to start this post by remembering my wife's brother in law, Joseph Barnaba, and some of the good times that we shared together.

I would always look forward to visiting Louisiana and hanging out with Joseph while our wives (Mrs. Field and her sister) hung out. This was before he was called to duty in Iraq and did a couple of tours during the height of that brutal campaign.

When Joseph came home from Iraq we all saw that he had changed. Unless you have lived through it, it's hard to explain to you the changes that some returning veterans go through. He would try to smile but his eyes were not smiling. He would look through you instead of at you, and you always got the sense that his mind was back on the streets of Ramadi or some other part of that god- forsaken country.

Joseph couldn't stay away from his comrades, and against his wife's wishes he went back for another tour. Sadly, it would eventually cost him his life. And it cost my sister in law, my wife, and his family; immeasurable grief.

 I took a few paragraphs to write about Joseph because I want to weigh in on this controversy surrounding the movie, American Sniper, and I want you to understand where I am coming from as it relates to this issue.

Unlike some of my friends on the left, I am not going to trash this movie and everything it stands for. Primarily because I think that we owe it to our fallen soldiers like Joseph to have a conversation about PTSD and other problems facing returning soldiers and their families. In my opinion this movie has generated such a buzz that it is causing us to have that conversation.

I wish we could have had it with Hurt Locker, (a better movie in my opinion) but that's just me. Better late than never I guess.

"Michael Moore        ✔ @MMFlint   Tomorrow's Sunday School (1) What Would Jesus Do? Oh, I know what he'd do -- hide on top of a roof and shoot people in the back!"

I do, however, believe that there is a certain amount of right wing flag- waving that goes on with movies like this that is a bit unsettling. Movies like this are embraced by FOX viewers and the chattering class over there for all the wrong reasons. Not because it shows the horrors of war, but because it gives us a chance to cheer on our good ole USA, as we send our young men and women off to die in misguided campaigns that are drawn up in Washington primarily for political reasons.

And then there is the man who the story is based on, Chris Kyle. From all accounts he was a racist and a lunatic. He was a man, it is alleged, who bragged about murdering looters during Katrina, and who, in his own words, "Loved  killing savages."

To be sure, this is one of the reasons that the right has embraced this film. To them the world is black and white, and if you are not with the USA you are against it. Kyle represents everything that is "good" about America to right wing false patriots for all the wrong reasons.

Chris Kyle didn't save America; he is not Super Man. Chris Kyle was one of many soldiers who volunteered to serve their country and did their job in a time of war. Some, like Joseph, paid the ultimate sacrifice, and some are still with us suffering with whatever demons attached itself to them in Iraq.

So I don't blame Michael Moore when he speaks out against the movie and the false narrative being created around Chris Kyle. Michael Moore has every right to speak his mind and give his opinions about a movie that he finds troubling. Good men like Joseph Barnaba died for him to have that right.

Poor "Mr Newport Beach".

“Obama is the worst thing to ever happen to this country,” declares the wealthy, rakish, silver-haired Newport Beach white guy to his small group of perfectly tanned 50-something females sitting just a few feet away from us at a stunning restaurant patio overlooking the sun-kissed California coastline, just off of Highway 1, as he sipped his pinot and adjusted his wraparound Ray Bans, flush from the economy’s spectacular recovery that has benefitted his exact demographic most of all, stroking his purebred dog and taking various selfies with their $500 phones, oblivious to the furious swirls of irony and hypocrisy fluttering just above their heads.

I laughed out loud. Couldn’t help it; I had just overheard Mr. Newport Beach say something about how Obamacare is an unmitigated disaster (despite how, of course, it’s not), and if America were to somehow actually develop a health care system similar to, say, Canada’s, that would be the end of America for certain; we’d never recover from such a devastating blow. Or something. And then came the “worst thing to ever happen” quip, and I couldn’t hold back.

The worst ever! Except for the last guy.

They didn’t hear me, of course; the orgasmic thrum of their perfect lives drowned out my chuckle, and as I turned and looked at this beautifully entitled, happy crew from my vantage point only a few feet away but a million light years in perspective, we all shared one of the most spectacular, envied locales in the world and all of us sipped superb regional grape and not a single one of us suffered the slightest personal, social or economic indignity, every first-world need instantly met, every crab cake perfectly formed, the sunshine as flawless as Jesus on toast and no lines at the restroom and lots of free parking for his Lexus SUV.


A few thoughts struck me, all at once. The first was how nice this group all seemed – and of course they probably were – and I imagine if we had all had met under different circumstances and been chatting about, say, the weather or the soul-exploding coastline, I’m sure we would have been fast, easy friends – noting that, if we wanted to remain that way, we’d never talk about politics. Or religion.


Even so, I desperately wanted to ask Mr. Newport Beach what his stock portfolio looked like a mere six or seven years ago, when Bush & Co. ravaged the country and led us into one of the deepest, most brutal social and economic pits in modern history. Did he lose half his net worth? More? Was he worried he couldn’t feed his family or pay his mortgage? Did he lose his house? His job? Did he blame Bush? Clinton? Islam? The gays?


And by the way, how does he like the recovery so far? Which of his three perfect, multimillion-dollar homes was he on his way to, right now?
I also wanted to know, when Bush/Cheney lied to the world, openly violated the tragedy of 9/11 and invaded Iraq, killing tens of thousands, was he furious? What about now, when even Fox News is calling out Cheney and declaring Iraq invasion a colossal mistake, a lie from which we’re still unable to extricate ourselves?


Nevertheless, Obama ended Bush’s disastrous war, just like he said he would, on time and under budget. Does it matter?


And what of Newport’s female companions? I wonder if he knows that upwards of 99 percent of sexually active women have used some form of contraception. Is he in line with the GOP’s recent spate of nasty misogyny and anti-abortion spew? What about the awful SCOTUS Hobby Lobby decision, further bashing women, and Obama’s immediate moves to defend women’s rights? Is he aware? I bet those women are. Or surely, their daughters.


And really, what about the stock market? The Dow dances around record highs, Wall Street snorts rails of finely chopped gold every day, the income gap between the 1% and everyone else is more demeaning than ever and the banks haven’t fundamentally changed in the slightest. Why isn’t Mr. Newport Beach positively orgasmic about the Obama Administration’s generally wealth-favoring policies that made it all happen? Say what you like, but Obama managed to do what nearly all economists and pundits thought impossible back in 2008: reverse the ugliest, GOP-led social and economic tailspin in modern history, and make guys like Mr. Newport richer than ever.


My new friend looked good. Healthy. Fit. Good teeth, thick head of silver hair, that prostate cancer scare a couple years back easily nipped by a few wildly expensive treatments he never paid a dime for. Who did pay for his insurance? His company? Medicare? Did he have any idea what it was like not to be able to afford it, or be offered any in the first place?


I sipped my rosé, took a deep breath, enjoyed the magnificent landscape as one final, predominant thought swam into view: how? How can there be such a radical disconnect between Mr. Newport’s engorged portfolio, his fantastic insurance plan, low mortgage rate and grotesque corporate privilege – most of it born of the past six years – and Obama’s overall policy successes? Does he consider it all just a fluke? Dumb luck? Is he drunk on Limbaugh and Fox News, unable to see actual facts?


Look here, Newport: Since Obama took office, corporate profits are way up. So is business investment, job growth (moderately), retail sales, manufacturing (well, barely). Want to buy another house? Interest rates are fantastic. The housing crisis has largely subsided, and home foreclosures are way down. Also, people are buying lots of new cars, and there’s a fully recovered auto industry ready to meet all demand.


Did he know federal discretionary spending is well below average? Or that the poverty rate has stabilized? And the stock market is, as mentioned, breaking records, benefitting rich white dudes more than ever?


Of course, it’s all pretty shaky. Flawed and imbalanced and could give out at any second – but that’s just the nature of the excruciatingly complex, unstable world economy these days. And while corporations are raking it in, workers are seeing less and less of their fair share. There are still myriad problems, and Obama’s policies are far from perfect. No party’s ever are. Regardless, given the impossible economic hell-pit Obama was left with, it’s unlikely any president could have possibly done better.


Clearly I’m missing something, a huge bed of terrifying data to prove all these respectable charts and graphs wrong. But where is it? I’ve heard Mr. Newport Beach’s bizarre lament a thousand times, but I’ve yet to see a solid batch of evidence that proves Obama’s outright failure, or the nation’s savage decline. I see a blip about food stamps, I see a few weak economic signs here and there, but mostly, since 2009, it all’s been somewhere between timidly and shockingly positive. Did God smite us for gay marriage? Did the abortion factories, death panels and Nazi Kenyan socialist brain-washing farms steal my very soul? Hard to tell with all this perfect sunshine in my eyes.


The bottom line seems obvious: Much to the GOP’s bitter revulsion, it turns out a calm, intellectual black man really can run an entire country – certainly far better than an inarticulate Texas bumbler, and even in the face of what is easily the most obstructionist, hateful, acidic and often downright racist Congress in modern memory. Quite an achievement, really.


It’s curious, no? The unmitigated hate for Obama comes from the right, but the real disappointment comes from the left. It’s we liberals who seem to have the most legitimate gripes with a man we all thought would be far more radical and revolutionary. From the NSA to drone warfare to a shocking lack of transparency, a shameless kowtowing to Wall Street, a lack of serious education reform and barely a blip about the environment (until very recently) – Obama has been a far more mixed bag for the left than anyone wants to admit.


But right now, that seems like quibbling. To hear Mr. Newport Beach tell it, my president is a downright monster. Who cares if he ended the war, saved the economy, restored America’s stature in the world, nailed Osama bin Laden, invested billions in clean energy, partially reformed what is still the most expensive, least effective health care system in the industrialized world, or made the rich even richer? The guy’s the worst thing to ever happen to America. I mean, obviously. Now who wants more wine?" [Source]

Openly crazy.

These "open carry" gun nuts are getting out of control. Wait...did I say getting out of control? I take that back. They are out of control.


Take this clown up in Michigan for example.


"Just-released police footage showed a tense standoff between Kalamazoo, MI cops and a man carrying a rifle down the street last month, a situation eventually required the entire block to be shut down as a SWAT negotiator tried to convince the man to surrender his firearm.


Michigan laws allow residents to carry firearms but not to brandish them. After several emergency calls reporting an elderly man, possibly intoxicated and definitely in pajama pants, wandering down the street with an automatic rifle, cops responded and tried to detain him for jaywalking. He resisted the officers, gave his name as “Joe Schmoe,” yelled about open carrier rights, yelled about revolution, accused the officers of being gang members, at one point repeatedly grabbed his crotch, and dared the officers, “Why don’t you fucking shoot me?”“ I am not going to die because you’re angry with me,” the negotiator told him. At one point an officer is heard to say that the man had “far exceeded” his open carry rights.


The negotiator eventually convinced the man to surrender his rifle, which was returned to him the next day." {See video}


Sir, thank your lucky stars that you are not a Negro in America, because, if you were, your family would still be in mourning.


If a Negro asked the po po to shoot him they would have certainly obliged.


Still, something has to be done about these "open carry" fanatics. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't like the idea of going out to eat with my beautiful wife and having to worry about some clown with an AR-15 at the next table choking on his salad and accidentally popping off some shots in the direction of my table.


If I am at the local Target the last thing I want to see is one of these fanatics strolling the toy aisle. And yet, if I lived in Dallas, Texas, there is  a strong chance that I would be unlucky enough to run into one.


"On Saturday in the Dallas suburb of Irving, a group of men armed with semi-automatic rifles gathered in a parking lot outside a Target store for a demonstration led by the group Open Carry Texas, whose goal is the loosening and abolishment of gun regulations. (It's legal in Texas to carry rifles on display in public, but not handguns.) As I reported recently, Open Carry Texas drew Target into the ongoing political battle over gun laws by encouraging its armed supporters to parade through the store's toy aisles, tote Oreos along with their ammo, and boast that "Target is very 2A friendly." (The group and its allies have also been involved in some disturbing intimidation tactics and recently were rebuked by the National Rifle Association.)" [Source] 


You know that you have officially gone over into crazy-land when the NRA says that you are too extreme for their taste. The NRA called them "scary" and "weird" . But then they realized that most of their members actually support these fanatics, and thus were forced to apologize to their crazy gun-toting cousins.


 "The National Rifle Association is walking back its recent criticism of pro-gun activists in Texas, apologizing to protesters for the "confusion" over the powerful gun lobby's position on open carry of firearms."


Combine  the "stand your ground" laws and this open carry trend, and what we have is a recipe for disaster.
 
"The man was not charged with brandishing a firearm. “After reviewing the report, the detectives felt the officer was right in taking the gun for safe keeping for that time because of the response they got back from the gentlemen who was walking down the street actually carrying the gun and moving it from shoulder to shoulder, but it wasn’t enough to present to the prosecutor’s office,”


That might be the scariest part of this story.


Finally,  a couple of more things.


First, why isn't everyone who got us involved in the war in Iraq not sitting in a bench in The Hague and being tried for war crimes?


Every time I see one of W's merry men on television (I see you Mr. Bremer) telling us why we should go back in Iraq or why we shouldn't have left in the first place, I think about that.


Second, you will probably never see me write anything like this again, but shout out to Rand Paul for bringing attention to a serious problem in this country. It's nice to know that there is at least one elected republican official who cares about some of the same issues that I do.


We get on Rand Paul when he says and does dumb s**t. So we have to praise him when he does the right thing as well.






















 

Are we ready for round two?

With the latest news out of Iraq, it must feel like a sick version of "Groundhog Day" to most Americans.


(And you thought that we had seen the last of the Shiites and Sunnis.)


The neocons and right-wing chicken hawks in America are itching for a fight. "We should never have left when we did" they cry. "The job was not finished. We should have kept boots on the ground." Over at FOX Views they are trotting out Judith Miller again for crying out loud.


If this wasn't such a serious issue it would all be very funny.


These are the same people who got us into this never ending war in the first place. We toppled a dictator who was holding the country together and who (although he was no doubt evil) was just what the doctor ordered for this unstable and volatile country.


So what now? Do we listen to the people that lied about WMDs to get us there in the first place and cost us an enormous sacrifice in blood and treasure?
Or do we wash our hands of the region and let whatever generational beefs they have with each other work itself out?


Before we decide what to do, remember this: America hasn't recovered economically or emotionally from W's war, and the usual suspects are at it again.


"The senator [McCain] wasted no time snapping back, hammering Stein for his “confusion”:

I think you are confused because you didn’t know what happened with the surge where we basically had the country pacified. We had a stable government in Baghdad, and we had the conflict basically — for all intents and purposes — won. We still got troops in Bosnia, a residual force would have stabilized the country. Most military experts will tell you that. So I’m sorry about your confusion, but the facts on the ground were that al Qaeda had been defeated almost completely and with the residual American force and at that time, a strong Iraq. Now, [Iraqi PM Nouri] al-Maliki is very weak. Maliki got worse after we left. And again, I knew this was going to happen, because we didn’t leave that force behind. And so I’m sorry about your confusion, but anybody who was there will tell you we had the conflict won.

Had it won? The daily bombings and non-stop carnage from that country ever since W's war started until now says something different.


“I guess I shouldn’t myself confused, because it would be used against me,” Stein remarked. He then pressed once more: “What is the end date for our forces in Iraq? Is it open-ended? And if that’s the case, because we need to have a residual force there to prop up the Iraq government indefinitely, is that how you see it?”


In return, McCain cited residual American troops stationed in Germany, Japan, Korea, and Bosnia as having successfully stabilized regions American forces have previously occupied."


Senator there is no stabilizing this region. And if you of all people aren't aware of that, well then we are in some serious trouble.



 






 

They won't be singing "Hail To The Chief".

Let me say this and get it out of the way right now: gentlemen, thank you for your service.

But now I am going to have to rip both of you.

I see where another A-merry-can soldier stationed Iraq has joined 1st Lieutenant Scott Easterling in his law suit against Barack Hussein Obama. It seems that these men refuse to serve under a Commander in Chief who they do not believe is eligible to be their president.

We can thank Orly Taitz, a California attorney (sometimes I am ashamed of my profession) for this latest joke of a law suit. This clown has joined the one who flew over the cuckoo's nest, Alan Keyes, to stir up this Obama birth certificate mess again. So now that they have two soldiers to join their ridiculous suit, they are getting pub from the likes of Matt Drudge.

"As an active-duty officer in the United States Army, I have grave concerns about the constitutional eligibility of Barack Hussein Obama to hold the office of president of the United States."

Hey, I love our brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, (I still mourn the loss of one of them who was related to me by law) but these two....I don't know. I guess the recruiting station is open to all types. And hey, this is A-merry-ca, so they have a right to their views. But they are in the military, and the O man is their Commander in Chief whether they like it or not. If they want to be deserters that Canadian border is wide open. I am quite sure that there were quite a few people who were serving in Iraq who couldn't stand the frat boy. But you didn't see them joining with crack pots and filing lawsuits to have him removed. This just goes to show you that this O thing could get ugly. We are only a little over a month into his presidency and the derangement syndrome (DS) has kicked in already. Hey, I could excuse an early DS with the frat boy, because quite a few people thought that he did a Jesse James with that election. But this....I just don't get it. Well, maybe I do.

"I am an Army reservist who was activated last August and am currently serving with a military police battalion in Camp Bucca, Iraq. I will be here until at least June 2009..
..When I enlisted last year I had to show my birth certificate, as well as my driver's license, high school diploma, college transcripts, social security card; I also filled out loads of paperwork to include listing the names, addresses and phone numbers of my family members and had to answer any questions regarding foreign travel. ...I think it is reasonable for Obama to prove his citizenship status thus certifying his eligibility. I too raised my right hand and swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States,... I believe the case you are filing could very well determine if we are in fact a Constitutional Republic or a nation of mob rule. I would be honored to be a part of your efforts."

That is what he told Taitz. Soldier you have got to be kidding me. You do realize, don't you, that what you are over there fighting for is the very thing that got Barack Obama elected. It's called a democracy, and this democracy has voted for Barack Hussein Obama to be your Commander in Chief, so get used to it.

"Until Mr. Obama releases a 'vault copy' of his original birth certificate for public review, I will consider him neither my Commander in Chief nor my President, but rather, a usurper to the Office – an impostor,..."

Yeah yeah yeah. Just watch out for enemy fire and shut up.

Goodbye.

Every now and then the sad realities of real life gets in the way of the joy we get from blogging.

A couple of years ago I posted this piece about the war in Iraq and the men (including Mrs. Field's brother in law,Joseph. ) who were putting their butts on the line for all of us.

Joseph Barnaba came home from that war, but he was never the same. The physical injuries he suffered was nothing compared to the emotional ones he had to live with.

Joseph Barnaba was found dead in his home last week. A deadly combination of pills in his system was blamed for his demise. But I think Joseph died long before last week. Joseph, like so many young men before him, came home from a war that he had no right being involved with in the first place. And, sadly, it took its toll on him, his family, and all the people he touched.

Joseph Barnaba was buried on Saturday, far from the battle field where he was first injured. He was a good man, which is more that I can say for the son of a bitch who sent him there in the first place.

The Political Soldiers.

I swear I was going to try and hold off on posting about this damn war in Iraq for awhile. But sometimes, as a blogger, you just can't ignore the news. And the news of the day centers around the good general and his testimony before congress about the frat boy's war in Iraq.

Now when I say good, I am being sarcastic of course, because there is nothing good about the frat boy's latest military lackey being trotted out to hoodwink the American people. I am sorry, the weak and gutless national media is all over MoveOn.org for their ad. where they called the good general, "Betray us", for no reason, because he deserves that label. Let me put it you like this; the good general is a political animal, who gave a speech to congress today, just like the White House scripted it. I don't know about you, but when a military general who has already lost over 3,700 of his men, whose job it is to protect said men, totally mischaracterize the nature of a military engagement, he is certainly betraying somebody. If not us---the American people---then certainly his men.

"I wrote this testimony myself. It has not been cleared by nor shared with anyone in the Pentagon, the White House or the congress."

Yeah right! And I have never wondered what Lark Voorhies looks like in her birthday suit.

Folks, it's like this: General Petraeus, like Colin Powell, was presented to us by the Bush White House to hoodwink us. Colin's big moment, and ultimate lie, was played out during the run up to the Iraq war, when he sat in front of the United Nations, and with a straight face, told the world that the mustache man of Baghdad had weapons of mass destruction. He is still trying to clear his name after that one. And sadly, he will spend the rest of what was a once promising life, trying to explain just what the fuck he was smoking that day. Like William Westmoreland did for Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam war, Powell and Petraeus keep doing the frat boy's bidding by telling the American people that there is a "light at the end of the tunnel". Or, in Powell's case, lets go into the tunnel to see if we can see some light.

But I have to give it to the frat boy and his brain. They had to know that not one sane American would believe their bull shit. So instead, they trot out two politically savvy, and media conscious career soldiers, with all kinds of medals on their chests, and stars on their shoulders. They know that Americans are suckers for a nice crisp uniform, and an aura of authority. And as one blogger I read wrote recently;"they use these central casting generals to give an illusion of objectivity."

Of course we know now that nothing could be farther from the truth. These two clowns are as loyal to their political masters as any other flunky in the White House, in spite of what the rethuglicans, and some dim-ocrats try to tell us. How could Petraeus, for instance, be objective when he wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post six weeks before the 2004 presidential elections? In that piece, he claimed that there had been "tangible progress" in Iraq, and the "momentum had gathered". Yep, I think "betray us" was an accurate name for the good general. And don't even get me started on milk carton Colin, cause dude has some issues.

Please America, do not go for the "flim flam". You heard the good general today judge for yourself. He said there will be 30,000 troops withdrawn by March of 2008, there is ongoing progress in Anbar province, some of the benchmarks are being met... and on and on. Think about it. All the good general was doing today, was giving cover for moderate rehug-licans, and rethug-lican presidential candidates this next election. By promising some modest withdrawals, he allows the polittircksters to go to the people and say;"see folks the boys will be coming home one day soon." That's what a slick ass general with a doctorate degree from Princeton does. (Sorry Chris) He does his bosses bidding, all the while seeming objective, and getting credibility with the public at large. In other words, like Colin before him, he straddles the fence, and gives an illusion of being honorable and above partisan politics.

"I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge levels...by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains we have fought so hard to achieve"

And I believe you are full of shit general "Betray us".

Letter To Santa.

The field just got home from yet another trip to the mall, and I must say that it's still amazing just how this particular holiday can transform people. I know, it's just eight days before Christmas, so what else should I expect. Anyway, what I remember about this particular trip was that Santa Claus himself was in the middle of the mall. He was taking pictures and Christmas wishes from all the little ones who were all more than delighted to have their pics taken, and to have the ear of the jolly one himself, if even for just a couple of minutes.

So I was thinking, since I didn't have time to get in line, and because people would laugh at me anyway-field get out of there you are way too old to be visiting Santa-I thought I would pen the big guy a letter in the privacy of my own home. No pressure,no screaming kids, and no crowds to mess up my train of thoughts.

So here goes:

Mr. Santa Claus-AKA Jolly St. Nicholas
Santa's Workshop
North Pole, Alaska 99705


Dear Santa:

I hope this letter finds you in your usual good spirits as you get ready for your big day. Or should I say, big evening. First, I would like to apologize for my fellow Philadelphians booing you and throwing snow balls at you during that football game back in the day. I know it was a long time ago, but I had to clear the air, just in case you see where I am from and decide to hold it against me.

How is Mrs. Claus? Say hello to her for me please, she seems like such a nice lady, and I am sure she has her hands full taking care of you and all those reindeer and little helper elves. It must be really hard for you two given the fact that you only work once a year, and she is a stay at home wife. How do you survive on just one salary, I mean don't you have to meet pay roll for all those little helpers? I know they don't work for free. And just how the heck do you afford all those toys that you give away every year? Do you get donations from very rich people and toy companies, does the government just give you a stipend because of all the good cheer that you bring, or does someone else buy the gifts and you have been taking credit for them all these years? Ahh heck, I am sorry for saying that Santa, I couldn't believe that about you, you are way too nice of a guy to perpetuate that type of a hoax on all these little children.

I know some years are tougher than some, but I bet this will be an easy year for you with the toy deliveries. Because quite frankly, so many more people have been naughty than nice. As a result, I bet this year you saved a ton in fuel cost because your sleigh is so much lighter for your trip.

So anyway, I was wondering; since you might have some extra toys laying around, could you deliver them to some children in a place called Darfur for me? I know you have probably never heard of it. It's in Africa, there are children there too, and they would love nothing more than a little Christmas cheer and joy from you. I bet none of them have been naughty either Santa, because frankly, they are barely alive, and I am sure they don't even have the energy to be naughty. In fact, now that I think about it; do you think you could get them some food? I mean toys would be nice, but they can't eat toys and I think staying alive is more important to them right about now.

Now it's warm in Africa Santa, so you might want to lose some of that clothes before you go. And there really is no chimney's there either, so you might want to watch that desert landing. Oh, and watch out for the Jamjaweed fighters, they happen to be Muslims, and I don't think they believe in you or the whole Christmas spirit thing, so please be careful. Keep those reindeer and that sleigh jacked up in case you have to make a clean get way. Trust me, I know these people, they will have no problem killing you and taking all the toys and food meant for the children. So you better take Dancer, Prancer,and Comet, and leave the slow pokes like Rudolph and Cupid at home. There will be no love in the desert, and besides, Rudolph's bright red nose might give you away. Trust me, there is nothing bright in Darfur, so they will spot you from a mile away.


And while we are on the subject of giving to little children. Can you make sure that whatever you give the little children in the hood,-whoops, sorry Santa, I meant in the inner city- they will have some educational value. Please, no toy guns, or PlayStations, or any toy that they will spend hours with in idle play. They need things like toy computers, books, and calculators. I know it might not be what they are wishing for, but just this once, I am asking you not to listen to their wishes, and do what will be better for them in the long run. Believe me, their parents (or parent) will be happy too, because a lot of the things they are wishing for will be too expensive for them to get if you can't deliver it for them. Now this is only for the little kids in the inner city Santa, you can give the little kids in the suburbs whatever they want, because if you can't deliver, I am sure their parents will find a way to get it for them.

As for gifts for me, I don't want any, and I don't have any personal wishes for you. I know you specialize in toys and good cheer around Christmas, so my wish would be a little too deep for you to handle. Number one, it would be a year round request, and not something for just this time of year. And, it involves a much more complex problem or problems, than even you could take on. I mean I could give you the whole corny I want peace on earth good will to man spiel, but unless you know how to get guns off the streets, and erase years and years of self hatred indoctrinated into the minds of our children, it won't work. Unless you know how to find a way to minimize the ego greed and selfishness of our politricksters and so called community leaders, then I am afraid I would be just wasting my breath. And unless you know how to stop a cowboy from taking an entire country of over 300 million people farther into a war that has no end in sight, and can have no positive conclusion; then asking you would be pointless. I mean it would just depress you so much if I asked for what I really wanted, that quite frankly, you would simply close the Santa shop and take Ms. Claus down to Florida with you to retire.

So instead, I will just ask for other people, like the children of Darfur, and the children of Iraq, and I will just hope that you can deliver for me and for them. If you could do that, in spite of all the dangers, I would really appreciate it, and I would stop being so cynical about all your powers and the good that you supposedly do.

Oh, before I go, Santa, you really need to start watching your weight, I know it's all a part of your image to be the chubby jolly guy. But if you are not careful, you might have some serious health issues down the line; and if you check out, think of all the disappointed children we will have next Christmas, not to mention poor Mrs. Clause, who will have to live out the rest of her life as a widow.

Well, bye for now Santa, and be careful out there this holiday season. The world isn't what it used to be, and quite frankly, not as many kids believe in you anymore. So lock up your sleigh when you leave it, watch your back, and be careful in certain neighborhoods. Some of these kids don't want to wait until you give them the gifts, they will take it from you, and they don't give a damn whether you think they were naughty or nice. I swear Santa, they are growing up way too fast.


Sincerely,

The Field Negro

Weapons Of Multiple Directions

There was the frat boy and great "Decider" announcing yet another new plan for his war in Iraq. Flanked by the bad perm lady, and the human hunter himself, our favorite frat boy was explaining once again, his plan for a "new direction" in Iraq. Gee, I can't even begin to imagine what this "new direction" will look like. Let's just hope it's better than the last directions we took. Let's see now, almost 3,000 of our brave young men killed (4 more today), a half a trillion dollars and counting in our tax dollars, not to mention a region in absolute chaos. So yeah, I would say that it just might be time for a "new direction".

But do you want to know what's really scary? The fact that according to a new AP Ipsos poll, a little over 28% of our fellow American believe that we are heading in the right direction in Iraq. Gee, I wish I know where those people were. Rrrrrring: "Hello", "Yes is this Mrs. Jones?" " Yes this is her, how may I help you?" "Yes Mrs. Jones, this is the Field-Negro, and I have this wonderful idea to cure cancer, would you like to invest your life savings with me?" "Sure Mr. Field Negro where do I send the check?" Seriously, who the f*&% are these people, and why are they even living among us, and not locked away in an asylum some damn where? I mean, do these people really believe that the frat boy's plan for a stable democracy in the Middle East can work? My question to them would be this: Just how much f*****g longer would you have us stay there, and will that vat of Kool Aide ever dry up?

"Like most Americans this administration wants to succeed in Iraq because we understand success in Iraq would help protect the U.S. in the long run". This was our President today, still lying to the American people, and still spinning this travesty of a war. "...because we understand that success in Iraq would help protect the U.S. in the long run"? No it wouldn't, success in Iraq has absolutely nothing to do with protecting us here in the U.S. All success in Iraq would do is protect your sorry ass legacy Mr. President, so stop it already. I mean really now George, this has gone on long enough. For the 71% of us in this country who realize just how absurd this sounds and how absurd this war is, this kind of rhetoric makes us all want to...well, move to Canada or some damn place. I mean to follow your insane logic to its conclusion, this would be like someone raping a woman and after she gets pregnant saying: "gee I sure hope this pregnancy goes well, because if there are complications it could jeopardize her life and that of the child."

As I watched the bad perm lady and the VP standing there today, I couldn't help but think to myself just how pathetic a bunch these clowns are, and for a minute there, I almost felt sorry for them. Almost. Let's face it, these guys are in way over their heads, and now they are calling in Tom, Dick, and Harry, or, should I say, James, Lee, and Vernon, to bail them out. And this was Tony Snowjob today, talking about the President's ...ahhh "new direction": "It's important that the American people (Boy they love that line don't they? 'The American people') be aware both of his consultation and his level of concern about getting it right". Well Tony Snow Job, this will be the first time he cares about getting it right, cause he sure didn't care for these past few years. A little late for some 2,800 Americans and an untold number of Iraqis don't you think?

The frat boy meets tomorrow with Tariq al-Hashemi (Doesn't he play wide receiver for the Bengals?) the Iraqi Vice President. Lets hope he has more luck with this Sunni than he did with the Shiite con artist he propped up as President. Somehow, I get the feeling that my man is going to say to the frat boy: " Look, you f****d up our country, things weren't too bad under Saddam, especially for me, (A Sunni remember?) so the least you could do is hang around until we get this democracy thing right". To which I am sure the frat boy will reply:"Don't worry Tariq, the American people are behind you 100%, don't you watch FOX NEWS?"

"Can't We All Just Get Along?"

It seemed like only yesterday that the man with the bad jeri curl, and an ass whipping compliments of four L.A.P.D. officers was asking that question. You remember Rodney King don't you folks? Yep, he is the guy who made me reconsider whether Hyundai's were piece of crap cars. I mean any car that can drive at speeds over 100 mph for for well over eight miles can't be all bad in my book. But I digress. So Rodney was finally caught and given a lesson in what happens to a black man when he runs from the police. This happened in the form of PR 24 baton's raining down on his back side and just about any other body part that was exposed. Of course we all know what followed; the ass whopping was caught on film by a man named George Holiday, the cops were all acquitted-just doing their job-, and three days of rioting, along with the worst civil disturbance in L.A. history followed.

It was in the aftermath of this, that the man at the center of this American tragedy asked that now famous question. Of course, it was a little easier for Rodney, he was looking at a 3.8 million dollar payday. Hey, I hear you Rodney, I would ask too: "Can't we all just get along", at least until I cash my check? So Rodney had some motivation for wanting to get along, Rodney was about to get paid. Rodney was a celebrity now, and all of L.A. was hanging on Rodney's every word. Look at the camera and say cheese Rodney.

But what about those people who have no incentive to get along? What about folks, who for them, getting along means doing without or compromising core principles? For instance, If you ask a Palestinian why he can't get along with an Israeli, he will tell you that the mother f*&^%r is on his land that's why. And if you ask an Israeli the same question, he will tell you: Because the mother f%^&#r wants to drive me into the sea that's why. If you ask a radical Muslim, he will say it's because we are infidels, if you ask someone living in the West about the radical Muslim, we will say it's because the mother f%^&*r wants to fly planes into our buildings and kill innocent people. Get the picture? There are many reasons we can't get along, and getting along ain't easy. It's hard to get people to get along. Heck, if we could do that, there would be no North Korean crisis, no Russian, Chechnyan crisis, no crisis in Darfur, no crisis in the Congo, in Indonesia, and on and on. But folks, sadly, the nature of humans will always be such that we will never truly be able to get along. Because people will always have agendas and their own need for self preservation. The trick is to understand that, and to learn the art of compromise and dialogue. This, my friends, is the essence of diplomacy. Understanding that we can't get along, and learning how to make everyone satisfied and happy in that understanding.

Sadly, sometimes the people who want to force us to get along are the most dangerous.-I will now insert my proverbial frat boy reference here-they can't understand why we can't just get along, and in their Pollyanna world that is the way it should be. This is why-and I have said this many times before- I have no problem with the racist expressing himself, and letting it be known that he does not care for n*&&%#s. Why? Because then, at least, I know who he is, and I prefer that. Just don't f^% with me or my chance to make a living and we will be fine. Get it? So anyway, back to my Pollyanna ideologues. These folks end up trying to force their will and agendas on others; and my friends, look no further than Iraq for the result of this form of thinking.

I call it the Rodney King foreign policy, the "can't we just get along" school of diplomacy. Hey, it worked in our country, look what a wonderful democracy we have. You Iraqi's can achieve the same thing. In America, we coexist, we all live in harmony, we all just get along. Oh if the rest of the world could be just like American huh George. But it's not, and it never will be, because of those little differences and individual interests that I mentioned. The world is too complex, too nuanced; different interests for different regions. What works for America, won't work for China, what works for France, won't work for England, and so on.

So George, when your neocon friends tell you that all you have to do is create a democracy in Iraq and it-democracy- will spread throughout the region, they are wrong, it will never happen. Too much history, too much years of built up tribal and ethnic tensions, and revenge to be had for past wrongs. You see George, unlike Rodney King, those people can't be bought for $3.8 million dollars.-What's the reward for the NBA sized man with the beard now, 30 Million?- And you can't get to them with cheesy promises of some great democracy where they all can be free. That worked for black folks in this country, because we co-oped your value system. But they have not, and to create stability in that region, you and the bad perm lady will have to do more than just the Rodney King diplomacy you have been trotting out. You will have to work to understand just what the hell is going on in the world, and find a way to help every one to coexist peacefully, even if we all just can't get along.

Because at the end of the day, the ass whopping won't be coming from four L.A.P.D officers, it will be coming from a B-52 bomber, and will take the form of a mushroom cloud.

***Just a note, as the murder rate continue to rise in Philly, the death toll continues to mount in Bushdad, and the slaughter continues in Darfur. I would like to beg frat boy and the bad perm lady to change course in Iraq, and start focusing on Darfur. By entertaining a murdering lunatic like General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who still refuses to allow U.N. Peacekeepers in Darfur. You, President Bush, have taken your Presidency down another notch-as if that's possible- Yeah you appointed a special envoy to Darfur, whoppeeee. How about some real action, before a million more people are slaughtered or displaced? I mention the murder rate in Philly; because I truly believe that if some of the billions of dollars we were spending in Bushdad, could be somehow used at home to help create jobs and activities for some of these kids, they wouldn't be killing each other over drug corners and pointless beefs. ****

The field is out.

MY WAR ON NEOCON TERROR

Well it's Sunday morning on a beautiful fall day here in the land of the brave and the home of some free, and the field is still troubled about this Iraq war. There was a time, when I told my self that I wouldn't write about it anymore, because it gets me too emotional to write a lucid post. I get emotional, because my brother in law was blown up by an IED while on patrol in Baghdad, and while his wife was pregnant with his now 14 month old daughter. He still hasn't been able to really hold his daughter because his hands are so f#%&*d up. Now he sits in an Army hospital in San Antonio, Texas almost two years later, still getting skin graphs, and physical as well as emotional therapy. So this war has been personal for me, and I suspect that it has been this way for at least 23,000 American families as well.

But this is not why I write this post. War is hell, and when people sign up as soldiers they expect that bad things might happen. What I don't think the soldiers expect when they join the armed services, is that their commander the thief will send them off to war for solely political and ideological reasons. This is what frat boy and the neocons did with Iraq, because make no mistake, this war was not about protecting America against terrorist, this war was about settling old scores, setting up a Western style democracy, and being able to control the oil, and other natural resources that may flow from the Middle East. Like when have we ever cared if people are suffering in other parts of the world enough to go in and invade their country to save them? If you want to save someone frat boy, how about starting with the people of Darfur? [200,000 slaughtered and counting] But I digress. So this war, this trumped up FAUX NEWS produced war, has done nothing to stop the war on terror, and has done nothing to improve our standing with the world community. In fact, the last time I checked, the NBA sized man with the beard was still running around with a 30 million dollar bounty on his head, while he and his organization continue to make more videos than Janet Jackson.

Now there is an all out civil war in Iraq. [Sectarian violence civil war, what's the difference?] with no end in sight. And now, even my spineless homey, Colin Powell, admits that this was a mistake, and he in essence lied to the U.N., when he made the case for war. Of course there were no WMD's and frat boy and his crew knew it all along. But it gets worse, because not only did frat boy and his minions try to tell us that there were WMD's in Iraq, but they tried to tell us that Sadaam had something to do with 911 as well. Now they have since tried to reverse from those comments because of irrefutable evidence to the contrary , but listen to Darth Vader's [AKA Dick Cheney] speeches, and time and time again he makes reference to Sadaam and state sponsored terrorism, and thus, by implication, 911 and the nineteen hijackers. News flash, those guys were Egyptians, and Saudis, which the last time I checked, has given more to Al Qaeda than Sadaam ever did. None of those hijackers were Iraqis; and Americans, to our credit, are starting to realize that frat boy and his crew were lying to us all along.

So here I sit at my computer, lamenting on the faith of others like my brother in law, who lost a piece of their bodies, shed their blood, and in some cases lost their lives in a god forsaken country in the Middle East. Where the people don't want them there in the first place, and they wonder every day, just what the f%^k are we doing here? I Will tell you what they are doing there, they are there to promote a political agenda, and fund a war machine to satisfy defense contractors who gave lots of money to get frat boy elected. For those you who don't believe me, f%^&* you, I don't care, this is my opinion, and until someone can show me different, this is what I will believe. Sorry for the anger, but it pisses me off when I think that people here at home are still being killed by record numbers due to a drug culture that won't go away. And our schools are still failing, while many programs are being cut. And not just any program; proven programs like Head Start, and other after school programs. Federal programs that ear mark money to the states for child support enforcement, and crime prevention. Even programs for first responders, the very people that should help us in case of a terrorist attack are being cut. These are the types of programs that give people quality of life here at home, yet sadly, they are being cut to fund this war. We are worried about Al Qaeda threats, yet, by ignoring the basic human needs of our citizens, we are creating terrorist every day. Because make no mistake, the animal that executes five of his drug rivals in a crack house is a terrorist. The thug that car jacks a seventy year old lady in a mall parking lot, gun butts her, and leaves her for dead, is a terrorist. The SOB that rapes a thirteen year old girl at knife point is a terrorist, not to mention the animal that is HIV positive, and goes around having unprotected sex; yes he is a terrorist too. Is it any wonder that black folks even more than whites, do not support this war. We don't understand why we are over there fighting for some ideological agenda, when real f&^%*d up sh*# is happening in our neighborhoods every day. We are not buying into this notion that they Al Qaeda bogyman is around the corner to get us. We have other bogeymen in our neighborhoods that we have to worry about on a daily basis. Yeah we are in a war with terror alright, and the real terrorist are the ones setting some of these policies that are hurting our communities, and ignoring the real threats in the world. Folks do you know who Francis Fukuyama is? [His name describes perfectly what I want to tell him]He is one of the original neocons who signed the founding statement of that now infamous group. Which included people like Rumsfeld,Cheyney,Wolfowitz,Libby,Feith etc., who are war criminals all in my book. Anyway, these geniuses lobbied Bill Clinton as far back as 1998 in an open letter to go to Iraq. Now Mr. Fukuyama calls Iraq "a base for jihadist terrorist,with plenty of American targets to shoot at" and regrets his previous position with the neocons. Well f#%k you, it's too late for that now! I told you I couldn't write about this war in a calm lucid manner. OK field, take a breath....OK I am better now.

I just hope people vote this November, [yeah I know I have been on this vote kick lately] because these are serious times. Don't for a minute think that frat boy's disciples won't be voting, they will, and they will try to win these mid terms, to steal a quote from my man Malcolm; "by any means necessary". Already they are outspending the democrats by two to one, and they have also decided to go negative with their campaigning. So you figure it out. And it's not only the Republicans, vote out any democrat that you think supported this war for political expediency as well. -insert Hillary here-But just vote. Do it for those who died before you to give you the right, do it for your communities, do it for your families, and on a personal note; do it for my brother in law.

Finally, I would like to say thanks and throw out some mad love to the fellows and young women who serve in Bravo Company 1088 Engineer Battalion of the 256th Infantry, as well as some love to all the soldiers who are recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center, in Fort Houston, Texas. You all deserve our love and you have it.

Peace!