D e e p C o n f u s i o n

Occupy Bagram

2011-11-30T03:08:03.195-08:00

So yet again another absence from the blog which has kinda morphed into facebook--but I digress. The "Occupy" movement is getting much press and there may be some long term effects to come from it but I was sad to see tonight the violence erupting now globally, from protest movements worldwide. Tonight, Philadelphia and Los Angeles have the feeling of a 'police state' with militarized police forces more than willing to get violent with people exercising their first amendment rights. What caught my interest most was a blog post I read in response to the now infamous, "Occupy Bagram" photo which shows a small group of armed soldiers giving their estimation of the OWS crowd. What got my attention initially was a doctored "Occupy Bagram" pic: The above photo ultimately landed me at a USAF pilot's blog, "Pick Your Battles" and his response to the original. The comments to his post are worth reading. As some of you who read here know, my gal-pal is deployed in the 'Stan now and frankly, I wish the soldiers in the pic were less concerned about the politics back home and more engaged with supporting their mission. Really what I want is for US forces to be out of Afghanistan and Iraq. Okay, really, I'm studying now.

How To Kiss A Girl

2011-10-30T00:13:22.385-07:00

I posted this sometime ago but it disappeared into the intertubes-ether. I found it again, albeit with different music which I think doesn't work at all (the music supervisor/DJ in me talking). So, I'm including a link to the song I think should be playing and encourage you to mute the song in the video and play this (open in another window, press 'play', let 12 seconds of song play, start kissing video after 12 seconds have elapsed on 'Maybe Tomorrow,' reduce its window and watch girls). Sorry it's such a high maintenance post after so long away. I'm in school and facebook is my only social outlet currently. If you read here and want to be on my fb, email me.


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Complicated Universal Cum - I can hardly wait from Fake Diamond Records on Vimeo.

Protect the Children (and mean it)

2010-10-13T14:53:09.103-07:00

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A Quick Breakdown on Today's Injunction on DADT Discharges

2010-10-12T21:29:43.534-07:00

So now the injunction has brought us into a 'check' position in this neverending DADT chess game. Whether the DoJ appeals or not, the expected changing face of the next congress should throw a new wrench into the mix. In the parlance of the US Navy, "Brace for heavy rolls as the ship comes about".From Jarrod Chlapowski:Well, maybe not so quick. As of right now, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is not in effect. Tomorrow, next week, is another story. Maybe.Today, Judge Virgina Phillips who is presiding over the case LCR v. USA in Riverside declared DADT unconstitutional on free speech and due process grounds, ordering both an end to implementation of DADT and a suspension of all currently pending DADT discharge cases.What can prevent ruling from remaining in effect is if the 9th Circuit (within which the Riverside court resides) places a stay on discharges at the request of the Department of Justice, who has 60 days to do so. As it would be a disaster for the military to have DADT lifted for more than a few weeks before having a stay on the injunction (ie, discharges allowed to resume), if there were to be an appeal, you can expect it to occur very quickly, augmented by the context of election season.The ruling comes at a moment when things are in a jumble in the DADT repeal movement. The September dilemma over procedural tactics prevented a decisive vote on DADT, effectively framing the debate as partisan and adding an extra dose of cynicism from our allies, and severely handicapping the fight for repeal through the midterm election cycle. A December lame-duck vote is looking less and less likely as attention is diverted from the issue and larger orgs abstain from pressuring the decision-makers and influencers on legislative scheduling for the sake of maintaining access. And, worst case scenario, should we fail this year, legislative repeal next year looks extremely unlikely at best, which will at least partly be fueled by the partisan mess that resulted from September's snafu. The best way out of this mess for all-involved would be if DOJ opted not to push for a stay on the injunction.Now the White House has its own dilemma to deal with, facing (very generally) four options on DADT repeal:1). Push for DOJ not to appeal the ruling, and effectively ending DADT;2). Become very active in pushing for a lame-duck legislative repeal;3). Halt discharges via executive order while the court case goes through the appeals process;4). Don't do anything, and walk into the 2012 elections with DADT still on the books.Any one of the four will cost political capital to varying degrees. Option 1 arguably expends the least capital, though at the least optimal time before election season. Option 2 is possible and spends a little more capital, though it would require a certain dedication above other legislative priorities in the very short lame-duck where even a positive outcome is not guaranteed. Option 3 is not even in the realm of consideration until we know the Congressional makeup next year, so counting on it is a gamble (though timing in the beginning of 2011 right after the review comes out in December and before 2012 election season really takes off might be ideal). Option 4 is a distinct possibility, though also a gamble when 82% of the population already is in favor of repeal.What does this mean for us? Two things.A). It is very likely this will be appealed, and very likely this appeal will be in the next few days. Though there is hope the White House will wise-up and realize what it's stepping into should DOJ aggressively push to appeal the injunction.B). Instead of celebrating, we should be preparing for future action pressuring the White House. If a stay is placed on the injunction, we have our work cut out for us over the next few months, if not years. And the White House right now is the biggest player in how the fight to repeal DADT goes down in 2010.Stay tuned.[...]

How To Kiss a Girl

2010-09-19T23:10:21.164-07:00

My blog is the only place I can post-while-drunk, so here goes:

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A Marine Story

2010-06-20T19:50:27.970-07:00

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Ok... everyone HAS to see "A Marine Story." The latest film starring "The Gymnast" Dreya Weber with newcomer Paris Pickard. Very telling and well done portrayals of life under DADT. Check out the trailer! (had fun last night Dreya, you rock!)

DADT Poster Boy: Why the DoD Needs to End DADT

2010-05-08T11:23:07.635-07:00

3 Comments

2010-03-04T23:58:24.208-08:00

Rachel Maddow addresses John McCain's lame ass reasons (1000 of them) for keeping DADT.

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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Army Drops the Ball

2009-11-16T22:50:34.408-08:00

Army Sends Infant to Protective Services, Mom to Afghanistan

Friday 13 November 2009 by: Dahr Jamail | Inter Press Service
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Ventura, California - US Army Specialist Alexis Hutchinson, a single mother, is being threatened with a military court-martial if she does not agree to deploy to Afghanistan, despite having been told she would be granted extra time to find someone to care for her 11-month-old son while she is overseas.

[read the rest]

For the sake of argument let's just say Specialist Hutchinson was trying to get out of deployment. How is the Army brass justified in their actions? Hopefully the media spotlight this story is generating will shame someone into doing the right thing.

Why We Care

2009-11-18T04:46:00.885-08:00

A touching, inspiring video passed along from my friend Sharilyn, a fellow USAF Veteran and wonderful human being who is becoming a doctor. Let this five minutes move you on this Veterans Day.
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Veterans Day POV

2009-11-11T11:02:09.584-08:00

PBS' Point of View series is running a program tonight called "The Way We Get By." Give the preview a look-see and tune in tonight. Check your local listings.

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Looking for Trouble...

2009-11-08T18:46:59.116-08:00

...not really just the title of the Sunday night music mix. Enjoy. (object) (embed)

Saturday Night Special

2009-11-07T19:13:47.084-08:00

Goin' Country to-night... (object) (embed)

Veterans Day

2009-11-06T13:52:02.965-08:00

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In spite of all the recent tragic incident at Ft. Hood, all of our Veterans and their families deserve our thanks and support. Thank you to all that have served.

Music to Lull You By

2009-10-20T23:06:34.771-07:00

My mid-week playlist, enjoy.(object) (embed)

Women Warriors

2009-10-12T19:27:44.378-07:00

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Paul Rieckhoff, exec. director at IAVA is hosting a press conference call,"...revealing IAVA’s pioneering Issue Report: "Women Warriors: Supporting She ‘Who Has Borne the Battle’” on Wednesday, October 14th, 11:00am E.S.T.

This groundbreaking report promises to reveal how the other 11% of the active military deployed in war zones lives. I plan on participating and will report and update here at DeepCon. Stay tuned

Give In

2009-10-11T20:41:31.432-07:00

Tina Dico...listen
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Laughing at God

2009-10-10T20:25:29.206-07:00

Regina Spektor...nice song.(object) (embed)

Pandora

2009-09-23T01:06:54.994-07:00

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Uncommon Valor

2009-09-21T13:35:14.361-07:00

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Paul Rieckhoff of IAVA has posted a story on the latest, tragically posthumous, awarding of the Medal of Honor to Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti, 10th Mountain Division. Please take a few moments to view the video and acknowledge the more than sixty other male members of the 10th, the two women soldiers and the US Air Force airman who died in Afghanistan in 2006. I knew a woman Army doctor from the 10th who died in 2007. Hell of an outfit the 10th.

From Paul's write-up:

Courage, sacrifice, hero—three words thrown around carelessly these days. Politicians that cross party lines to force compromise on the divisive issues of our day are labeled “courageous.” A professional athlete that makes a bold play, leading his team to victory is deemed “heroic.” An actor who forgoes a big paycheck for the summer blockbuster to work on a small budget documentary is seen as making a “sacrifice.” Don’t get me wrong, these acts are worthy of admiration. But for a nation at war, using these terms irresponsibly does a big disservice to those that serve. [read the rest...]

Are You Happy?

2009-09-17T21:14:35.873-07:00

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DADT Disproportion Revisted

2009-09-17T16:59:02.302-07:00

I posted a few days ago on a report of lesbians being disproportionately discharged under DADT. I commented at the SLDN blog and received some comments I wanted to share here. Interestingly enough, these comment were made presumably, by gay men:Bla Bla Bla.....I dont doubt that there are many women being separated for DADT violations, as a 23 Yr Vet, I have to note that the Military has always routinely turned a blind eye to Lesbians and Lesbian Conduct.....(Marine Womens Softball...anyone) Conduct Unbecoming is a Good Read....And as I recall even Rany Schilts observed that the militray turned a blind eye to most Lesbian Issues! But then again; What do I know I’m just a big ol homo...right! I responded:Stickman:Which part of ‘disproportionate’ are you not understanding?When the military turns a ‘blind eye’ to lesbians, it is merely reflecting the larger social policy of ignoring lesbians i.e., women are lesser creatures than men. When you ask the average Joe or Jane about “gay,” most people think about gay men; Lesbians are an afterthought. And I wouldn’t consider Randy Shilts an expert on lesbians--in or out of the military.Lesbians are eroticized by men--right up until they become a threat to manhood or job security. If you don’t get that, you might want to look up another word in the dictionary: Misogyny It went on from there with different commenter:Whether or not it’s politically correct, stickman is not coming out of left field with his statements. After 7 years in the Army, that’s the same thing I’ve noticed.A company commander had her (in her words) “life partner” show up to a company picnic and nothing was said or done.She did everything short of saying “I am a lesbian.” No one really cared. Had she been a male, maybe people would have been stirred up. I don’t know. And then I said:Both you and stickman are viewing this story anecdotally. The report is about how lesbians are DISPROPORTIONATELY discharged under DADT. A higher percentage of the DADT discharges are women. This is simple math. Whether or not lesbianism is overlooked is not the issue and it’s also not about “political correctness.” DADT is a policy which by its very existence is discriminatory. I’m not calling for gay men to be expelled at the same rate as lesbians, but rather that a highly unfair and counter-productive policy goes away.I’m assuming since your company commander never told you she was a lesbian, you don’t know for certain. Also she must be pretty good at her job to have been able to rise to the level of company commander. Job performance is supposed to be what distinguishes one, not sexuality.Furthermore, the fact that we are discussing who is treated worse by the military, lesbians or gay men takes away from the real issue of discrimination by the DoD, who would rather have us fighting with each other than them, so bravo for taking the focus off the real issue. Stay tuned for,"...and then he said..."[...]

Quote of the Day

2009-09-17T11:20:21.134-07:00

(image) From Simon Owens:

When a couple went to Bush rally wearing anti-Bush t-shirts, they got arrested. Guys at Obama rallies openly carry guns and get interviews.

Adult Content

2009-09-10T22:48:14.895-07:00

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"When did we come to extol stupidity ahead of information? [] When did we start to listen to, to elect, the impregnably dense? [] The time has come to rise up and take this country back. To again make it safe for people who actually completed the 7th grade." 'Nuf said.

"Finding Hope"

2009-09-09T01:07:36.533-07:00

What would it look like?
What if humanity decided to go left instead of ...right?
What if Unity came from Diversity
What if the world embodied our highest potential?

This may be a bit too touchy feely for some but think of this 20 minute video as a meditation, a single long breath of life and hope injected into your spirit. If you have the guts and patience to sit still to watch and listen. Enjoy.

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