Those Cute Little Tax Burdens

Allahpundit already beat me to the punch on the knocked-up teeny boppers in Massachusetts Time article, but I thought I'd throw in my $.02. As a lib, it's ethically wrong for me to chastise young, unwed mothers for choosing a life of motherhood at such a young age. Besides, women were plopping out rugrats in their teenage years during the Colonial era and American civilization still soldiers on. But now that my Combat Zone Tax Exclusion has expired, and I've got to bear a portion of the cost, I'm gonna raise holy hell!

Apparently, it is now the "cool" thing to do for unwed teenage girls at Gloucester High to be seen pushing around the stroller. My barometer of coolness for a teenage girl is whether or not she has big hair and can rock out to Whitesnake, so perhaps I'm a bit behind the times. However, one explanation suggests that school policy is enabling this new trend by providing free day-care for students:

The high school has done perhaps too good a job of embracing young mothers. Sex-ed classes end freshman year at Gloucester, where teen parents are encouraged to take their children to a free on-site day-care center. Strollers mingle seamlessly in school hallways among cheerleaders and junior ROTC. "We're proud to help the mothers stay in school," says Sue Todd, CEO of Pathways for Children, which runs the day-care center.

So the school is basically teaching these youngsters that they have no responsibility for their actions and their cute little babies can suck off the huge proverbial teat of public funding from the state of MA. I live in an area that sounds similar in economic demographics to Gloucester, and if a woman is halfway decent looking, she's no doubt going to be schlepping around the baby by 19 (a crude description, but a reality). Often they are out and about with the teenage mom's mom at the local Wal-Mart, while the deadbeat Daddy is nowhere in sight. Responsible Americans will continue to have children in less numbers, while breeding patterns for those unable to have any foresight skyrocket, since the tax dollars from hard-working Americans will continue to fund their inept decision-making. If you don't understand this analogy, please watch Mike Judge's Idiocracy. Until then, I humbly suggest forcing all teenagers to watch the Judge Reinhold classic, Vice Versa, to understand the responsibilities and difficulties of being an adult.

Mandatory Viewing for Young Adults

How High's The Water Mama? 3 Feet High and Rising

Jon Stewart covers the floods in the Midwest, speaking genuinely about the kindness of people in Iowa, and mocking the media in normal Daily Show fashion. I've been there too, and I would have to agree with him on Iowa's good-natured people (along with the girls being pretty). That's why it's no surprise that there have very few reports of looting or violence in the affected areas. The Prez paid a visit today to Cedar Rapids, and domestic humanitarian assistance from the normally diabolical federal government is a legitimate function during times of disaster, IMHO, ergo no snark in this post. The Tension has info on the National Guard helping out in the affected areas.

Iraq News (20 June)

The Good: Iraqi Spec Ops have captured a militia leader in Baghdad. Col Ferrell talks about tactics in preventing extremists from re-entering the Sunni areas south of Baghdad during a press conference. Australian News is more optimistic about new development of Iraqi oil infrastructure stabilizing crude prices than the "no blood for oil" crowd in the states. This comes at a time when the Iraqi Finance Minister has announced plans for Iraqi natural gas to be transferred to Jordan from Anbar province via pipeline. The Iraqi-led "Promise of Peace" operation continues with big successes in Maysan province.

The Bad: Kim Gamel of the AP reports that caches are turning up in the darndest places in Iraq as of late. A bakery, a fish farm, etc. While the seizure of weapons from extremists is always welcome, the fact that they are still turning up in civilian areas indicates that there is still some level of support for extremism from common Iraqi citizens. Murderous thugs have killed a student in Diyala province.

The Ugly: The House has passed the Iraq/Afghanistan funding bill. It's ugly because it took so fuckin' long. Can't the political factions of this country agree on anything. Bipartisanship has a knack for making our govermental institutions look like Sharks and the Jets...except more flamboyant and more embarrassing. Rumors abound in the Iraqi news as Azzaman suggests the U.S. was behind the savage bombing in Baghdad and Ahmadinejad's crazy tale of avoiding being kidnapped by CIA spooks makes the rounds. Someone get him a tin foil hat for god sakes.

Ahmadinejad Brings Teh Crazy To the Press (not a surprise)

People Actually Think We Tried to Kidnap Ahmadinejad, Sigh

Juan Cole posts an article from the Iranian propaganda apparatus about Ahmadinejad thinking that the U.S. tried to abduct him while he visited Baghdad in March:

A Tabnak correspondent has reported: During a meeting today with members of the Qom Theological Lecturers Association, our country's president has disclosed that a US plan to abduct him in Iraq and transfer him to the US has failed. According to one of the lecturers present at the meeting, Dr Ahmadinezhad added: Simultaneous with my visit to Iraq, the Americans intended to carry out a calculated plan to abduct me and transfer me to the US so that they could use the issue of terrorism as an excuse to blackmail the Islamic Republic. The president continued: Despite this, praise be to God, the changes which were made to my travel schedule spoilt their plan. They were taken by surprise and realized what had happened when I was flying back to Iran. This was whilst we didn't even visit the Green Zone, which is Baghdad's safest area. The interesting point is that Bush, the US president, hasn't even stayed overnight in Iraq.

There is zero evidence for this abduction, except in the dark confines of Ahmadinejad's mind, and he erroneously states that he didn't visit the Green Zone last March. That's funny, because the international media outlet, BBC, reported that crazy Mahmoud visited Prime Minister Maliki, even going so far to report how security was provided by the Pesh:

The visiting president also saw Prime Minister Nouri Maliki at his offices inside the heavily fortified Green Zone. Entering the Green Zone usually involves passing through American checkpoints, but security on the way into the zone for Mr Ahmadinejad was provided by Kurdish peshmerga forces supplied by the Kurdish Iraqi president.

What's truly scary is that American Professor, Dr. Juan Cole, provides this article without commentary, indicating that he may or may not believe it to be true. Since I was there at the time, I should be up front about what happened to my fellow left-leaning countrymen. I was dressed up in the undergarments the Army issues that are ninja-like in appearance with my fellow buddies in Blackwater and the CIA. We were waiting for the word from Cheney to take President Ahmadinejad to the secret GOP/Exxon/Halliburton headquarters on Neptune. Unfortunately, those whiny bleeding heart pussies in Congress called it off! Stay vigilant, netroots.

Big Surprise, These Ninjas Weren't Utilized During Ahmadinejad's Visit in March

Word From The Stan

Things weren't looking so good in the forgotten war a few days ago: prison break in Kandahar, Taliban massing in villages outside Kandahar, and some U.S. helo engines went missing on a convoy. When the shit hits the fan in our current conflicts, it is somewhat comforting that we have the advantage of overwhelming firepower. The AP reports that Taliban is on the run from ISAF and Afghan forces around Kandahar:

Afghan and NATO troops backed by warplanes drove Taliban militants from villages within striking distance of southern Afghanistan's main city on Thursday, killing 56 of them, Afghan officials said. NATO said the 24-hour operation in Arghandab was a swift success that banished any threat to Kandahar and would help reassure Afghans appalled at the embarrassing mass escape of Taliban prisoners from a city jail last week. Hundreds of families who fled the lush, orchard-strewn valley, which begins just 10 miles from the city, were told they could safely return, the alliance said.

Sometimes rehabilitation and soft counter-insurgency doesn't work, and you just have to drop a JDAM.



Word.

Flashback to When The Music I Like Was Cool

Wek directs our attention to the worst 25 Hair Bands on Yahoo. I admit to having a Poison - Open Up and Say Ahh shirt sitting around somewhere and it's a little embarrassing, but I agree with Latchkey Man that putting Skid Row at #2 was uncalled for. Was Ricky a poser? Fuck no! His veins pumped gasoline.

The accompanying 25 Best Metal Bands on Yahoo had some good shit to bang your head to. Pantera, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Motorhead, and of course Maiden. Although, I thought they should have distinguished between Metallica with and without Cliff Burton, since there' s a huge difference. Aerosmith and Zeppelin should be removed from the list, since they aren't really metal. Someone in the comments board lamented why Slipknot wasn't included. First off, who the fuck is Slipknot? Second, you youngsters need to be schooled in a little Awesome 101 with the following video from the Powerslave album:

War Inc. Not Looking Too Promising

Did you guys know that there was this thing called the Iraq war and some stuff didn't go well but they have a ton of oil so some rich people who dress like cowboys could make a lot of money? I wouldn't have known unless John Cusack's latest movie War Inc. was made!

Zzzzzzz. Dirty Harry's place has the review up for this pile of dog ass, and it promises to do for the troops what Birth of a Nation did for African Americans:

It’s hard to decide who gets it worse; the American military or the Iraqi (Turqistani) people. Military men and women are alternately portrayed as buffoons, bloodthirsty, or manic. One has “Fuck Haji” tattooed across his back. The Iraqi/Turaqistani’s are boobs, suckers, patsies for the Americans, or … terrorists.

Despite the fact that I sport the "Fuck Haji" tattoo across my chest and a "KBR 4eva" tattoo on my back, God help us all if that's what the majority of Americans think of the military. I have no problems with Hollywood's liberal leanings, but they need to learn that you have to come up with new ideas to get the hard-earned bucks from your average moviegoer. I recommend spending the 7 bucks on purchasing a copy of Halloween III: Season of the Witch at your local Wal-Mart (it's probably located in one of those big boxes on the floor next to the Abs workout videos and straight-to-cable movies starring Dolph Lundgren). It includes an evil corporation affiliated with satanic druids that manufactures halloween masks which turn kids' heads into a bunch of ants. Plus the protagonist gets it on with an android (I don't blame him, that chick was hot). Now there's a movie! Best of all it doesn't include a bunch of preachy political commentary that you've already heard a zillion times.

Spend Your Money On This Bad Boy Instead