Kim Jong IL-conceived?

President Donald Trump in his interview with the Washington Post said that being a great president has to do with “being a cheerleader for the country.” He then added:

“We’re going to show the people as we build up our military, we’re going to display our military. That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington D.C., for parades. I mean we’re going to be showing our military.”

Cool! Military parades with guns and tanks and missiles parading down Pennsylvania Avenue…maybe even this Spring? Perhaps sometime in May? Or maybe this summer! In any event it’s been a long time since we’ve had military style parades in The USA. Who knows how they will be received or attended by the public but I guess it will be great for the Oil and gas industry at least, and for tourists and for parades in general now that the circus is closing. Maybe we can hire unemployed clowns to join the parades just to help get them back into the jobs market?

Anyway, even though I thought it was a much longer time ago, the last time Washington staged a military parade with troops, tanks, and armored vehicles was on June 8th, 1991, when the US celebrated the end of Operation Desert Storm. General Norman Schwarzkopf, led the procession that passed by then President George H.W. Bush and other administration officials. And later a similar parade made its way through NYC.

So at least we have something to look forward to this year! Hopefully there will just be a military parade sans any military weapons demonstrations like the launching of a nuclear missile! I only speculate because our President once famously pondered as to why we have them (nuclear weapons) if we don’t use them?

Just saying…Yikes!

 

War is Peace?

Is War Peace? Freedom Slavery? Ignorance Strength? As suggested by the leaders of Oceania in George Orwell’s novel, 1984? Well, Here in 2015, the United States, the country with the largest military budget in the history of the world, more than the next 10 militaristic country’s military budgets put together…has finally done it!

Currently we are fighting in Iraq, along side the Iranians, in an effort to defeat the terrorist forces of ISIS. And we are fighting in Yemen, alongside the Saudi Arabians, in an effort to defeat the terrorist forces of the Houthi rebels, who are allied with Iran!

Whose side are we on anyway? …Answer: Yes!

We are now fighting with our enemies against our enemies and they are both us, or at least one is us, or some combination of us and them. It’s quite confusing, but suffice it to say that we are fighting over there so we don’t have to fight here… which is kinda the same thing as saying…well, you know…don’t ya think?

And meanwhile here at home we are fighting over whether we should be increasing the military budget while cutting homes for the homeless, food for the hungry, and healthcare for the unhealthy…which is kinda the same thing as saying…

N’est-ce pas?…or as we like to say here in the USA… Freedom Fries!

Tanks… A Lot

Congress just can’t get any more irrelevant. Once again both parties, despite having absolutely nothing to agree upon when it comes to getting things done that the American people need done,  have found something to agree upon by coming together to spend nearly a half-billion dollars in taxpayer money to build improved versions of the 70-ton Abrams tank.

And even though recently sequestered programs that serve real people are in dire need of refunding, Congress has decided to once again make a bipartisan effort to spend an extra $436 million on a weapon that their experts…namely the military… say is not needed.

The Sponsors of the bill to fund the tanks, who are also two of Congress’ most vocal advocates for cutting the federal budget, say that their support for what seems like obviously unnecessary spending  is all about national security,  even though the military says it’s not!

But actually the spending is all about General Dynamics, a major defense contractor that produces the tanks for the military and spent close to $11 million last year on lobbying…Congress of course…and they most probably use some of that money they get for producing the unneeded tanks on their lobbying for more…

And even though the Army would rather take a pause in their tank production so that they could spend the money on research-and-development work for a new and improved model…they of course need Congress’…and General Dynamics…permission first.

And to top it all off the  Defense Department has to spend around $115 billion over the next half decade just to keep tanks in tip-top condition by keeping them clean and rust-proof while in storage, otherwise they may fall apart while left locked up….because…they don’t need any more tanks!

How about this for an all around solution to our defense spending, gun control and 2nd amendment problems? Take the 4500 unused tanks that are already in storage and trade them to the NRA for a few thousand guns apiece.

That way we get rid of the tanks, round up the guns and give American militiamen, when the time finally does come for taking on the federal government,  something that they can really defend their rights with…tank you very much.

Earrings and Killer Robots

I was switching back and forth between the debates and the Monday Night Football Game…what can I say, I’m an American…and while I’m watching the game (the one with the football) One of the players takes off his helmet and I notice that he is wearing 2 giant sized diamond earrings! (How could I miss them?) Really? Earrings in football? There’s no earrings in football!

That got me thinking about the pregame in the locker room…

“Hey Bro, how do I look in these earrings? Do they match what I’m wearing?”

“Yeah you look great sweetie, now let’s go kick some ass!”

Then I switch over to the debate (the one with the presidential candidates) and finally the two rivals are in agreement on something. Is it peace on earth and good will to men? No! The one thing they’re both in favor of is more unmanned drones!

I know you’re all gonna say that I’m just getting too old, and I know it’s no use in longing to go back to a kinder and gentler time (The stone age!) or anywhere again for that matter, but I really do miss the days when a coach could say to a professional ball player (And politely I might add) “Hey big fella, Might I suggest that we leave the jewelry in the locker room until after the game? You know it’s just a thought on safety…not to mention, oh… fashion sense!”

And I long for a time when two men who were vying for leadership of the free world might agree on “Strength and readiness and more protection for our citizens and oh… saying something like …might for right! …  but never …            We need more killer robots!”

Killer robots and fashionable ear wear for football players. Really?!

If I were younger would these be good things?