Friday, June 26, 2009

Winning the hearts and minds of Afghanis, even if we have to blow those damn organs outta 'em first to do it!.

An old Old Glory

(...or, as also known in rural parts of America: 'fishing with dynamite.')

Well, it's that time of year again. As the Fourth of July approaches in many parts of the country gunshot-like sounds will be heard, explosion-like flashes will be seen. Fireworks stands will spring up like weeds, sprout, bloom, wither and die all within a week or two.

It's all part of the nation's latent love of pyromania manifesting in one night of pyrotechnics that will leave the landscape littered in spent munitions and/or on fire.

From a love of firecrackers and Roman candles instilled in youngsters domestically, to bunker busters and explosive tipped missiles launched from drones and B-1 bombers overseas as an integral part of American governmental diplomacy, we just love to blow up shit.

The exciting thought, however, is this: While our covetous lusting for explosives is confined to one day each year in the country legally, illegally in other parts, in Afghanistan the dawn of every new day is a potential Fourth of July!

Or in the words of one Afghani survivor displaying corpses and body parts on the bed of a truck after an American B-1 bomber attack in May that killed an alleged 140 Afghani civilians in or around a mosque:

"These are women and children's bodies. Look at this. You need to know what's happening to us, " he said.

Or, as another Afghani added, "Our village was involved in the struggle against the Russians, but they did nothing to us like this. The people hate the government, they hate the Americans, they hate the Taliban, they hate life," he said.

Ah, The Fourth -- a holiday seeped deeply in tradition of our nation's fiery birth, now being shared in the middle east with our allies. What a wonderful way to show our children the meaning of our country's very first holiday -- to go forth and blow up shit. If illegal in your community, share the meaning of our nation's first holiday with your children by going forth and blowing up shit anyway.

While such pleasure may be in violation of local ordinances, when the kids grow up, they can celebrate the Fourth year 'round anywhere in the world -- in violation of international law! -- by blowing up places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, North Korea, wherever. It's an American tradition.

It's almost July. Go FOURTH everyone! "Share the love!"

2 comments:

Fran said...

This is exactly why I display my US flag upsidedown....
the official Nation in distress symbol.

I have displayed it this way since the war of choice in Iraq began.

Dada said...

"Bravo, Fran!"

A decade or more ago, we rec'd a nice polymer flag plaque from Nona over at Fish Wars on Cars. Not one to display my 'patriotic' side on my sleeve, I didn't use it immediately.

I don't remember if it was when Bush stole the presidency or began his war on Iraq, but I decided it was time to show it. The flag went up on our front door, next to a window with a warning sign to guests, "Caution, Free Speech Zone!" (And, yes, the flag is upside down, much as the Dish cableman's thinking, when he asked, "BTW, what does an upside American flag mean?")

"Oh, did you see it on the front door?" I asked.

"No," he claimed, "I saw it on a house I worked on earlier today."

So, having baited me, I bit.