It occurred to me earlier that if the Bush administration really had their shit together they would have sent military recruiters repelling into New Orleans from helicopters right after the hurricane passed. They had tens of thousands of poor black men concentrated together in one place, off-guard, and, I would expect, willing to sign almost anything to get food, water and medication for their loved ones. It was the kind of opportunity that just doesn’t present itself every day. (While I haven’t heard anything about it yet, I’d be surprised if we didn’t get hit with a wave of stories in the coming week about hurricane survivors being pressured into service. Just mark my words.)
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They could have just handed out uniforms at the Convention Center.
It was in today’s Washington Wire column in the Wall Street Journal.
See, I told you so
Here is an
intro to Bill Maher’s show that parodies the recruitment of hurricane survivors.
Last week I was just ashamed. Now I’m ashamed and insenesed.
Good call Mark, you saw that one coming a mile away. Have they fired up the vietnam-era programs of giving first time offenders the choice of time or joining the military?
My friend Dave was arrested for possession of marijuana in 1969 and got to choose between ten years in prison or two in Vietnam. I think it was safe to say that Dave was wasn’t a particularly gung-ho soldier.
Doctors were able to remove the shrapnel from the right side of his body and face though he has significant scarring. He’s lucky to be alive.
Thanks, Steve… Yeah… I was kind of proud of myself with this post. It’s not every day that I predict something that actually comes true.
As for your friend, Steve, couldn’t he have just joined the “champaign squadron” of the Texas National Guard and served his time that way? From what I understand, all you had to do was ask.
They didn’t do it because Bush doesn’t like black people.
I think he likes them in Iraq. It’s just here that he has a problem with them.
This seems like as good a place for this link as any:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/printer_090205C.shtml
“Chuck E. Cheese, a place for 3-year-olds to have a birthday party, was playing promo films for military recruitment to the babies and their “youngish” parents!”
What the FUCK!?
Thats so very gross, but not so surprising I was viewed with great suspicion and treated shoddily when I applied there when I was a young radical.
Parents need to explain why they can’t have their birthday there anymore the same way my Mom did with the whole Hostess/ITT/bomb thing. We accepted it grudgingly.
My sister has gone back to Slidell, LA and told me last night that she was up at her local Shell gas station and saw a gang of Scientologists hanging out. They were wearing bright yellow shirts with Church of Scientology on them and also the words “Relief Worker”. I wish she had a camera to snap a picture.
I’ve seen photos of a few, and they were also wearing matching yellow shirts. But I’ve yet to see any documentation of how they spend their leisure time. I’d be fascinated to see a bunch of photos of them just ahnging out around a gas station… If I send your sister a disposable camera, do you think that she’d take photos, Ken?
I am sure she would love to go on assignment for mm.com. She also recounted a conversation one of the Scientologist was having with a local constable. The intrepid proselytizer was asking the cop if he had been to New Orleans since the disaster went down. The cop replied that he didn’t like going to that city before the storm.
Did anyone see an Army recruitment commercial a while ago that I swear had a Pixies riff on it? Anybody? I thought it was possible given that Carnival Cruise Lines already optioned Iggy Pop’s motivational song, “Lust for Life”. And Nick Drake had become a spokesman for Farphegnuggen (purposely spelled incorrectly) from beyond the grave.
“Here Comes Your Man”?
No seriously, was it? I swear I heard something. But I do not think it was “Here Comes Your Man”.
And here’s the even freakier thing. If I am not mistaken, it was a commercial during the Daily Show.
I don’t remember what it was for, but we saw a commercial yesterday with “Jane Says” playing in the background (a song about a prostitute by a group of former prostitutes).
It’s a perfect fit. Advertising is, after all, prostitution.
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Author mudak