Archive for October 5th, 2008

Via Talking Points Memo, I see that Joe McCain, John McCain’s brother, referred to two Northern Virginia counties as “communist country” at a campaign stop earlier today.

Joe McCain, speaking at an event in support of his brother, called two Democratic-leaning areas in Northern Virginia “communist country,” according to a report on The Washington Post’s Web site.

“I’ve lived here for at least 10 years and before that about every third duty I was in either Arlington or Alexandria, up in communist country,” Joe McCain said at an event in Loudon County, Va.

Joe McCain then apologized, but the remark drew laughter at the event, according to the report.

As a resident of northern Virginia, I can attest that it is just as Joe McCain says.  We have to be at the Whole Foods at 6 am to be at the front of the seven-grain bread line.  Pictures of Stalin and Trotsky adorn all the corners, and our living rooms.  We have numerous public services, like an excellent library system, an extensive park system, bike paths, and a quality human services office.  Yeah, it’s a pretty hellish, Sovietst style existence.  

I’m actually not at all offended by this; it seems a harmless joke, considering that we often refer to ourselves as the People’s Republics of Arlington/Alexandria/Northern Virginia, depending on the area.  Which just goes to show that humorless liberals have much less sensitive offend-o-meters than the Real Americans in the Heartland who must be treated with deference and respect at all times, lest any critique of their Values send them into a swoon.  

But I do think perhaps John McCain should try to explain his connections to our Commie stronghold.  Unless perhaps he is our Manchurian candidate?  If so, why wasn’t I in the loop, guys?  And if not, I’d like to know if he’ll work to liberate the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery should he become president.  ’Cause those shouldn’t be in the hands of the Red Menace.

Things are not looking good for Iceland. Paul Krugman mentioned last week that the country’s government had performed its own bank bailout to the tune of $859 million (adjusted to the small population size, that is equivalent to $850 billion). The government asked for a 75% stake in the equity of that bank in return. But the bailout might not help much in the long run as the beleaguered country sinks into the waves of the global credit crisis. 

Iceland is on the brink of collapse. Inflation and interest rates are raging upwards. The krona, Iceland’s currency, is in freefall and is rated just above those of Zimbabwe and Turkmenistan. One of the country’s three independent banks has been nationalised, another is asking customers for money, and the discredited government and officials from the central bank have been huddled behind closed doors for three days with still no sign of a plan. International banks won’t send any more money and supplies of foreign currency are running out.

 

People talk about whether a new emergency unity government is needed and if the EU would fast-track the country to membership. On Friday the queues at the banks were huge, as people moved savings into the most secure accounts. Yesterday people were buying up supplies of olive oil and pasta after a supermarket spokesman announced on Friday night that they had no means of paying the foreign currency advances needed to import more foodstuffs.

Though the motive remains a mystery, charges have been filed in the deaths of two soldiers shot by a member of their own squad on an Army control base in Iraq. Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich, 39, is accused of shooting down Army Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson, 24, and Sgt. Wesley Durbin, 26, during a meeting on September 14th that concerned Bozicevich’s leadership performance.  The three men belonged to the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division. Bozicevich and Durbin were team leaders while Dawson was their superior squad leader. 

Bozicevich has been assigned a military lawyer that will help him during the yet to be scheduled Article 32 hearing (akin to a grand jury). The Army will decide after the hearing whether there is enough evidence to issue a court marshal. That’s all the specifics the military is willing to give out regarding this case. 

But at least it is some information, a step forward from the days directly following the deaths of Dawson and Durbin. Their families were denied knowledge of what happened to their loved ones as the military began what looked like a cover up: 

On any given day, CNN receives dozens of detailed news releases from the U.S. military, including those announcing U.S. military casualties. In the cases of Dawson and Durbin, there was no mention of their names, and the releases were terse.

“A multi-national division center soldier died this morning of non-combat related causes,” the first release read. “The cause of death is under investigation.”

A second release came later in the day.

“A second multi-national division center soldier died this morning of non-combat related causes. The solider died of wounds September 14 at a coalition forces combat Army support hospital,” it read. “The incident is under investigation.”

Inquiries Thursday from CNN were met with a news release that a press officer said had been drafted Wednesday. However, the release uncharacteristically had not been e-mailed out to reporters that day.

After naming the two soldiers and giving their rank and unit, it reads, “A U.S. soldier is in custody in connection with the shooting deaths. He is being held in custody pending review by a military magistrate. The incident continues under investigation.” The release gives no other details.

With the identity of the shooter now known, Darris Dawson’s stepmother took the high road: 

Maxine Mathis, Dawson’s stepmother in Florida, said she wasn’t rushing to judgment.

“I don’t want to condemn him,” Mathis said. “I don’t know what state that child was in. He’s somebody’s son, too.”