George W. Bush: Nice Guy to Have a Beer With, Not So Good as President; AKA Who's Responsible for Military Contractors in Iraq?

Here's the thing.  He seems like a nice guy.  Hell, I'd go have a beer with him.  Watch the game.  That kind of thing.  But good lord he shouldn't be President of the United States.

Via Digg.

U.S. Public High School Devoted to Homeland Security

Via BoingBoing comes this absurdity; A U.S. Publicly funded 'Magnet' High School devoted to Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness:

"In late August, Maryland's Joppatowne High School became the first school in the country dedicated to churning out would-be Jack Bauers. The 75 students in the Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness magnet program will study cybersecurity and geospatial intelligence, respond to mock terror attacks, and receive limited security clearances at the nearby Army chemical warfare lab.

The new school is funded and guided by a slew of federal, state, and local agencies, not to mention several defense firms. Officials say it will teach kids to understand the "new reality," though they hasten to add that the school isn't focused just on terrorism. School administrators, channeling Cheneyesque secrecy, refused to be interviewed for this story. But it's no secret that the program is seen as a model for the rest of the country, with the Pentagon and other agencies watching closely.

Students will choose one of three specialized tracks: information and communication technology, criminal justice and law enforcement, or "homeland security science." David Volrath, executive director of secondary education for Harford County Public Schools, says the school also hopes to offer "Arabic or some other nontraditional, Third World-type language."

Link to the article in Mother Jones:

Black Ops Jungle: The Academy of Military-Industrial-Complex Studies

Where is the War?

The thing most striking to me so far in my Nashville sojourn is an absent thing.  The War.  Where is it?

Living in the U.K. it seemed to me ever present there...a slow, steady drumbeat heard of America, waging war overseas.  Yet here...there's nothing.

Well, yes there's the cake decorating competition.   And this absurd sign.

But other than that, what?  I've gotten no palpable sense from my walks around town, talking and jiving with the locals, that this country is engaged in a massive operation that's killed tens of thousands of people.  I've seen some bumper-stickers. 

Support Our Troops.

Billboards exhorting one to join the Marines, (spied only in poor areas).

But that's about it. 

To be fair I haven't watched TV.  The one in my room only gets a Spanish Language Soap Channel.  And the reception is bad.

Perhaps once I get to know people here it'll seem different.

Diebold Rebrands

So Diebold is changing their name to, I shit you not, 'Premier Election Solutions'.

Why not just re-brand as 'Honest McTrusty's Dependa Vote' if they're gonna go to the effort of ordering new stationary?

F*ckers.

Fox Show 1/2 Hour News Hour Fails For All The Obvious Reasons

Yes, it has been cancelled.  The 1/2 Hour News Hour previously on LTA:

The America Show

After watching the embedded clip above I find no reason to go into detail about why the show was asked to cease production.  I find the whole thing has a creepy fascist, anti-life, anti-art vibe; I mean who the fuck doesn't like art? 

If you don't then email me and I'll take you around some galleries no matter what city I'm in at the time to explain to you the transformative nature of personal creativity.

These people just hate and hate. But who specifically do they hate? And why?

Oklahoma's Global War on Terrorism License Plate

Via BoingBoing comes the news that Oklahoma is offering the above license plate for your vehicle of choice.

No comment is necessary.

Oh, except to say "Oklahoma - what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Operation Banner Ends Today

Operation Banner, the British Army Operation in Norn Iron ended today after 38 years:

BBC News

Slugger O'Toole

Ministry of Defence Operation Banner Analysis

Mr. President - Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love George W. Bush

Have posted a new version of 'Mr. President' to YouTube - special thanks to the folks who emailed me about the old version's sound-synch problems.

This vid is kinda close to my heart as it's something I've re-worked on a yearly basis since 2001 - never really been happy with it but this is as finished as it's gonna get.

Study: Iraqis May Experience Sadness When Friends, Relatives Die

Via the Onion:

Study: Iraqis May Experience Sadness When Friends, Relatives Die

National Healthcare: Breeding Ground for Terror?; A.K.A. My Favourite Fox News Strapline of All Time

More information on this wonderful little strapline can be found here:

Fox News: Universal health care breeds terrorists.