Please Embargo This Libya Blog Post For 6 Months

August 25, 2011

Sadly, rampant corruption, petty squabbles and interference from neighbors have led to a Libya still in chaos. Let’s give it six more months.

-WKW

Filed Under war · Leave a Comment

Man’s Best Friend, indeed

August 24, 2011

The dog of slain Marine Jon Tumilson refused to leave his side during the Navy SEAL’s funeral earlier this week in Rockford, Iowa. The heartbreaking photo taken by his cousin, Lisa Pembleton, shows Tumilson’s dog Hawkeye lying by the casket. (via The Daily Treat: Animal Planet)

Story here.

-WKW

Filed Under Animals, war · Leave a Comment

Still giving all

August 10, 2011

Ten years on, U.S. troop are still dying in Afghanistan. Meet some men who gave all.

-WKW

Filed Under war · Leave a Comment

Jon Stewart - He’s cool

August 1, 2011

Jon Stewart is a little, little man. I mean, look at the cartwheels the photographer went through to create an illusion of height? Because Stewart’s tiny. Like, almost make you feel a little uncomfortable tiny. Hobbits see eye-to-eye with him. But he has a big, big heart.

But in all seriousness, our favorite leftist political activist spent some time in Afghanistan this weekend, visiting and entertaining the troops.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’s Jon Stewart joined Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, along with NBA star Karl Malone and magician David Blaine for Mullen’s quick, unannounced weekend visit to the American soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

So yeah, he’s cool.

-WKW

Filed Under Entertainment, media, war · 3 Comments

Wolfrum’s Morning: Droning on and on

June 9, 2011

Predator drones

News

Drones: France and Britain plunk down another $1.5 billion for more drones.

Yemen: More drone bombs, please.

Syria: Syrians begin escaping to Turkey out of fear of their own government.

Pakistan: Death, drones and chaos.

Arizona Burning: Blackouts feared as wildfire continues its destructive path.

Tweetable

“Breaking: Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan & Yemen send disgusting, lewd, horrible penis pics to women. #Media alerted”

Blogs

Counterpunch: Ground the drones.

DailyKos: Millionaires want to pay more taxes.

Blue Mass Group: Rape victims need to be American to come forward?

Ramona’s Voices: Men, power, reckless sex: Why? What are we missing?

Politico: Michele Bachmann vs. Sarah Palin: Only one whack-job can survive.

Finally

What is it good for?

-WKW

Filed Under war, William K. Wolfrum's Morning · Leave a Comment

Two quotes and and historical repetition

May 5, 2011

Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, it seems as though the U.S. is prepared to start the whole process over again.

“In Afghanistan, the freedom fighters are the key to peace. We support the Mujahadeen.” — Ronald Reagan.

“They are my heroes.” John McCain on the Libyan Rebels.

-WKW

Filed Under Politics, war · Leave a Comment

My Expectations for Libya

March 31, 2011

While I have more or less been clear about my feelings toward war, I am nonetheless a realist. I understand that the War in Libya is happening and won’t end until all objectives are met.

Thus, when President Barack Obama gave his speech this week explaining the humanitarian reasons for the U.S.-led UN-Approved No-Fly Zone War on Libya, I, like many liberals, stood behind my President 100 percent. And while Obama did not lay out any type of exit strategy, I have my own modest expectations on how this humanitarian war effort will proceed:

Libya Expectation Time line

2011-2012: Birth pangs of democracy felt.

2012-2018: After invasion(s) of Syria, Iran, etc., Libya forgotten and unmentioned by anyone who really matters.

2019: U.S. attacked by Islamic Radicals who hate us for our freedom.

2020-?: Rinse. Repeat. Rely on oil.

Mind you, I’m a “history repeats itself” kinda guy.

-WKW

Filed Under war · 3 Comments

Americans Disconnected

March 22, 2011

WKW Note: This was originally posted in Feb. 2010, but with current events in Libya and around the globe, maintains it’s timeliness.
—-

The disconnect never fails to amaze me. Death on a personal level is a heart-wrenching, life-altering affair. The recovery is a long process, filled with grief. Losing a loved one stays with you until you finally join them. But being part of the machine that gives others the same grief on a spectacular level has little to no effect.

I’d like to say I brim with outrage every time I see mention of civilian casualties during war time. I’d like to say I vehemently protest each unmanned drone that takes out a village along with a terrorist, leaving carnage and heartache in its wake.

But I can’t. I’m American. The numbness I feel for the death of the loved ones of others is a void in my humanity. I can create the rage, using logic and compassion to seethe at the ease of which my country brings death to others, but on a day-to-day level, it barely registers. And of this I know I am not alone. I know that even some fervent anti-war Americans struggle with the ability to emotionally comprehend what our government does in the name of national security. Because while there are those that feel the pain and tirelessly fight to end it, the vast majority remain disconnected.

The fervor for war with Iraq went from maelstrom to malaise to mocking in relatively short order, essentially due to illogical nature of it and overt pressure placed upon the American people to support it. But by the time more voices joined the ant-war crusade, the carnage was in full swing.

And it still hasn’t ended. In Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and who knows where else, our military is bringing death home to countless families. And in return, countless Americans are dealing with the grief of losing their own family members.

But death becomes us. We incinerated Tokyo. We vaporized Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We pulverized Vietnam. And we burned down Dresden. So it goes.

And through it all, we remain the good guys in our hearts. We remain morally superior. We are Americans and we are exceptional. Ask the corpses and broken families.

Because of this unholy disconnect, we will continue to kill. Those who make these types of decisions want nothing more than to unleash our military machine against Iran. With no lessons learned from our forays into the Middle East, and no connection to the dead and grieving, there remains an exceedingly good chance it will happen. It will be for national security. Because two oceans, a chilling nuclear arsenal and the largest military in the history of humankind cannot protect us from two-bit, sabre-rattling dictators. Only raining death upon its innocent citizens can save us now.

We are a nation at war. And we always have been. Let there be no disconnect - as an American, we are warriors. We leave families destroyed and bodies mangled. We take lives, then change the channel. But the outrage will be there and it will grow. If not from Americans who take lives, than from others whose lives we have destroyed.

And that destruction is occurring as you read this. And those of us Americans who have suffered a loss of a loved one need to connect to those who are feeling that same pain. Because those deaths and that suffering are directly connected to each and every one of us.

-WKW

Filed Under Essays, war · Leave a Comment

With Obama in Brazil, Gaddafi takes over the White House

March 21, 2011

WASHINGTON - Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi today took over the White House, which had been empty due to President Barack Obama’s trip to Brazil.

“I now am President of America,” said Gaddafi, who sneaked in a back door into the empty White House. “Bow before me, infidels!”

After taking over the Oval Office, Gaddafi’s first order of business was to change the name of the United States to “Libya 2.”

Conservatives around the United States - who had been attacking Obama for being in Brazil when the U.N. began its attacks on Libya - crowed with schadenfreude.

“See!? See!? This is what happens when you leave the White House,” said Ed Morrissey of Hot Air. “Anyone can just take over!”

Political gadfly Sarah Palin added her two cents to the unfolding situation, as well.

“Wait, I could have just walked in and taken over?” wrote Palin on her Facebook page. “WTF??”

Obama has yet to comment on the situation, as he is still in Brazil and unable to get news from America.

While it remains to be seen what will happen with Gaddafi now running the United States, Big Business has come out in support of Gaddafi.

“As long as Gaddafi keeps taxes low and opens up off-shore drilling and ANWR, we don’t see this as a problem,” said BP CEO Robert Dudley. “We feel we’ll have a long and prosperous relationship with the people of Libya 2.”

-WKW

Filed Under media, Politics, satire, war · 3 Comments

William K. Wolfrum’s Morning: You’ve Got the Touch

November 17, 2010

TSA has the touch. They have the power.

News/Politics

A Time of Cholera: When Cholera deaths explode in Haiti, no one will have been able to anticipate it.

TSA = Touching Some Ass: The TSA chief is about to have fingers wagged at him.

William K. Wolfrum’s Morning: Fiddle-dee-dee

November 15, 2010

Let the fiddling begin.

Wolfrum’s Word

Congress is back! In other news, Fiddle companies announce they plan for record profits.

News/Politics

A Time of Cholera: Cholera Outbreak reaches Port au Prince. Death toll closing in on 1,000.

Congress Returns: The Lame-Duck session stars. Don’t expect much.

Nazis!: The U.S. welcomed them with open arms. Also, Neo-Nazis love Arizona’s racist laws!

Iraq: Death.

Afghanistan: Death.

Oh, that Hamid: Seems Karzai is a crappy puppet some times.

Look to the Sky: And see the Leonid meteor shower.

Just Thinking

I think the Neo-Nazis have been around long enough that we can just call them “Nazis” now.

Sports

Pac-Man: Manny Pacquiao secures his place in boxing history, with or without Floyd Mayweather.

NFL: Steelers, Giants suffer bad losses. Find scores here.