From The Huffington Post, the only place I feel you can get honest, both sides of an issue, news and commentary.
Photog Back Home After Getting Kicked Out of Iraq -- For Showing the Real War
Ten days ago I wrote about a freelance war photographer who committed the sin of taking war photographs -- and not hiding the graphic ones -- and then lost his embed status in Iraq and getting send packing to Baghdad. Now I've learned that he is back in the U.S.
Zoriah Miller, 32, the U.S. photog who goes by the name "Zoriah," was kicked out of his embed after he published on his blog a photo of a dead U.S. Marine, among other strong images. The military says this violated embed rules. Miller says he took every step possible to guarantee that the Marine could not be identified in any way, and that left him within the rules. The photo was placed with others from a suicide bombing that occurred June 26 in the town of Karmah, near Fallujah.
"I just feel this war has become so sanitized that it was important to show," said Zoriah then. (This angle figures prominently in my book on the media and Iraq.) He posted warnings on his online blog, Zoriah.net, about the graphic content of the photo.
Zoriah was immediately "disembedded" from a Marine unit and barred from working with the military in Anbar, told by the military that he had "provided the enemy with specific information on the effectiveness of the attack and the response of U.S. and Iraqi forces to the attack."
Miller denied he did anything wrong -- and refused to turn over his memory cards and delete the images from his site.
Today, my colleague Daryl Lang (he works at sister magazine Photo District News) posted a story based on his interview with Zoriah, who is now back in Colorado. Here is an excerpt.
They embedded a war photographer, and when I took a photo of war, they disembedded me," Zoriah says. "It's as if it's okay to take pictures of them handing lollipops to kids on the street and providing medical care, but photographing the actual war is unacceptable."
Zoriah says commanders put pressure on public affairs officers to get Zoriah blacklisted so he would lose this embed with the Marines and any future military embeds. "At that point I was hearing it could go up as high in the chain of the command as high as it could go," Zoriah says....
Photographs of dead U.S. servicepeople are seldom published in the American mass media, due to editorial preferences and the rarity of such photos. But the photos occasionally run in the press and have been published in books and displayed at photo exhibitions....
Zoriah says he has been motivated over the past year by "dozens of e-mails from soldiers I've been embedded with and other soldiers from around the world, thanking me because they felt my images would help people understand what they went through."
I have to tell you, he's impressing me more and more. The more I listen to him, the more I look into his ideas, the more I have great hope. It's no great secret I supported Hillary, but Obama is making me realize perhaps the best possible candidate won.
I only hope the close minded morons believing the right wing lies don't sink what could be the beginning of an America respected by the world. A world not afraid of or enraged at America.
To see an American statesman greeted by immense crowds is something I never thought I'd see again. Berlin hasn't seen turn out for an American like this since Reagan and Kennedy. And they were already the president.
The entire speech is above. It's a bit long, but it's worth hearing.
Here is a great Newsweek article about his recent trip abroad.
I have actual things to say today. Other than politics or porn. Amazing, huh?
Starting off, I've been thinking about why I have this blog. I started this thing like 2-2 1/2 years ago basically as a outlet to rant and be a pig. That's why I chose a random pen name. I wasn't taking any great pains to hide my identity, frankly I didn't care that much. I still don't. I don't want to post my name openly on the web, either. It is a fucked up world, as we all know.
Apparently recently, or not recently, I'm not sure, a neighbor found my blog and she reportedly has told others in the neighborhood about it. Truthfully, so what? I'd rather put myself out there and be who I am rather than hide behind the guise of some wonderful human being and being a piece of shit in reality. Me, maybe I'm a piece of shit, but I am who I am. I don't live to please others. I don't base my actions, thoughts or feelings on what someone else might like or not like. This world is full of uptight morons who think they know better when all they really know is jack. It's sad. I'm not perfect in by any stretch. I don't claim to be and don't hold others to any of my standards. That doesn't mean I don't judge people, I do, but I can keep it to myself. Truth is the only standards I have for people is if they are true to who they are and that they are ignorant. by ignorant I don't mean they have to be 'smart'. By ignorant I mean they base opinions on facts, they know they aren't always right and they just try to live a normal life. Ignorance is racism. It's sticking your nose in others problems. It's acting and doing things you claim you don't do. It's a person who claims to be smart buying a Lincoln Navigator in the middle of sky high gas prices.
I'm thinking about this because the S.O. and I are having issues with a neighbor. She and her spouse seem hell bent on butting into our life and starting shit. They were the reason for the Zen posts I did last month. I blew up on here at them, they wrote back with crap, I started to slap back, but thought better of it. When you argue with morons, you are the moron. This is the same person who found my blog. Plus she told my oldest kids about it. Fucking brilliant. I mean, I can deal with explaining it to them, but why go out of your way to tell them about it? This woman is irritating half the neighborhood with her crap. She thinks she is perfect, her kids are perfect and she needs to get involved in the dealings of 14 year old girls. She's forty. Grow up. Plus, her spouse, I part time cop in a local one stop light town now is getting involved. First, she has partial custody of her kids. They aren't her current spouses. He's never had kids yet lectures on parenthood. That's like never having driven and telling everyone else how to drive. Anyways, these people have jumped back into pissing us off, plus a couple of other parents in the neighborhood. They have lived here all of a year.
Regardless, this post isn't about morons and their actions. I can't control them, I can only control myself.
And I don't think of myself who has issues with people due to what they are. I have close friends in all variations. I used to work in a shoe store that employed a lot of urban kids. One of them, a black guy, was in my wedding. He and I couldn't be more different. I've hung out in bars where I was the only white guy. I've hung out in bars where I was the only guy not a real 'biker'. Hell, bikers are some of the best people I've ever met. The one real, honest, christian guy I know is a biker. He's also a former biker gang member and heroin addict. But having to say you have friends of all persuasions is kind of missing the point.
I've lived a pretty varied life. I grew up with money, have been completely broke, have made a ton of money, now I'm struggling through again. I've done some shitty things. I split up with the S.O. when my oldest kids were very young for my own selfish reasons. I have regret. I know I've fucked up. But now I'm trying to improve, and have been for some time. What goes on with me and my family is my business, right? Sure, I throw a nugget or two on here to vent, but mostly this board is about my opinions and sex and whatever. No one loves their kids more than me and I'll defend them until the end. I'm not naive and think they are perfect and won't screw up. Hell, I did. I did all the things I don't want my kids to do. Alcohol, sex, etc. It's hard to believe they won't try something at some point. But it's my responsibility to deal with it and I will. No?
Where am I going with this rambling diatribe? Fuck if I know. All I am just a guy trying to get by in a fucked up world. I make mistakes, shit happens. I do try to do the right thing. I've been studying buddhism for a while now and I've learned a lot. I'm not saying I'm making great strides in my humanity, but I've taken a few positive steps. Raised Catholic, I basically have lived my life believing that most everything is a sin and life is about trying to show how sorry you are to 'God'. I don't buy it anymore. I don't know what life is really about. Could be to lead a happy life. Could be to help others, I'm not sure. True buddhism is about being a good person not for yourself, but for the good of others. Total selflessness. I will never come close to that. I can only hope to do the right thing, for the right reasons. Be them personal or external.
This world is full of people who get ahead at the expense of others. It's full of people who base their self worth on degrading others. I don't want to be that. I just want to lead a comfortable life and raise some kids. Maybe have some fun, too.
So why does a forty year old blog? Why not? I know old guys who like toy trains. Hell, I'm not even forty and most blogging is going on by people older than me. I see more middle aged bored housewives without a real life on MySpace than I can throw a bottle of Valtrax at. I know that doesn't make much sense, but someone will understand it.
see, there, I slipped. I took the low road. The road is low but the pleasure is mighty.
Doing the easy, wrong thing is like drugs. They feel great, but they fuck you up and it's hard to quit.
Guess I'll start climbing up again.
Truth is that I've met some great people on this blog and others. I love Drunkenstepfather The forums on their rock. And some of the people on their are caring, kind people. I've seen posts about intensely painful, personal stuff and people have written in with advice and caring. And this is on a sex and sin site.
Planetdan rocks. That dude is funnier than all hell. I have little to nothing in common with him, but I find him and his life hilarious.
Their are many others I've found while browsing blogger. Locals, people in other countries, all kinds of people. Hell, I've met some conservatives on here that I respect and like.
What I'm saying is I blog for myself. Others read it, or they don't. No gun to there head. If you are only reading this to get dirt on me, have at it. But you may want to wash the mud off your own disease ridden body, first.
10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):
John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2
His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3
McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4
The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5
He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6
Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7
McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8
McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9
He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10
go to this LINK to read the details and get the notes.
Seriously, I could easily fill a half hour show each week.
This week truly has been a nightmare. I've had family issues, car accidents, money problems, morons, work issues, the list goes on.
Christ, I'd jump off a bridge if I didn't think I'd trip on the way and break an ankle. Then manage to survive the fall with some horrifying disability.
I'm going to spare you the gory details of everything that has happened this week. To tell the truth, I'm tired of dealing with all of it and don't want to talk about any of it.
Let's do the news........
Gas prices. Still to fucking high, even though oil prices dropped around $14 a barrel. What, the oil companies don't want the price of gas to go down with the price of oil? NO WAY! They still want to drill through some baby polar bear in Alaska and a humpback whale in the pacific to find some oil, that MIGHT be there. Regardless of the fact that they are sitting on thousands of acres the government gave them leases to drill on that they aren't. They say that they don't have the equipment. Oh, but you will have the equipment to drill in these new places? Fuckhead greedy bastards.
The election. Obama is heading out international. Funny, he's getting a better reception than any of our current elected leaders have ever gotten. Sure people will say, just because Europe likes him, we should be suspicious. But those are the moron right wingers. They'd spooge in their sunday clothes if the rest of the world liked McCain. I can't buy McCain's crap. He's regurgitating the same Bush bile. Plus, the man is old going on senile.
Angelina Jolie gave birth two twins this past week. I envy those kids. Not their privilidged life or anything. The fact that they passed through her holiest of holes. Sorry, that was crass. Plus, I think she had a C-section, but that ruins the joke, so shut up.
the Dark Knight is out. You'd think I'd be geeked out and would have seen it already, but I want to wait til next week. I'm going to IMAX on a weekday to enjoy it. I'm anti-social enough not to be crammed in with a mass of humanity in a theatre.
The MLB All Star Game. So.
Brett Favre. The guy's a legend, blah blah blah. You said you retired, now stay that way. You've fucked up your legacy. Brilliant.
The U.S. is meeting with Iran about nuclear issues. Wait a minute........... Didn't George the lesser say that we'd never talk to terrrrrerisssts? He's finally doing something reasonable, but he's still a douchebag.
