I enjoyed myself a two-hour bikeabout earlier today in which I was accompanied by both Wifey and my daughter Ebon. It was nice, but it was a sweatfest for sure. Not a problem.

Just by happenstance, we came upon a scene on South Franklin Street that, at first glance, didn’t look too good. The detectives, crime scene tape and the coroner’s van were our first hints that something was seriously amiss. We hung out with Joe Holden, a reporter from WBRE, and he was trying to figure out what had happened. The rumor was that a female might have overdosed. But when I heard one police officer request that another officer transport a witness to headquarters, I kind of figured something violent had gone down. I was right.

Turns out, a known drug dealer was murdered by her boyfriend, who is in police custody. I made a phone call and inquired as to how she was killed only to be told she was “gutted like a deer.” Yikes.

It’s sad and unfortunate, but we all make choices.

Hayna?

Once my post-bikeabout cooling off period had ended, I made the rounds through the local blogosphere and found the following request for an explanation at Michelle’s Weblog.

Where have I been? Can someone please explain to me what is going on in the middle east? I know it isn’t the most “stable” area in the world and that there is violence there everyday, but what’s with all of the bombing and happy horseshit going on now over there? I attempted to watch CNN last night to see what the deal was, and it basically just said that there is bombing going back and forth between Israel and Lebanon. Ok. I got that picture, but why??? What is the big deal this time?? I am not being a smart ass, I just geniunly have no idea what is going on and would like to have some clue.

This one is really, really easy.

What we have going on right now is a proxy war being waged by none other than Iran.

Despite what you may have read elsewhere, Iran is the world’s leading exporter of terrorism. That is an indisputable certainty. Intelligence agencies the world over know as much, but rarely state as much in public as George Bush so often has. And with Iran pushing forward with it’s nuclear program despite repeated protestations from many a western nation, Iran was clearly headed towards facing sanctions and such once the U.N. Security Council got around to addressing the Iranian crisis. And trust me, if Iran were to develop even crude nuclear weapons, that constitutes a global crisis. An emergency, if you will.

Even though the U.S. military seems stretched to the limits in both Iraq and Afghanistan, much noise was made about undertaking pre-emptive military strikes deep within Iran to destroy their nuclear facilities. But, just as he did with Iraq, Bush went to the United Nations seeking a diplomatic solution regarding Iran‘s nuclear program, while weighing his still weighty military options. And Mr. Unpronounceable, Iran’s new president, knew damn well that sanctions were the very least that his country could expect from the west. So, the diversionary war was launched into. Both Hamas and Hezbollah were given the green light--by Iran--to provoke Israel into a shooting war. Iran is buying time and the currency it’s dealing in is the blood of Israelis, Palestinians and Lebanese.

“Axis of Evil,” anyone? Dare you say it? Bush was right?

I had to laugh when I read that both Bush and many Europeans leaders were asking Israel to show some serious restraint. Why should they? They were told to surrender land and they did, as part of the latest La-la Land peace deal. When they pulled out of Gaza, I couldn’t believe it. With all of it’s neighbors calling for it’s total destruction for six decades now, why would they mistakenly believe that surrendering some territory would cause all of their wild-eyed foes to suddenly make nice? Israel is always made out to be the bad guy by the world, but it’s been the innocent Israeli citizens being killed at nearly every turn. I cannot even imagine what it must be like to live with a total siege mentality day-in and day-out, but that’s what the citizenry of that country has had to endure since it’s creation in 1948.

Restraint? Based on what? More promises of peace?

At last count, 1300 rockets and missiles have been fired into Israel from both Gaza and Lebanon during the past three days. Israelis in the northernmost cities are hunkered down in shelters. The residents of Tel Aviv have been told to seek shelter if and when the sirens start wailing, but they’ve also been told to expect a one-minute warning at best before impact. Raytheon-built Patriot anti-missile batteries have been deployed to protect Haifa, and martial law has been ordered throughout much of the country. Now, if that was your homeland, would you be in the mood to practice restraint?

Funk that!

And what are the Israelis on the receiving end of? Oh, Syrian and Iranian-built Qassam rockets, Katyusha rockets and even a Chinese-built C-802 anti-ship missile. The C-802 (Wal-Mart, anyone?) was used to cripple the Israeli naval gunboat, and the other weaponry has been landing on civilian targets all over Israel. Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon have been doing the firing, but both of those terrorist organizations are financed, outfitted and trained by Iran. Syria was forced to pull it’s troops out of Lebanon late last year, but it still has much input as to the operational wherewithal of Hezbollah. Syria has threatened Israel not to attack it’s assets, and Iran has promised Israel’s complete annihilation if Syria even thinks it was attacked by Israel.

Publicly, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt are sitting this mid-east war out, but who knows what tangled webs are being weaved in an area known as much for it’s disconnectedness from the civilized world as it’s decades-old quest for the destruction of Israel.

So, while we’re totally distracted by a real life shooting war, Iran’s nuclear ambitions will be put on the back burner. At least, that’s what Terror Inc. hopes will be achieved by giving their brainless minions the go-ahead to start yet another war in the Middle East. And don’t think for even a moment that this conflict doesn’t have the potential to rapidly escalate. What if some crafty terrorists slaughter a few Syrian soldiers still on assignment in the Bekkau Valley and blame it on the Israeli Defense Forces? What if said terrorists sabotage a bridge near the Lebanon-Syrian border and then swear to Allah that the Israeli Air Force did it? In these respects, one cleverly placed “What if?” come to fruition could easily lead to a much wider conflagration and a regrettable loss of innocent lives all over the map.

Put your politics aside for a moment and admit to yourself that the entire region has been simmering for quite some time now. This is a region that foments hate much faster than we consume gasoline. The current hostilities are not the fault of Bush, Clinton, Reagan or even the woefully inept Jimmy Carter. They’ve been building since at least 1979, when the Shah of Iran was deposed. But what our government is guilty of is postponing dealing with what it knew could be a big problem down the road a ways. Well, guess what? We’ve reached the end of the road and it’s time to start dealing with the problem. The question is, does the American public have the stomach for dealing with nations that view shooting wars as means to a bloody end?

Postponing the inevitable does not solve the problem. And if we’re not willing to deal with the problems, we may need to institute the draft again when we are finally forced to deal with them. The key word being “forced.”

So, when bombing Iran was first mentioned as a distinct possibility, the lefties went totally berserk and babbled all sorts of crazed bunk about out-of-control neocons and whatnot. But at this critical juncture, is bombing Iran such a bad idea after all?

Think.

Black Bush???

Hey, look!!! Nobody from the most remote regions of the ‘burbs wants to hear our “bigoted” bullsh*t.

The ultimate judges of fairness and equity--the arbiters of all things fair and just--from Harveys Lake and Nimby (Not In My Backyard) Mountain will judge you very harshly for daring to suggest that all Latinos are not the pillars of abject perfection they make them out to be on a very regular basis. Illegalities? Nah, that’s not what’s got you so upset. You’re upset simply because you don’t like their pigment, you’re resistant to change and most of all--because you’re white. You’re bigoted, you’re a racist, and you’re certainly no progressive, touchy-feely, guilt-ridden, white Democrat pansy.

Shame on you for exaggerating! Shame on you for trying to suggest that the know-it-all folks who are not experiencing reverse-gentrification firsthand don’t know what the fu>k they are droning on and on about. Shame to you for not being all-inclusive all of the time no matter what. Shame, shame you Caucasian son-of-a-bitch!

Latinos are swell. White people suck. Get with the program by tuning into 980 AM at 6:10 come tomorrow morning.

They’ll learn ya.

Shame, girl.

Shame.

Get this. My son just called me. It seems he was visiting Musical Energi on North Main Street when some black guy jumped on his mountain bike and pedaled away. He gave chase, but fell just short of knocking the asshole off of the bike and giving him a quick send-off to wherever it is that total assholes go after being beaten to death.

Anyway, if you happen upon a red and yellow “Mega” mountain bike with a busted rear brake caliper, give me a shout and I’ll get the cops all over some black guy’s sorry ass.

Kevin? Nancy?

Was that too racist or bigoted of me?

Yeah, that’s what I figured. Thanks. Go back to feeding the chipmunks, turkeys and wild boars. Pitch a newfangled lawn dart, why don’t you? Ride the two-ton quad, or something equally inane.

Sorry to have bothered you in your own private Donna Reed worlds.

Later