The Uncomfortable Truth

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about our local lass, Michelle Manhart, and her recent revelation in Playboy magazine. I don’t subscribe to Playboy—they are too leftist for me—but a friend of mine who is ex-Air Force e-mailed the pictures to me.
The Air Force has relieved Ms. Manhart of duty, issuing a statement saying that she failed to meet the “high standards� of the service. The statement continues, “Nor does [her pictorial] comply with . . . core values of integrity, service . . . and excellence. It is not representative . . . of outstanding airmen.� They have not kicked her out—yet.
I agree it would be inappropriate for a Drill Instructor to become the object of her trainees’ fantasies. Trainees need to be out training, not spending all their time in the showers, fantasizing about their DI. (Female DIs should not be training male recruits, but that’s another subject.) But to say that Ms. Manhart lacks integrity, that she is not representative of people in the service?
Please. That is an oxymoron. Her integrity may be in question, but there is no doubt that she is Representin’.
I grew up in Vista, California. It is right next door to Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, and the city of Oceanside.
Ahh. How well I recall going over to downtown Oceanside and watching all the young marines being “outstanding.� You could always tell when it was payday because marines would be out standing in front of bars and whorehouses—when they weren’t out standing beside a Shore Patrol van awaiting their turn to be loaded in. Those that were not standing were passed out in alleys or at the bus station. Scenes like this are repeated outside our military bases the world over. Ms. Manhart is hardly alone when it comes to “conduct unbecoming.�
Yet, she is the one threatened with discharge.
Can you say, “double standard?� I think you can.
There have also been the predictable ‘Tell it to the E-Rs� and letters–to-editors calling her actions obscene and indecent. Coming, no doubt, from religious folks, or ugly folks, or religious, ugly folks.
Indecent?
On the contrary, she looks mighty decent!
Obscene?
I would like to pose it to the religious types: If she was created in the image of God, what is obscene about her body? What is obscene about her showing off God’s own creation? What is the harm? Who does she hurt? Who are they to condemn? Just to be me I would also ask how God got to be such a hottie.
But seriously, her job is obscene, not her body. She trains people in the fine art of visiting death and destruction upon their fellow man.
I wonder how the religious types feel about that.
War always has been, is, and always will be, the real obscenity.
The Air Force would be doing her a favor if they kicked her out.
More fame and fortune await her, for Ms. Manhart is a beautiful woman—though not as beautiful as my girlfriend is—and if she is not hurting anyone by it, there is nothing wrong with her using her God-given gifts to get what she wants out of life.
Go Michelle!

Posted by Quentin Colgan at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Believe it or not, I listen to a great deal of right wing talk (aka hate) radio. I believe in the adage, “Know thy enemy.� Lately, Rush and Sean Hannity have been trying to get me to hate Barack Obama. They point out how Mr. Obama hasn’t done anything legislatively to warrant such attention. I have to agree.
And yet, Obama is a star.
The boys on The Right want their fans to believe they don’t know why. They want people to believe that Obama’s star is rising because of the media; that he is a creation.
They are partly correct.
Yes, Obama IS a creation, but he is not of the media’s making.
As to why Obama is so popular, I submit there are three reasons.
First, he’s pretty. That shouldn’t make a damn bit of difference, but it does.
Second, he’s not Hillary. She has been the presumed front-runner for a long time, and, as long as no more than 75% of Americans hate her—do the math—she would win in ’08. I know several people that would vote for her. I try to change their minds, but leftists can be just as hardheaded as dittoheads!
But, I digress.
Hillary, while worshiped by some, arouses negative passions in a large number of people. Some of those people own newspapers and other media. During her political tenure, she has had the chance to make many enemies. Obama’s inexperience is an asset.
It is the third reason though, that has the hate-radio guys in a tailspin. When you hear them devote that much verbiage to one guy, know that they—well, actually their bosses--are scared.
Listen to Obama speak! Better yet, watch him speak.
Have you heard the man? It isn’t necessarily what Obama says, it is how he says it. His oratorical style is truly a “talent on loan from God!�
I’ve heard the rhetoric before: new ideas, new directions, new this, new that. I’m not impressed. I don’t believe a word of it.
As an actor, I’ve long appreciated the fine art of proper public speaking. As a teacher, I’ve had the pleasure of showing others this art. I consider a well-delivered phrase a thing of beauty.
The ability to speak well is something that our current president is sorely lacking. President Bush may actually be an intelligent man; unfortunately, he does not communicate his intelligence well.
My girlfriend summed it up this way, “My God, after six years of listening to ‘duh,’ duh,’ duh,’ ANYbody would sound presidential.�
I would have to agree. However, it is much more than that.
Obama’s speeches are stirring. They strike a chord down deep. He has the ability to hold an audience in the palm of his hand. He makes the crowd adore him. A rare gift in politics. Again, the words aren’t new, but the packaging and delivery are spectacular.
Unfortunately for the Republicans, none of their current contenders comes anywhere close to Obama in style. This is going to be a serious problem for them. It is going to take one hell of a snow job to convince folks to vote for whomever they settle on.
The question for the Republicans will be, “Can we create someone bigger than a Rock Star?�

Posted by Quentin Colgan at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I come not to praise Ford, but to bury Ford.
I liked President Ford. It was hard not to. He was a likable guy. Strong, Midwestern stock, affable, able to laugh at himself. I briefly attended high school with his son Steven—back when guns were allowed. I felt sort of close to him.
I awoke on the morning of September 9, 1974 to a double disappointment: Evel Knievel had choked on his Snake River Canyon jump and President Ford had choked when it was time for justice. I’m not sure which upset me more at the time.
As time has passed, history has shown the Ford made the bigger blunder.
I know, the last week-and-a-half has seen us bombarded with accolades and tales of Ford’s “courage.� We have been told of him “sacrificing his political career� and acknowledging that fact when he pardoned Nixon.
The corporate media may want to canonize President Ford, but I’m not so sure.
If Ford felt the pardon would have cost him the election in '76, why did he run? Maybe he thought he could pull it off. Maybe he was just trying to salvage his party; how many more heads would have rolled had Nixon been brought before the Bar of Justice?
Think about that! Maybe Nixon/Ford staffers, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, would have had their careers cut short thirty years ago!
It’s nice to dream.
Our “long, national nightmare� only continued with Ford’s pardon. Ford allowed Nixon to get away with trying to be King. The imperial presidency of Richard Nixon—his high crimes and misdemeanors--escaped examination in a Court of Law. The tumor was gone, but the cancer had metastasized and already spread. This could be why we have an imperial presidency today. This could be why subsequent occupants of The White House—especially the current one--seem genuinely unaware of the illegality of their actions.
President Ford relied on a Supreme Court ruling holding that acceptance of a pardon is an admission of guilt. OK, so Nixon admitted his guilt.
However, not pardoning Nixon would have sent a clear message to future aspirants for that office: You are elected to serve the people, not your party, not the special interests; if you try to be King, you will be punished.
I read that the president can pardon himself—not sure if it’s true.
Perhaps on his last day in Office, President Bush will pardon himself.
Probably not. He will never admit he was wrong.

Posted by Quentin Colgan at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)