Well conceived idea, Mr. Savage.

As I mentioned earlier, I was going to totter off to read the Stranger.

I commend unto my loyal readers (all three of you) the current Savage Love article by Dan Savage. You can find it here.

I'm sick to death of the tiresome and irresponsible assholes out there (both gay and straight) who run around engaging in unprotected sex. After having worked at a local non-profit HIV/AIDS advocacy group, I'm a little irritated by the attitude of 'It can't happen to me'. Wrong-o, Mary Lou. It CAN and WILL happen to you if you don't stop and think before you get down to the foolin' around.

Christ Almighty, people, just because there are all sorts of drug cocktails out there now that help prolong life and improve the quality of life after infection with HIV, that doesn't mean common sense needs to fly out the window.

While people are generally stupid, self-serving, arrogant pricks like the one in to-day's Savage Love article need to be horsewhipped. Wilfully exposing people to HIV is a criminal act. The fact that this contemptible fucksock is knowingly exposing people and doing so without turning a hair makes me sick.

Education, advertisements, free condoms, free testing, and other things obviously aren't doing much to stop the dumb fucks like this kadodie. Perhaps it is time that we adopt a plan similar to what Dan Savage is proposing. Why should all the responsible people out there foot the bill for medical expense that are incurred by the idiocy of two - and the intent of one?

With a 'Hey, Nonny, Nonny' and a Hot Cha-Cha!

After what seemed an eternity, the work week is finally over. Or nearly so. A few tiresome reports, a bit of burbling at a meeting, and a little quick ankle work and I'm out the door until Monday next.

Normally, I look forward to Fridays like the chase heated hart views the cooling stream he's just staggered across. However, this Friday is a bit sad since one of my enjoyable co-workers is leaving. Alas! So, tonight, I think will entail a bit of a gin swigging and frivolity or perhaps a bit of gin swigging and crying jags. I don't know yet, it really depends on the venue.

Personally, I'd prefer the frivolity. Unfortunately, the majority of venues in this wretched town cause crying jags because they're so wearisome unless you completely sozzled.

And yet, I firmly intend to enjoy my weekend since it means I don't have to play Nanny to twenty-four adults (ha!) for two days.

Oh! Hm, I just realized that a new Stranger is out. I'll have to read that shortly.

Anyway, I just felt like marking the onset of the weekend with a rather loud, 'Hey, Nonny, Nonny' and a Hot Cha-Cha!

Thoughts of War

With the Iraqi elections now a thing of the past and as the members-elect hammer out a coalition government and wrangle over who will be the Prime Minister, the current administration of the United States is collectively doing a species of snake dance and basking in near post-orgasmic bliss - as if the elections somehow have validated the slipshod thinking that created this mess in the first place.

I find it particularly telling that nearly ten years ago Bill Clinton was castigated and impeached for breaking his marriage vows and engaging in reindeer games with an intern. While Clinton was very properly punished for perjury, our current Fearless Leader (you won't hear me say or type his name lest I sully my lips or fingers) starts a war in one of the most volatile regions in the world on the intelligence that Iraq was producing and stockpiling weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and we've subsequently learned that all the arguments for war were nothing but a tissue of lies. Clinton's escapades in the Oval Office with cigars and interns haven't (at least so far) resulted in the deaths of thousands. While a lie is a lie, some lies have greater ramifications than others.

Where is the outrage? Why the hell haven't the masses risen up en masse thrown the current administration out of the White House and all the other government buildings? Why the hell hasn't our Fearless Leader been impeached and removed from office in disgrace for the deaths of over a thousand of our troops and the needless death of thousands of Iraqis as a result of his lies? And for that matter why the hell don't we hear more about the Iraqi death toll? Are we not given these statistics because the average American is a racist bastard who somehow thinks that the death of innocent Iraqi civilians is no big deal compared to Johnny Private in the Army?

So, where is the outrage? Where the devil are the protest songs and the "love-ins" and such like from the Vietnam era? In short, our current administration has so successfully manipulated the public that we swallow the continued lies and whitewashing because we're told by our Fearless Leader and his pet/puppetmaster, Karl Rove, that "father knows best" and to question the government is a sure fire way to Communism, terrorism, beastiality, Satan, and Hellfire.

Yet, I don't recall democracy involving blind obedience to The Party or The Government in any of my political science or civics classes. Before anyone decides to be cute and point out the last election was a mandate for our Fearless Leader, let me just respond by saying that it is the job of a shepherd to round up sheep and the American population is becoming as docile and moronic as a flock of sheep if they're unwilling to recognize a few critical tidbits of information. Hell, I'll give them to you now in a nice tidy list if you're such a meathead as to not have figured it out on your own.

- Contrary to our Fearless Leader and his legion of cretins, there were no WMDs in Iraq. Wasn't that primary argument for our going to war in the first place? Guess what, kiddos, we've been lied to.

- There were no Iraqis on any of the flights involved in the horrific events of September 11th, 2001. The hijackers were primarily Saudis which is interesting considering that our government (and not just the current one) has been in bed with the House of Saud since it became a sovereign nation. I'd suggest watching the Frontline episode titled 'The House of Saud'.

- Osama Bin Laden (who?) was not hiding in Iraq. From all the evidence out there his relationship with Saddam Hussein was not exactly that of Fred and Ginger. They disliked each other passionately, so why the heck would Saddam hide Osama? Besides, whatever happend to the vow to find Osama? He's the sick bastard that engineered the attack at the World Trade Center.

While I could go on for what would seem like eternity regarding the blatant signs that our Fearless Leader is leading us not to glory but down the garden path, I'll move on.

We've marched in, violently installed our theory of government, and generally stirred up the ethnic and religious tensions in and around Iraq. While everything may turn out to be just peachy in Iraq, we've further fomented such distrust and hatred for our culture and way of life, that regardless of how excited the free Iraqis may be, there'll be a throng of whackjobs out there who think that we're the Great Satan and will buy into the deranged ramblings of a religious zealot with an axe to grind. And they're not just in Iraq.

Furthermore, because of all the legerdemain and deceptions at the inception of this war, how can we expect the results to be clean?

I certainly hope that everything will be sunshine, lollipops, and roses, but I doubt it.

Soon...

Several months ago my dear friend B was deployed to Iraq. My thoughts and feeling regarding the deplorable situation and the muddled and misguided thinking evinced by our Fearless Leader and his loathsome cronies will be the subject of another post.

Anyway, B has been over in the hell and mess in Iraq and every day he's been there, I've worried and fretted about him. B is one of the most gentle and sweet-tempered people I've ever known and sending him to war was akin to dangling a baby out the window like a certain lunatic celebrity, or in other words, absolutely deranged.

B has been able to email on occasion and periodically call. Unfortunately, I rarely was able to take his calls due to schedule conflicts. So, my conversations with him tended to be via voicemail. Not the most efficacious, nor satisfying, method of conversation.

However, yesterday morning I received a phone call from Sina advising me that B was now in Kuwait and would be home within two weeks. Desiring further information, I called B's primary point of contact here in the States to find out what was going on.

In short, B's in Kuwait and is anticipating to be on a plane bound for home today. If this is so, then he ought to be home by next week.

He's out of Iraq. He's coming home.

I could scream with excitement, relief, and happiness. As I write this I've tears in my eyes from relief and I keep thinking, 'He's out of Iraq and coming home.'

Now, we just need to bring all the other fathers, sons, brothers, husbands, uncles, cousins, wives, daughters, aunts, and mothers home, too.

A Blithe Scream

It's really rather enjoyable setting up a blog again. My previous attempts were rather unsuccessful for a variety of reasons. I firmly intend to make this space my home for some time. So, do pop round for a visit. Mind you don't track mud or dirt in - the carpet is still new and I'm waiting for the rugs for the hardwood floors to return from the cleaners.

Reader (isn't that fabulously Victorian), I'm certain you're wondering what the hell I intend to do with this space. It is my intent to use this space wisely and well. Look for diatribes about the infernal and invectives directed toward the fatheaded all interspersed with my thoughts on Life, Literature, and the perfect Tanqueray Martini amongst other things.

These posts will primarily be short essays. Stop! I hear you shuffling and looking furtively for the exits. Sit down. It won't be too terribly ghastly. Some days will see experiential and stream-of-consciousness writing. Look for the essays at least once a week with more as time permits.

At any rate, I shall be fiddling round with things and making the nest a bit more comfortable so please excuse my dust.