A Serious Failure of Leadership

As reported today by the New York Times (Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/world/middleeast/30reconstruct.html?hp&ex=1162270800&en=bfe1488484d2e635&ei=5094&partner=homepage), the incompetence of our military leaders, Rummy, and Dubya is showcased.

Check out this passage from the article in particular: "The answers came Sunday from the inspector general’s office, which found major discrepancies in American military records on where thousands of 9-millimeter pistols and hundreds of assault rifles and other weapons have ended up. The American military did not even take the elementary step of recording the serial numbers of nearly half a million weapons provided to Iraqis, the inspector general found, making it impossible to track or identify any that might be in the wrong hands.

Exactly where untracked weapons could end up — and whether some have been used against American soldiers — were not examined in the report, although black-market arms dealers thrive on the streets of Baghdad, and official Iraq Army and police uniforms can easily be purchased as well, presumably because government shipments are intercepted or otherwise corrupted."

The spread of capitalism isn't a bad thing at all, but for the military to pathetically foster a market, albeit black, for guns because of their incompetence is downright astounding. This report harkens back to the munition dumps that were unguarded or poorly guarded during and after the fall of Baghdad.

Yet more money mispent.

Ode to Roy

It's been over a week now since I (and probably some of the readers of this limpid little blog) attended the funeral of a friend and brother.

Roy was a guy who, even after being dealt a crappy set of cards at birth health-wise, is someone who never really gave into nihilism and whining when he certainly had good reasons to do so.

When I think back about Roy, sarcastic but good-natured laughter is what I remember most. Whether is was making fun of guys' dance moves while they tried to hit on sorority girls or extolling the virtues of Schlitz or Cisco in detail, Roy had a good time.

"Schlitz away" is also a phrase I will forever have tattooed on my brain.

As evidenced by his funeral, an event that played Prince's "Purple Rain" and Marley's "No Woman, No Cry," he also had a keen interest in different genres of music. What I always enjoyed though was his knowledge of arcane musical factoids or his random ruminations about 80s one-hit wonder bands, the size of Debbie Harry's breasts, or new alternative bands on the scene while we were in college in the early to mid-90s. Anyone who knew Roy can tell you that those three examples just skim the surface.

Although I don't remember whether Roy listened to this band or not, I think a song by Camper Van Beethoven sums up his character and his outlook on life, both of which we all should learn from:
"And life is grand.
And I will say this
at the risk of falling from favor
with those of you
who have appointed yourself
to expect us to say something darker.

And love is real.
And though I realize
this is not a deep observation
to those of you who find it necessary
to conceal love or obscure it, as is the fashion."

Peace be with you, my fellow Schlitzophrenic, my brother.

QBN

Kairos and Politics

Over the past few days, rhetorical ploys by both president Bush and the Cardinals organization have given us good examples of how people attempt to argue or persuade while considering kairos--the ancient rhetorical principle of "right timing," unveiling a proposal/making a statement that deeply considers how one's message should be presented at the right rhetorical moment.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairos

On one hand, we have parts of Dubya and other folks in his administration calling for the Iraqi government to set a deadline to curb/stop the civil war (aka "sectarian violence" in the MSM), which is an idea that should have been called for years ago, but Prime Minister al-Maliki responded to these ideas for deadlines with this terse but trenchant statement: "I am positive that this not the official policy of the American government but rather a result of the ongoing election campaign. And that does not concern us much." [emphasis added]

So the administration, mired in a struggle to keep the House and Senate in GOP hands, is trying to make "lemons out of lemonade" to help candidates. What's next? Is the administration going to bring back the color-coded system of terror? Will Nov. 6th be an orange or red alert day to imply to the voters that they should "stay the course" with the GOP? Oh wait, Bush isn't using that fun little three-word phrase anymore...

That lemonade tastes bitter.

On the other hand, the Cardinals organization in cahoots with Mayor Slay and other leaders unveiled the proposal for a wonderful looking Ballpark Village the morning before the Redbirds won the World Series. As residents of the St. Louis area are awash in the glory of winning it all, their business and civic leaders calmly ask for 100 million.

And they'll probably get it.

Factcheck.org's "Talent For Deception"

If you're tired of the attack ads on both sides fo the Senatorial dead heat in Missouri, this objective look at Talent's ads will expose the rhetorical manipulation that we've unfortunately grown accustomed to.

Link: http://www.factcheck.org/article454.html

Enjoy,
QBN

Bama Bangs--Coming to a White Kid Near You

As someone who spent four years teaching at the University of Alabama, besides noticing the different culture/s in the Deep South, I was always amused by all the white guys who never cut their damn hair. They had this shaggy-headed, unkempt look to themselves. Since they are such "conservative" states, I figured why wouldn't men's haircuts also be conservative in Alabama and other parts of the South.

Being a Northerner (Yankee) by birth and disposition, I always chalked up the shaggy-headed mops of young adult males in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Georgia to a stint at rebelling against "the Man"--and that "man" being one's family usually. A likely Mom would probably say, "John David, baby, will ya puhlease cut that hair of yers!"

A recent columnist, however, has dug much more deeply into this phenomenon, way past my facile interpretation of this Beatles-like mop updated for the twenty-first century.

See Link: http://www.sportsline.com/spin/story/9721273/1

To see the kingpin of this burgeoning movement, go to Brodie Croyle's page.

Link: http://www.kcchiefs.com/player/brodie_croyle/

And here's his protege, John Park Wilson.

Link: http://www.rolltide.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=37424&SPID=3011&DB_OEM_ID=8000&ATCLID=511941&Q_SEASON=2006


I've already noticed this trend happening here in cosmopolitan St. Louis, an area considered Yankeedom by any self-respecting Southerner. Beware Barbers. It's not the Hair Saloon for Men that's taking away your business. Blame it on Bama Bangs.

Roll Tide.

Democratic Kool-Aid

Recent reports from the MSM and the new CBS/NYTimes Poll that exposes Ohioans' severe dissatisfaction with the GOP and Generalissimo Dubya seem to be providing some tasty Kool-Aid for the Democratic Party--they're beginning to finally believe in themselves, that they can at least take over one of the legislative bodies in November.

Call me a skeptic, but I don't see it happening. And one of my previous posts about the odds from Vegas substantiates my skepticism.

In fact, there's an odd line of thought out there that actually controlling one of the legislative bodies would put the Dems at a strategic disadvantage for the '08 presidential election. The specious reasoning is that since the Dems would have some bit of control (albeit against a probably energized arch-conservative block), voters would then hold them responsible for the Iraq mess, the economy, among other matters currently going to hell in a handbasket.

That strange paranoia I think is far outweighed by the potential power of Democrats to investigate war profiteering, etc. and the power to subpeona.

Nevertheless, if you go by this writer's recent column, I like the agenda that the Dems would lay out if they're successful.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101701094.html

I'm back...finally

I've been in a bit of a rhetorical funk the past month or so, but you should expect more regular posts in the future, especially with Nov. 7 approaching.

Here's a link to an interesting article about community colleges, the institutional Rodney Dangerfields of America.

Link: http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/careertraining/?article=FiveMythsaboutCommunityColleges&GT1=8650

Although there are a few shaky assumptions provided by the author, she gives you a look at the perception vs. reality of community colleges. I'd be interested to hear whether this article "busts" any myths you readers have. Has Ms. LeClaire done her job?