Kumar in Trouble

When Kal Pen (aka Kumar of the great movie, Harold & Kumar go to White Castle) left the beautiful people of Hollywood to spend time with the bottom-feeding parasites in DC, he received some praise for serving his country or something. But now a FOIA request has revealed that he was mixed up in the recent NEA scandal which forced its Communications Director into resignation. From Washington Examiner (h/t Jammie):

Former actor and present White House associate director of public engagement Kalpen Modi was directly involved in planning the controversial conference call hosted by a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) flack to encourage tax-supported artists to create propaganda for President Obama, according to emails obtained by Judicial Watch via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Uhoh, making trouble for Hollywood's messiah, that'll probably get you blacklisted. Which is unfortunate, because I thought Kal Pen was a great actor. Well, he'll always have the ability to write crummy HuffPo articles alongside all the other has-been celebrities.

Colbert in the Sandbox

Even though the Iraq war fell off in media coverage once relative peace and democracy broke out, our troops are still over there busting their ass wondering when they're going to get their orders to Afghanistan. So Colbert was kind enough to do a USO tour to Mesopotamia and revamp his website. While most Americans are spending their days strangely thinking that Obama is doing a "swell" job with our rapidly collapsing economy, maybe this Comedy Central extravaganza will remind people that, yes, we are in a time of war. From Military Times:

Colbert, who traveled to Iraq from Kuwait on Friday on board a military transport plane, has said he was spurred to make the trip when he noticed economic news coverage eclipsing reports from Baghdad.

The four shows, which were being taped in the domed marble hall at Saddam Hussein’s former Al Faw Palace, will air later.

Claiming the war must be over because nobody’s talking about it anymore, Colbert invoked the power of cable television to “officially declare we won the Iraq war.”

Unlike every other liberals on the internet and elsewhere, Colbert is actually funny when he parodies conservatism. Shows this week.

Moran of the Day: NYT Journalist With Another Hit Piece on the Military

The latest NY Times tripe on the military suggests that people only enlist for a steady cash flow during our recession. Certainly, the promise of a pay-check might tip the scales for some potential recruits in their decision-making process, but just joining the military for financial rewards is a pretty lousy idea. The pay scale for junior enlisted personnel is publicly available, and you can see that an individual would have a much better shot at bringing in the Benjamins if they opened up a roller-disco or something. But that doesn't stop the grey lady from propagating the myth that people only sign up to avoid financial ruin. From the NYT:

Sean D. O’Neil, a 22-year-old who stood shivering outside an Army recruitment office in St. Louis, said he was forgoing plans to become a guitar maker for now, realizing that instruments are seen as a luxury during a recession. Mr. O’Neil, a Texas native, ventured to St. Louis for an apprenticeship but found himself $30,000 in debt. Joining the Army, his Plan B, was a purely financial decision. With President-elect Barack Obama in office, he expects the troop levels in Iraq to be lowered.

This type of reporting in the media leads society to believe that they should not respect the patriotism of the Armed Forces. Because they had "nowhere else to go", young Americans can feel "less guilty" that only a small percentage of folks have chosen to serve. Recruits come into the military for a variety of reasons, but it all becomes moot as everyone is familiarized into the military lifestyle and ethnic/class/political boundaries are broken down as everyone dons the same uniform.

The NYT writer, Lizette Alvarez, has covered the same beat for her journalistic career, always proclaiming the military's troubles. Recently, Old Blue did some outstanding analysis that her gripes with the military have nothing to do with objective reporting, and everything to do with making the current Republican administration look bad. So don't buy into the hype...maybe her articles will quietly go away after The O takes office.

What's disturbing is that imbeciles tend to believe this sort of nonsense that the military is not necessarily patriotic. Take Punk'd star and cougar-hunter Ashton Kutcher, who had this to say at HuffPo:

Today, serving our country no longer simply means drop and give me 20, this is your rifle, defend this land we call home. National service is becoming a term used to define a much broader and equally passionate category of patriotism. This brand of patriotism is inclusive of a pure humanitarian effort guided by the simple virtue of the giving of oneself for the benefit of another in the name of the United States of America.

I am grateful that our nation has some excellent humanitarian workers here and abroad, but Ashton Kutcher isn't exactly Mother Teresa. And his flippant attitude that the military is just about "give me 20" is an embarrassment. It's a sad state of affairs when our nation's cultural elite think driving a hybrid is on par with sacrifices made in the military, but it's the reality we face.

Celebrate Mass Murderer Chic...This Friday!

The 257-minute tongue bath of "revolutionary" executioner Che Guevarra is scheduled for release on Friday in NYC and LA. It received some criticism at Cannes, because...it didn't do enough to celebrate the awesomeness of Che! "It Diminished His Character". Moonbattery notes that some people are not impressed with this tripe:

But some stubbornly refuse to pay their respects. Thus, the actor received a much cooler reception when Che, directed by Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh, had a private screening in Miami Beach this past Thursday. Cuban-Americans, including the mayor of Miami Beach, protested the 4-and-a-half hour glorification of the man they consider a Stalinist mass-murderer.

Seriously, communism was deemed a lousy and genocidal method of governance and sent into the dust bin of the 20th century. Why do we still idolize its advocates? Next up, Hollywood will probably celebrate the life and times of the pioneers of Eugenics.

Ro Show Probably Canceled After One Night

What a Babe!

There's not much to say about Rosie O' Donnell that hasn't already been said for. She's your typical low hanging fruit for right-wing bloggers just like Al Gore or Code Pink. But here's a new blurb from the NY Times regarding her floptastic variety hour:

Rosie O’Donnell’s homage to television variety shows of the 1970s, “Rosie Live,” seems destined to be a one-night-only event. On the “Ask Ro” feature on the Web site, rosie.com, Ms. O’Donnell wrote, “there will b no more” in response to a question about the future of the show, which was broadcast on NBC on Wednesday.

Damn, even Chevy's Chase talk show lasted close to a month in '93, what a loser.

The Rise and Fall of a Gen X Icon

What the Hell Ever Happened to Darlene?

So I was watching old Roseanne reruns on Nickelodeon, because I have nothing better to do on a Sunday, and saw the sarcastic, cynical stylings of Darlene. Remember her? She brought up a lot of memories from the awkward early 90s as grunge was taking off, young people were disgruntled and skeptical of their lame parents, and there was no worse fate than being labeled a "poser" for hanging out with the jocks. Darlene could have been the spokeswoman for a generation of teens who weren't buying into the paradigm of our dull society.

Unfortunately, I decided to see what Sara Gilbert was up to these days, and her wiki states that "In her teens, Gilbert became a vegetarian. Today, she supports numerous organizations such as PETA, Meals on Wheels, Freedom of Speech, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and AIDS Project Los Angeles." Not that there is anything wrong with charity, but it may highlight a trend that all anti-authoritarian Gen Xers who grew their hair long and dyed it purple may become the mainstream if Obama gets elected. Wonder who the next generation of rebels will be?

Red Meat for Palin Lovers

The fact that the GOP picked a woman for Veep has opened up a cultural rift about feminism in America not seen since Murphy Brown got knocked up and Dan Quayle predicted the apocalypse as a result of a child out of wedlock on TV. It's pretty ridiculous that some on the modern left have been so quick to ridicule Palin (was all that talk about women's rights in the past just for opportunistic purposes?). Anyways, a Hollywood screenwriter, who cashed in on writing the screenplay for "North Country", a film about women getting treated like ass at blue-collar jobs in flyover country, had this to say (h/t Dirty Harry):

For one, if you are a McCain/Palin/Bush voter, you and I do not have a difference of opinion. We have a difference in brain power. Two, she really is as ignorant as I feared. And, three, she really is kinda hot. Basically, I want to have sex with her on my Barack Obama sheets while my wife reads aloud from the Constitution. (My wife is cool with this if I promise to "first wipe off Palin's tranny makeup." I married well.)

He then to tried to deflect charges of sexism the following day by saying this:

Imagine for a moment that McCain had picked the latest winner of The Bachelor as his running mate. Would we be sexist if we commented on her looks? Of course not. Sorry if you don't like it, but in my mind, there's not much that separates Sarah Palin from the attractive yet vapid winner of a reality show. As far as I'm concerned, she IS the attractive yet vapid winner of a reality show.

The Huffington Post is easy pickins for railing against the left in this country, and this type of commentary shows the level to which people will stoop in this highly contested election. Along with the Palin as a Hamas suicide bomber meme, this doesn't say very much for the institution of democracy and voter involvement. May the person with the least amount of gaffes and best hair win!

Stop Enabling Janeane Garfolo

I saw 4 politically-themed comedians at the Bumbershoot festival. Since it was in Seattle, it had a predictable liberal bent. 3 of the comedians 15-minute schticks had the crowd and myself in stitches, including this guy posing as a Republican congressman. But Janeane Garofalo, best known in recent years for being an idiotic Troofer, ranted on about evil corporations, asserted that all conservatives are misogynists like some deranged Kos diarist, and looked like she was under the influence of serious narcotics as she bumbled around the stage for her painfully unfunny performance. She got a few chuckles here and there, but overall, it was kind of like an audience of 400 watching their drunken, thrice-divorced aunt yell at the top of her lungs about everybody's problems at a family reunion. So do what the above video says and stop enabling Janeane and encourage her to go to rehab for pete's sakes.

Here's some extra footage of Garofalo calling Petraeus a liar on Bill Maher's show back in September 2007. What a loser.

You Can Get Pregnant in a Combat Zone...I Did Not Know That!

Remember how Lara Logan got busted for getting railed by some contractor in Iraq and destroying his marriage and the credibility of Iraq news forever and ever. Well, turns out she got knocked up too (h/t Sisu). Goodness gracious. Many reporters and journalists pass through the embassy, so let me give you a little advice: there's a big ass box condoms outside the health clinic when you walk from Saddam's creepy ballroom (now a green bean) and the DFAC. What the hell's wrong with you people! Haven't you at least heard of the rhythm method?

General Petraeus More Popular Than Angelina, And My Shameless Publicity Stunt

The London Times has a piece on the infamous General Petraeus photo-op available to those of us who served in the Green Zone (h/t Hot Air). The Times discusses how General Petraeus draws larger crowds than Condi, Dick, and even Angelina Jolie:

One Green Zone veteran said General Petraeus drew bigger crowds than almost any other celebrity visitor, including Angelina Jolie, Dick Cheney, the vice-president, and Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State. Only the right-wing talk show host Bill O'Reilly, known for shouting down liberal guests on his Fox Channel programme, drew similar crowds.

Since posting details of flag officer/VIP routines is a gross violation of OPSEC, I must remain vague. But here's my shameless attempt to be "cool" via proxy by showing this photo:

I tried to take this photographic evidence to some of the city's fancier clubs to schmooze my way into the VIP room. But as the barometer of coolness, TMZ, once called searching for the remains of MIAs "BS", I wasn't let beyond the velvet rope. Damn!

Andrew Breitbart Rails Against Hollywood For Dissing Troops

breitbart frontlines
by dollarsandsense123

This is a video of Andrew Breitbart, a libertarian, West LA resident, Hollyweird insider, and all around-good guy taking about the media infrastructure seeking to portray the military in a negative light. He's chatting with the From The Front Lines drive, which is raising money to send care packages to our troops. Usually, I take these attacks against the left with a grain of salt, since it is politically convenient to drop the "Support The Troops" meme to bolster your partisan political position if you're conservative. But Andrew is not a 527-bot, as evidenced by this Reason interview, so it gives his statements a lot more credibility.

More On Those Unsung Heroes: Celebrities

Thumbing through Time's "100 most influential people" in 2008, I am totally stoked that celebrities, who never get any media attention, have been justifiably honored! Why give props to hard-working diplomats and human rights activists under the "Heroes & Pioneers" Tab of the list, when it's best to highlight the Hollywood party scene with Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie (written by fellow actor messiah, George Clooney). Brad, I payed $1.25 for the Ocean's 13 bootleg, and I want my money back.

Andre Agassi also gets a place under the Heroes & Pioneers tab. Fellow tennis superstar, Andy Roddick, has this to say:

Arthur could well have been talking about Andre Agassi. We are all aware of his tennis accomplishments, the brilliance and flash of his career. It's impossible to forget his epic U.S. Open victories, and also—though he might want us to forget—the mullet and acid-washed jeans. But the greater challenge for an athlete is to have a positive impact away from the cameras. I've been privileged to witness firsthand Andre, 38, do just that.

It's certainly comforting that hitting a ball back and forth over a net will have such a major impact on the problems of our world. It will certainly keep people distracted with mindless entertainment, as society collapses around them. Bravo! Because only in celebrity-obsessed America, could we have uneducated tinsel town boobs receiving equivalent praise as the woman known as The Mother Teresa of Iraq.

Look at Brangelie in Action! Spreading Humanitarian Aid to Fellow Hollywood Elites

Jewel to Provide Technical and Intellectual Expertise to Save the Planet

The fact that celebrities often have the impulse to step out of their roles of doing coke on the Sunset Strip and consuming massive amounts of resources in the urban jungle of Los Angeles and wade into the world of politics has always made me bitter. I'm all for people speaking their mind, but do these ill-informed, plastic surgery frankensteins deserve a freakin' congressional hearing? Politico has the scoop on politicians in Washington being wooed by "star power":

Even the celebrities themselves are often surprised at the way politicians slobber over them. When Jewel first testified before a Senate committee last year, she thought, “Gosh, they don’t want to talk to me — I’m a songwriter,” she said during a recent interview with Politico. “There are professionals who know the information and statistics. But I was just brought in. “I had a naive belief that politicians were above being impressed by star status, and I was very disappointed,” she continued, laughing. “But I guess it makes sense. Everybody is just human. I was shocked — I thought they’d weigh things based on facts, not lobbying.”

Aw geez. Even our not-so-trusted political class is swooning over celebrities. And how much hubris can these megastars contain in their swiss-cheese brains to think that they are the most important people on the planet. At least when Brad Pitt talks about whatever the fashionable "cause" is for the week, he's got some good movies to back himself up (Seven, 12 Monkeys). But, as for Jewel, her music makes me wish disco and Cher were back in style.

Jewel to update Congress on 75-point plan for nuclear non-proliferation...and to sing a song about birds

Multi-Billionaire Imbecile, Ted Turner, Says the Military Sucks

The Thurston Howell of nutty liberals and founder of CNN, Ted Turner, recently made some ridiculous claims about mankind degenerating into cannibalism because of global warming (despite this winter being the coldest in years, brrr). From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals," said Turner, 69. "Civilization will have broken down. The few people left will be living in a failed state — like Somalia or Sudan — and living conditions will be intolerable." One way to combat global warming, Turner said, is to stabilize the population. "We're too many people; that's why we have global warming," he said. "Too many people are using too much stuff." Turner suggested that "on a voluntary basis, everybody in the world's got to pledge to themselves that one or two children is it."

Whether or not Ted suggests a Stalin-like purge of the unwashed masses remains in the realm of speculation, but I find this typical of obscenely wealthy people who don't practice what they preach. Ted's wiki says he is the biggest land-owner in the US and an avid yachtsman, which proves he's not jumping on the conservation bandwagon anytime soon.

Speaking of land ownership, the US military is sworn to protect the property of American citizens, even if they are loudmouth jackasses. You'd think he'd be grateful that someone protects his vast, sprawling estate. But Ted says we're doing a crappy job, despite the tax dollars invested (which I'm sure he avoids paying due to loopholes and offshore bank accounts):

He said that despite the United States' huge military budget, "we can't win in Iraq." "We're being beaten by insurgents who don't even have any tanks, they don't have a headquarters, they don't have a Pentagon, we don't even know if they have any generals," Turner told Rose. Turner called the Iraqi insurgents "patriots" who "don't like us because we invaded their country and occupied it. Nobody likes to be invaded."

Even a cursory analysis of the Iraq war would reveal that the US has never lost a major military engagement. Rather, Iraq's problems stem from a history of underlying sectarian hatred that has been accentuated by foreign terrorists, a crippled infrastructure under Saddam, and a lousy plan for reconstruction by the neo-conservative architects. Ted must have spent too much time getting his political opinions from his ex-wife, Hanoi Jane.

I write this not because there hasn't been "We Don't Support the Troops" opinions in the past, but I've never seen this meme from someone with this much money and influence. The best way to counteract this disinformation is through a combination of refuting the argument with logic, humiliation of the perpetrator, and publicly ostracizing them to a pariah status. I will not sit idly by as political elements in America take their frustrations out on the US Armed Forces, since direct democracy does not have the impact they desire (much like what happened to our Vietnam Vet predecessors). Stay vigilant and don't put up with this crap from any ugly side of American politics.

Stop-Loss Bombs

Despite tackling a current event and starring mega-hunk Ryan Phillippe, the movie Stop-Loss has officially tanked worse than a Martin Lawrence comedy. It has grossed a crappy 4.5M it's opening weekend despite a massive advertising blitz. I'm a little, uh...hunkered down right now, so I was unable to see it, but GI Kate, Alex, and Jon Soltz, all of whom are vets, weighed in on the movie. This flick may bring up a significant problem with the military, but it looks like America might not be interested. I could take the cynical-jackass route and proclaim that Americans are a bunch of dickfaces, but I think the problem may lie with the lack of authenticity. Hollywood likes to portray the military as goofball hicks, and it seems phony when they try to make a meaningful movie about Iraq, since their take on foreign policy is so misinformed. My personal hero, Greg Gutfeld, sums it up best:

Look - we don't need war movies to remind us that war is bad - we know that. Plus, mainstream media is already doing a bang up job ramming home that idea - even to the point of ignoring good or encouraging news about the conflict.

But I guess what bothers me most about the flick is being lectured by people who are fundamentally more flawed than the rest of us. Really, is the act of stop-loss worse, on a personal level, than cheating on your wife and mother of your two kids - with your saucy little costar? I'd ask Ryan Philippe that, but I'm already over him. He's no Orlando Bloom.

And if you disagree with me, then you sir are worse than Hitler.

I'm with Greg, in that I don't want to shell out 10 bones to hear about Iraq from some flaming douche sipping a martini at the Sky Bar. I think the best Iraq movies will be made by Iraq vets, much like the great Vietnam movies (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July) were made by an Nam vet (Oliver Stone). Hollywood is just way too out of touch with the military to get it right. In the meantime, check out this post on IRR callups from Iraq Partii to grasp the problems with filling spots in a war zone, or check out the new PBS special, Bad Voodoo's War which sounds like it will be pretty good. The Iraq war movie that wins an Oscar may be a long way off.

Pretty people couldn't even save this colossal dud

4,000 Dead in Iraq is Great News for Some

Just saw this at Little Green Footballs and wanted to pass along. No, this meme is not from Ahmadinejad, but overrated fat-fuck, Michael Moore, of whom I am from the same home state (embarrassing I know). To commemorate another tragedy, Moore writes this on his email distribution list:

Monday, March 24th, 2008

Friends,

It would have to happen on Easter Sunday, wouldn’t it, that the 4,000th American soldier would die in Iraq. Play me that crazy preacher again, will you, about how maybe God, in all his infinite wisdom, may not exactly be blessing America these days. Is anyone surprised?

4,000 dead. Unofficial estimates are that there may be up to 100,000 wounded, injured, or mentally ruined by this war. And there could be up to a million Iraqi dead. We will pay the consequences of this for a long, long time. God will keep blessing America.

I'm sure Moore is ecstatic that the 4,000th soldier died on a religious holiday so he could crank out this tasteless email. What an asshole.

Unsolicited Relationship Advice to the Stars

Babe movie star Minka Kelly offers her advice to would-be suitors in this Men’s Health article, but in a city as strange as Los Angeles, she’s going to need to narrow down her criteria a little bit further. In the spirit of celebrities offering their unsolicited advice on a host of foreign policy and defense issues (check out Rosie’s suckass blog) that they are completely uninformed about, I thought it would be appropriate if I gave her my advice on meeting Mr. Right. If there’s absolutely nothing I know about, it’s relationships with the opposite sex! So without further adieu, here’s my advice column:

Minka says a man has to be a skilled craftsman: "A man has to be good with his hands. He can't be a person who needs to hire someone to do handiwork. I can change the oil in my car. If you can't change your oil, we have a problem."

LT N sez: I recommend finding a man who also knows how to install a sweetass spoiler with epoxy and duct tape on his '91 Ford Probe, that and an airbrushed Jesus on the hood. You can cruise the Sunset Strip in style that way and be the envy of all your girlfriends.

Minka wants a man who can listen: "A lot of guys don't know how to just listen. They'll talk and talk, and I just want them to get to know me. That's attractive. You don't want to come across as someone who can only talk about himself."

LT N sez: I would recommend going down to the local gym in Santa Monica and finding the guy doing squats in front of the mirror that looks like Schwarzenegger during his steroid years. This sheer narcissism and stupidity ensures you’ve got a guy that is barely capable of putting together a grammatically correct sentence. That way he will blindly stare while you gab about important issues such as: what you ate for lunch, how many pairs of shoes you own, and how many text messages you sent to your friend at the Zanzibar club the previous evening.

Minka needs a man from a troubled family: A man should love his family, but I don't do well with guys who come from perfect families. He has to be a little complicated and broken. I can't relate to the perfectly home-bred boy. I want someone who has had pain in his life and learned from it.

LT N sez: Do a check on the web for the area’s registered sex offenders and ensure that there is at least one kid-toucher with his last name. Emotional instability will ensure you have total control of the situation.

Minka wants an honest man: I think brutal honesty is extremely important. Don't be afraid of being up-front about your feelings and your life. I'd rather be an honest friend than a phony lover.

LT N sez: You’d really be opening the flood gates on this one for a first date. Try to find that “man of mystery”, but don’t dig too deep on his cryptic mystique until years later. Nothing’s worse than finding out the guy is a werewolf or a scientologist the first time you invite him over to your place after a night of debauchery.

Oh yeah, happy St. Patty’s day everybody. This may be the one holiday where I’m sober and everyone else is wasted.

Does Jessica Simpson "$upport the Troop$"?

I got an email last week about "Operation Myspace", which touted having a huge concert of various famous people on March 10th in Kuwait. I tend to not pay too much attention to these things, because I'm an officer and my morale is not in need of being lifted. The relationship between officers and enlisted men and women is very complex and difficult to put into words, but my opinion on these types of events is not relevant, since it's not intended for me and my fellow junior officer mafia. So I hope that the young folks in Kuwait enjoyed the concert, especially the men and women transiting up to various COPs and FOBs in Iraq. It sounded like a pretty good idea actually. But I'm a little concerned that the MySpace people are just exploiting the idea of "supporting the troops" to generate a little bit of publicity and profit. This is debateable, and my take on the whole thing is that if the troops enjoyed it, then it's all good.

But StarCMC had a warning about one of the acts, Ms. Jessica Simpson, who prior to coming to the purgatory known as Kuwait, had this to say in that email I got:

"It’s truly an honor to perform for the troops," said Jessica Simpson. “Through Operation MySpace, I get to serve my country by doing what I love to do in front of thousands of brave men in uniform. It’s every girl’s dream!”

I'll forgive her for the ignorance in not knowing that there's women in uniform out this way as well, but apparently, the whole thing was just a way to get some easy money and fame for her already bloated ego. Media Take Out has this to say:

I am [Department Of Defense] civilian here in Kuwait working at the camp that held the OPERATION MYSPACE tour which was a charity event. She was the only act that was paid. Jessica insisted that they pay here approximately $150,000 [plus] $10,000 a day for Ken Paves and $6,000 a day for her stylist and make up artist.
When she arrived on the air field she had a pre-order that no one was allowed to come up to her and touch her she was looking very stuck up and snobby. When she came in the dining facility she only served the food for the troops for 5 minutes.
Her concert was last and everyone pretty much left before then. The Pussycat Dolls and the rock group Disturbed were so nice they were literally walking around with the troops without there body guards.

If this is true, it is reprehensible that she try to turn a profit by employing imagery of the military. This is horseshit. Can anyone in Kuwait provide any confirmation of this?

All about the $benjaminz$

Red Eye: Friend to the Military

Many celebrities are self-righteous, pompous, horrible people. Examples include writing horrendously uninformed commentary at the Huffington Post, wearing little ribbons of solidarity with those "poor" terrorists at Gitmo, or being talented enough to win "Best Actress" while still being dumb enough to think 9/11 and even the moon landing was an imperialist farce. Greg Gutfeld is able to expose all this elitist bullshit with posts mocking limousine liberals without all that neo-con smarminess. Modern politics has become so ridiculous in its grand-standing that no one can get off their high horse and see the forest for the trees. Lucky for me, I get to watch Red Eye w/Greg Gutfeld once in awhile out in Iraq (one of my few pleasures) and it seeks to expose all the nonsense involved with our current political malaise. The Gregalogues are quick, hilarious, and insightful. There's a fan site that's pretty decent with other folks like me who don't take themselves so seriously that it would prevent good times. Red Eye also frequently hosts notable intelligent babe Kerry Howley, who is an editor at Reason and was once subjected to an interview from a very strange man. Once in a blue moon, I'll send an email to someone famous just to see what kind of response I get (remember that the IZ is boring), and he was the first to write me back. So thanks, Greg, you're LT Nixon's Friend to the Military for the day.

Greg discussing shenanigans at the Oscars with his Mum

Best Picture Goes to a Not-Terrible Movie

The self-serving Oscars have seen a fair share of crap lousy movies get all the props throughout the last 20 years. Titanic, Forrest Gump, Shakespeare in Love...all movies that are supposed to make you feel "good" about yourself... I hate those movies. We have entered some dark days and we need Hollywood to make us realize that in new and creative ways. The Cohen Brothers (of legendary Big Lewbowski and Barton Fink fame) made a movie about a stone cold psycho who goes on a rampage with a silenced shotgun and retractable pneumatic boltgun. The rational and intelligent protagonists weren't able to save the day, which does a good job explaining the current malaise in our fight against ideologists. I thought the movie was excellent and was privileged enough to see it on the big screen during R&R and not on a fuzzy bootleg. Well "No Country For Old Men" won for Best Picture and I can at least say there is still some good tastes in film.

Of course, the perpetually outraged on the moral right weren't happy with this movie. Take Debbie Schlussel who proclaims:

And the bizarre, violent, weirdly-ending "No Country for Old Men" won Best Director and Best Picture. Yup, more Hollywood rewarding movies glorifying killing for no reason. Blood and the macabre.

She also likened McCain's babealicious daughter to being a Nazi and/or KKK member in her blog today, so I remain a bit skeptical of her commentary. I've always been a fan of the dark and strange movie and I welcome the recognition of film geniuses like the Cohen brothers.

On the other hand, apparently the troops announcing one of the awards didn't get a lot of applause (CJ at Soldier's Perspective was not impressed), but at least they didn't get booed or called "babykillers". I'll take that as a small victory.

The Oscar would have been "morally" acceptable if this guy was the villain