Bombs, Ships, Love, Hate, War.

Has anyone seen the Kitty Hawk?

If you are in Sydney you may have been able to wander down to Woolloomooloo and check this monster out.

My head is swimming with war and terrorism at the moment, naturally, but I will spare you my thoughts and opinions as they are pretty obvious and probably shared by most of you.

I will however expand on the past few day's experience of the visiting navy.

I did wander down to see the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier yesterday. It was the first time I've walked the length of that port, past the ships with such friendly names as the HMAS Tobruk and HMAS Success. I couldn't help thinking what I'd call my naval ship if I had one. Maybe the HMAS Let's Blow Shit Up. Or what about the HMAS Fuckin' Look Out! (Oopsy, the F word. I reckon I need that one. And I've earned it).

But if you hadn't told me that Kitty Hawk was a ship, I'd have had no idea. From where I was I couldn't make out the normal shape of a ship, it just appeared to be an ENORMOUS shopping mall. Or multi storey car park. For planes. To be honest it was like a grey, floating suburb.

This beastly thing was so huge it made the fighter planes on it look tiny! Like flies on a hippo's back. They were so ridiculously dwarfed. Ever seen a close up of a flea? They have parasites under the folds of the their crustaceous (made that word up but I like it) back as well. (So gross). Well, that, I imagine is what the itty bitty humans would look like, clambering into the bellies of the flies.

They had a Mr Whippy van down there to cater for all the tourists. Ah, the Harbour by twilight. So romantic. "Come on honey. Let's stroll along the port, hand in hand, check out the might of the USA's naval force and have an ice cream." Good day out for the kids too.

I've spent days battling my way through hordes of eighteen year old, pimply sailors in the Cross, feeling totally weirded out, thinking they're all just there to get their cocks sucked. These thoughts were not helped along by a conversation of a home boy overheard by a friend "I can get any fuckin Australian girl I want. Yeah, I can get Spanish chics, whatever. I can get anyone I want." So many kids with attitude and their dog tags hanging out.

But I also felt really sad seeing them all hanging out in their civies, just having a laugh and a beer and a half decent meal. They looked so young and innocent. Their faces looked so bright and relaxed. Just kids who want to have fun like the rest of us. It really hit me.

So last night I met a couple of them. They came over to sit near where me and my girlfriend were playing pool. They weren't making moves but were clearly trying to inch closer to the possibility of making friends. Twice I had to apologise for my arse being in one of their faces, in order to sink a ball. "Oh, that's OK" he replied, SO politely, casting his eyes downwards.

Tyrice and Juan.

Tyrice was a brother from Florida. Pristine white baggy shorts, t shirt and high top runners. Big, curly eyelashes. Nineteen years old.

Juan was from New York. Pristine NY Yankees ovesized baseball top and cap on. Monobrow. The sweetest, biggest smile ever. A four year old daughter back home. Twenty years old.

Both SO polite. SO sweet. So gentle.

These are some things we learnt: They are contracted to the navy for 4 years but can be called to serve for a further four. The food is nasty on board. There is no privacy ever. Boot camp is brutal, the navy is relatively cruisey, so long as you never see action. Not many of them ever want to see action. They joined up because it is a way forward in the States. They get a college education, a good wage, reputable and well respected training and various benefits. They had curfews and other restrictions in Sydney. They are off to Guam today. They miss home.

Tyrice builds bombs. He says he often thinks how many people they will destroy and injure. He thinks often of the death and destruction he, his army and his bombs will cause. He is fiercely patriotic but feels conflicted about some of his government's movements. He thinks that they were just there in Iraq as peace keepers, the Iraqis didn't like it so started blowing them up, so the Americans had to retaliate and do what needed to be done. (That was how the Iraqi invasion occurred. Okaaayeee.) He knows they are hated in Iraq. He tries to understand both sides of every conflict and respect his enemy's intentions. He is aware that for every soldier you kill, they have a family that will be devastatingly effected. This goes for both sides. "But, at the same time, it's a way to make a living."

So much opportunity in the land of freedom. Lucky buggers.

Juan works with the cables that grab the landing aircraft on board and enable them to stop. He has seen a cable break, the plane slide right off the edge of the ship and into the water and the cable snap back and slice a man's leg clean off in the process. He said "the navy don't lie to you when they are recruiting but they don't tell you everything. They don't tell you all the bad stuff that will happen." He misses his daughter like crazy.

I asked Tyrice what he'd been doing in Sydney. "Just looking for people to hang with". My heart sank. He didn't want his cock sucked, he just wanted some friends. Some company. Probably some love.

We had to go shortly afterwards and when we said our farewells, Tyrice looked like he might cry. Seeing that, I almost did myself. It was heart breaking.

They looked so out of place. So alone. These dudes would NEVER leave their country if it weren't for the navy. They didn't look hungry and curious like normal travelers - just lost. It occurred to me that not only are eighteen year olds strapping and fit for the army, but they have no sense of self. Perfect for brain washing.

I just felt so sad.

George Bush, reacting to yesterday's bombings in London despaired at the "evil" in people's hearts; people who can attack, wound and kill innocent civilians. Such a smart fella, bless him.

I'm right with ya Georgie. Perhaps you sould talk about that one at the G8. It's really not a bad point.

Favourite thing today: peace.