March 04, 2005
Nothing changes. Just as I mention a book I read thirty years ago about aliens hunting humans, I see that I’ve recorded a movie called Alien Siege. Aliens are harvesting humans for their blood to save their own superior race. Eight million must be given to the aliens by the world. America must fork over 800,000.
Yep, that’s right. We’re that important. Aliens give up everything and cross the universe to boil us into a sweet, life saving syrup.
But the hero prevails, boards the mother ship, saves the daughter, blows everything up, fights with the alien leader, drives an alien craft, and returns to Earth and kisses his new woman. My favorite line:
“Do you want to know what happened? A group of idealistic soldiers teamed up with a father who wouldn’t let go of his daughter, and we blew the hell out of your device. Did I forget anything?”
The moral of Alien Siege: Americans will rise up after roughly 500,000 of them have been uselessly sacrificed.
Oh, by the way, what’s the Iraqi count up to these days? Really, help me out here. I don’t catch much news. I just need an idea of how much longer until we reach the snapping point?
U.S. Soldiers: 1,500.
Iraqi civilians: 18,000-100,000. “We don’t do numbers.”
Hey, we haven’t had a soundtrack to your life lately. Doesn’t Wordshadows come with musical interludes anymore? Now that you’ve got broadband, you’re excuse-less.
I have no broadbrand. But that is really no excuse.
I am full of music. I’m surprised you don’t hear it, in spite of my broadbrandlessness.
As of Friday, March 4, 2005, at least 1,507 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,142 died as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department. The figures include four military civilians.
The AP count is twelve higher than the Defense Department’s tally, last updated at 10 a.m. EST Friday.
The British military has reported 86 deaths; Italy, 20; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 17; Spain, 11; Bulgaria, seven; Slovakia, three; Estonia, Thailand and the Netherlands, two each; and Denmark, El Salvador, Hungary, Latvia and Kazakhstan one death each.
Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,369 U.S. military members have died, according to AP’s count. That includes at least 1,033 deaths resulting from hostile action, according to the military’s numbers.
The latest deaths reported by the military:
One soldier was killed Friday in a vehicle accident near Tikrit, Iraq.
Four soldiers were killed Friday in Anbar province, Iraq.
The latest identifications reported by the military or family:
Army Spc. Seth Garceau, 22, Oelwein, Iowa; died Friday from injuries received in an explosion Sunday while traveling between Karbala and Ramadi; assigned to the National Guard’s 224th Engineer Battalion, Burlington, Iowa.
Army Spc. Azhar Ali, 27, and Army Spc. Wai P. Lwin, 27, of New York; killed Wednesday in Baghdad when an explosive detonated near their vehicle; assigned to the National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, New York.
Faced with the facts, I can almost see getting serious.
BTW, I work at a university. I discovered the other day to my horror that we are not allowed to hire anyone male unless he produces a draft registration. Anyone, student assistants, anyone over 18. Is this general knowledge? Am I hopelessly behind the times? I thought we did this already…