Strolling Through The Daily Fishwrap

Today being Sunday, it is the day I like to actually read the Sunday newspapers. That would be The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and my hometown newspaper, the Pasadena Star-News.
I expect the bizarre and strange in the two Times' newspapers, but not what I was treated to in today's Pasadena Star-News http://pasadenastarnews.com.
In a screaming headline right on page one was this gem:
"King For A Day"
Ah, no big deal, sounds like one of those kooky high school stories in which a guy runs, wins and shakes things up a little. WRONG!
In this case, one Andrew Gomez ran and won for the local city college, Pasadena City College. Oh, did I mention that Andrew is really a girl and is "in transition" to become a boy?! This is under the "You can not make this stuff up" category.
This is a big month for "Andrew" for this is when he finally told "his" mom about changing from gal to guy. And of course he decided to run for the PCC homecoming king. Busy times for "Andrew".
So, how does "Andrew" begin this process of changing genders? For starters, "he" "binds" "himself", meaning tries to decrease the size of the breasts. You know, that gets to be a real drag when one is changing genders. Kind of like a guy who wants to be a gal but still has that problem of the penis.
"Andrew" hopes to have surgery and realizes it will not happen for a long time. And don't forget the specialists, the male hormones, and so many other changes that "Andrew" has to make before the transformation is complete.
Maybe "Andrew" should seek professional guidance, one that will present all sides so that "he" makes the right decision, not one that is on a whim and gets a lot of publicity.
Here is a howler. Sue Talbot, the campus advisor to the United Rainbow Alliance which is a support group to homosexual and "transgendered" students says of young Gomez, "He is a low-key person." Low-key?! Parading around as a male when still a female? Taking a stand for the other "transgendered" people? Oh, sure "he" is real low-key.
I understand being gay or lesbian. I do not understand nor believe that it is the right thing to do to change ones gender. It is the way that God intended. If one is sexually attracted to the same gender, one can make an argument that it is also the way God intended. Again, I may not agree, but I get that more than someone who is unhappy with their gender and want to be "reassigned."
For gay and lesbian groups to be supportive of this sets their cause back a long time. It makes a mockery of what they want to achieve.
This is just a warm up for the op-ed piece by a local freelance writer and vowed atheist, Hannah Naiditch, who yearns for the days that all was well in Iraq and when Saddam Hussain was in charge keeping order.
Miss Naiditch justifies Mr. Hussain's reign of terror due to those that ruled Iraq were all dictators before him. Funny, I believe there was that empire, oh yes, the Ottoman Empire, that ruled Iraq for many a century before the British came in and invented Iraq, forcing Sunni and Shite Muslims together. And for extra added intrigue, Kurds were thrown in the mix.
But, Uncle Saddam took care of all of that.
According to Miss Naiditch, all lived in harmony and peace. And the Christians also were a-ok. After all, former deputy prime minister, Tarik Aziz, was a Christian. All lived side by side and some friendships were formed and some were married. And, as long as they did not upset Uncle Saddam and stayed out of politics, all was well. According to Miss Naiditch, Uncle Saddam was a predictable dictator.
And, a socialist too. For he provided subsidized housing, cheap energy and subsidized agriculture, public health and schools. And such a good guy Uncle Saddam was that he promoted literacy and art. Of course, if you just kept to yourself and did not stand in Uncle Saddam's way, this was the promised land.
All this leads to when the United States invaded in 2003 to liberate the Iraqi people. That is when the wonders of Saddam fell apart. You know, all the bodies piling up on the streets or floating down the Tigris river. I guess Miss Naiditch forgot about when Uncle Saddam wanted to teach those bad Kurds, you know, those "politically involved" people who was boss, and during a war with Iran during the 1980s he gassed whole villages and at least had the decency to bury those he gassed to death. Or how about all the mass graves that have been found and are continuing to be found all over Iraq? Well, these people just got in the way, I guess.
Miss Naiditch uses typical talking points that the left has used over a century now. Call it an updated version of "Better Red than dead". Miss Naiditch really believes that life was better with Saddam in charge for 25 years as a brutal dictator. That an eight year war of attrition with Iran was better. That when that did not work, take on the small fry in the neighborhood and invade Kuwait. Because of that, the United States and a coalition forcibly removed Saddam and his forces from Kuwait. A direct result was a sanction regime that was a total fraud. While there was the so-called food for oil, Uncle Saddam was lining he and his family's pockets while people were suffering shortages of all kinds. Oh, I'm sorry, that was ok until the United States actually finished what should have been done in 1991 and removed a coward Uncle Saddam.
Miss Naiditch should be ashamed of herself for writing such revisionist history and outright lies. The only truth is that because of the vise that Uncle Saddam has on his nation, we did not realize the extent that the people had such real pent-up hostilities that have not completely played out. Some peaceful co-existence.
Some Sundays when reading the local fishwrap can be enlightening, and even fun. But this Sunday was like a bad joke and the real paper will be published tomorrow.
Links to above stories:
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_7552453 for the homecoming "king"
http://pasadenastarnews.com/opinion/ci_7550457 for the Hannah Naiditch column