At last, a jihad I can support.

     Apparently, there is a new jihadist movement around the Mediterranean that has all the boys running to the yard.  That's because it's called the Topless Jihad, and is comprised of groups of women running around various nation's capitols without their shirts on.  These women say they are seeking a 'Women's Spring' and typically write slogans across the relevant portions of their bodies for their protests.  I think this is a great idea.  And it's very green--there are no placards or signs that have to be thrown after they are used.

     (The temptation to insert a boatload of United Press pics here was almost too strong for me to resist, but I did--mostly because I don't know how.  Maybe this will serve as motivation for me to learn.  Google 'topless jihad' and you will get the idea.  There are some pretty interesting videos out there, too.)

     Funny business aside, many of these women are part of FEMEN, a feminist organization that started in the Ukraine.  They protest what they see are violations of women's rights across the world--things like sexual tourism or what is going on in Tunisia.  Young Tunisian women (many of whom are underage) being taken to Syria and forced or tricked into what is known as 'jihad al nikah' or sexual jihad.  These girls are passed around between anywhere from 20 to 100 Al-Qaeda soldiers and then sent home pregnant.  This is happening on such a scale that the Syrian government has begun turning Tunisians (not just but mostly women) away at their borders.

     Anyhow, if this interests you in any way, search for news about Amina Tyler or Pussy Riot or the topics I mentioned above to get a feel (couldn't resist that one) for what these ladies are about.  The message is pretty simple: women are women--human beings--not merchandise, or some kind of heavenly door prize, or the property of violent idiots with extremely misguided ideas about honor and morality.

     With or without the nudity, I can stand behind that.

I have a little hope for this investigation, but not much.

     Most people don't know that when Seal team 6 was founded, that gave the good ole USA a total of two Seal teams.  We used to be kind of smart like that.  Now we seam to be stupid about all our security issues.  We obviously have a terrible screening process for the people we entrust with our secrets.  Every time you turn around there's another jackass on TV spilling sensitive information, to the detriment of our country.  At last Seal Team 6 will finally get an investigation into their deaths.  This article from the Washington Times is a little heavy on the rhetoric, but shows just how concerned the Seals were, and how they tried to minimize the damage and protect themselves and their families from the criminal exposition that ultimately led to their deaths.  They (and their families) were essentially made into targets.  And, no surprise, what usually happens to targets did.  At least their will finally be an investigation into their deaths.

     I'm just wondering if it will actually get anything resolved.  There are a lot of strange things about Team 6's deaths.  I'm pretty certain We, The People, will never get the answers to all the questions we have.  Hopefully, at the very least, the families of those men will get some measure of justice.  Whether or not that will mitigate any of the pain they have suffered at their loss of their loved ones will remain to be seen, however.

I want one!

     Okay, y'all who know me are thinking a ton of things just from the title, I know: could it be that compensated AR-15 he's been saving for, or that timbersheppard pup he's been wanting, or just a vintage set of those tasteful nudes Martha Stewart did in college?  Well, yer all wrong.  I want one of these so if anyone finds a young one, grab it for me! 

     I figure it ought to do okay with the wolves.

I reckon I know this man.

     His name is Edgar Govan.   I went to school with Edgar at Manteo Elementary, Junior High, and High School.  We played football on the same team.  He is accused of killing a man named Steven Stewart, Jr., whom I do not think I ever knew.

     Back then Manteo was a quiet, little town--the kind (like Wanchese, its' closest neighbor, where I spent a good portion of my youth) where everyone knew everyone else.  Which is the long was of saying that I reckon if I had to say anything about him, it would be this: if he is anything like the boy I knew, the man he killed was shot in the back.

I hope this wasn't some kind of wannabe "Fight Club."

     The first thing you learn about knife fighting is that knife fights end up one of three ways:

     1. You kill the other person.
     2. the other person kills you.
     3. You both kill each other.

     The last one is apparently what happened at North Topsail Beach this week.  Maybe if these guys had known the rules, they would still be here.

And you thought video games were bad.

     I have seen trouble caused by soccer before, but this takes the cake!  Please, everyone, if you know someone who is playing soccer, or thinking about playing it, or if you see one of those soccer moms with the magnetic sticker shaped like the ball on the back of her minivan, intervene now and help stamp out this imported menace before it can infect any more of our people.  Keep your children indoors, as any kind of physical activity can be a gateway to soccer.   Ideally you should have your whole family seated in front of a game console 24 hours a day--playing Call of Duty or one of the Skyrims...or even...yes, if you must...even Dance Dance Revolution--whatever games it will take to keep your loved ones inside and thus safely away from the perils of athletic activity.  Otherwise, they might end up drawn and quartered, too.

A little more in regard to my last post.

     Last post I talked about the deliberate betrayal of our nation's security and those that defend it.   I would like to put exactly what those that defend our nation are sworn to do.  This is the oath that all active duty and reserve U. S. military personnel willingly swear in order to serve and defend our nation:

     I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

     Anyone reading this blog should know that once you make this vow, you are never released from it.  Please think about that a bit.  (The vow differs slightly for military officers and the National Guard--if you are interested, the specifics are here.)  Once a citizen has served in the military, they can never be a civilian again; they are forever after a veteran, and, as such, still obligated to keep the vow they made.

     In the interests of fairness and pointing out stupidity everywhere I can find it, I would like to show another betrayal.  This editorial in the Washington Times does it quite succinctly.  I recommend everyone read it to see exactly what the White House did to Seal Team 6 by making the covert action team that took down Osama bin Laden international celebrities (and thus easily acquirable targets).  It doesn't matter if it was done with good intentions, some kind of overabundance of enthusiasm, stupidity, or malice aforethought.  Just like Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning, the current administration has betrayed We, The People (and royally screwed Team 6--I feel for those guys and their families, bigtime). 

     I personally think that their intrusions into my privacy by recording all of my (and everyone else's on the planet) communications, whether they be by phone/email/text/instant message/whatever, to be a little overkill, but if it catches terrorists or prevents even one more attack on our soil, I guess some good will have come of it.  I can see that it will remain a permanent part of our intelligence gathering assets, whether We, The People, like it or not--it is too cool in that "new toy" way that guarantees it will never be discarded.  And, because it is managed by mere mortals, it will be abused.  Your privacy shrinks day by day.  Everywhere you go you end up in front of some kind of camera.  This often helps solve crimes, which is good, but wouldn't you all rather live in a society that didn't need all this self-surveillance in the first place?  You would think it would be enough to make even the most avid voyeur lose their taste for it.  They (and by this I mean our and every other government on this planet) never will, though.   We spy on everyone else while every other nation does the same.  Why this ridiculous 'round robin' game is necessary is obvious--once the players get in the game they are all afraid to quit.

     And yes, I will state the obvious.  Just like you, I can't help but wonder: where will it escalate to from here?