I promised rants and unsubstantiated opinions on the last one, and the past week has given me plenty of fodder. This may become a regular thing. Hey, it works for Foamy.
So, we’ve had quite the eventful week, what with the Manning sentence, the Hasan trial, Ben Affleck cast as Batman, etc. Let’s just get right to it, shall we?
Bradley Manning: First off, that’s right. Bradley Edward Motherfucking Manning. Unlike Wikipedia, I’m not buying this Chelsea shit. Sorry, son. You still belong to the United States Army until released from prison, you enlisted as “Bradley”, AND you still have dangly bits between your legs. Oh, and despite how you may feel, you have a Y chromosome. Therefore, you are and will be referred to in the masculine form until said bits are hacked off (preferably with a rusty spoon), which will hopefully be 35 years from now. Furthermore, you had an alter ego known as “Breanna Manning” in April of 2010. Seems to me that it’s less “gender identity disorder” and more plain old “identity disorder”.
I know this isn’t a popular opinion, but I can’t muster up a whole lot of sympathy for an attention-seeking self-centered little prick. Believe it or not, there are PLENTY of ways to get the hell out of the Army if one is so inclined. Bradley didn’t want out that badly. “Oh, but he sent that picture with the wig and lipstick to his NCO”. Yup, and several people in his chain of command/NCO support channel failed by not addressing his issues sooner. However, his gender dysphoria is not an excuse for violating the terms of a non-disclosure agreement that he signed of his own volition. So any bravery for coming out/being true to himself is automatically negated by the fact that the little weasel couldn’t honor an agreement.
Make no mistake, I have nothing against TS/TG folks. I cannot truthfully say I understand where they are coming from, because I haven’t questioned my gender or sexuality at any point in my life. Because of that, I cannot fairly judge their choices regarding gender or sexuality. Despite what you read above, I don’t judge Bradley Manning’s choices regarding his sexuality or gender. I do judge his choices regarding classified material, his decision to seek a presidential pardon, and his oh-so-well-timed announcement that he is really “Chelsea”. In my years on this planet, I’ve developed the ability to detect bullshit. It’s not a perfect skill, but it definitely has come in handy from time to time. And this, my friends, has the smell and texture of a giant steaming load of bullshit that has dropped onto our heads.
Consider the story of a young female veteran (withholding name, rank, and branch for privacy) who served on active and reserve duty. She served honorably, did not violate any agreements or contracts she entered into as a part of her service, and discovered why she was unhappy. She was born male, now she’s female, and happier in her life. You know what I call that woman? Someone I am proud to call a sister veteran. Because she didn’t use her transgender feelings as a crutch to act out. Unlike Bradley Manning.
Oh, and if I possibly offended anyone by refusing to refer to PVT Manning as “she” or “Chelsea”, I’m only following suit with MAD Magazine.
Convicted RIF Nidal Hasan – Not Major Nidal Hasan, not Nidal “Soldier/Servant of Allah” Hasan, not Nidal “found guilty of workplace violence” Hasan. Convicted Radical Islamist and Terrorist. What’s that? He’s not a terrorist? Bullshit. The United Nations (an organization I’m amazed that I agree with for once) defines terrorism as actions “intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act.” Well, far be it from me to jump to conclusions, but HOLY FLYING SHIT BALLS THAT CERTAINLY SEEMS TO DESCRIBE THE FORT HOOD SHOOTING! RIF? That stands for “Radical Islamic Fuck”, by the way. The guy DID shout “Allah Akbar” before shooting. Hell, if you want more proof, he did his damnedest to self-incriminate during the trial. Granted, I don’t have a whole lot of up-close-and-personal experience with RIFs, but his actions seem to fit the job description. Can we quit denying reality here? It was an act of religious terrorism and a direct attack on United States Soldiers on U.S. soil. Period fucking dot.
So, the question here is, “what do we do with the guy?”. Well, we could give him the death penalty like everyone seems to be screaming for. But all that will do is give him his wish to be a martyr. Screw that. No point in giving the other RIFs a martyr to worship. Toss his ass in Leavenworth and be done with him. “But we don’t want to pay for him for the rest of his life!” Really? We’re paying for Congress. Clearly we aren’t wisely spending our tax dollars. At least this schmuck won’t be able to fuck things up while imprisoned.
Ben Affleck – This is news? Are you shitting me? And there’s a petition to Warner Brothers to pull him from the role? Jesus, you people are shallow and easily led by the media. You know what, I hope he kills as Batman just to shut you whining fucking maggots up.
Congress – Since March 23, 2010, Congress has voted forty times to repeal Obamacare. All forty votes have failed as of August 2nd, 2013 when Congress went on their five week summer recess . They have wasted 1228 days (not all working days, because that would imply actually working) on this ridiculousness. Oh, and in the same time (longer actually), they have failed to pass a budget as required of them by the Constitution of the United States. Oh, we’ve seen continuing resolutions and raising the debt ceiling. But the last time that Congress passed an honest budget was on April 29, 2009. That’s 1556 days between the last budget and the start of the current recess. In that time, two-thirds of all Senators and all members of the House of Representatives have been up for their periodic job reviews (read: reelection). Now, here’s the kicker: Since April 29, 2009, 39% of the House has lost their jobs and 34% of the Senate has lost their jobs. They have failed in their duties as assigned, yet are still employed. McDonald’s doesn’t even stand for that shit! Which brings me to…..
You assholes – People, if you want to bitch about lazy-ass government employees, do your part and start making your elected officials update their resumes. Instead, you piss and moan about Ben Affleck playing Batman and wonder who the Kardashians are fucking this week. Whining about every possible imbecilic topic that gets tossed out by the entertainment media posing as news. The news organizations are in the business of entertainment, just like the writers of your favorite sitcom. All they care about are ratings and sponsors. You folks seriously need to be in the business (at the very least, the hobby) of examining what you are told and applying a bullshit filter to it. If you choose not to learn how to identify bullshit, you’re making yourself someone’s bitch. Politicians, entertainers, corporations, and media outlets (but I repeat myself) have no interest in serving you. Actually, I’m wrong, they have an interest in serving you up to the highest bidder amongst themselves.
Wake the fuck up. Wise the fuck up.
I’m done.