Team America: banned in Korea

In both the North and South parts of the peninsula. But coming soon to a theatre in Czechoslovakia. Seems the folks north of the DMZ believe it hurts the image of that fair paradise. Down here in the south, they don’t want to antagonize a country with 3 million troops stationed near the border. As reported in this press account:

“It harms the image of our country,” the Lidove Noviny daily quoted a North Korean diplomat as saying. “Such behavior is not part of our country’s political culture. Therefore, we want the film to be banned.”

The Czech Foreign Ministy said the film would not be banned in the Czech Republic.

“We told them it’s an unrealistic wish,” ministry spokesman Vit Kolar was quoted as saying. “Obviously, it’s absurd to demand that in a democratic country.”

Let freedom ring, baby. I’m getting the DVD and showing it to ALL my friends here in the ROK (well, I don’t technically have any friends yet, but maybe this DVD will be my entré into polite company). Or not. Who cares, the movie rocks and I am up for a good laugh!

Via The Marmot’s Hole

My haircut

Ok, some might think that blogging about my haircut is pretty lame. And some might be right. And I am going to do it anyway. Because this is not just your ordinary, run of the mill haircut, this is my first Korean haircut.

It was quite the experience really. The first thing I said was don’t use the shears, just scissors. I may work for the Army, but with all due respect, I don’t have to wear an Army cut and I choose not to do so. So the barber nodded and asked if I wanted the shampoo and massage. I responded confidently “sure”. Now, I am used to having my hair washed prior to the haircut. So when the barber proceeded to cut my hair dry, I figured she had misunderstood my confident “sure” as a declination.

Well, the haircut proceeded in the usual fashion, and she did a nice job clearing the jungle in my ears (shut up!) without my asking. Then she asked if I wanted my moustache trimmed and I said “sure” but with less confidence. Probably should have given a decisive “no” in retrospect, but one thing about hair, it does grow back.

So I figure that’s about it, when another person comes up and loosens my tie and unbuttons my shirt halfway. Puts a towel around my neck and reclines the barber chair so my head is in the sink. Interesting, I did get the shampoo after all (and after the haircut). So, when she is done with my hair, she turns the chair, raises the footrest, and all of the sudden I am prone in the chair, much like my recliner at home.

Next thing I know I have a hot towel on my face, which felt pretty good. Then that towel was removed and a cool towel was placed over my eyes. Then I felt this lotion being rubbed into my face. Not exactly a scent I would have chosen, but I could feel my skin begin to firm up almost immediately (and at my age that is an unusual feeling). While this is going on, another pair of hands starts a gentle pounding on my right calf. And then rubbing my leg (all from the knee down, so get your mind out of the gutter!). Then she moved up to my shoulders and neck. While another pair started in on the right side. Then my arms, hands, and fingers. After that was done, it was another hot rag on the face.

Then came gel in my hair. No blow dry, just slicked it on back. Definitely a new look for me. Needless to say, I left much more relaxed than I came in. And all this for half of what I paid for the standard cut in DC.

So I have now confessed to the fact that I had by my count three pair of female Korean hands on my body today and I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it.

I guess I understand why you ladies enjoy the spa experience so much.

I wonder if my hair will grow faster here. Or maybe I will just go back tomorrow and say “you missed a spot”. (On my head! Y’all have such dirty minds!)

Anyway, that is the story of my first haircut in Korea. I am quite certain you could not possibly have enjoyed it as much as I did!

You go, Condi!

Our new Secretary of State explains to the Europeans that we are not in fact European.

Money quote:

When Europeans talk of “stability” and “constructive engagement”, what they often mean is doing deals with dictators. A case can, of course, be made for such an approach. But, whatever else it is, it is not ethical. Miss Rice, by contrast, talks without embarrassment about exporting liberty.

“There cannot be an absence of moral content in American foreign policy,” she says. “Europeans giggle at this, but we are not European, we are American, and we have different principles.”

Yes indeed.

Heil Hollywood!

From the Stockholm Spectator:

“The inked fingers was disgusting,” Air America radio talk show host Janeane Garofalo declared on MSNBC in denouncing Republican lawmakers who, before and after the State of the Union, showed off an inked finger meant to demonstrate solidarity with Iraqi voters who dipped a finger in ink when they voted. To mock the display, Garofalo soon held up her hand in a Nazi salute as she predicted: “The inked fingers and the position of them, which is gonna be a Daily Show photo already, of them signaling in this manner [Nazi salute], as if they have solidarity with the Iraqis who braved physical threats against their lives to vote as if somehow these inked-fingered Republicans have something to do with that.”

I had seen this around the blogosphere and decided to let it pass as the ignorance of our betters in Hollywood. Besides, after the takedown administered by the South Park boys in Team America: World Police (where is that DVD!?) who takes these people seriously anyway? But when I found it linked by an Australian blogger from a Swedish blog, I thought I would share in the world wide mocking by posting this from Korea. Janeane, you rock! I bow before your superior intellect!

See also a funny take from Half-Bakered

And more here
from crosswalk.com

Via Tim Blair

And if you are easily offended by coarse language, don’t read this bit from Team America. Funniest quote from the funniest movie of the year in my opinion:
Continue reading

Our clueless media

Jack Kelly’s column in today’s Toledo Blade is a must read. He deftly exposes how the media has been missing the story in Iraq. While incompetence may be factor in that, evidence suggests it is a deliberate slanting of the news by overemphasizing one aspect of the story and ignoring much of what has been and continues to be the real accomplishments of our soldiers in Iraq. As one G.I. put it:

“I’m tired of hearing the crap, the whole, well ‘We are barely hanging on, we’re losing, the insurgency is growing,” Marine Sgt. Kevin Lewis told Dan Rather, in Iraq for the election. “It’s just a small amount of people out there causing the problems. It’s a small number, and we’re killing them.”

The blogosphere has been buzzing for days about Eason Jordan, CNN’s top honcho, who recently accused American troops of deliberately targeting jounalists. Oh, you haven’t heard about this? Understandable if you rely on the MSM as your sole source on news. Well, the story is finally beginning to get some traction, thanks in no small part to bloggers like Ed Morrissey of Captain’s Quarters. I expect you will be hearing more on this, I am just waiting to see how the MSM chooses to spin a documented example of anti-American bias from one of their own.

Here’s what Kelly has to say:

The scandalous remarks of Eason Jordan, CNN’s top news executive, last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and the failure of the major media to report them suggest the distortions are deliberate.

Mr. Jordan told a panel that the U.S. military had killed a dozen journalists in Iraq, and that they had been deliberately targeted. When challenged, Mr. Jordan could provide no evidence to support the charge, and subsequently lied about having made it, though the record shows he had made a similar charge a few months before, and also earlier had falsely accused the Israeli military of targeting journalists.

Mr. Jordan’s slander has created a firestorm in the blogosphere, but has yet to be mentioned in the “mainstream” media.

Gee, I wonder why not.

Yes, I wonder. Let’s see how this plays out in the coming days.

Via Captain’s Quarters

UPDATE: LaShawn Barber has a great round-up and loads of links if you want to read more on the Eason Jordan scandal.

Sunday morning

I actually slept in this morning. I stayed out on the town last night almost to curfew drinking beer. The matchbooks in my pocket say I visited Gecko’s Bar, Casablanca, and the Oasis. Oh, and I dined at Papa’s, although dining is a bit of stretch. The waitress did not speak English so I pointed at something on the menu. I got a pitcher of beer and a plate of dried fish. What do you expect for 12000 Won, right? Anyway, that’s my excuse for over indulging on the beer and the reason for my sleeping in. I might head back into town this afternoon to check out the shopping. Contrary to appearances, I am not that fond of sitting in bars and drinking alone.

So to catch you up on my adventures since my last report there are only two things worthy of note. On Thursday the Director announced that I would be detailed to the vacant position of Chief, Labor and Performance Management Division. No additional pay, but the duties include supervision of several employees, including Korean nationals. So Friday was my first day as acting Chief and it was hopping. I expect I am going to be much busier in this job, but that is what I prefer. In fact, I had thought about taking Superbowl Monday off so I could watch the game, but that will not be possible now as I have a hot project to finish.

Yesterday I decided on my apartment. In Seoul, there are three basic types of housing. Single family homes (rare and expensive), villas, and high rise condos. A villa is usually in a building that is less than four stories, which is what I have chosen. I’m on the second floor, with a decent view of Itaewon and the surrounding environs. Three bedrooms, two baths, and a decent sized living area with fireplace. I saw places that were newer, had better views, and nicer floor plans, but in the end I went for the convienence of location. I am an easy 20 minute walk from where I’ll be working and right above the main drag in Itaewon where I will have easy access to dining and shopping and yes, bars.

Anyway, I am glad to have finally got my housing situation resolved. I should be moving around the 24th of this month. Of course, I have lots of things to accomplish in the interim, but once I am done with this I should be able to settle in to my new life in Korea and lose this feeling of transience. I confess to feeling quite homesick last night (drinking alone in bars will do that I suppose). Well, my motto is one day at a time. I will not allow myself to dwell on the unknown future, I am going to just make the best of each day and see what I can learn from it. (hell, that’s more of a mantra than a motto, isn’t it?)

Addresses are a funny thing here in Korea. In the States, I live in Stafford. Here I live in a neighborhood, that is part of a community, that is part of a city. So, if I were to tell someone where I am going to be living it would be: Itaewon Dong, Yong San Gu, Seoul.

All right then, that’s the news for now. I have ordered room service breakfast (Warsaw omelette, polish sausage, jack cheese, and mushrooms) which just now arrived. And I have my Sunday edition of Stars and Stripes to read (not exactly the Washington Post, but not bad either). So, I will be back later with hopefully something a little more interesting to share with my loyal readers.

Girl Scouts beware….

Here’s an amazing little news item. Go read what Chasing the Wind has to say about it.

Me, I am just shaking my head in astonishment that people like this neighbor actually exist. That she was successful in court says more about our litgious society than I care to know. Let’s just pretend it never happened ok?

The world is full of rude awakenings
And heaven-born castles shattered to the ground,
Yet still our human longing vainly clings
To a belief in beauty through all wrongs.
O stay your hand, and leave my heart its songs!

–Amy Lowell (from the poem To a Friend)

American hero

I have seen this all over the web, so don’t know who to rightly credit. I found it here at The Right Report. I cannot begin to express my admiration for all the men and women who serve in the military. Seeing heroic soldiers like this one fills me with so many emotions, but if I had to pick just one it would be PRIDE.

Meet Marine 1st Sergeant Brad Kasal (in the middle). This photo was taken of 1stSgt. Kasal, whose older brother is a former 82nd Airborne paratrooper serving in Iraq, after the most recent major offensive in Fallujah. 1stSgt. Kasal sacrificed his own safety to save a room full of fellow Marines. Though it is hard to see from the photograph, 1stSgt. Kasal lost most of his lower right leg after taking several AK rounds.

During the encounter, 1stSgt. Kasal took rounds in the back, which were rendered virtually harmless due to his vest armor. However, he took one round through his buttocks, which passed through both cheeks, leaving four holes in him. And amazingly, he also took the brunt of a grenade blast after jumping on top of one of his younger Marine brothers to shield him from the fire.

1stSgt. Kasal killed the terrorist who did most of the damage to him and his men, and despite a massive loss of blood he never stopped fighting. Notice he is still holding his pistol.

1stSgt. Kasal, who has been recommended for a Medal of Honor for his heroism that day, is already the recipient of several Purple Hearts for previous battles throughout his career, and has turned down more so he could remain with his unit. While in the hospital, 1stSgt. Kasal has met President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, and several other celebrities. He said that Bush came in by himself and had a very long, sincere, and friendly visit with him.

Where do they find young people like this? All over America.

Something else bears do in the woods

I received this story and photos via email:

The following (first two) pictures are of a guy who works for the US Forest Service in Alaska and his trophy bear. He was out deer hunting last week when a large grizzly bear charged him from about 50 yards away. The guy unloaded his 7 mm Mag Semi-automatic rifle into the bear and it dropped a few feet from him. The big bear was still alive so he reloaded and shot it several times in the head. The bear was just over one thousand six hundred pounds. It stood 12′ 6″ high at the shoulder, 14′ to the top of his head. It’s the largest grizzly bear ever recorded in the world. Of course, the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Commission did not let him keep it as a trophy, but the bear will be stuffed and mounted, and placed on display at the Anchorage airport (to remind tourist’s of the risks involved when in the wild). Based on the contents of the bears stomach, the Fish and Wildlife Commission established the bear had killed at least two humans in the past 72 hours. His last meal was the unlucky nature buff in the third picture below. The US Forest Service, backtracking from where the bear had originated, found the hiker’s 38-caliber pistol emptied. Not far from the pistol was the remains of the hiker. The other body has not been found. Although the hiker fired six shots and managed to hit the grizzly with four shots (they ultimately found four 38 caliber slugs along with twelve 7mm slugs inside the bear’s dead body) it only wounded the bear – and probably angered it. The bear killed the hiker an estimated two days prior to the bear’s own death by the gun of the Forest Service worker. Think about this – If you are an average size man; You would be level with the bear’s belly button when he stood upright, the bear would look you in the eye when it walked on all fours! To give additional perspective, consider that this particular bear, standing on its hind legs, could walk up to an average single story house and look over the roof, or walk up to a two story house and look in the bedroom windows.

Here’s the grizzly post-mortem:

And check out that paw (and claws):

Ok, the last image is of one of the bear’s victims. It is graphic and grotesque. Fair warning, if you have a weak stomach or don’t care to view a mutilated corpse, don’t turn the page….

Continue reading

Medal of Honor

I wanted to help get the word out on the story of a true American hero.

Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, who spent his boyhood in Tampa, became a man in the Army and died outside Baghdad defending his outnumbered soldiers from an Iraqi attack, will receive America’s highest award for bravery.

President Bush will present the Medal of Honor to Smith’s wife, Birgit, and their children Jessica, 18, and David, 10, at a ceremony at the White House, possibly in March.

What Paul Smith did on April 4, 2003, was climb aboard an armored vehicle and, manning a heavy machine gun, take it upon himself to cover the withdrawal of his men from a suddenly vulnerable position. Smith was fatally wounded by Iraqi fire, the only American to die in the engagement.

Here’s the link to a great multimedia tribute to Sgt. Smith

Via Blackfive and My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Hmmm, I want to believe this is true…


Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence


You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.
An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.
You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view.
A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.

You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

found at Cao’s Blog

What really matters…

The President said something else tonight:

One name we honor is Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood of Pflugerville, Texas, who was killed during the assault on Fallujah. His mom, Janet, sent me a letter and told me how much Byron loved being a Marine, and how proud he was to be on the front line against terror. She wrote, “When Byron was home the last time, I said that I wanted to protect him like I had since he was born. He just hugged me and said: ‘You’ve done your job, mom. Now it’s my turn to protect you.’” Ladies and gentlemen, with grateful hearts, we honor freedom’s defenders, and our military families, represented here this evening by Sergeant Norwood’s mom and dad, Janet and Bill Norwood.

Then SGT Norwood’s mother hugged the Iraqi woman seated next to the First Lady, and it looked like President Bush was choking back tears.

So am I.

via Does this offend you and Flight Pundit

UPDATE: Here’s the picture:

via Espresso Roast

And now ladies and gentlemen…

….The President of the United States of America:

For younger workers, the Social Security system has serious problems that will grow worse with time. Social Security was created decades ago, for a very different era. In those days people didn’t live as long, benefits were much lower than they are today, and a half century ago, about 16 workers paid into the system for each person drawing benefits. Our society has changed in ways the founders of Social Security could not have foreseen. In today’s world, people are living longer and therefore drawing benefits longer — and those benefits are scheduled to rise dramatically over the next few decades. And instead of 16 workers paying in for every beneficiary, right now it’s only about three workers — and over the next few decades, that number will fall to just two workers per beneficiary. With each passing year, fewer workers are paying ever-higher benefits to an ever-larger number of retirees….

….If you’ve got children in their 20s, as some of us do, the idea of Social Security collapsing before they retire does not seem like a small matter. And it should not be a small matter to the United States Congress….

…We must make Social Security permanently sound, not leave that task for another day. We must not jeopardize our economic strength by increasing payroll taxes. We must ensure that lower income Americans get the help they need to have dignity and peace of mind in their retirement. We must guarantee there is no change for those now retired or nearing retirement. And we must take care that any changes in the system are gradual, so younger workers have years to prepare and plan for their future.

As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make the system a better deal for younger workers. And the best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts. Here is how the idea works. Right now, a set portion of the money you earn is taken out of your paycheck to pay for the Social Security benefits of today’s retirees. If you are a younger worker, I believe you should be able to set aside part of that money in your own retirement account, so you can build a nest egg for your own future.

Here is why personal accounts are a better deal. Your money will grow, over time, at a greater rate than anything the current system can deliver – and your account will provide money for retirement over and above the check you will receive from Social Security. In addition, you’ll be able to pass along the money that accumulates in your personal account, if you wish, to your children or grandchildren. And best of all, the money in the account is yours, and the government can never take it away.

The goal here is greater security in retirement, so we will set careful guidelines for personal accounts. We will make sure the money can only go into a conservative mix of bonds and stock funds. We will make sure that your earnings are not eaten up by hidden Wall Street fees. We will make sure there are good options to protect your investments from sudden market swings on the eve of your retirement. We will make sure a personal account can’t be emptied out all at once, but rather paid out over time, as an addition to traditional Social Security benefits. And we will make sure this plan is fiscally responsible, by starting personal accounts gradually, and raising the yearly limits on contributions over time, eventually permitting all workers to set aside four percentage points of their payroll taxes in their accounts.

He said it, I believe it, and that settles it. Anyone disagree?

Social Security: Point/Counterpoint

UPDATE: Welcome Instapundit readers. Glenn has honored me with my first ever Instalache.

Raven posted here earlier today about the Social Security reform debate. Coincidentally, I was perusing blogs last night and over at VodkaPundit I found these ads being run on TV and in print from our “friends” at MoveOn.org. Of course, a pretty safe position to take is simply if MoveOn is against SS reform, I’m all for it. But where’s the fun in that?

In the interest of full disclosure, I don’t personally have a dog in this fight because I am one of the lucky few Americans who are not covered by the SS program. My good fortune at being in the Civil Service Retirement System does not extend to my spouse however, and she is not a happy camper about the plan to “privatize” social security. And even though I have never posted on SS reform, that didn’t stop her from leaving this comment on my blog:

By the way I think permitting young people -under 40-to invest some of their money into private accounts, with matching funds from the government or private employers, is a pretty good idea provided it is on top of the normal (or slightly reduced depending on who is making the matching funds) contributions they would make to Social Security. This would make their retirement accounts portable which is a good idea in our mobile society. You can even eliminate the ceiling on deductions for Social Security. Let SSA administer the program like a thrift to keep administrative costs down, few choices and automatic rebalancing. That way if the investments tank, which can happen trust me, these young people are not left without a safety net. Social Security is suppose to be a safety net not a gamble. Besides, if you don’t keep the safety net in place and the investments do tank our country will end up paying for these people through welfare one way or another.

My wife’s daughter Ashley is a twenty-something professional with an entirely different perspective. She responded by saying:

Hmm, I am not rich enough to pay for baby boomer’s social security checks or their Viagra, which I just found out will be covered under Medicare. And although I think it is big of you to believe we young people should be “permitted” to save any money we have left over after paying our bills and old people’s retirement – I would like to keep all of my money. And if I blow it and I don’t have any money when I am old-tough cookies for me. If the government keeps taking my money it will be tough cookies for me anyway since I won’t be eligible for social security until 2051.

Makes sense to me, but commenter Carol did not see it that way and responded:

I don’t happen to think that if due to a fluctuating market, Ashley’s generation does not have the money to survive in old age that their children and grandchildren should have their taxes doubled to pay for the welfare programs needed to support Ashley’s generation. What do you think will happen? That America will simply let you starve? So you want them to basically hedge your bets? I believe a compromise is in order here that protects the money I paid in, that you plan to pay in and for future generations.

Ashley was not convinced by this argument, and revealed some rather strong feelings about the entire concept of social security:

My generation’s children and grandchildren are already going to have their taxes doubled to pay for my social security. Never mind them, I am going to have mine raised because the best solutions Dems can come up with is (1)getting rid of the ceiling (tax raise) (2)a more direct tax raise by upping the amount workers and their employers put it or (3) raising the retirement age (also basically a tax increase). So there you have it-the AARP and the liberals in their pocket have indeed solved the problem. I can work until I die to pay your generation’s retirement. I won’t need SS because I will die on the job. Besides, if you would stop with the knee jerk reactions, and listen to the plan that Bush put out there – it is a compromise. Everyone over a certain age (those close to retirement with no real prospects of being able to save at this point) will still get their checks. FDR was a friggin socialist-it was a stupid plan from the beginning and it has just grown worse over time.

Uh oh. The gauntlet has been laid down and Carol loves an argument. She responded:

You need to do your homework. I have no problem with permitting folks in your age group to invest a portion of your social security, a proposal by the way that was first floated by the Dems. I do have a problem with Bush changing the indexing of social security from wages to inflation. I needed to save 400k. Well it is 20 years later and I am not even half way there. The down turn in the market in 2000 and 2001 (the market has never returned to its pre 2000 levels) wiped out half of my thrift savings. That is the gamble you take. I accept that. Now however, Bush wants to reduce by nearly 60% the amount of social security that I would have been eligible to draw over the remaining (hopefully) 15 years of my life. That is calculated on my being able to withdraw at age 67. I might get lucky and realize only a 40% reduction. I had planned to retire at 60 but not withdraw until 67. I am too old to start investing part of my social security besides I am already gambling with my thrift. Social security was suppose to be my safety net. The Congressional Oversight Office calculates that with no change in the current system that by 2043 recipients will only be able to receive 73% of the benefits currently paid to recipients but that will be at 2043 dollars not 2005 dollars. Right now I only pay social security on the first 87k I earn. I am willing to pay it on all of the salary I earn in order that your generation does not have to take a reduction in benefits. I am willing that you should have a portable retirement, i.e., thrift that you contribute to just like I do and gamble with just like I do. The social security administration could administer this plan for the smallest amount of overhead just as the government currently administers the thrift. The mechanisms are already in place. This would save the government a considerable amount of money, money that could remain in the system to pay out the benefits that I have been paying towards for the past 32 years. Under Bush’s plan I will be an impoverished old lady.

I realize you are a good and dutiful daughter and that you would never let me starve or otherwise live poorly. However, if you experience the same unfortunate luck with the market that I have experienced then you will not be able to afford to assist me without impoverishing yourself at a time when you will be ready for retirement. I am not totally against Bush’s plan but I am not totally for it either and who can blame me? There is also the concern that the additional debt the Bush plan would add to the already burgeoning national debt could cause a downturn in the market further killing my thrift! I am not asking your generation to continue paying into a system that will not be around to give you anything in return. I know the feeling as politicians have been predicting the demise of the social security system since I was 20! I am willing to pay social security taxes on all of my income. That is not a raise in taxes for you until you make more than 87k a year and if you were already making that much then I would not feel bad about suggesting that you pay it. I am willing to take a small cut in benefits but not 40% and certainly not 60%. The alternative is that you will pay for my care as an old lady at a time in your life when you probably thought you’d have a little extra cash and are ready for retirement yourself. That is what would keep you from being able to retire!

Ashley was far from convinced, and she gets the last word.

As a dutiful daughter I will most certainly take your advice and do more homework. Unfortunately, I suspect that my homework will lead to a violation of the 5th commandment because it will prove you wrong.

1. You are paying ss taxes on $90,000 not $87,000. Do your homework.. (Damn, I have already violated the 5th commandment)

2. When that socialist set up SS he was playing a game with the American people. He set the retirement age several years after the life expectancy. SS was never meant to be a retirement fund – only a feel good sop to idiots.

3. I have pointed out already that I will never be able to retire. It seems my grandmother’s generation was a bit randy and my generation has a lot of people we need to take care of. (I remember that when I was at USC I had a Chinese sociology professor who explained to us one day that China would collapse because the “sandwich” generation would not be able to care for both their parents and their children. The equivalent is my generation in America.)

3. Of course I would take care of you in your dotage, that was what families were for before Big Brother.

4. I skirted around this in my first post so as not to make you feel old but the cut-off age where retirees would still receive their checks under Bush includes you. (What the hell-I have already broken the 5th commandment by not buying what you are selling hook, line, and sinker.)

6. What the hell good would 73% of my benefits due me at 2005 dollars in 2043?!?! (Oh, that’s right–according to the letters Michael and I got from the SSA we are not eligible for full benefits unless we WORK until we are 75-so that is probably more like (to pull a fairly conservative number out of my…)55% at 2005 dollars. Whoopee! There is no way we could save that much by ourselves.)

7. If you were paying SS on more than $87,000–oops, scratch that I mean $90,000–that would not benefit me in any way. The gov’t would either give it to crack heads or spend it on pork and I will still end up in a worse position.

8. Bottom line–it is theft. The gov’t is stealing my money. It IS my money. I go to work everyday and I earn it. I love you Mom, but it is not your money and it is not the government’s money. It is my money. You raised me to be a hard worker but if you had told me so it was so the gov’t could steal from me maybe I would have considered other options. I could have been a crack whore-liberals would claim it was because I was downtrodden and I would have had a free ride for life. Or, I could have become a housewife with a pile of kiddies-conservatives would say I was doing my wifely duty and given me lots of nice tax cuts like the Child Income Credit. As it is I am paying for the welfare Moms, the soccer Moms, the Viagra needin’ leacherous old men, and I am staring down the barrel at having to fund the bingo and golf money for the enormous Baby Boomer generation–give me a break, can I please keep something for me??

Fascinating debate. My position is a simple one. Republicans say its your money and your responsibility. Invest wisely or suffer the consequences. Dems say you can’t be trusted with your money, give it to the government and the nanny state will do what is best for you. Hmm, tough choice, eh? Sorry Carol.

What I think is going to be particularly interesting is how this issue plays out with the voters. I suspect that many people Ashley’s age have similar views towards social security. If this drives young voters to the Republicans the Democratic party base is further eroded. Then again the Republican boomers who are a sizable voting block may defect if they see their dreams of a comfortable retirement disappearing. MoveOn aligning with the AARP is the best description of strange bedfellows I can imagine. I suspect that as the debate over SS continues in Congress (and in families) we will see more of these shifting alliances. Looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out politically.

cross posted at The Wide Awakes

Wednesday Update

Ok, midway through week two of my life in Korea. Not a whole hell of a lot to report since the last update to be honest. Looked at a couple of more apartments yesterday. One was furnished and fully equipped (i.e. dishes, etc). In Itaewon, on the hill overlooking the main street through town. Actually, the view was terrific…mountains, lights of the city, Seoul tower. But the road getting up there is narrow and winding and steep and cluttered with parked vehicles. I asked the realtor if it was a one way street, and she said “no, two way.” Hmmm, it would be tough to drive in good conditions, put some snow or ice on there and I don’t know. Seriously, if you met a car coming the other direction, someone would have to back down (or up as it were). So, I don’t know. Guess it is still too early to “settle”.

A guy I work with is taking a job in Japan. I am buying his car (a 1992 Mitsubishi). I have had notoriously bad luck with used cars recently, so I am a little concerned. Then again, I have never bought a bad used car in Korea, so who knows? It just makes no sense to spend big money on a car I plan to rarely drive and will quite possibly get damaged if I don’t rapidly adjust to the norms of the streets of Seoul. I’m also going to take a look at his apartment, his description sounds good. He offered me his wife too (he’s divorcing) but I politely declined.

Work has been slow. I don’t have nearly enough to do yet, but I am sure that will change soon. I pissed off some colonel because I misunderstood what he had asked me to do, but it was a minor snafu, I apologized and I expect he will get over it.

Other than that, it has just been cold, cold, cold. It’s in the low teens in the morning, so I have been taking a cab to the office. Warms up to the twenty’s during the day, but it is uncomfortable when the wind blows. Still, it has been cold back home, so I’m not complaining.

The food at the hotel is excellent. I pretty much just do room service. Had prime rib on Monday, NY Strip yesterday, and some great ribs tonight. Well, the per diem ends when I get my own place, so I am taking advantage while I can.

That’s pretty much it from here folks. There is much happening in the world, and most of it is good. So I am thankful for that. Keep our soldiers in your prayers.

Wow.

Alright, this young man thought it would be cute to “door” kids as they rode their bikes. Fate, or Darwinism, or Karma or something thought otherwise.

This clip is stunning. Don’t watch it if you will be upset by cosmic justice.

No, I don’t think the punishment fit the crime. It always makes me sad to see a wasted life. Yes, it was fatal.

Found at Insignificant thoughts.

Not in our name

Michael Gove at The London Times gets it:

Who won the Iraqi elections? The formal counting won’t be over for days. But the result’s already clear. Iraq won.

And who lost? Well, a full list would take up all this column, but, for starters, I would say that the people who seemed a little glum yesterday morning include Saddam Hussein, Robin Cook, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, George Galloway, Osama bin Laden, Douglas Hurd, Bashar al-Assad, Menzies Campbell, Jacques Chirac, BBC News and Current Affairs, Robert Fisk and Sean Penn.

On Sunday Iraq enjoyed freedom. And enjoy seems to be the mot juste. Iraqis celebrated their chance to vote, revelled in it, embraced it. But for Robin, George, Douglas, Menzies, Jacques, Sean and those who joined them in opposition to the Iraq war there can’t be any great cause for celebration, can there? For none of this happened in their name.

Women in an Arab nation taking their place as free individuals alongside men, their voices and votes at last given equal weight. But not in your name, Robin. The Kurdish people, victims of chemical attack, ethnic cleansing, savage repression, at last voting to take their equal, respected, place in a new Iraq. But not in your name, George. The Shias of the south, after years in which their culture was marginalised, their lives held cheap, their faith mocked and their relatives tortured, now, at last, assuming a share of power in their own land, through the ballot box. But not in your name, Douglas. And an Arab nation, defying the racist stereotypes of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s camel corps, shows itself not just ready but enthusiatic for democracy. It is a victory for the principle that human rights can have a universal application. But not in your name, Menzies.

Just as the Spanish Civil War and the Cold War compelled people to take sides between democracy and oppression, so the Iraq war forced a choice on us. All of us. It was a choice that became inevitable after the events of September 11.

It was easy for most people to express their horror at the events of 9/11. It was natural for most, although not all, to feel sympathy for America. It was said that the world would never be the same again. But for all too many the world hadn’t really changed. As they proved by their opposition to the effort to change it for the better.

It has become a commonplace to assert that America squandered the world’s sympathy by going on to tackle Iraq after dealing with Afghanistan. But to wage war on Afghanistan without going farther would have been to squander something far more valuable, the moral high ground. Any old nation bent on revenge would have settled on Afghanistan. And left it there. But a nation determined to tackle the real root causes of terror had to go on. Because it is only by securing a decisive shift towards democracy across the region that the misery of the Middle East’s peoples can be relieved, and the threat to the rest of us brought to an end. Victory in the War on Terror depends not just on the elimination of regimes which sponsor terrorism, but on the nurturing of democracy’s roots in the hills of Kandahar, the banks of the Tigris and beyond.

For the past few months, whenever discussion has turned to the wisdom of the Iraq war, or the prospects for Iraq’s future, in our newspapers and on our airwaves, the critics’ voices have been dominant. And their opposition to what has been happening doom-laden.

But there are other voices who were not heard, indeed had not been heard for many years. On Sunday they spoke at last. The people of Iraq told Robin, Menzies, Douglas and George something I had been longing to hear. Their message was simple.

When you tell us that it was wrong to get rid of Saddam, foolish to press ahead with an election, naive to believe in Arab democracy, you exercise a valuable, cherishable freedom. But not in our name.

To be sure, some folks are beginning to acknowledge that maybe, just possibly, they were wrong and the President was right. And there should be no shame in that, because wherever you stood on the war the election in Iraq is a victory for us all.

Via Mudville Gazette