This is pretty disgusting. As one commenter says, that's one store chain to knock off my shopping list this year.

That it can be hip to wear something like this is a testament to the failure of our educational system, from K-12 through the academy.

[Via Laughing Wolf]

I think I've seen a few of those around. It's amazing how few of the people wearing that shirt actually know who is on it.

MiChe Mouse: http://www.thedissidentfrogman.com/bureau/000175.html

It's not just a failure of the educational system, but a parenting failure as well. Either out of a lack of understanding who che was, or knowing who he was and ignoring the fact that he was indeed a murderer.

My father in law was in prison while che carried out executions, in plain view of the tiny windows in the jail cells for all the prisoners to see. I cant imagine what he would feel seeing a blond, blued eyed toddler wearing one of those jumpers today.

BTW, Rand, thanks for the help in spreading the word. Im adding you to my blogroll.

Shock News Item:

Revolutionaries kill people! This is a bad thing viewers.

Next News Item:

Continuing war in Iraq, over a hundred thousand dead in deposing previous US supported leader.

This is a good thing viewers.

Uh huh...

What's that smell? Oh yeah it's pure unfettered hypocricy.

...over a hundred thousand dead in deposing previous US supported leader

That's utter nonsense. I can't imagine where you got that number, unless it was from The Lancet, and that study has been thoroughly discredited.

Not that it's even relevant to this topic, of course.

Internet is FULL of Iraqi bloggers, Ian. Why don't you have the guts to tell one of THEM how sorry you are that they've been freed?

Internet is FULL of military bloggers in Iraq, Ian. Whay aren't you giving THEM the benefit of your sterling wit?

Internet is FULL of bloggers in ex-communist countries, Ian. Why aren't you explaining to THEM how glorious the Revolution was?

Ian Wollard is FULL of... wait, never mind.

"What's that smell? Oh yeah it's pure unfettered hypocricy."

No, it's the smell of 100,000 tons of bullshit made-up casualty numbers.

Ian probably still thinks the Bush AWOL memo was real, and that the exit polls were right but the actual election results were faked.

My favorite photo of Che has him on laid out on the slab with bullet holes in his face.

"My favorite photo of Che has him on laid out on the slab with bullet holes in his face."

Personally, I prefer the one with him smiling. I like Che every bit as much as Bush. But I am amused at how much he is liked in America. I'm hoping that you will start up those Antiamerican trial thingey's again soon. They were fun.

One things for sure though, Che had a heck of a lot more style than George W Bush. And a lot less deaths, and a lot less torture. Mainly due to lack of opportunity no doubt.

"and that study has been thoroughly discredited."

Oh well, that's ok then. No deaths at all!

"Internet is FULL of Iraqi bloggers, Ian. Why don't you have the guts to tell one of THEM how sorry you are that they've been freed?"

Ummm. Because their country is under military rule by a foreign power?

"Ian probably still thinks the Bush AWOL memo was real, and that the exit polls were right but the actual election results were faked."

No, no. I, straight up, really do think that the American people really were clueless and backward enough to think the spendthrift, economy destroying, imperialist GW Bush was the right man for the job. He's the latest in a long line of deeply comic presidents. Enjoy!

One things for sure though, Che had a heck of a lot more style than George W Bush. And a lot less deaths, and a lot less torture. Mainly due to lack of opportunity no doubt.

Yes, entirely due to lack of opportunity.

Oh well, that's ok then. No deaths at all!

No, Ian, just many fewer deaths than would have occurred had Saddam remained in power, as he was murdering and starving people in much larger numbers every year. We're still finding the mass graves, so spare us your fake concern for the Iraqi people, about whom you know you don't give a damn or you would have supported Saddam's removal much sooner.

Actually, I thought Bush senior should have taken him out.

His son seems to have even less clue than his father, but even his father has realised his mistake by now.

Ah, Ian, we whose memories reach back further than last weekend remember the Second Gulf War...and how the Petulant Left then shrilled that driving Iraq out of Kuwait was merely an excuse for the elder Bush's ambition to invade and conquer Iraq...for the oil, y'know. Then Bush surprised everyone (and dismayed the Petulant Left) by stopping after doing what he said he would.

Where has the Petulant Left been? Always, always, on the side of their fellow fascist Hussein.

Yeah, and I know why he stopped. Gulf War II was being paid for, or atleast promised to be paid for, by the Saudi royal family. They cut further funding when the Iraqi army had been overwhelmed and were falling back in disarray- the Saudis didn't want a Moslem state to look too bad.

just many fewer deaths than would have occurred had Saddam remained in power

Interesting. When we last discussed this I checked several sources and found that once you discard the Iran/Iraq War and the first Gulf War from the mix (but include the put downs of the poost GW1 rebellions and the Kurdish attacks) you get a number of around 13,000 a year killed by Saddam and his bunch of thugs.

A shocking number of people killed OTOH how many people have died since the invasion started? Ignoring the Lancet study, which isn't *necessarily* all that wrong, you come up with numbers in that ball park.

The problem arises when you rely only on data sources which jsuppoort your position and don't check data which doesn't.

...you get a number of around 13,000 a year killed by Saddam and his bunch of thugs.

Even if that number is accurate (I think you're being selective in your own sources) you're not counting the numbers that died of malnutrition and disease because he was diverting the Oil for Palaces funds to his own coffers and bribes to the French and UN officials.

And even if it is true, anyone who argues that we should have left Saddam in power for the sake of the Iraqi people doesn't give a damn for the Iraqi people, who now at least have hope.

Why should the Iran-Iraq War, which was started by Saddam, be left out of the mix?

The I-I war (aka the First Gulf War) is one reason why Saddam was so dangerous---he had a habit of starting wars w/ many of his neighbors. (He actually had tried to pick a fight with the Iranians under the Shah, as well, but the Shah's forces were in good enough condition at the time that Saddam backed down.)

More to the point, Saddam's killings showed little indication of abating. Certainly, if he were succeeded by his sons (as was to be expected), there's little evidence that Uday or Qusay would've cut back much. Is there any reason to expect that the ongoing casualty rate will continue after the current conflict abates?

I suppose, if the Ba'athists come back to power. Perhaps a reason for prosecuting this war to the end?

doesn't give a damn for the Iraqi people, who now at least have hope.

Hmmmm... do I give a damn about the IRaqi people? Yes, as I also give a damn for people oppressed all over the world who nbobody else seems to give a damn about. I get pretty worked up about Zimbabwe too, and North Korea and Ruwanda and...

Why should the Iran-Iraq War, which was started by Saddam, be left out of the mix?

Because we're pretty damn culpable in that war and I don't want to be a hypocrit.

Gentlemen, I thought the name "Transterrestrial Musings" for the site largely means that we'll refrain from delving too deep into politics here. We all can have pretty strong opinions about historical and current leaders, but I assume we're experienced enough to know how infrequently anything useful comes from flame wars on the Net. If you want to really change things, get more serious, than just abusing a keyboard. The space topics can bring vastly more sence - on this site - than attempts of education and re-education.

Just my opinion, of course.

Gentlemen, I thought the name "Transterrestrial Musings" for the site largely means that we'll refrain from delving too deep into politics here.

Well, actually, it's never meant that. I've never been entirely sure what it "means." I just thought it was a cool name.

But I've been talking about politics (and whatever else I wanted to talk about) here from the onset. I actually drifted into space stuff later.