Media has reported over and over that the Flag Protection Amendment passed by the House and faces an “uphill battle in the Senate.”  They’ve claimed that this bill seeks to amend the Constitution and ban the burning of the US Flag.
     This is yet another load of horse-puckey by a media who are too stupid and lazy to investigate facts or give fair and balanced opinion about anything.

     Senate Joint Resolution 12 is a very simple, seventeen word statement:

The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.

     This amendment only gets rid of the Constitutional hurdle which has prevented Congress from passing anti-Flag Burning legislation before.  It doesn’t make anything illegal.
     Senators and Legislators who have come on Television decrying the Resolution simply have not read it.
     There is also a widespread belief that this is a Republican supported bill, which also cannot be further from the truth.  As it stands, it is a purely bipartisan measure, with as many people decrying it on either side of the political fence.

     Basically what we’ve ended up with is yet another bullshit stall tactic, where Congress is attempting to give itself a little more power, and wasting a lot of money and air time, when they’re not actually doing anything.  They’ve just secured their seats, and given themselves the power to debate another hot-button issue, which will most assuredly fail over and over again anyway.

     Swanky pointed out two polarized views about the flag.  Some people see it as a symbol of our Freedom and Democracy.  Others see it as reminder of the people who died to protect our Freedom and Democracy.  It’s both: Thirteen stripes representing the original colonies, alternating White for our innocence and purity and Red for the blood of those fought defending it, and a field of Blue with Stars to represent our fifty states in a night-time constellation.  I don’t foresee myself ever burning a flag.  But it’s good to live in a country that would allow me to do it.

     But… all this talk about Flag Burning is secondary to the real issue.
     This is a test case, where Congress is attempting to remove a legal barrier mandated by the Supreme Court and see if anyone will notice.  If successful, it opens the door for them to do it a few more times for good measure!
     Thus, I am firmly against the Resolution.  I’m firmly against Congress dictating its own power, and have nothing but contempt when they attempt to pass legislation for no other reason than to give themselves more things to do in the future.  It’s a waste of time and money that could be better spent fixing things that are actually wrong.

Things look bad in Iraq, no two ways about it.  Kelter at Blogitude somehow managed to throw it a positive spin.

Regarding the Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations which have undoubtedly had a hand in this week’s events:

These are the people the new Iraqi Parliament know are the root of their problems. Now, it’s up to them to step up, to get their people to ignore the difference between Sunni and Shiite, to steel them against the monsters of the past, to channel their energy into rebuilding and innovation, and to unify them as One Nation, Under Allah.

Since Iraq’s current President and Parliament have told the U.S. to step back and stop meddling when we told them we wouldn’t throw any money towards “sectarian politics,” it should look pretty good to the Iraqi public. Leveraging that and getting their military in shape to handle internal crises should give them an edge.

It took the the U.S. eighty years to go from Ruled to Independence to Government to Civil War to Resolution to United Nation. On the other hand, Iraq is averaging one step per year. In the grand scheme of History, it’s a major accomplishment.

An even bigger accomplishment would be to keep it up at the same pace… It’s doubtful that Iraq could at all survive a year of Civil War.

Throughout history, many countries and regions have gone through some bloody periods after gaining independence. Countries are very rarely handed down without blood being spilled; many teeter on the edge of full-fledged Civil War. These conflicts usually happen several years after Independence as social groups grapple with new-found Freedom, and governments try and pick up the pieces and impress their ideals on their people. What we’re seeing in Iraq right now isn’t so different, if we think about it in the grand scheme of History.

Yesterday, the Golden Mosque at Samarra was bombed. Ethnic groups have clashed, and in a mere twenty-four hours, the situation has gone from hopeful to dire. The violence has reached a new level, with gunmen entering factories and killing all of the workers, or stopping buses and killing all of the passengers. It’s no longer faceless bombers killing without ever seeing the eyes of their victims, no; now, it’s up close, and personal.

Third parties — terrorist organizations such as Al Qeada — intent of keeping their populace poor and uneducated (in Allah’s name!) will do most anything to keep the 21st Century from happening. In their eyes, any attempt to bring education, scholarship for indian students, technology and Freedom of Choice to the masses diminishes their Totalitarian ability to dominate and retain control. Their leaders falsely claim, “We’re just like you!”, all the while sitting in the lap of luxury, enjoying the ill-gotten gains received from provoking peons, promising prominent places in Paradise in return for dirty deeds which are most often nothing short of extortion.

They are spoiled children at worst, and common thugs and mobsters at best.

These are the people the new Iraqi Parliament know are the root of their problems. Now, it’s up to them to step up, to get their people to ignore the difference between Sunni and Shiite, to steel them against the monsters of the past, to channel their energy into rebuilding and innovation, and to unify them as One Nation, Under Allah.

Here’s hoping that President Talabani and his associates are up for the task ahead.

It took the the U.S. eighty years to go from Ruled to Independence to Government to Civil War to Resolution to United Nation. On the other hand, Iraq is averaging one step per year. In the grand scheme of History, it’s a major accomplishment.

I can remember a time when Funerals were occasions where people revered the deceased, and stood together, if only for a moment, remembering their life. They were humbling, often somber, reminding us of our own mortality, and bringing the promise that we would live on in the memories of those around us.

It’s a damn shame when some people want to use them as political platforms, reverting to the simians from whence they evolved, flinging their proverbial poo towards those at the precipice of the heirarchy.

During the memorial service of Coretta Scott King — wife of the former Dr. Martin Luther King — former President Jimmy Carter had plenty of flinging to do. In regards to current President Bush’s handling of one of our nation’s most horrible natural disasters, he stood and uttered these words:

We only have to recall the color of the faces of those in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi who are most devastated by Katrina to know that there are not yet equal opportunities for all Americans…

Shame on you, Mr. Carter, for cheapening the memory of a beloved Civil Rights activist.

I’m certain that many of us still remember your campaign. We only have to recall the color of the faces of those working your Georgia peanut farm.

Former Tennessee Highway Patrol Lieutenant C. B. Farmer’s story, alleging that he was fired in 2004 due to his family supporting Republican candidates, has finally hit the spotlight.

“The gist of my story was I was run out of the highway patrol,” former THP Lt. Charles B. Farmer said.

Appearing with his representative from one of the law offices in Slidell LA, Farmer presented supporting documents to the committee which is investigating claims of cronyism in the department. Among them were contribution disclosures showing how much Farmer’s wife and father-in-law had donated to Republican candidates in the 2002 statewide election.

State Sen. Jamie Woodson, R-Knoxville, asked Farmer about a transcript of a recorded conversation the former trooper had with a superior. According to the transcript, Farmer allegedly asked the superior if Farmer should have given $1,000 to a Democrat.

“Maybe you should have,” Woodson read from the transcript.

“Obviously, this conversation is disturbing to me. This is infuriating,” the senator said.

Farmer told the committee he had never received a low score on any of his performance evaluations in 20 years, but in 2003 the same superior officer who he alleges berated him for his political contributions gave him a low score.

Prior to his termination, he was assigned permanently to the midnight shift, Farmer told the committee.

“It was harassment,” said Farmer’s attorney, Arthur Knight of Knoxville.

Farmer, now working for a Knoxville mortgage company, said his dismissal from the THP was a blow that has left him teetering on bankruptcy and has weakened his marriage. He said the state must find a way to remove politics from trooper selections and promotions.

This is after repeated uproar within the THP over the last few months, as Governor Phil Bredesen crusades to end cronyism and corruption within this, and many other, departments of the state government. In recent month all over Tennessee, Police Departments have felt the sharp slap of the upper hand, with many long-time public figures being precipitately replaced.

From the Tennesseean:

Two-thirds of Tennessee Highway Patrol officers tapped for promotion under Gov. Phil Bredesen gave money to his campaign or had family or political patrons who did, a Tennessean investigation has found.

Among those with such connections, more than half were promoted over troopers who scored better on impartial exams or rankings, according to an analysis by the newspaper of three years of the patrol’s promotions and proposed promotions.

Of course, with Governor Bredesen being a Democrat, and his new regime inside the THP having a habit of giving people poor evaluations for being Republicans, it certainly seems to throw a few rocks at the glass house of “ethical government,” doesn’t it?