Operation Global Media Domination: Politics Day

TIAToday, as you may have noticed, was Politics Day at the ol' raincoaster blog. And, surprisingly, I find that the only thing which out-pulls sex and/or curling (curling porn was a top search, btw) is politics. Glad I found something that did. Getting a wee bit tired of the eedjuts coming to this blog via searches for "Mango Porn."

I am indeed a famewhore of the highest order (the lower orders have to sit on the unshaded side of the temple and stick to beige robes) but even I am not gonna be rooting for more dead Canadian soldiers or pissy, self-serving and moronic Tory policies from the remarkably lifelike Stephen Harper or the remarkably simian George W. Bush. Although I do admit a peculiar fondness for the video of that funny little Chaplin impersonator and that funny Turko-American writer fellow.

Retired Military? Not so much

Old Soldier, a Million Little MedalsNot so much "retired," that is. The US government has just reserved the right to call you back after retirement, indefinitely if it decides to. And by swearing up and down it won't cost much to do this, they were able to bypass the approval processes of something like eight different agencies which would normally be involved.

Take a gander at this, from Cryptome:

Management and Mobilization of Regular and Reserve Retired Military Members

AGENCY: [U.S.] Department of Defense.

ACTION: Interim final rule…
 

Sec.  64.4  Policy.

    (a) It is DoD policy that military retirees be Zombie Soldier frisbeeordered to active duty as needed to perform such duties as the Secretary concerned considers necessary in the interests of national defense as described in 10 U.S.C. 12301 and 688.
    (b) The DoD Components and the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard shall plan to use as many retirees as necessary to meet national security needs.
    (c) The military retirees ordered to active duty may be used according to guidance prescribed by the Secretary concerned as follows:
    (1) To fill shortages or to augment deployed or deploying units and activities or units in the Continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii supporting deployed units.
    (2) To release other military members for deployment overseas.
    (3) Subject to the limitations of 10 U.S.C. 973, Federal civilian workforce shortages in the Department of Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard,
or other Government entities.
    (4) To meet national security needs in organizations outside the Department of Defense with Defense-related missions, if the detail
outside the Department of Defense is approved according to DoD Directive 1000.17.\2\
    (5) To perform other duties that the Secretary concerned considers necessary in the interests of national defense.
    (d) Military retirees shall be ordered to active duty with full pay and allowances. They may not be used to fill mobilization billets in a non-pay status.
    (e) Military retirees serving on active duty may be reassigned to meet the needs of the Military Service.

Old, Sad SoldierBut wait! There is, of course, a feedback process. There's no guarantee whatsoever that they will read, much less respond to your feedback, but you are cordially invited to tell them what you think of this policy of geriatric zombie soldier resurrection. At least they promise to pay the geezers, so although it is involuntary labour, it's not techically slavery. Until someone decides to bill them for room and board…wait for it:

DATES: This rule is effective April 18, 2006. Comments must be received
by June 19, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and/or
RIN number and title, by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.

Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail: Federal Docket Management System Office, 1160
Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1160.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and docket number or Regulatory Information Number (RIN) for this
Federal Register document. The general policy for comments and other
submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions
available for public viewing on the Internet at http://regulations.gov

as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers
or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Kohner, 703-693-7479,
Dan.Kohner@osd.mil
.

FVZA logo

My First Book Review: well, since school anyway, and there we always had to conclude that Dickens was the greatest prose stylist the universe has ever seen

A review of The Dream of Rome, by Boris Johnson, who is on the blogroll over there if you look closely.  And all of this was posted over there anyway, but give the man a click. It's the least you can do since none of my readers will ever vote for a Tory anyway.

First off, I don't review. I opine. This will hopefully excuse much.

As an introduction to the Roman Empire and the reasons for its long-running success, The Dream of Rome is perfectly marvelous. Boris obviously loves his subject, knows it fluently, and isn't afraid to go to the experts when he's at a loss. Picks interesting experts, as well. And of course the writing flows like the river in a Hudson School painting. It's quick, it's beautiful, and it's sometimes challenging.

And, like the contemporary Hudson river, it's sometimes full of crap.

As an explanation of why the EU is doomed to failure, however, The Dream of Rome fails to prove its case. Really, it must be said that it doesn't seem to try very hard. Boris has some policy points to make, and he makes them, but any examination of the EU is glaringly incomplete without mention of our apparently limitless desire to form meta-states like the UN, NATO, G7, NAFTA, etc etc. There is a reason behind this, and it's not mere economic advantage. Nor is it mere ego.

The only emperor-manque the world has who has any sort of real power is Osama bin Laden. So it's easy to see the point of the Americans who don't want his videos and audio broadcast, lest they start a cult of personality. His power comes from the fact that he writes the cheques. Once that stops, he's over.

William S. Burroughs, who had a knack for being as right as he was wasted, wrote a fascinating piece on why we don't have grand Augustus figures anymore. Here it is:

No More Stalins, No More Hitlers

We have a new type of rule now. Not one-man rule, or rule of aristocracy or plutocracy, but of small groups elevated to positions of absolute power by random pressures and subject to political and economic factors that leave little room for decision.

They are representatives of abstract forces who have reached power through surrender of self. The iron-willed dictator is a thing of past.

There will be no more Stalins, no more Hitlers.

The rulers of this most insecure of all worlds are rulers by accident. Inept, frightened pilots at the controls of a vast machine they cannot understand, calling in experts to tell them which buttons to push.

–William S. Burroughs, "No More Stalins, No More Hitlers," from Dead City Radio, Island Records, 1990; and Interzone, Viking Books, 1989.

Operation Global Media Domination: Gay Pirates kick Bloggers Ass

TIAThe raincoaster blog is quite proud and, in fact, almost insufferable about the fact that we have cracked the top 350,000 blogs in Technorati. If you've done better than that, we don't want to hear about it. No, really. We get all weepy and snappish when we hear about that sort of thing unless it's accompanied by a heartfelt "and let me teach you exactly how I did that" email.

PeterPan, I'm talking to you.

And while it's nice to be promoted so my stat counter starts at 30, rather than zero, there's a brief yet heart-stopping period every day when I appear to have negative readers. And we all know my readers are as positive little bundles of human sunshine as it is possible to be, right? Totally, bitches!

In a search term roundup this week, it is quite clear that Gay Pirates kick the ass of all blog-related posts. There are the classic greatest hits: mango porno, Narnia porn, and octopus sewing patterns. And curling. Lotsa curling.

Eagles are good, too. Raptors apparently rank high in the blogosphere; I can see that, you know. Winging through the sky, falling upon their prey like a thunderbolt, soaring in regal isolation, making Technorati their bitch.

Welcome to the Blogroll: Project Opus

A friend of mine is involved in this website, Project Opus, which connects independent musicians and fans. I'm not the world's greatest music fan, it must be said, having been traumatized by a polka trio when I was a small child, but I'm all for supporting things that support people who need supporting (is there a Bras for the Homeless organization out there somewhere?) so I'm all over this.