The Real Problem

I always thought that there were plagues on society that degraded from our happiness and infringed on our way of life. You know, things like drugs, burglars, jihad, Hillary Clinton, etc. etc. What I didn't realize was that I've been overlooking the obvious problem. Surely, it can explain so much...

Miss Brazil is missing. Poof! Gone! And what have the super sleuths in San Palo come up with? It's almost too good to be true. (However, I saw Turista so I'm not willing to chuckle just yet.) I think that when someone is missing for six months, you can probably chalk them up as dead. I'm not a trained professional, but dead is where I think a large degree of consideration should lay. (I also saw Man on Fire, so it is sounding more credible as I type this.)

Aside from the fact that the former, now-AWOL Miss Brazil took her place on the throne because the winner of the pagent was married, I think the entire situation, although involving human life, possesses a large degree of...strangeness and macabre humor.

So, what is it that led me chuckle? The police in Brazil are considering all of their options as they explore possible avenues which may lead to her whereabouts. This includes human trafficking. Well, it's either that or perhaps she's in Belgium. Some things are too good to be made up.

Yet another reason I will never go to South America. Besides Hugo Chavez, the police work anywhere south of Texas, which is suspect, at best is the single largest reason I will never travel down there. In a world that is truly comprised of haves and have nots there is too much room for error. There are too many places to disappear and apparently too many human traffickers.

What is the going rate on a thirty-something white male? Surely Kathy Lee isn't going to hire me to run one her sweat shops, but I am curious as to the price one might get for me on the open market. Aside from "not much", I don't actually care to find out. But, really?!?! Is it that big of a problem that we actually offer it as a solution to a missing persons case?

Hey buddy! Want a watch?

No thanks. Do you have a 25 year-old Brazilian woman in your coat? I really need me one of them.

Is it really a problem? Of course, she could be in Belgium.

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! I want it NOW!!!

Like a little kid, accustomed to having his way, Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is throwing an international temper tantrum for the ages. With his hopes set high on eliminating any semblance of checks and balances in the political process of his nation, Chavez is appalled at the U.S. expression of concern.

Telling the United States to “go to hell” and referring to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice as “missy”, Chavez is proceeding toward what he aspires to be the development of a totally socialist state in Venezuela. Now, I am not an expert on political ideologies, but this is ragingly close to communism in a nation far too close to home, much less one that is a world leader in petroleum exportation. Furthermore, this guy is going to “buy” the national television broadcasting company, but will “not pay market price”.

Information is power. Make no mistake about it. This guy is about to become Kim Jung-Il in South America. He is about to “nationalize” everything in Venezuela, including the national electrical and natural gas resources. As the leader of a Socialist state, he becomes the defacto “owner” of it all. His media outlets will then become his own personal propaganda tools and his wealth will only grow as he absorbs all of Citgo’s profits. This is the scariest part, to me - the fact that he will gain the most powerful tool in the world. The tool he will own is the media. He will own what people read, see and hear. He will tell them exactly what he needs them to hear to convert them to his arcane beliefs. The ease with which he will disrupt the global market is alarming. He is in the early stages of international hostage-taking and not many people see it coming. I doubt that he will ever face serious opposition in future “elections”.

The second and third order affects of this move, to socialize Venezuela, will be felt and they will hurt. Like a spoiled child, what this guy needs is a good ass-whippin’ to get his perspective straightened out. Does the United Nations need anything beyond his tirade in front of the General Assembly to realize that he is an emotional powder keg?

Speculation as to how the war in Iraq will affect this can range far and wide. But, I do believe that it will become a factor (as if it’s not already). If we do not get that region stabilized, we could be in big trouble. Well, the caribou may be in big trouble. Instability and influence on the global market may cause the U.S. to re-examine our oil importation needs versus self-sustainment options. Saudi Arabia might be the key to all of this. (I realize I may be connecting seemingly unrelated dots, but I see a connection.)

Oil and petroleum production from the Middle East may need to increase. Exportation will only increase and if the civil unrest and killing doesn’t abate it could cause the per-barrel price to, once again, sky rocket. Do you see the power Chavez is trying to seize over the international community? Deposing of Saddam Hussein in Iraq played right into his hands. His public denouncement of the execution is in direct contrast to the power he obtained, by default, when Saddam was deposed. Saudi Arabia will likely be critical elements to the stabilization of that region, with an accompanying domino affect on the economic well-being of industrialized nations the world over.

To think that no one in Venezuela is saying gracias to Americans! Thanks to us, they pay less than 15 cents for a gallon of gas. If none of this has your attention, just imagine how it will impact us if the next terrorist act on American soil is against an oil refinery.

The Disassociated Press

Once again reading the news has drawn the ire of a previously content individual. I am said individual.

So, I was cruising through my newpaper, aka the internet, when I saw a photo of three Soldiers running. They were wearing a full compliment of battle rattle and carrying M4s. I scrolled to it to read the caption. The caption was a bit long to read so I clicked on the picture to enlarge it. When I scrolled down to read the rest of the caption it read:

"Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division run across a frozen prairie as they train at Fort Riley, Kansas, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007. The soldiers from the division's fourth brigade will deploy to Iraq in the next few weeks as part of President Bush's planned troop surge." (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Anything jump out of that? Does that anger you? Well, perhaps if you were part of the unit, or knew someone who was then you'd see the absurdity of the statement.

"...will deploy to Iraq in the next few weeks as part of President Bush's planned troop surge."

What a crock of garbage. They are, technically, part of the troop surge. Much in the way the original french fries in your combo meal were part of the meal before your "went large" (you glutton, you). They are part of a one dollar savings on double coupon day, but they are the original coupon for fifty cents off - not the additional fifty cents savings.

What my keen sense of perception tells me is that this is nothing more than another thinly-veiled media attack on W. This is another shot in the information war the media is fighting with President Bush; another attempt to scare the hell out of America and fill their heads with more half-truths and inuendos. The Soldiers pictures in that photo were sourced for the upcoming deployment long, long before last weeks announcement. (That is, if they are, in fact, part of the named unit and not just some random file photo.) They are not part of the additional force requirement that a "surge", by definition, would require. I am sure that secret meetings will has that out and the AP will find out in due time. That time, however, is not now. Of course, statements like that caption are much like the withdrawn question of a cunning attorney, once it's out there the damage is done.

Information is power, people, and it can be used like weapons. It's a crying shame that the weapon our journalists choose to use is one of quiet destruction at the hands of, and to the detriment of, those releasing it to the world. It is the "Agent Orange" of today. It is the weapon that those using won't know is killing them too until it's way too late. They will destroy themselves, also. What do you expect when your idea of "responsible journalism" drives a wedge into the fabric of America when we need, now more than ever, a unifying inspiration?

I just wish that some of these shmucks would gear it back for a moment and try to figure out a way toward a better future instead of telling me who fucked up in the past. It's here and we have to deal with it. We know who did it. Will you help get it right, or will you just keep telling me it was Colonel Mustard in the library with the WMD?

Is this humility?

Sloth. Envy. Gluttony. Wrath. Vanity. Greed. Pride. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you: The Seven Deadly Sins!

Pride? Pride is a deadly sin? Are you serious?, you might ask yourself. Trust me on this one. I grew up going to Catholic school, I've got this one covered. Pride is largely considered the most severe of the Deadly Sins (and I, personally, always got it confused with Vanity, but that's beside the point, I think). So, perhaps this explains the karma-laden annihilation that was laid upon The Nation last night in the desert.

So, after last night, do we think that there's any pride left? Have we been stripped of our pride? Did we have pride, in the first place? Too much pride, perhaps?

Good thing for us there are also Seven Virtues that are opposite to the Deadly Sins. Guess what one of them is? Humility. To possess humility is to be humble.

Man, this humble pie tastes like shit.

So, there you have it. Aside from the foul taste, taking a royal ass beating last night actually made The Nation the virtuous ones. You can't go wrong when you're right with the Lord.