Happy Holidays from Kabul!

There's a lot of F bombs in this post for various reasons, and why wouldn't there be? It's the holidays!! So if you find it offensive, don't click on the interactive things. :)

Yeah, so I've been watching the news a lot lately and it seems like my fellow American citizens are all up in arms about holiday nomenclature. Christmas? Hanukah? Chanukah? Kwanzaa? What's going on? Ok, before I go on that rant, I've decided to make my blog a little bit more interactive for the holiday season. For those of you who'd like to have a Happier Hanukah, I ask that you click here for some Chanukah Cheer.

This little flash animation kinda says it all too:


For those of you, like myself, who associate "The Jesus" with a certain movie out there, I've included an abusive Jesus for you below. If you don't know what movie it's from, feel free to ask, but I demand that you rent it and see it ASAP. (Thanks to eBaum's world for this.)



And for those of you who are feeling patriotic, click here:It rocks.

Ok, now that's you've enjoyed the bejesus (hehe) out of my little additions, I'll get back to all the holiday madness.

All I know about this holiday season is that Santa's flight schedule won't be bringing him to my neck of the woods this year. It's gotten colder here, and the Afghans have responded by donning their "cold weather gear," i,e. a blanket wrapped around them. Meanwhile back in the US of A, people are "taking a stand" about singing christmas carols in school and having nativity scenes in parks, etc etc.. I watch news like that and, to be quite blunt, I can't fucking believe it. Well, I can, but it blows my mind. Right now there are thousands and thousands of troops overseas, and families who have nothing left of their loved ones but pictures and memories to keep them company. I'm not even talking about myself - I've spent plenty of holidays away from my family, but I'm counting on there being a next year. I have that luxury because I'm still alive.

This year I don't plan on being worried about nativity scenes at Walmart - I'm happy that I'm alive, that my friends in Iraq are still alive, and I will be thinking of the people whose families will never again be able to enjoy the company of their sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. I'd wager a month's salary that a majority of the people pissing and moaning about singing Christmas carols in schools have the luxury of seeing the look of joy on their childrens' faces when they open up their presents, and at the end of the day they get to tuck their children in at night. And what of the children who will never get to be tucked in by their mothers and fathers because they died in some shithole nation thousands of miles away? I guess I'm not normally prone to simplistic "solutions" or "arguments" on this blog, but since it's the holiday season I'll make an exception:

Americans- Shut the fuck up. Please. If you thought about it for 2 seconds, you'd realize what you had.

Ok, now that I've gotten that off of my chest... It should be a (hopefully in some ways) uneventful Christmas and New Years here in Afghanistan. I really don't have any plans, partially because I don't have very much freedom of movement. We do have *some* options as for stuff to do, but whether or not I take advantage of that is up in the air. I might just sit around here and watch TV and sit online like I always do, but then again maybe I'll get really drunk and practice my Kung-fu. For those of you who are at home, please be careful. I don't pray, but if you do, please throw in a word to whoever might be listening for the people who are in harm's way.

Thanks for reading--