In Which I Natter On About Things I Have Only A Passing Knowledge Of, And Even Coin A New Word!

Hooray! Finally, an in-depth article about corruption in Iraq that doesn't mention my company or the owner. It's titled 'The Ten Most Brazen War Profiteers', and we didn't make the list! I don't know whether to be relieved or feel slighted. Anyway, it's a really good article. I really like the bit about the company Custer Battles, because I've been laughing at their name since my first year in Iraq; They used to do security for the Baghdad International Airport, and there it was, lettered on all of their trucks proudly, Custer Battles. Didn't they get it? Didn't they realize that that was like, the worst name in the world for a security company in Baghdad to have? Haven't we dared God to do his worst enough already? I mean, I know that the two founders of the companies' family names are one Custer and one Battles, but still. Change the name. Or make one up. Be creative, not a southern idiot.
But it's all very informative. Apparently Stuart Bowen of SIGIR has in fact fried bigger fish than my old boss, so I have to eat crow again for that thing I said a few posts back. See, this is why I should stick to Space and funny cultural differences and anecdotes. I have no head for the titanic amount of information spilling out all over the internet about the big Bushoglio over here. That's right, I'm coining it. A Bushoglio is an imbroglio, a crisis, a pandemonius riot, an unholy mess of such titanic proportions that it's like has not been seen in the known history of man, nor has there ever been a word created previously which can hope to describe how chaotic that man has made this place. It is a whirlwind which has made a storm that is growing big enough to gobble the world. If you don't think it's really that bad, read this post and then be so calm about it. I can't, of course, vouch for the total veracity of it, but alot of what is talked about there is stuff I've been hearing about for a long time.
And how about those secret CIA prisons, huh? Bush is all like "What? Yeah we got 'em. No big deal. We gotta screw some people outta their human rights to save them for real people like us, God told me so." Yikes. There have of course been rumours of those things for years... it's actually somewhat of an Interzone worst-kept secret. But damn. I shudder to think what things like that mean for the future of us.

Comments

[Dad]

My 'puter's been down for several days due to a faulty pre-amp out in the world somewhere so I had not read much since about the 27th of August... you've been busy!! You make some really good points about many things and I, for one, appreciate your willingness to muddle through them and share your ideas. There's a lot to think about and most of the time we just don't. Seems voting in this democracy takes a bit more thought than partisan politics may allow... but we'll keep at it. BTW: the "secret" prisons/holding cells/jails were never really secret - but folks don't take the time to find the information posted out there. The state of Bahgdad also is not so secret but, again, one has to check things out to know. Guess it's a matter of, "Do I really want to know?"

[messiestobjects]

Didn't I say it wasn't really a secret? I'm sure I did. Oh, I said there've been rumours. Same thing. Anyway, the headline yesterday on The Stars & Stripes Middle East edition (military newspaper) said, basically, "Things are getting better in Baghdad! Our plan is working!" ... I couldn't believe it when I saw it. That's some extreme propaganda, even coming from them. I don't think anyone believes that kind of crap, especially here, but the man is really trying to make us!