My First Cigarette

On a routine patrol in Lebanon, a friend of mine stepped on a Hezbollah landmine and died along with five other soldiers. Two weeks later we were sent to that same spot to prove the IDF could not be deterred. My transformation into an outsider with no trust in authority began during that briefing.

But I went into Lebanon like I was told to do, and walked around the beautiful land filled with unexploded landmines from a thousand years of war. Lost in my thoughts, I walked in a straight line, trampling over fences and crop on my way to nowhere.

Then I felt my right leg stuck. My left leg was free but a tight wire was stretched over my right leg and I suddenly realized I was going to die. To this day I’m not sure if there was any way for me to stop or if I just let myself continue because after two years in the army I just didn’t care anymore. So I pulled my right leg up and waited for the end.

Back in the camp, I lay on my bed and thought about it all, or maybe I wasn’t thinking at all. A new guy came over and asked me about the patrol. He offered me a Marlboro Red.

My New Job III

So when I finished my training period I moved to the new location, which is a surreal place in the middle of Baltimore. Most of the people who work there wear black, which clashes with the light-green walls. The smell is an odd mixture of stinky shoes and industrial cleaning materials. Fun.

The other day a guy was having a nervous breakdown so I quickly called one of the women in black. She asked him if he was okay. He said, "I'll be okay. I just need some fresh air." She said, "Sir, there's no fresh air here."

But the people I work with aren’t insanely retarded anymore, which is a vast improvement after my training period.

Still, here’s a conversation I heard in my first week in the new place:

A: I can’t explain my parents. They will have a problem with me dating a black guy, but the funny thing is, my sister married a Jewish guy and they don’t seem to care. And, you know, what’s the difference between a black man and a white man? It’s just different skin colors. But there are real differences between Christian and Jewish people.

B: You’re absolutely right. Jewish people go to church on Saturday.

A: That’s right.

B: And they peel their food.

Hey, Everyone Else is Doing the Imus Thing

Alec Baldwin wants to know why, even though we're in the middle of a war in Iraq and a struggle against the Bush crooks at home people still obsess about Imus. In his words:

[T]his Imus crap is just another distraction from what really matters. The Attorney General may be a corrupt, lying hitman for the Bush-Cheney junta. The war is a disaster that is being prolonged in order to potentially embarrass Democrats in 2008. Global warming is now recognized as a major and looming emergency by literally everyone on Earth but the White House

Yet African American people continue to talk about "the Imus crap." So, what's going on here? Are they so easily distracted? Don't THEY know there's a war on?

Or maybe they're just so sick of this momentary spotlight on our inherent social problems that they wish maybe this time it will last for more than a week; maybe this time we'll talk about black men's treatment of black women, about elitist media that rather than face its own race problem spends its time--now more than ever--condemning hip hop music, about the problem that will not go away until we deal with it.

But It won't happen. Not yet. Not as long as for every Imus in the Morning we have a hundred Glenn Becks in the evening. And for every racist comment made in public, we have a million racist comments made in private.

Eric Cantor!!! You Eagle Nose Douchebag!!!

Following a link from Eschaton, I visited a Think Progress post about Eric Cantor's partisan and ridiculous attack on Nancy Pelosi, where he asks his supporters to call House Democrats and let them know how angry they are about Pelosi.

I couldn't help posting a comment on Cantor's site:

Mr. Cantor, how's the "Stop Pelosi" thing going for you so far?

Don't listen to all these Liberals who are angry at you for not mentioning the Republican traitors. Stick to truthiness.

And one more thing, I tried calling the numbers above to let them know what I think but everyone on the other line speaks Arabic now. NANCY!!! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!!

Problem is, comments are moderated on Cantor's site, which means that now the comment above has been changed to this:

Don’t listen to all these Liberals. Stick it to them.

Is that even legal?



Update: Five hours later, the altered comment has now been taken completely off the site. However, Argonaut's altered comment is still there, changed from this:

Dear Eric; I just called my congressmen like you wanted me to. I told him that I completely support everything Ms. Pelosi has done since January 20th. I did not tell him what a wanker you are, so your secret is safe for now.

To this:

I just called my congressman like you wanted me to. I told him that I want ms. pelosi to stop everything she has done since Jan 20th.

Just in Case

Is it time to expose more about myself?

I’m a vegetarian. I like Nutela.

I confused Netflix by giving “Dude, Where’s My Car?” 5 stars. What can I say? It’s a modern Odyssey.

I pierced my left ear when I was in the army and my right ear a couple of years later, after the first ever “Reclaim the Streets” demonstration in London. These were both small acts of protest. I don’t wear earrings anymore.

I don’t get poetry. I don’t get opera. I don’t get young Republicans.

I overcame my fear of fire when I started smoking. I quit smoking for a year but now I smoke again. Smoking a cigarette after a long break is like peeing in a swimming pool. You know you shouldn't, but it feels so good.

I grew up near an airport, which gives me the ability to tune out loud noises and silly conversations about nothing.

Unless I die for someone else’s sins, I'll probably die one day for no good reason.

I’m too goddamn sensitive. I’m losing my energy.