Needled News by Marisa DiMattia
As the US sets out to spread democracy and freedom around the world by letting its young people kill and be killed, our own personal freedoms continue to be eroded on the national and state level. This week in tattoo news was all about what people will not be allowed to do with their own bodies under new regulations.
FearTheReaper wrote a great piece last Thursday on the Marines new visible body art ban. Then ban was first discussed in military journals around March 21st but then the Associated Press reported the story that Marines were no longer allowed to get tattooed below their elbows and knees, and it became one of the hottest news items of last week.
While, in the past, Ive sided with private companies on certain dress codes that include covering tattoos, the new Marine dress code doesnt make much sense to me. First, as I wrote on Needled.com, the policy addresses the need for a spit and polish image; however, tattoos are easily covered in full dress uniform. I guess the Marine commanders are concerned with what their men and women will look like while giving 90 one-handed push-ups in PT clothes.
Moreover, the military has a long tattoo tradition, which continues to grow. As the LA Times writes, the new generation of Marines are increasingly getting tattooed to honor their fallen brothers and sisters. Its part of Marine Corps culture to never forget those who died in combat.
Its even sadder that these memorials and other designs were rushed to beat the clock when the ban took effect yesterday (existing tattoos before the deadline are exempt).
Marine Commandant Gen. James T. Conway said of the ban, "I believe tattoos of an excessive nature do not represent our traditional values." But even conservative Op-Ed columnists found this argument weak. John Van Doorn of the NC Times said it best:
There are two sides here, no question. But one--the side that says this tattoo decree is the right thing to do--is weak. It whispers of misguided leadership, a loss of bearings.
The other side seems stronger to me. The pro-tattoo side. It suggests that Conway and others at the Pentagon have very little to do if they are able to think up stuff like this.
This side says to me: Wait. There's a war going on. Marines from Camp Pendleton and other regional bases fighting in Iraq are dying by the hundreds--326 at last count.
The number is roughly one-tenth of all U.S. combat deaths in that forlorn place.
When I dare, I call up my imagination and I see young men and women bombed into pieces and scattered by the roadsides. I see metal tearing into them. I see them on the ground, in the dust, in the cold, trying with dirty broken hands to dig in, to grab hold, to get safe, to live long, to go home.
I see these things, and you can, too, but what I don't see is tattoos. I assume they're there, on the arms and legs and bodies. If they are there, or they are not, I don't care. No rational person cares, not in the larger picture, not against what Marines and all other service men and women face in Baghdad and Ramadi and the other cities where death fills the air with whine and roar.
Tattoos? So what? On the forearms? So what? On the calves? So what? Can sensible men in the Pentagon possibly be serious?
Perhaps the Pentagon is smarter than we think. All this talk about tattoos seemed to overshadow the news that more GIs died this week in Iraq or that 43 more Iraqis were killed in an explosion in a busy market last Thursday.
Van Doorn is right, when I read those numbers of dead, I dont think tattoos.
Long Island Body Art Ban
Back home, local governments are imposing similar bans on body art. The most recent (and on that has been debated for some time now) is in Suffolk County, Long Island, NY where county officials are pushing to pass new regulations prohibiting certain forms of body art including facial tattooing, scarification, certain piercings and some mythical mod they call "skin braiding."
What these officials dont understand is that banning these body modifications will not make them go away they will drive them underground where the risks are even greater. When you legalize certain procedures, you have greater control over licensing practitioners, enforcing hygiene regulations, age requirements, etc.
Then theres the argument that tattooing is a form of expression and thus the ban could be unconstitutional. A group of tattoo and piercing studios in Suffolk have gotten together and hired a lawyer to challenge the ban on this ground should it pass. While there's no deadline for a decision on the proposal, the public has until April 12 to comment.
Its especially important to make ourselves heard on these issues even if it is not in our own backyards because one day it could be. For me, Suffolk is just an hour away from Brooklyn. It is also important to vote in local elections. Ive said it before and Ill say it again: when we dont vote, then people who ridiculously believe in banning urban legends like skin braiding get into office and decide things like we shouldnt be able to get our faces and necks tattooed or to pierce our nipples.
Next thing, theyll want to ban alt pin-up sites.
Marisa_DiMattia is a lawyer and editor of Needled.com, a blog on tattoo art and culture.
Marines Can Die For Their Country But Cant Get Tattoos
In one of the most retarded decisions ever, the Marine Corps is banning any new, sleeve tattoos below the elbow or the knee. They claim the tattoos are harmful to the Corps spit-and-polish image. No word on whether or not the fact that Marines are trained to kill people is harmful to their spit-and-polish image.
Marines who get tattoo or ad new ink to an old tattoo could receive two years in prison and a dishonorable discharge. Unit commanders will have to photograph and document all sleeve tattoos to make sure no new ink is added.
Marines are known for getting large tattoos and have been rushing to tattoo parlors to get inked before the ban kicks in.
"This is something I love to do," said Cpl. David Nadrchal, 20, of Pomona, who made an appointment to get an Iraqi flag and his deployment dates etched onto his lower leg. "The fact I can't put something on my body that I want it's a big thing to tell me I can't do that."
Nadrchal said he is unsure whether he will re-enlist: "There's all these little things. They are slowly chipping away at us."
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway announced the idiotic policy last week.
"Some Marines have taken the liberty of tattooing themselves to a point that is contrary to our professional demeanor and the high standards America has come to expect from us," he said. "I believe tattoos of an excessive nature do not represent our traditional values."
Really? Forgive me for calling you a hypocritical asshole, General, but what is worse, a tattoo or a criminal record? Because the Marines have been lowering their standards for who can enlist since the Iraq war began.
Defense Department statistics show that the number of Army and Marine recruits needing waivers for felonies and serious misdemeanors has grown since 2003. Some recruits may get more than one waiver.
The military frequently grants waivers, including moral waivers for drug offenders, to recruits who have criminal records, medical problems or low aptitude scores that would otherwise disqualify them from service.
So, you go, ban those tattoos to keep up that spit-and-polish while you let in convicted felons and high school drop outs. And by the way, 792 Marines and 119 Marine Reserves have been killed in Iraq. Died for their country. God forbid they were allowed to get a tattoo on their forearm before they were blown up while driving down a desert road.
Haditha Charges Looking Legit
In the late fall of last year, rumors began circulating within the government and military establishments that some American soldiers had murdered Iraqi civilians in Haditha after suffering too much stress from extended policing duties. Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) rose to national political prominence for bringing this incident to light and for his vocal opposition to the war in Iraq, and is currently facing a defamation suit for his accusations against marine Frank D. Wuterich for his alleged role in the kilings. The accumulating evidence, however, seems to indicate that the accusations are true, and may even point to a coverup intended to downplay the murders.
Evidence collected on the deaths of 24 Iraqis in Haditha supports accusations that U.S. Marines deliberately shot the civilians, including unarmed women and children, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.
Agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service have completed their initial work on the incident last November, but may be asked to probe further as Marine Corps and Navy prosecutors review the evidence and determine whether to recommend criminal charges, according to two Pentagon officials who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity.
If the allegations turn out to be true, the Marines really have no choice but to court martial the offenders and punish them accordingly. Let's face facts; there are well over one hundred thousand US troops currently stationed in Iraq. It's hot, it's miserable, and the neverending insurgency is putting troops in a tough situation. Most of them are able to handle the pressure, but occasionally some of them will snap, and we'll get incidents like Haditha.
The way to go about dealing with these isn't to pretend that they can't happen. Once all the evidence is in hand the perpetrators should be dealt with quickly and publicly, to let the Iraqis and the rest of the world know that the US armed forces will not tolerate this type of behavior. But the real way to avoid these problems is to reduce the number of troops serving on active duty in Iraq. Until that happens we'll be forced to deal with more incidents like this, which hurt the Iraqis in the short term and the US in the long term by encouraging more anti-US sentiments abroad.
Actress's Ass Responsible for Helicopter Crash?
The view of a scrawny broad in a bikini doesnt seem reason enough to ruin your career, but apparently thats all it takes for one Marine crew. The flight crew faced questioning after crashing their helicopter while in search of some ass. The helicopters occupants flew a bit too low attempting to see Kate Hudson in a bikini when they lost control. The actress said she was filming a scene for her horrific new movie, You, Me, & Dupree, when she heard the copter crashing just a few yards away.
"We heard this huge crash. A sort of huge plywood thing came falling on to my car from a rooftop. Then the cops were there and the Marines were there and I'm in this outfit. I realised what I was wearing and I said, 'I'm sorry, can someone get me a robe?'"
I hope it was worth it. I wouldnt risk crossing the street to see her bony ass, but thats just me.
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