Archive | June 28, 2007

Truthful Iraq War Casualty Comparisons

By on June 28, 2007 in Politics

Attention all pacifists. Iraq is not Vietnam. Nope, not by a long shot. Let me hit you with some stats. Here’s the reality check for you “too many Americans are dying everyday” types. These are the facts from a reliable source as they stood at the beginning of June.

The Vietnam War lasted 12 years, through three presidencies and cost between 56,000 and 58,000 lives. We’ve just crossed the 3,500 mark after 4 years, 3 months of this war. Keep in mind KIA (Killed In Action) figures include accidents, heart attacks, etc., which is only right, given the stress servicemembers are under; they’re all war related deaths and are treated accordingly. Basic math suggests our current death rate will be 1/5 that of the Vietnam War, although there is no correlating indication that the intelligence level or leadership skills of our elected officials has risen by the same amount.

I especially like the second part of that last sentence (LOL)! So will all of you in the dropping-like-flies crowd please get a grip on reality. O.K., I’m jumping off the soap box and on to sources. Check the link from Iraq Coalition Casualty Count which is tracking all manner of statistics. Like all things mathematical you have to understand the terms you hear and read. So when you see and hear of the more than 25 thousand American casualties that’s wounded personell only. The number of actual American deaths is only just over 3,500 so don’t go around talking in ignorance about how the government is lying about the death rate on the battle field. Understand the terminology and be truthfully informed.

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Prison Time for Consensual Blow Job?

By on June 28, 2007 in Politics, Society

So much for reducing my rate of cursing in 2007. D*%# with a capital D*%#! Who would have thought  you could get thrown in the slammer over a girl putting your penis in her mouth? I am pissed off. Yeah it’s immoral for unmarried people, but illegal? When’s the last time kids got arrested for premarital sex, or pregnancy or abortion? I don’t support any of these behaviors but PRISON? Good Lord, Thurbert Baker and all of my neighbors in Georgia are just reinforcing all the old fashioned southern stereotypes. Aw H*#@, there go the dueling banjos again.

I’m just a little less than half a life time older than Genarlow Wilson. Looking back on when I was a teenager even a Black kid in the St. Louis ghetto in the 80′s had to almost habitually be in the wrong place at the wrong time or be a known drug dealer or REAL fellon of some type to get this type of treatment. In those situations I could understand because their life habits and anti-societal patterns of behavior were bound to lead to bad consequences.

But in this situation, are you kidding me? The young girl involved wasn’t charged because she was sufficiently underaged. But do people really think a seventeen year old is that much more mature than a fifteen year old? They were teenagers. None of them think ahead. It’s part of the young and dumb job description.

It was considered a sex offender level felony at the time when he was 17 but the public outcry has caused enough pressure that the law was amended last year making it a misdmeanor. Unfortunately for Genarlow its not retroactive and doesn’t help him now. Twenty one years old, four years of life wasted. Those ignoramous lawmakers in downtown Atlanta really think they’ve done something righteous. What a bunch of complete and total idiots.

Thank God though for the young business man, Whitney Tilson who has created a defense fund for Genarlow. You can read a bit about him in Vanessa Byers’ take on the matter. She makes some good points to think about on the issue. Especially of how this one is being back doored and politicked to death. There’s also more in Tuseday’s USA Today on page 4A of the Nation section. The young man isn’t free yet but God knows he should be.

Incarcerating an honor student and otherwise upstanding kid in PRISON for that. Thurbert, I was excited to see your commercial when you were running for office a few months ago, but d*#%, you need your head examined. You did stupid stuff when you were a kid too. Just stop and reminisce for a second.

As far as I’m concerned this deserves Shaquanda Cotton level attention. If you haven’t seen other posts about this matter read more coverage on the case from this recent post by Glennis on Young Black Professional Guide from earlier this month.

Also do your part to keep the matter at the forefront by sending your expressions of outrage to the Georgia Attorney General’s office at 40 Capitol Sqare, SW, Atlanta, GA 30334, phone number 404-656-3300 and raise a lot of cain about it.

AG Baker must be catching a lot of heat about it because he has a link about the Wilson case in the form of an open letter right there on the left side of his web site. Have I been unfair in my criticism of the Georgia Attorney General? Read the letter and see if you agree with his interpretation of events and comments about the parties other than himself who can actually bring about a resolution. In the mean time though keep up the pressure and let’s right a four year long wrong.

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