How about some American nationalism? I'm sorry, I thought this was America.

In the spirit of patriotic afterbirth we have exhibit A, one Andrew Chadwick, student, who list as an interest, World War II. We salute you, Patriot. When the Chrono-Wars begin, you'll be in the first wave of soldiers off the landing craft on D-Day3000, defending the Future-West against the encroaching threat posed by Intergalactic Fascists, and their nefarious plot to take away our American Flag bumper stickers.

Old Soviet Nationalism

Kremlin official serving his country. Not as original as Italian Nationalism, but answers Soulja Boy's question. Bottles and taps; may they pour tonight.

Italian Nationalism

Does anyone want to get drunk tonight?

Genocide or Blame To Hide?

As congress enters legislation to pass a bill deeming the Turkish massacre and expulsion of thousands of Armenians residing within their country between 1915-1917 a genocidal attempt, President Bush has spoken out against it. Citing a potential if not probable strain between U.S. and Turkish relations, Bush has urged a democratic majority not to pass the bill. With the U.S.'s Iraqi war operations being largely coordinated and executed through military bases in Turkey, a bill like this would most certainly jeopardize the U.S.'s position and planning pertaining to the war.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul admonished the "serious problems that will emerge in bilateral relations if the bill is adopted". The possibly of air-space restictions as well as a break in cooperation have surfaced, likely making any military operations the U.S. carries out from Turkey an impossibility. The relationship between the U.S. and Turkey has already been a difficult one with the presence of the Iraq war fueling attacks to Turkey's southern region by Kurdish separatist group PPK (Kurdistan Worker's Party). Many Turkish peoples have already openly protested the involvement in the Iraq war and the problems it has brought to their country.

Turkey has already denied that a genocide was ever planned and that the deaths of the many Armenians came about through conflicts linked to World War I. With that said, isn't it time for Turkey to finally take the blame for the the murder, rape, and pillaging that took place during the three year period? The extermination of Armenians by Ottoman Turks is eerily reminiscent of Milosevic's attempt to ethnically clense Serbia and should carry the same weight when discussed, yet this moment in history is largely forgotten and dismissed in Western education and has for many years been completly denied by Turkey as an attempt at extermination by the Ottoman Turks. Shouldn't the arguement end with a renewed understanding of the events and not a strain of relations between those discussing?

The people of the country have begun to accept the blame over the past few decades, why shouldn't the government? I understand the issues within the country between its powerful military and the many non-secular political parties involved in parliament but I think that currently in Turkey, a new leaf needs to be turned and accepting blame for your country's actions is a neccessary step to forging a stronger government and a more unified people. At this point, unfortunately, the self-conciousness of the Turkish government has grown more paranoid and it has become even more offensible to slander "Turkisness" and make statements deemed "untrue" about its history. Hopefully an acception into the E.U. would ease all of these tensions but I remain skeptical. At this point, with Turkey's stance on trade with Cyprus and relationship with Greece, I am not even sure that talks will resume for their E.U. bid for some time. The movement to have a popular democratic vote can only help, but how much?

Should the U.S. continue with its legislation or honor Bush's warning of potential disaster?
Will Turkey ever take blame as a government?
Will policies and positions change that much if Turkey is accepted into the E.U.?
Will Turkey even get accepted in the next ten years?

The Great Balance has Become Upset (Don't let 'em steal Halo!)

Master Chief

Versus (churches)

The good word isn't good enough anymore for the Pastors trying to reach our young people these days. The message of Jesus and those little WWJD bracelets just aren't cool enough to bring people in on their own. All is not lost, however, cause the good ol' lord gave us Halo. I don't even know where to start with this one. To be honest with you I'm on the side of the religious conservatives on this one. You have to practice what you preach, a message Ted Haggard never learned (He'd probably be a proponent of this new movement too.). When you become a Christian, you must give up some things that bring happiness to those who don't practice. A Christian is going to heaven, where he or she has all eternity to indulge in those great things that they have been deprived of in this life. But like many Americans, I'm probably not going to this great place for eternity so I am forced to cram all these great things into one very short lifetime. The ability to get drunk and cuss; to have hot passionate sex on a first date; to eat whatever I want whenever I want; and, obviously, the systematic slaughter of a virtual race. These things aformentioned are my religion, my heaven, and my happiness in my existence with no eternal bliss at the end of the road. So, I take offense when one of these great indulgences is threatened with a religious takeover. It's not fair. Those of us not burdened with heaven are in the constant pursuit of those like us that enjoy these great things. Christians get heaven and were burdened with hell, so they're already favored by like 100 points. We have everything that is illegal in God's eyes, but is really actually very fun in practice (what I like to call "the balance"). It's no heaven, but it's a hell of a good time. The religious takeover of the Halo franchise really puts a crimp in our recruiting policy over on this side of the mountain. I mean, I'm trying to tell my little Catholic brother how awesome cussing like a sailor and having premarital safe sex is, but on the other side their offering him teenage crack cocaine, Halo 3 tournaments at church. Ass holes. So, now he doesn't have to make the decision, it's already made for him. His eternal bliss is preserved and he can still systematically slaughter multiple alien species, which is almost as good as sex. So, I'm crying bullshit, it's all the sex without the pregnancy. It's the best of both worlds, but it is upsetting the balance that gives meaning to my life and the lives of my brothers and sisters trying to get theirs now instead of later.

see the featured article at this NYT website:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/us/07halo.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5087&em&en=4db9da4caaef0870&ex=1191988800

Here's the link to the NYT article

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/world/asia/08spray.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

The Politics of Destroying a Man's Farm (in the name of the War on Drugs)

There is a gathering movement among politicians in both Afghanistan and the U.S. for a massive extermination campaign to wipe out the poppy production throughout the nation. For years, the idea of this has been put on the back burner for fear of the devastating political consequences. I understand where the fear comes from; the idea of U.S. warplanes dropping herbicides and pisticides on Afghan farms would surely produce a massive propaganda campaign amongst the Taliban, who have found a new resurgence, while the NATO campaign lags through it's fifth year. However, if the numbers are anywhere close to true, there is no mistaking the fact that Afghanistan's poppy production is responsible for almost all the heroin production throughout the world. The money is not going to the government, obviously, so one can conjecture that the funds are going to fund the insurgency or "terrorism". There is definitely some money in this business, but there was a lot of money in cocaine 25 years ago and our anti-drug campaign there was littered with corruption and fatally flawed by our support of right-wing paramilitaries. After all the seizures, arrests, and poisoning of crops, there are still cocaine addicts today and the supply is still there. There may have been a drop in the supply, but it was not an effect of U.S. policy in Columbia, the drug just kind of went out of style. So, I end with the question of whether a massive poppy extermination campaign would hit the everyday heroin user and cripple a newly robust Taliban? If we know where the heroin is coming from and how the money it generates is used, what's the problem? Politics or no politics are we really that worried about our image in Afghansitan. Is this the American ego at work?