So how was YOUR weekend?
1) "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" DVD --
-- The Long Grey Line.....leads to a mess hall.
The most astonishing scene in a breathtaking documentary about the massive scam that is the US invasion of Iraq occurs about halfway through the film. Every American must be aware at this point that a few thousand American businessmen are making billions off the war. We all know that. But director Robert Greenwald shows film of a line of US troops in Iraq that must be several hundred yards long, leading into a large tent. What are these men doing? They are waiting for the US contracted mess hall to open up. It shocked the hell out of Apt404 to learn that there is no 24 hour food service available in this war zone. Why is that a big deal? Because when US mealtimes are known by the Iraqis, the troops lining up for mashed potatoes and lentil soup are goddamn sitting ducks for mortar fire and rockets.
Every now and then in the last four years we've heard about some shell landing in the middle of a mess, killing and wounding some of the troops, and we always felt that is was just part of the deal. In a war soldiers die. Because it's a war. But in these cases of mess halls being attacked during mealtimes, the only reason that troops were killed and wounded is the profit motive of KBR and Halliburton, the two largest defense contractors, which supply the Army and Marines with their meals. To keep the dining areas open round the clock would be more expensive than the current situation, where a few thousand troops are rushed through the chow line (with "military precision", no doubt), due to all the costs associated with feeding large groups of people: payroll, electricity for lights and cooking, set up costs, spoiled food, etc.
Privatization of the military has not only led to massive spending increases by our government (The contractors get several times the salary of a private in the military, plus whatever buckets of cash might be left over for profits to be distributed to the company's shareholders and executives) and less accountability (A classic and chilling scene from the film features our President being asked by a college student what rule of law governs the private contractors interrogators, and him chuckling and telling the woman, in so many words, that he has absolutely no fucking idea. Unbelievable? Yes. Believable? That, too.), but also untold numbers of dead US troops as a direct result of this farce.
=========================================
2)
Begin with...Indifference to other people's lives and difficulties -- The business owners on Marginal Way say "(They) don't want to just move the problem to another neighborhood." But hey...just between us...they do.
Combine with...Bureaucrat boobs -- This man, Paul Morin, who heads the American Legion, is something right out of fiction. Orwell or Joseph Heller, perhaps? Scratch that, he's belongs right here in the U, S and A, circa 2006. My word, the shamefullness.
Add some...Religious intolerance -- From "Shannon's Plog", in the iHerald section of this mornings's Portland Press Herald: Not that we here in Apartment404 give too much of a care about any holiday celebrations, but the handwringing over what to call the tree our city put up in Monument Square just blows us the fuck away. Shannon Bryan did a funny piece concerning online posts from concerned citizens of Porland, but this particular one is way, way out there: "Christmas is NOT about political correctness, it is NOT about how Maine appears on the world stage, it is NOT about making everyone FEEL GOOD, it's a Christian religious holiday about the birth of Jesus the Christ." (Capitals from poster "Stevie", not us.) Wow. Would Jesus the Christ really use so many capital letters? Would Jesus the Christ really say that his birthday (snort) is "NOT about making everyone FEEL GOOD?"
Plus a whole lotta...Big Business in bed with Congress and other folks we are supposed to trust -- The AP has an piece today concerning an article in the newest issue of "Pediatrics". Seems that the American Academy of Pediatrics claims that "Inappropriate advertising contributes to many kids' ills...and Congress should crack down on it." That's a hell of a start, Doc. But how about not taking huge checks from Big Pharma for running rigged drug tests? How about some independant thought, instead of learning about the newest medications from seminars run by the drug companies themselves? Banning boner pill ads from prime time is nice. They make us uncomfortable, too. Can't imagine what little Suzie and Johnny think when they hear about erections lasting 8 hours, but there would seem to be plenty bigger fish to fry.
And you get...The death of brave men and women -- We have no connection to Captain Keating or his family, and it may be presumptuous for this blog to post his obit alongside what we obviously feel are wrongful and shameful acts and actors. But enough is enough, in our opinion.
-- The Long Grey Line.....leads to a mess hall.
The most astonishing scene in a breathtaking documentary about the massive scam that is the US invasion of Iraq occurs about halfway through the film. Every American must be aware at this point that a few thousand American businessmen are making billions off the war. We all know that. But director Robert Greenwald shows film of a line of US troops in Iraq that must be several hundred yards long, leading into a large tent. What are these men doing? They are waiting for the US contracted mess hall to open up. It shocked the hell out of Apt404 to learn that there is no 24 hour food service available in this war zone. Why is that a big deal? Because when US mealtimes are known by the Iraqis, the troops lining up for mashed potatoes and lentil soup are goddamn sitting ducks for mortar fire and rockets.
Every now and then in the last four years we've heard about some shell landing in the middle of a mess, killing and wounding some of the troops, and we always felt that is was just part of the deal. In a war soldiers die. Because it's a war. But in these cases of mess halls being attacked during mealtimes, the only reason that troops were killed and wounded is the profit motive of KBR and Halliburton, the two largest defense contractors, which supply the Army and Marines with their meals. To keep the dining areas open round the clock would be more expensive than the current situation, where a few thousand troops are rushed through the chow line (with "military precision", no doubt), due to all the costs associated with feeding large groups of people: payroll, electricity for lights and cooking, set up costs, spoiled food, etc.
Privatization of the military has not only led to massive spending increases by our government (The contractors get several times the salary of a private in the military, plus whatever buckets of cash might be left over for profits to be distributed to the company's shareholders and executives) and less accountability (A classic and chilling scene from the film features our President being asked by a college student what rule of law governs the private contractors interrogators, and him chuckling and telling the woman, in so many words, that he has absolutely no fucking idea. Unbelievable? Yes. Believable? That, too.), but also untold numbers of dead US troops as a direct result of this farce.
=========================================
2)
Begin with...Indifference to other people's lives and difficulties -- The business owners on Marginal Way say "(They) don't want to just move the problem to another neighborhood." But hey...just between us...they do.
Combine with...Bureaucrat boobs -- This man, Paul Morin, who heads the American Legion, is something right out of fiction. Orwell or Joseph Heller, perhaps? Scratch that, he's belongs right here in the U, S and A, circa 2006. My word, the shamefullness.
Add some...Religious intolerance -- From "Shannon's Plog", in the iHerald section of this mornings's Portland Press Herald: Not that we here in Apartment404 give too much of a care about any holiday celebrations, but the handwringing over what to call the tree our city put up in Monument Square just blows us the fuck away. Shannon Bryan did a funny piece concerning online posts from concerned citizens of Porland, but this particular one is way, way out there: "Christmas is NOT about political correctness, it is NOT about how Maine appears on the world stage, it is NOT about making everyone FEEL GOOD, it's a Christian religious holiday about the birth of Jesus the Christ." (Capitals from poster "Stevie", not us.) Wow. Would Jesus the Christ really use so many capital letters? Would Jesus the Christ really say that his birthday (snort) is "NOT about making everyone FEEL GOOD?"
Plus a whole lotta...Big Business in bed with Congress and other folks we are supposed to trust -- The AP has an piece today concerning an article in the newest issue of "Pediatrics". Seems that the American Academy of Pediatrics claims that "Inappropriate advertising contributes to many kids' ills...and Congress should crack down on it." That's a hell of a start, Doc. But how about not taking huge checks from Big Pharma for running rigged drug tests? How about some independant thought, instead of learning about the newest medications from seminars run by the drug companies themselves? Banning boner pill ads from prime time is nice. They make us uncomfortable, too. Can't imagine what little Suzie and Johnny think when they hear about erections lasting 8 hours, but there would seem to be plenty bigger fish to fry.
And you get...The death of brave men and women -- We have no connection to Captain Keating or his family, and it may be presumptuous for this blog to post his obit alongside what we obviously feel are wrongful and shameful acts and actors. But enough is enough, in our opinion.
posted by joe sweeney at 12:58 PM
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