IRAQ, IRAQ, AND MORE IRAQ

In my never-ending quest to bring you the truth, or at least make you question what is true, I've decided to run a few Iraq "facts" to see how well they hold up. I guess I should caution you all here, if you take everything that you read or hear from the mainstream media as fact, you may want to skip this one.

Iraq is in chaos, Iraq is in civil war, Iraq would be better off if we left, the "surge" is certain to fail, every General is now against the war, blah, blah, blah. It seems the mainstream media cannot find any good anywhere in Iraq worth reporting. If I have to listen to one more NPR report on how everything in Iraq either has failed or will fail I'm throwing my car radio into the street. Don't get me wrong, Iraq has been a monumental disaster. Every single thing that the Bush Administration has predicted about this war from the WMD's to the number of deaths to the duration, has been wrong. It would be hard to describe this war as anything but the worst foreign excursion since Vietnam. In many ways it may be the worst ever. But having said that, the fact that Bush has been wrong doesn't give you people who lean left the gift of foresight or the right to say anything you want without being questioned too. So without further ado, here's some of the problems I've found in the mainstream reporting.

CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

In mid October of last year the left started propagating a survey of the civilian deaths in Iraq by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Policy. The numbers they were claiming, over 600,000 civilian deaths, were the highest numbers put out there by far. In fact, they were 5 to 6 times higher than anyone else estimated. Yet, NPR's Diane Rhem, the Washington Post and BBC News saw fit to treat them as fact, entertaining these numbers as if they could have any credence. Oddly enough, slightly over one month later, these same sources were propagating another story, the highest single month civilian deaths as estimated by the U.N.; 3,709. Now I'm no math whiz, as I've said before, but as of Nov. 2006, we had been in Iraq for approx. 42 months, and 42 times 3,709 comes to 155,778. My point here is; how can it be the highest monthly civilian death count when multiplying it by the total months gives you one quarter of what you were buying into as the total just a month before? The answer is; they're just trying to get you outraged, not informed. A closer estimate that doesn't include every Iraqi that died of the flu can be found at Iraq Body Count.

IRAQ IS IN A CIVIL WAR

Another thing that's being reported unfairly is whether or not Iraq is in a civil war. Now, I concede, there has been a lot of sectarian violence in the Sunni Triangle. In fact, nearly all the deaths in the past year have been in the region from Bagdad to Tikrit to Ramadi. The problem I have with the way that's being portrayed is; the Sunni Triangle only constitutes appox. 7812 square miles out of the 168,743 square miles of the country of Iraq, less than 5%. But to hear it reported you would think the whole country is in civil war. That's like saying that Michigan erupted into rioting during the 1967 riots. There wasn't a single riot in all of the Upper Peninsula or above Midland in the Lower Peninsula. It's simply not an accurate way of reporting. Iraq is in a civil war in some regions, but the vast part of Iraq is not.

ALL THE RETIRED GENERALS ARE AGAINST THE WAR

The trotting out of retired Generals (or for that matter soldiers) as a way of proving that the military is not behind the war is simply not accurate. Every American has every right to voice their opinion and that includes ex-military, but to make it seem that these Generals (or soldiers) are reflective of the whole is intellectually dishonest. According to Slate.com and military estimates, there are about 4,700 retired Generals. For CNN or NBC or even Fox News to interview these Generals and give the impression that they are one of a very few is simply not honest. The fact is, some Generals are against the war and view it as another Vietnam and others support our efforts there.

SOVEREIGNTY

This one really gets me ticked off. The media, in their never ending quest to badmouth every aspect of the war has found a way we can't possibly do it right. If we recognize the Iraq Government as sovereign and let them act as their culture tells them that they should (brutal Islamic law), we get badmouthed for creating a monster, even though the monster was far more cruel before we got there. If we intervene in their judicial process, then we are not respecting their culture and the Government of Iraq is just a puppet democracy. I would like for the left in this country to tell me once and for all, "Should we respect their sovereignty or not?" My answer? They are sovereign, let them end the problem their way.

A lot has happened since I last commented on the war, and most of it is bad. But is it as bad as it's being portrayed? NO. We can not retreat completely and in the very worse case scenario should only pull back away from the Sunni Triangle to contain it and isolate it from Iranian interference. I like an idea being floated by Steve Forbes to persuade the Iraqi government to share oil revenue in much the same way it is done in Alaska, but only in areas that are secured by the Iraqi Military. This will give incentive to both push out the troublemakers and to help hold the area to the residents. To give yourself a more objective view, I recommend checking out Iraqi blogs to get an inside look. I recommend Iraq the Model as a great source. I do agree with the right that we can not leave Iraq in a mess. I make the analogy that Bush is like a bad dog that ripped up the neighbor's garbage. They don't want to hear that it's your kid's dog or that you don't even like the dog yourself, it's our dog and we have a responsibility to clean up the mess. H.C.

INFAMOUS VS.UNKNOWN

For those of you that don't know Andre from Inside Andre's Head, let me just gush a little bit about one of my favorite bloggers. Andre is to me, the definition of what hard work and education will get you. I've known Andre for 5 or 6 years and what struck me upon first meeting him was his obvious intellect and his outgoing personality. He's the kind of guy who would say 'hello' even if he barely knew you. But what struck me most after I got to know him better was his determination to get ahead. One by one I watched as he met all his goals, Associates degree, Bachelor's degree, and then on to Grad School, nice home and good job. I guess it's just the father in me, (Andre's quite a bit younger) but when I see younger people with that kind of enthusiasm, I get proud. Proud that I even know them. Proud that they would count me as a friend. And Andre's talented. He plays drums, draws great cartoons, and is the kind of writer who humbles my efforts. Oh, and by the way, he's black and has a stutter. I only mention that as yet one more example of how he doesn't let things stop him from his goals. Andre Louis is truly someone to be admired.

You'll probably never see Andre in the news. I really doubt he'll ever meet Oprah or have legions of reporters following him around. I doubt that the Governors office will take an interest in him and I'm fairly certain that his church won't give him a standing ovation anytime soon. Yet he'll go on doing what he does. Writing his blog, working hard, meeting his goals, trying to help people, propping up his friends and being a good example.

Now for the other side of the coin.

This Sunday at Hartford Memorial Church in Detroit the congregation rose to it's feet in a standing ovation to welcome a celebrity. He stood before them in a conservative blue suit and read a poem about his efforts to get his life back on track. The 21 year old man has had quite a exciting month. He has met Oprah, now has a lawyer/agent who helps him get appearances on radio programs and in churches. He has reporters who follow him everywhere and an education that is being paid for by me and you through our tax dollars, but don't worry, he won't be wasting our money, he has big plans on being a Rap Star. As you may have guessed by now, this young man is Nathaniel Abraham, who at age 11 became the youngest person to ever be charged as an adult for first-degree murder in the 1997 shooting death of Ronnie Greene Jr. formally of Pontiac. Now, let me stress something here. Ronnie Greene Jr. is dead. Dead as in never getting to see his family again. Dead as in never getting to have children and see them grow up. Dead as in gone from this life, gone from his girlfriend and his friends. Yet life seems to have taken a happy turn for Nathaniel Abraham.

This wasn't even an isolated incident for Mr. Abraham, according to the Detroit Free Press, from 9 to 11 years old he had formed quite a rap sheet of 22 incidents, including threatening classmates with a gun and beating a 16 year old with a metal pipe. Ronnie Greene on the other hand had a girlfriend, a steady job, and caring family before Nathaniel put a bullet in his head.

I guess there are some things in this life I will never understand. Why do we glorify someone like Nathaniel Abraham while my friend Andre keeps fighting the good fight with next to no acknowledgement? Why is it such a better thing to turn your life around than it is to have never turned that way to begin with? Why is it Oprah dwells on those who have made bad decisions in their lives instead of those that made good ones? Is it just that we love a story where someone saw the light and turned their life around? I've done O.K. in my efforts to turn my life around from the life that I once lead. But shouldn't we be propping up the people who said no to drugs and crime to begin with? It's embarrassing to me to have people act like I did something great when all I really did was make some real bad choices and then realize it.

I hope that Nathaniel Abraham gets on with his life. I hope that he will be a good example for people who need to turn their lives around. I suspect that he will use his ill-gotten fame to get his Rap published. There will be people who will use his notoriety to make money. I wouldn't even be suprised to see him standing with 50 Cent or Eminem on some program in the future. And I suspect that some young kid will get the wrong message and think that shooting someone is the path to fame, to meeting Oprah, to getting noticed. Meanwhile, a different kid will makes the right choices, do the right things and get no notice, like my friend Andre. So, to even the scale a little, I'm giving my man Andre his props right now. Great job my friend, Oprah's missing a real success story. H.C.

BOB AND NANCY, A TALE OF TWO SPEAKERS

My job, as I see it, is to look through the kaleidoscope of media sources and find that one juicy little tidbit that they thought they could slide by you. The little one liner that they knew they had to mention, but hid halfway through their piece. The story buried on D12 of your local newspaper or the angle they were hoping you wouldn't think about. For the most part, these little hunks of gold are hard to find, hidden among the dirt clods of crap they serve up.

But this one I've been waiting for with baited keyboard.

It was a great year for the Democratic party. Against all odds, they captured the House and Senate away from the evil Republicans and daylight will finally shine on the shady dealings of the Bush Administration. I couldn't be happier. I love divided Government. When these idiots start trading accusations against each other and blocking each others pork, our government runs cleaner and closer to the middle ground than at any other time. But most importantly, we get a good look at what these rats have been up to when they answered to no one. I'm not just picking on Bush here, it's true no matter who has complete control. Their backers figure there's no more excuse, and dammit we won't our paybacks for the millions we invested in you bums. So the pork is shoveled in every direction.

The biggest news this time around is the appointment of Nancy Pelosi (D-SF, Cal) to Speaker of the House of Representatives. Ms. Pelosi is now the first female Speaker in history and the media is tripping all over each other in an effort to find yet one more angle to report on. This is a great thing in my eyes. The sooner all these "barriers" are torn down, the sooner we can get on with the business of electing people based solely on merit. I'm not saying Ms. Pelosi isn't qualified, she is. I just want to move forward. My congratulations to all woman everywhere, it is a huge victory.

Now for the fun part. While the media was celebrating this history making moment for women, another far more sinister event was taking place in the other House of Congress. With nearly no fanfare, buried deep in your newspapers, ignored by all but a few conservative bloggers, Robert Byrd (D-WV) shuffled his way into the fourth highest position of our government. The Senate President Pro Tempore, leader of the Senate and third in line of succession to the Presidency. (For more on Senator Byrd read my past piece,"Why Are Democrats Still Supporting An Ex-KKK Member") So what's the big deal? Ol' Bob Byrd is the biggest disgrace left in our government. Ol' Bob, at 89 years of age, has had a long and checkered history of holding black people back. Starting with his membership in the KKK as a recruiter no less, and leading through 50+ years of blocking every advancement black people have tried to make. He opposed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and every black nomination that fell before him. While the Democrats celebrated a monumental moment for women, they kicked black people square in the nether region.

And Nothing was said.

Not by all the black activists, not by Michael Moore, and not even by the Republicans.

While this pitiful disgrace to all white people took his throne, we were distracted by all the fanfare and backslapping in the Media about the Dems regaining control and Ms Pelosi's barrier breaking. Take a look at how both Michael Moore and CNN barely mentioned it at all. The Washington Post mentions him in this piece, but says nothing about his becoming the new Senate leader. People, I can not stress enough how utterly pissed off this makes me. I DO NOT CARE how many times this man has apologized for his past deeds. I DO NOT CARE how old he is or how much seniority he has in the Senate. He should have never been in such a position of power to begin with. I have to believe that I can never look a black person in the eyes and tell them honestly that we have moved forward as long as this vestige of a dark time sits there unpunished. I wince every time I see his face or hear his name. For moving the ball forward for women I applaud the Democrats, but for the stab in the back that they gave the black people of this country I give them these four words.......for shame, for shame. H.C.

THE ALLIGATOR LADY LESSON

Go on boy," the carnival rat hissed through his yellow teeth, "She won't feel it." I looked down at the object in his dirty, calloused hand. A Cat-of-Nine-Tails. I had seen one in an old Western on T.V. but never in real life. It was braided near the handle, like a little girls hair, and then nine straps of leather hung down singular a foot or so from the braids with a knot at each end. I could feel their eyes on me, the crowd of onlookers who had each paid their dollar to see the "Alligator Lady", a woman who suffered a horrible skin disease. Larry Borden, my brother's friend, nudged me with his elbow, "Do it, man." he half-whispered. The Alligator Lady turned to reassure me, "It's O.K. honey, I won't feel it." I looked around the crowd for someone's eyes that felt like I did, confused, and disgusted, but all I saw were smiles and nods of approval. "No, I can't." I said, suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the crowd. "She won't feel it!" the Rat repeated sternly. "No, but I will" I said as I turned and pushed my way through the crowd, half running to the exit passed the "Wild Man of Borneo"s cage.

I felt nauseous and paranoid. The pot I had smoked earlier seemed amplified for those few minutes and I struggled to regain my composure. My brothers and Larry strolled over to where I was standing. "What a pussy!" Larry laughed, pushing me half-playfully. "No, but I will." he mocked with his best girly voice. "What's that supposed to mean?" My brother Steve, always the one to read me best, interrupted his fun. "Leave him alone, he just didn't want to hit a girl." I felt like a sissy. I had wanted to prove that I was older than my 11 years showed. They had been forced by my Mom to take "Little Brother" along. The pot I had smoked with them earlier and the hits off the passing wine bottle had made me feel accepted, and now, I felt the bond was broken. "Why didn't I just go ahead and do it?" I asked myself. "Well, we're going back for the rest of the show," my oldest brother Mike announced, "You can wait here where it's safe." They all laughed, heading back throught the doorway with it's painted, exaggerated portraits. "The Alligator Lady, The Wild Man of Borneo, The Two-Headed Cow, and The Bearded Lady."

I sat down on a bench, suddenly glad to be alone. "Freak Show" read the big neon sign over the propped up building. I mused over who they were talking about, the freaks, or the crowd. Feeling better, I congratulated myself on standing on my principles. I wouldn't hit a woman, not even one with alligator skin.

It had been a tough month. My Mom and Dad's marriage had been on the rocks for years, and had slowly gotten worse and worse. The beatings had gotten more severe and I had become scared to death that my Dad would kill my Mom on one of his drunken rampages. It all culminated on one horrific day, a flash of memories now like something out of a horror movie. Blood, screaming, begging, pleading, all blended together in away that defies time. Like a day that refused to end.

In a moment of sanity, my mother had decided to make a run for it. This was no small feat, my Dad had grown into a fearsome monster, capable of anything. With hardly more than the clothes on our backs, we made our way to my Aunt Mary's, the Patron Saint of abused mothers and scared children. The plan was to run and hide. She had arranged for us to rent a cabin on Houghton Lake in upper Michigan while my Dad was served the divorce papers. An act that was sure to send him into a fit of rage. The hope was that eventually he would calm down enough for something to be worked out. That, was an optimistic thought.

The cabin turned out to be a real refuge from the storm. Small and rustic, it sat right on the lake with a small boat and motor tethered to the dock. I was thinking of how I had spent the past few mornings and evenings sitting alone on that dock, reflecting on how our lives were changing and how life could be both chaotic and serene, depending only on where you were standing.

The sounds of shouting woke me from my daydream. The Yellow-Toothed Rat was pushing my brother's and Larry out of the Freak Show, a chorus of "Fuck you's" echoed off the passersby. Suddenly the "Wild Man of Borneo" appeared from out of the doorway swinging a chain and cursing in broken English and Spanish. Larry held his ground like a boxer squaring off for the fight, the Rat between them like a referee. After a few more profanities and threats, they made their way toward me laughing and slapping hands.

It seems the "Wild Man", who was in fact a muscular Hispanic guy with freakishly short legs, had a act beyond just jumping around in his cage and biting plastic lizards. After the Rat had lead all the paying customers through the different displays and freak acts, he would walk them pass the 'Wild Man of Borneo" who would swing his chain against the bars of his cage feigning ferociousness. When the crowd got close to the exit, he would suddenly kick his cage door open and chase the scared crowd out the door. Larry, never being one to lose his "cool" persona, turned and kicked the "Wild Man" right in the face, temporarily knocking him out cold. My moment of fame now forgotten, Larry recanted his victory blow by blow as we all roared in laughter at his becoming the "New Wild Man".

In the course of our lives, only a few of the thousands of days we live will really ever be remembered. Even fewer will stand out as a real life changing day, an epiphany moment. Because of that day, in a strange twist of events, I owe a good part of who I am to a sad women who God had chosen to curse with skin that was thick and discolored. Who had to live her life as a "freak" to be tormented and stared at. Inside of that propped-up building, I found pity inside myself while others found a reason to laugh. But most importantly, I found out something about myself that anyone who's parents aren't the best example needs to know. That while I can't escape the fact that I am my father's son, I don't have to be my father. Thank you "Alligator Lady" for that lesson. H.C.

IT'S NOT YOUR FATHER'S RELIGION

It has millions of believers worldwide, 24 million in the U.S. alone. It made up 4% of the U.S. population in a 2000 poll and jumped to 8% in a 2006 poll, a growth rate any religion would be envious of. It's bigger in the U.S. than the Lutherns, Presbyterians, and the Mormans. It has evangelists in your schools and in your colleges and yet manages to use it's power to keep all other religions out. The majority of it's members are young, and it stands to reason that if all trends continue, it will one day be the largest religion in America. What is this all powerful, fast growing religion? Atheism.

I know what your all thinking, "Now hang on a damn minute H.C., Atheism is the complete opposite of religion. They don't have churches, they don't have a God, they don't have priests, ministers, or prophets how in the hell is it a religion?"

Well, as my mentor Bill Clinton used to say, "It depends on what your definition of "is" is." The Webster Collegiate dictionary offers this definition of a religion, "a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith." Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that the Atheists of today are every bit as committed to their "faith" as any religious person you've ever met. Just try telling your college Anthropology prof. about Adam and Eve. For another definition, I went to the American Heritage Dictionary, they had this one to consider; "Any objection attended to or pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion". Again, try telling any committed Atheist that they're wrong about Evolution.

"They don't have a God." True, actually that's what makes them an Atheist. They deny the existence of God. But it's also true that a lot of the world's religions do not have a principle "God" or creator of the universe or mankind. Confuscianism, Buddhism, or Scientology are just a few examples of the world's religions that do not have a "God" as a creator of the universe or mankind.

"They don't have churches." Once again, it depends on your definition of "churches". Most every religion gives it's churches a name that is unique to it's religion, such as Synagogues, Mosques, or Temples, so I think it's fair to say "churches" are just a place where people of like faith meet in mass. By this definition, I can point out tons of websites such as Atheists.com, Atheists.org, or Blasphemychallenge.com where Atheists go to be "Baptised" into their faith by denouncing the Holy Spirit. The need of like minded people to congregate and share their views on their faith is not limited to Christians or Muslims, it is shared by Atheists as well. In fact, nearly all Universities have an Atheist student club.

"They don't have Prophets." I would argue that they have lots of them. Every Scientist that promotes their point of view is sited by them very much in the way all religions site their Prophets. I would argue further that Charles Darwin is their main Prophet as he is the father of their faith, that all things can be explained by Science, and God is just a myth designed to fill in the gaps of what we don't know yet.

"They don't have Priests or Ministers that propagate and promote their religion." While it is true that they don't go by a title, they do evangelize in your classrooms. They degrade and belittle people of religious belief in an attempt to quiet their point of view or dismiss it as myth or fantasy. While there have been studies that put the number of true Atheistic professors in our Universities as high as 40%, most of the studies show the number to be much lower. This comes from the fact that they tend to include Religious Colleges or Universities, and Colleges in general where the numbers are smaller for commited Atheists. I found one study done by Neil Gross, a Harvard Professor who after factoring in these other colleges and Universities still came up with 23.4% committed Atheists, nearly three times the general population average. Not suprisingly, most of these professors can be found in the more left-leaning fields of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology. Since "Separation of Church and State" is the mantra of the left, the religious point of view is not allowed while the Atheistic point of view is delivered by these Evangelists through Science. I'm not saying that they don't have a point in my eyes, just that they should be careful to not promote their "theories" as fact while refusing to even consider the religious point of view.

My main point here is that any set of beliefs adhered to by a large group of people and practiced by congregation, that evangalizes among the populace to promote it's views, should be considered a religion. As most of you know by now, I'm a huge advocate of both sides getting their say in any debate as long as their not calling for direct violence against a group. The worst thing that can happen to America in my eyes, is that one side, whether right or left, liberal, conservative, or anything inbetween should be allowed to dominate a discussion by blocking in any way the other sides views. By exempting themselves from being called a religion, Atheists have done what the Catholics or the Protestants could not do. Make their belief system the only one taught in our schools. Science is one thing, and religion another and the two should be separate. But the use of Science by our schools to directly attack religion and then denying them the chance to debate is simply indoctrining a point of view. Atheism IS a religion, and if we are not going to allow other religions to express their theology then our professors should be held to a very high standard of not promoting Atheism also. Atheism is viewed by the far left in this country as a vehicle to promote their agenda of Liberalizing this country. I'm not afraid of debate for or against any of their agenda, but they are using Atheism as a means to attack religion and it's morality and to promote their own. The proof is in the numbers. H.C.