Better a sociopath than a retard. . . . .

Sometimes I think about how the media is really desensitizing us to a lot of the horrors that are going on in the world by inundating us everyday with news of beheadings, car bombs, etc etc.. I'd say it's a Dark Time in the Empire when one can skip over a headline about however many people getting blown to pieces by a bomb, so today I read this story about some car bombings that killed some 43 people or so in Iraq. I'm going to point out some stuff that kinda jumped out at me.

"Police said the first bomb blew up at the Nadha bus terminal, the city's largest, shortly before 8 a.m. as swarms of travelers were boarding buses. As Iraqi police rushed to the scene, a suicide driver detonated his vehicle in the station's parking lot. Another suicide bomber blew up his car a half hour later across the street from the nearby Kindi hospital, where ambulances were transporting the injured."

Such an attack requires a few elements... Sure, timing, planning, coordination, etc, are all very important, and surprisingly enough the "aesthetics" of these attacks are usually left out of mainstream media. But the element that stands out the most for me is the element of seriously fucked up these people are. Forgive me for being inarticulate, but Jebus H Christ in a Sidecar. I don't care what religion you are, what country you're from, or whatever greater affiliation you put yourself with, these guys sat down and came up with this plan. They had....oh, what's that now? Aah yes, Motive, Means, and Opportunity. And some serious planning.

Stories like this are a big reason I get pissed off when people say "REMOVE TROOPS FROM IRAQ NOW!" like the aforementioned dipshit below. It's not because I'm concerned for Iraqi lives. I think it's a tragedy when anyone dies a premature, gruesome death, but let's be honest. I'm not going to pretend that I feel close Iraqis, because I don't. I don't know any Iraqis. There's nothing tying me to the Iraqis. If that makes me a dickhead, then I'm sorry -- I guess I just don't have enough compassion to give to a billion strangers world wide. Most people feel the same way, even if they don't admit it. Anyway, one of the reasons people like Sheehan piss me off is because they rally behind this notion of what a bunch of loving, benign peaceniks they are.... But even though she's trying to look like this motherly figure and blahblahblah, she's still demanding that we withdraw troops now. When someone makes such a demand, I'm left with only two possible options to believe:

She's a retard and knows nothing about world politics

Human life isn't quite as important to her as she pretends

What other options are there? If a person tells you "Bring the troops home now!" and nothing else, they're a retard or a sociopath... and I encourage you to make them aware of their condition. People can say that incidents like the bombing I mentioned above are a result of "US Imperialism and Occupation" and, but that doesn't change the fact that right now, Iraqi civilians are being targeted. Do people think that this is how people settle their differences in Iraq "just because the USA is there"? Do people think that if the USA leaves, everything will be cool and shit like this won't happen anymore? "Oh, the USA is gone? Sweet.. Let's go ahead and act like humans."

Fuck you and fuck them. That's what I say.

(It should be noted that "you" does not mean "you," the person who is reading this, but rather the "you" in the hypothetical conversation where one might tell me that the "troops should be pulled out now.". It should also be noted that "them" does not refer to the troops, but those who enjoy strapping semtex to themselves, and those who enjoy letting them do it.)

OK, you know what? I'm tired of thinking about the Sheehans of the world. I call subject change!

On a lighter note, I've been doing some grappling lately, and last night I went to a reputable Gracie Jujitsu gym in Tokyo. What a cool activity. Now, a lot of people are like "ooh that's a famous school," but seriously. That doesn't mean I'm good. Like, umm, at all. What it means is that I went there and got my fucking ass handed to me by a bunch of older Japanese dudes who appeared to be using a lot less energy than I was [to choke me out repeatedly]. Basically I'm wrestling around hoping that I can get one of the 3 submission moves in my repetoire to work.

Yeah, I tapped out a lot. A lot. Right now it looks like someone punched me in the mouth... And the side of the face.

But I tell ya, it's an awesome school and I think I'm gonna try and make it up there twice a week. I left there with a "...woe that was awesome" type feeling. Good workout, too. At the end of the class I was pretty much incapacitated, and I had the shakes. I suppose I'll have more on that as it comes. Maybe I'll even tap someone out one of these times? Wish me luck..