A Memorial Day Posting and More For Friday, May 22, 2009

"a remembrance poppy outside the Suur Rannavärav (Great Coastal Gate)" licensed under Creative Commons by Anosmia


We find this Memorial Day weekend confusing, surreal, consequential, ambiguous and somewhat, well, cold... Our fingers and hands are cold and our minds are slightly numb as we write this posting just a couple of days before Memorial Day.

Ironically, some of our editors, just like many other good folks, will be reporting for unemployment, food aid, food stamps, medical assistance and possibly other kinds of assistance. Just like so many of you. How much more should we lament our war dead knowing that they fought - and died - for our freedom - and our right to fend off starvation and so on by lining up at the public dole? They deserve so much more honor than this. We think they are deserving of a more-than-glorious fate for their country and the other free countries of the world. We do not think that this is exactly what they fought and died for. It is - it seems - just a substitute. They may have and fought and died - indeed, some are right now - for a substitute set of freedoms.

Some things have changed since some of them have died. Like the right of Habeas Corpus. They died for substitutes for habeas corpus. They have died for Habeas Corpus longinquus detineo, Suspensus Habeas Corpus and Extensus Habeas Corpus. They might have died so that our enemies (and theirs) and some innocents might experience ‘Prolonged detention’ and even 'Borderline Torture'. It seems they might have died for a corruption of their original values. A corruption brought about by some of their descendants. Somehow, we think, that has put less value on the lives we lost and never really knew. It makes the loss and losses doubly tragic. There is no joy in writing this - not even for us. It makes us sick to our craw, in some cases. But, there is still some honor left. So, we continue to write. You too, can continue to fight for what they died for. We think these words - which could be our last words - might touch and penetrate even the hardest of hearts. Well, some, not all.

The honored and glorious dead fought and died so that some of us could go on to live in freedom - glorious freedom. Instead, we are visiting the local food bank - or the next nearest one. Or in some cases, our community is closing the local food bank. Some of them are selling their vehicles - and leaving on their feet. Some are losing their homes - and moving into tents or shelters. Many have lost their jobs and paychecks and pensions and funds and so much else. We have misspent so much of our money - their money. We have misspent our lives - and possibly theirs. The next double-tragedy concerns those who have lost awareness of this weekend and its meaning. For many, this weekend means a struggle to remain clothed, fed and sheltered. We are still struggling to be free - and we have no choice.

Things should be looking up - getting better - better for all of us. We are so sorry to report that we don't think it is. We are so sorry to report that the battle may be lost - but we will still have the enemy suffer a renewed policy of prolonged detention. We have given up just a few of our rights this weekend with them - and possibly some innocent victims. Yet we have demagogues, pundits, others and even our leaders (!) roving around making speeches about why this was done and what it accomplished. Good sirs and ladies, we say to you, your accomplishments mean nothing in the eyes of the Lord. Your accomplishments are so far of no meaning to us. They are just piles of dirty rags in the eyes of the Lord and in our eyes. If anything, you have given us a shared vision. A downcast, dejected, shoddy vision of what is now a pile of junk and scrap that is too far gone to be reused and recycled again and again.

Our apologies. We have gone off and off-topic. We were going to do some compare and contrast stuff between the President's national security speech (of yesterday) as analyzed on various channels. Then we remembered - oh, its Memorial Day weekend! And then we remembered what is truly important. And we remembered.

Memorial Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day

US CO2 goals 'to be compromised'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8061929.stm

Steven Chu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Chu

Pirate Attack On U.S. Cargo Ship Thwarted

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/22/national/main5033068.shtml



Gregory analyzes Cheney, Obama speeches

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/vp/30884765#30884765

David Gregory

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3688588/

On Gitmo, Gates Stands By Obama

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/22/politics/main5033366.shtml

‘Prolonged detention’ (from Rachel)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/30877514#30877514

Rachel

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/

Habeas Corpus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habeas_corpus

Habeas Corpus longinquus detineo

http://antizendictionary.blogspot.com/2009/05/habeas-corpus-longinquus-detineo.html

Cold Fuzzy

http://antizendictionary.blogspot.com/2009/05/non-warm-fuzzies.html

Suspensus Habeas Corpus

http://antizendictionary.blogspot.com/2009/05/suspensus-habeas-corpus.html

Extensus Habeas Corpus

http://antizendictionary.blogspot.com/2009/05/extensus-habeas-corpus.html

O-POD

http://antizendictionary.blogspot.com/2009/05/o-pod-or-i-pod-or-f-pod.html

National security showdown [Countdown’s sanitized (?)version of ‘Prolonged detention’?]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/30876960#30876960

Countdown

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/

‘Borderline’ torture OK’d? (from Rachel)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/30877760#30877760

House, Senate refuse to close Gitmo (from Andrea Mitchell)

javascript:vPlayer('30848916','98e27608-2370-45a3-b8d9-a310e6cb4d64')

Andrea Mitchell

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29974370/

Cigarette companies lose appeal in landmark ruling

http://www.yahoo.com/s/1075254

Swine flu will keep spreading globally: WHO chief

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/05/22/swine-flu-who.html


Swine flu genes circulated undetected for years

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30886851/

CDC to swimmers: Don't pee in the pool!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/22/pools.urinate.hygiene/index.html

CDC

http://www.cdc.gov/

Face Protection Effective In Preventing The Spread Of Influenza, Study Suggests

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090520161332.htm


New Vaccine Strategy Might Offer Protection Against Pandemic Influenza Strains

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518120954.htm


Children Who Get Flu Vaccine Have Three Times Risk Of Hospitalization For Flu, Study Suggests

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519172045.htm

Safe For Passengers With Lung Disease To Travel By Air, Study Suggests

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519075418.htm

New credit card limitations in US

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8063108.stm

Newsweek: Why can't we all get bailouts?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/198771

When Beggars Make House Calls

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7648488

Obama plans more open government

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8063040.stm

Computer virus hits U.S. Marshals, FBI

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30882735/

Hijacking Clicks On The Internet

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/22/tech/cnettechnews/main5033555.shtml

Clickjacking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickjacking


U.S. state seeks laid-off traders to teach math

http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre54l2w1-us-financial-traders-teachers/

Arrests in Chinese slavery case

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8063038.stm

Pope on Facebook in attempt to woo young believers

http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre54l3as-us-pope-facebook/

Toddler buys earthmover in online auction

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30885324/

References: ‘Prolonged detention’ , Rachel, Habeas Corpus, National security showdown, Countdown, House, Senate refuse to close Gitmo, Andrea Mitchell, Suspensus Habeas Corpus and Extensus Habeas Corpus.