Gypsysavage’s Weblog

The new format of the dashboard in WordPress is overly difficult. It’s frustrating to add images and videos and create tags, and the features that were in the former “presentation” “New Post” and “Presentation” categories are scattered throughout both pages. I want the old version back. The overall usability of the new format makes me want to pull my hair out. Great googly-moogly.

General Petraeus’ report on the war’s progress yesterday presented to the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees lands smack in the middle of a maelstrom of political discontent in Iraq. The report will also lead to a broader conversation between the presidential candidates.

Recent fighting in Sadr City and a failed military operation led by Prime Minister Maliki to crush Shiite opposition in Basra marks the disruptive beginning of the country’s upcoming elections.

Radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr’s militia dissolved into the general population after Maliki gave Sadr the ultimatum of disarming his militia or else his party would be banned from elections. Sadr’s party, which maintains a robin-hood-like presence in the working-class and poorer districts in Iraq, would certainly escalate hostilities if his party is prevented from participating in these elections. But Maliki may not have the political muscle to follow through with his challenge, even though many Sunni and Kurdish leaders have lined up behind the beleaguered Prime Minister.

According to the New York Times, an increase in overall attacks from 239 in February to 631 in March threatens to “reignite public concern about the cost of the war.” Although several of my friends who have served up to two and even three tours in Iraq have suggested that the media has largely eschewed real progress in the country, the statistics coming from US officials in the past few days and the Iraqi government’s failed attempt to squash resistance suggests a delicate political fulcrum on which our success in this war rests.

While traveling through Wilkes-Barre with my friend Beau we came across an overweight kid standing by the side of the road who was dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. He was promoting a public accounting firm that was having some gimmicky savings special. “Oh my God!” Beau shouted. “That’s the best commentary on America I’ve ever seen.”

I swung the car around, forcing the traffic behind me to swerve and slam on their brakes to avoid hitting me, and I tossed a camera into Beau’s lap. “You have to get a picture,” I said.

As I pulled into the parking lot of the firm, Beau raised the camera. The kid flashed a smile and gave a thumbs-up, and Beau snapped this picture. “Nice,” we said simultaneously, and screeched out of the parking lot, laughing our asses off.

We’ll take your tired, but mostly we’ll take your hungry…