On the Road

I'm sitting in SIBL, the New York Public Library's Science and Technoiogy branch. They have nice, fat Ethernet connections and docking stations, It ain't Starbucks, but it's free and its on my computer.

The docking stations are in the rear of the basement, if you ever come to New York and need to get onlne during the day. The library is open from 10-6 Tuesday-Saturday. It's on the corner of 34th and Madison. It is an underutilized place, with maybe 10 laptop users at the moment.

One of the library's features is a bank of TV's on the lower level. As I was coming back from the bathroom, I saw Jessica Lynch on my TV. Now, I personally have nothing against her. But then, I'm not in an infantry squad in Tikrit either.

Sunday night, this heinous movie about her "rescue", which will be as accurate as Signal magazine will air. I think the Smart story, another piece of clever fiction, will be on around the same time.

In two months, demonstrably false versions of events have made on to TV. First, there was DC 9/11, a fictional recounting of the heroism of GeorgeW. Bush. After all, any movie with Bush ordering Dick Cheney around is as real as a Jenna Jameson porno. No worse, since she really IS blonde and her first name really IS Jenna. DC 9/11 doesn't even have that level of credibility.

But what's even worse is that while Lynch is getting 80 percent disability, Shoshana Johnson, who was also wounded in he 507th fiasco is getting 30 percent and she's got PTSD, a common occurance in POW's. The Army was caught short when Jesse Jackson accused them of racism. I think it was politics. Fifth Corps had to prevent them from awarding her the Silver Star. If you think people are pissed that she got the Bronze Star.....

I think Lynch got special treatment and everyone else is getting jacked around. Warehousing wounded and injured GI's like refugees and ignoring their wounds. Digusting on every level.

Now, stories of serious PTSD problems and the use of denigrating terms for the Iraqis is just a sign things ae getting worse.

posted by Steve @ 1:46:00 PM