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Your Morning Cuppa Dizzy: Mmm, Drafty!
This new educational program that I got my kids started on takes up a lot more of my time than in the past (mostly because four more subjects have been added to their daily schedule) and so I try not to get myself too riled up so that I can focus when I sit down with them.
But, it’s kind of hard not to get riled up when you read some nonsense like this: McCain: World War III Would Justify Draft
John McCain said last night during a campaign tele-conference that he would bring back a military draft in the United States only in the case of a ‘World War III’ scenario.
and this: Israel Prodding U.S. To Attack Iran
CBS consultant Michael Oren says Israel doesn’t want to wait for a new administration.
“The Israelis have been assured by the Bush administration that the Bush administration will not allow Iran to nuclearize,” Oren said. “Israelis are uncertain about what would be the policies of the next administration vis-à-vis Iran.”
Here’s my thinking (please, correct me if I’m wrong), if “we” attack Iran, we will be most definitely in a WW3 scenario (if we aren’t already) and Republican presidential hopeful, John McCain, is all “okey-dokey” about starting a draft in case that nonsense happens?
The US Army already has one member of my family, SSG Dizzy, serving in perpertuity (or until the Army thinks he’s too broken–at some distant/future date, thank goodness–to serve). But, I have a child who is almost 19 years old and who has no intention of volunteering to become cannon-fodder for GWB and his war-mongering cronies, least of all, John McCain. That means, he could become a pawn in McCain’s draft. And, I gotta tell ya, I’m not feeling that nonsense. No, not one little bit!
Three days of national mourning
While China’s national mourning became official today, the death toll, as reported by Xinhua, climbed to 36,477.
The day began with the ceremonial raising of the flag at Tiananmen Square, followed by a very historic lowering to half-mast, which I believe is the first time they’ve done this for a civilian matter. So much for the blog Zhongnanhai’s earlier question. At 2:28 p.m., people were asked to observe three minutes of silence while air sirens, ship and vehicle horns blared. Not sure the symbolism behind the noise, but I was next to Tiananmen Square when this happened, surrounded by honking cars, and I can’t remember another time when chills ran up and down my spine for so long.
The first video shows the calm before the storm, and in the second the mayhem starts. Apologies for the poor quality, but hopefully this gives you an idea of the scene.
UPDATE, 9:53 p.m.: TPJ has TV-quality video of 2:28-2:31, and Paul of Zhongnanhai offers some very poignant words. I have nothing to add.
On the other hand, to the commenter Jay: why do you ask the Chinese to mourn a certain way, i.e. the Western way? It’s an ethnocentrist idea at best. You criticize the people for chanting “Go China” as if they were doing so because the government told them to. You complain about foreign satellite movie channels getting taken off the air — by the way, boohoo — only because you’ve been spoiled by the U.S. way of things. Your comment is — pardon the analogy — like if someone said after 9/11, “Why are they playing sports less than a week after? Why is President Bush insisting everyone go on a shopping spree?” The answer’s simple: because that’s how that country wants to heal. Quit meddling.
UPDATE 2, 12:40 a.m.: Is Jay a troller? He made a similar “Why does China have to make everything nationalistic” comment on a blog entry over at The Opposite End of China and got shouted down by a few angry voices.
Also, one more link to share: Tim Johnson of McClatchy Newspapers made it down to Beichuan recently, and the dispatch he filed is worth reading.
Here are some pictures from the afternoon and later in the evening, when life in Beijing returned to normal.
Dizzy’s Ten Post Round-Up
(Programming note: I’m going to keep the round-up, short and sweet. But, I will continue to post a video for the day and make my usual commentary on my own crazy blog.)
Have cuppa? Prepare to traverse today’s Ten Post Round-Up:
1: Many Americans are avoiding movies and documentaries based on the Iraq War, regardless of their personal stand on the war, itself…
2: This just in: Presidential candidates are people, too!…
3: Novel idea: Army attempting to lure new recruits via amusement park and Xbox 360…
4: Captives for the war on terror…
U.S. May Not Release Guantanamo Prisoners: Even If Found Innocent of Charges Against Them–Global Research
5: 74-million-year old baby dinosaur for sale!…
Blackfeet Tribe’s premier fossil up for bid–Great Falls Tribune
6: We’re a little closer to hell in that ol’ handbasket…
7: Lawmakers considering lowering drinking age for members of the military…
Bills to Lower Drinking Age Filed in Seven States–Join Together
8: Creepy: Landlord refusing to let fiance’ out of lease for apartment his girlfriend was murdered in…
Murdered UW Student’s Fiancee in Lease Dispute–Newsradio 620
9: I wonder if he just considered voting NOTA (none of the above), instead? It’s probably a bit better for the digestion….
10: “Dr. Phil” must be desperate for better ratings…
280 días hasta el final de un error…
Peace.
Dizzy’s Ten Post Round-Up
Try dancing around today’s Ten Post Round-Up:
1: If sisters are doing it for themselves, how come movies and television are not representing them properly?…
2: Things not so comfy cozy on the housing front between GWB and the GOP?…
Bush throws GOP Senators under the bus on the bi-partisan housing bill–AMERICAblog
3: Those rebate checks might not arrive in time to do the economy any good, but at least the average Jane and Joe can maybe pay off one more bill before finally hitting the skids…
It’s official now: George W. Bush is today’s Herbert Hoover–Brilliant at Breakfast
4: Milestones and reminders on the road to victory in Iraq: Are we there yet?…
5: They’re gonna git cha, so ya better pay up!…
6: They have all this money, yet, they are still relying on the US for financial help? Excuse me while I beat up my desk with my forehead…
7: Just one more thing for the cash-strapped working poor to worry about: Fraudulent rental agreements that leave them out on the streets (after handing their first and last plus security to a complete stranger who disappears into the night)…
8: In a “real” free-market system, this makes perfect sense. Everyone is going broke, you gotta be able to make money where you can and if the whole world suddenly is starving, the last thing a hungry fisherman is going to be concerned with is the purple-bellied flying carp and whether or not it’s extinct…
9: I miss the old “Dr.” Phil: “You shouldn’t shush a nation when a president decides he’s gonna go to war. If we ever need the First Amendment, we need it then”….
Phil Donohue Stands Up For Free Speech In A Time Of War–News Hounds
10: I’ve said it before, being a friend of GWB and company means never having to say you’re sorry…
Oh, I definitely need more coffee!