Why, oh, why, didn't I note this NBC News report by Ian Johnston and Alex Stambaugh? Three e-mails lament that I missed it.
I didn't miss it, I just didn't care. Paul Bremer is painting. And? The 'art' is bland and boring. It's actually rather barbaric in certain instances (notes how he handles corners). We've called out Paul Bremer plenty of times and will call him out again, I'm sure, but I really wasn't interested in his painting, sorry. A point could have been made that millions of Iraqis are dead and many millions more severely wounded and cannot dabble in painting the way Bremer does.
That said, I've never felt the need to take on Bully Boy Bush's painting either.
Given the choice to having either man painting or in a position where they are making life-and-death decisions, I gladly choose to have them painting. Outside of a few patrons and critics, no one suffers from their paintings.
Also true, while Bremer needs to be held accountable for his actions, he's been held accountable for the actions of others. Press favorite Colin Powell began trashing Bremer non-stop in 2004 to the press who ran with the trashing but never put Saint Colin's name to it. Colin is a bitch. That's all he's ever been, that's all he ever will be. His career is a joke and the only reason it was ever elevated was because of the press. He knew how to court them. And when the Iraq War was obviously going wrong -- though the press still wouldn't admit it -- Colin knew the press had to hang it on someone and began feeding Bremer to the wolves.
Bremer is not innocent of misdeeds and crimes in Iraq. But Bremer has also been held accountab le for the actions of Bully Boy Bush and Colin Powell as a result of Powell's efforts with journalists. So if I'm going to note Bremer, it's going to be for a serious issue (that he's responsible for) and not to engage in the never-ending dog pile.
I'm also not interested in people writing about Jessica Lynch today that smear her falsely as a liar. Jessica Lynch did not lie to the press about what happened. She could have. The US government had already done so. Instead, she showed bravery and character at a time when few stood up to Bully Boy Bush. She told the truth. So if you're a writer who wants to talk about lies -- say Chilcot Inquiry -- and you bring up the lies told about Jessica Lynch (told by the US government) but you never note that she publicly rejected those lies then I really don't have any use for you, your 'reporting' or your 'commentary.' Speaking of commentary, before looking over notes on the e-mails this week, I had planned to take on Michael Rubin's latest on Iraq at the right-wing Commentary. Due to another complaint from e-mails to the public account (community members e-mail the private e-mail address so complaints to the public account are from visitors or drive-bys), we have no room for Rubin. But I will give him a link -- even though I disagree with basically everything he's written in the column.
Another complaint in the e-mails to the public account is that I ignored the big news about the wedding this week? Wait, we covered the groom killed at his own wedding -- his bride injured as well as many of their guests -- due to a bombing. That's what I told Shirley Friday when she was passing on the complaints.
No, not that wedding. That wedding didn't even register apparently. A real shame and a sign of just how violent Iraq still is that what should have resulted in its own individual report by various news agencies was instead only reported on by National Iraqi News Agency.
The wedding that had visitors complaining was the 92-year-old man who married a 22-year-old woman.
Here's an example of the story that won't die.
I'm not really sure why this is of interest -- especially when contrasted with a wedding that was bombed and that left the bride injured and the groom dead.
People fall in love for various reasons. Is someone doubting that the two are in love?
I have no idea.
Already one nasty comment left at the article runs to the bedroom.
The bedroom really isn't the only issue in a marriage.
Considering the age difference, I would guess the bedroom was a minor issue in the marriage. I could be very wrong on that guess and they could have a very lively sex life. Whatever they have, good for them.
There's no indication that either was forced into the marriage. 92 is an adult as is 22 so they hopefully married because they wanted to and saw some future together.
If people are worried about the young woman being exploited, I would guess that, on average, a woman's less likely to be exploited by a 92-year-old male. If people are worried that she's a gold digger, the man's a farmer. Presumably, he makes a good living but he's not Iraq's answer to Howard Hughes.
It's rather telling what passes for news. Two adults marry and news agency (and some visitors of this site) think their age difference makes it news. Two adults try to marry but a bombing disrupts their wedding and the same outlets can't report that.
A groom is killed, the bride and 12 guests are left injured equals "not news"?
The reality is that the wedding bombing was news.
The wedding of the 22-year-old to the 92-year-old is not news. It being passed off as news speaks to a prurient impulse in the news media (and the news consumers), a need for 'scandal' and 'shock' over reality. We can apparently pretend to be outraged that a young woman is taking an old man for a ride or that an old man has trapped a young woman (there's no indication that either has happened) because we can handle (and stage manage) pretend emotions. But the very real emotions that would arise from addressing the bombing of the Mosul wedding is just too much for our news industry these days.
It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)
The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4488.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
i hate the war
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