Gory and giggly

I wanted to comment briefly on two things here, but don't feel like writing two separate blog entries for them, so I'll just toss them together like chocolate and peanut butter (hey, there's an idea...).

First up, for those who haven't heard about it, some American soldiers stationed in Iraq are getting their jollies by trading gory photos of dead and mutilated Iraqis in exchange for access to online porn. I won't list the name of the site, just because I have some standards, but here's a detailed article (no gore here) on the whole thing.

Suffice it to say, the stuff in these photos is guaranteed to make you toss your cookies, if you had any left to toss (I refrained from bloging about this at first because I wsn't sure if I wanted to touch the topic):

First, and triple-

Second, let's recognize up front that this behavior is not representative of all US soldiers in Iraq or anywhere else (at least, I sure hope it isn't). I have every confidence that the majority of America's armed forces in Iraq are morally upright folks, thrust into a hellish situation by a lying President, trying to do their job and get home in one piece. I'm sure that for every person who uploads gory photos of mutilated bodies and chuckles over the captions, four of his buddies are sitting there going, "That's just sick, man."

But... for the folks out there who still don't know why the United States of America has the tarnished reputation it has these days, that's your answer there. It's hard to say that the Iraq war was not one of invasion and conquest, or that we have respect and admiration for the people of Iraq, when stuff like this happens. Or, worse, when the superior officers appear to bury their heads in the sand and want to wish the problem away.

The photos have already been taken, but it's our nation's response to them that will say how we are as a people.

On a lighter note, First Lady Laura Bush recently filmed a cameo appearance on the reality TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The show features a crew of architects and designers who rebuild and redesign homes for hard-luck recipients, and Mrs. Bush showed up at Biloxi to help hand out blankets to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

(And if you don't think this has anything to do at all with her husband's sagging poll numbers in the wake of his fumbling of Hurricane Katrina -- welcome, Fox News viewers!)

Of course, as with most other high-profile PR shindings, this thing was all staged:

Makes me wonder what other stage directions were shouted for Laura's "surprise" visit:

"Cut! Cut! No, no, these victims don't look realistic! I need more mud and dirt! Makeup, get over here!"
"Dammit, there's not enough compassion here! we need more black people!"
"Okay, folks, we're just going to keep filming this until we do it right! For the last time, try to act pleasantly surprised when the First Lady walks in! That means you, Mark -- I don't want that 'finger in your throat' gag, you hear me?!"

But perhaps it's appropriate, though, given how her husband's presidency has been a nonstop stream of fakey photo ops as a cover-up for sheer incompetence (and butt-clenching evil...).