WTF!!! Part 2

The Christmas and New Years holiday has been a busy one for America and I am sure people have been too busy to follow. So here are some WTF moments. 

- Man goes into US Embassy and tells them that his son has gone missing and he fears his son has let his Islamic Fanaticism push him into Al Qaida’s hands. He gives them his name and picture. Those promptly are placed on a desk in Washington where they sit for 5 weeks. It isn't until said son attempts to blow a plane up with a diaper full of explosives. The CIA is trying to figure out why the information was not passed to all agencies and the son's name was not put on a no fly list. I thought we had fixed this shit after 9/11? I thought that was what the position of Home Land Security was supposed to do, coordinate all intelligence agencies and make sure they communicate. So much for government efficiency an oxy moron if I ever heard one, WTF?
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/12/29/obama-systemic-failure-allowed-terror-suspect-board-flight/

- My wife came home one day and asked me if I had heard about Obama ordering an attack on Yemen soil. I thought WTF??? and immediately went to the computer. I was shocked and ultimately proud that Obama had the balls to go after terrorists in a country not currently in the news. I was equally relieved to read that Yemen's Government had approved the strike. Now Yemen is central point in the War on Terror and so far it looks like Yemen is taking it seriously, but time will tell. Don't forget Yemen was the location of the USS Cole attack and where terrorist prisoners escaped from jail.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,581467,00.html

- New Orleans was the site of a hurricane that displaced thousands and saw a tragic mishandling of emergency services. The local officials got off with out scratch as all fingers pointed to the federal government for the failures. My belief is that the blame falls on the Mayor of New Orleans, the Governor of Louisiana, and then on the people who lived there, with the federal government coming in last in blame. What I do blame the Federal Government for is the confiscation of law abiding citizen's guns. Some were taken at gun point by US Federal Marshalls. If this wasn't bad enough, the NRA had to file a lawsuit in order to have the guns be returned to the citizens 5 years later. WTF???? This whole thing stinks and the bad part is that I do not remember this on the news. Nor do I remember hearing much talk of the rape, murder, or thefts of private property. Sure I remember the looting and the scandal with the pictures of the white people vs black people one saying the whites where trying to survive while the others were looting. This is what scares me, the moment of truth if you will. If I am asked to turn over my gun regardless of what is going on in the world, WILL I COMPLY? My answer, while all cosy and safe, is no I will not. But will I have the back bone to resist when I have federal officers pointing guns at me? WTF, it is sad I even have to imagine such a scenario. 

-Got the mini series, John Adams, right before Christmas and am currently watching. I had not read the book but had read, 1776, by the same author. It is amazing what we do not learn in school. We are taught that a group of men known as the Founding Fathers got together, declared Independence, fought the British, Washington crossed the Delaware, won the war, the constitution was written, Washington became our First President and we all lived happily ever after. What we are not taught is that not everyone wanted Independence only representation. We are not taught that Washington had a hard time getting troops and supplies. We are all led to believe that the people who lived in America all put down their farm equipment, grabbed their muskets and beat the British. We do not think about the fact that they still had to provide for their families, choose there loyalties, and face annihilation. I recommend these books and the mini series to anyone who really wants a clear picture of what it took to found this nation and the fragility that this great experiment over came to become the super power it currently is. The WTF??? goes out to our education system for teaching us only the bright and shiny past instead of the truthful down and dirty past.
-My personal WTF??? moment came when my wife and I were at the book store and were looking for some history books to add to our new found education on the Revolution and the founding of our country. We found a book on the Federalist Papers and were talking amongst ourselves about what they were. This man over heard us and told us what they were. A very nice gesture on his part and he also recommended some other books to us. The embarrassing part of the whole exchange was that the man had a strong accent and most certainly was not born in America. My guess would be United Kingdom or Australia. I consider myself a history buff, but obviously do not know everything and would say I have focused more on world history than I have American history. My greatest shame is that I was taught my own countries history by a foreigner. I will work diligently to make sure I never have to bear that shame again.