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The joke you've all been waiting for
The Wine Commonsewer (or somebody claiming to be TWC—I don't see the trademark Hawaiian shirt) gets the official response from the troops to John Kerry's personal Dien Bien Phu:
I don't vouch for the authenticity of the pic, nor do I claim those aren't eight campaign volunteers posing in their Halloween costumes at President Bush's Crawford estate, but it's still a pretty funny joke. Still, once they stop laughing and fold up the sign they'll still be stuck in Iraq, and that's gotta suck.
|11.1.06 @ 4:58PM|#
"Still, once they stop laughing and fold up the sign they'll
still be stuck in Iraq, and that's gotta suck."
I appreciate their service.
|11.1.06 @ 5:07PM|#
That looks a lot like Phoenix. But Baghdad looks a lot like
Phoenix.
Humor is the ultimate intelligence test.
|11.1.06 @ 5:31PM|#
they'll still be stuck in Iraq, and that's gotta
suck
It might suck even more.
Private security appears to be getting outta Dodge.
The Wine Commonsewer|11.1.06 @ 5:33PM|#
Tim, thanks for the holler. Muchas Gracias, I appreciate
it.
No Hawaiian shirt yesterday
either. Besides, Aloha shirts are for summer.
There was a question posed at H&R a while back, something like,
is Iraq worth it to you if your child has to die
there.
For the record, my son is a mere 8 years from military age and the
way things are going................
That will have to be his choice but if it was mine, the answer is
no.
|11.1.06 @ 6:37PM|#
So are these soldiers stupid because they didn't get that John
Kerry was insulting Bush and not them?
Just curious.
|11.1.06 @ 6:49PM|#
That's a pretty good stunt. Credit where credit is due.
And I have to say, it's good to see some Republican political
activists who actually walk the walk. For a change.
|11.1.06 @ 6:59PM|#
This is just another case of the GOP making things personal to avoid talking about the issues.
|11.1.06 @ 7:58PM|#
So, how long 'til the catchphrase "botched joke" works its way into the broader culture, where it will get beaten to death? Is it officially A Meme™ yet?
Stephen Macklin|11.1.06 @ 9:55PM|#
The bottom line is, the botching of the joke changed the meaning
of what was said. Kerry apologized for the fact that his words were
misinterpreted, but people were responding to what he said. Not
what he claims he meant to say. Given Kerry's history of talking
trash about the military, taking at his spoken word is not too much
of a stretch.
The Picture rocks. If Kerry runs for president in 2008 - expect to
see it often.
|11.1.06 @ 10:58PM|#
This is more amusing then Kerry's original joke.
Best Iraq joke I heard in kawait before the war-
How many Iraqi soldiers does it take to fill a ditch?
Depends on how tightly you pack them...
|11.1.06 @ 11:17PM|#
I really don't care what he "meant" to say. I only know whay he
actualy "did" say, and that for almost two days he like stood
behind a open door and yelled epitets at people who "also" heard
what he "did" say.
Then when the pressure cooker was sure to burst he acted like a
newspaper writer trying to cover a typo by hiding it on the back
page rather than be up front and admit that he'd pissed people off.
The fact is, I'd like to know what foorball coach would have a clip
artist on his team who has cost as many penalty yards as Skerry has
cost the Dimocrats.
And BTW, where are Nancy Pelosi and Howard Deen of late? Why are
they not out there making cute with all the campaigning Dimocrats?
Does their absence tell us anything about their stock value as far
as the campaigners see things? Or is everybody hedging their bets
by keeping'em outta sight?
The troops shud get a pewlitsir prize for the pichur.
Luv ya all
Warren|11.1.06 @ 11:24PM|#
As someone who served during the Reagan years, I was none too
impressed with the average sailor when the enlistment risk/reward
ratio was at it's most favorable.
The joke is funny enough; they're making fun of Kerry calling them
stupid. But I doubt there's a triple digit IQ in the bunch.
|11.1.06 @ 11:25PM|#
Sorry Warren, but it looks like you need to check up on some MOS
slot requirements. Some of them BEGIN at 120.
Maybe that's why there's a turn-away rate fro so many enlistment
applications today.
|11.2.06 @ 12:04AM|#
I think anyone who volunteers (today) to serve in Iraq is an
idiot. I'll admire the patriotism, self-sacrifice, their service
and devotion, and I'll even wish them well. But I'd still think
they're an idiot.
And that goes quintuple for any Iraqi who volunteers.
The policy is a failure and must be changed. I am ashamed to admit
that I actually supported invading Iraq. How we got to a place
where deposing a dangerous nutjob dictator became anything less
than an easy call can only be attributed to some of the worst
incompetence in political and military history. Our current mission
in Iraq seems to consist of propping up a stupidly-powerless
government that has little meaning to the common Iraqi. Was it too
much to ask that when we take over a country, we should at least
give the people some goddamn liberty with their freedom? What,
other than a paycheck or a religious vendetta, does any Iraqi
really have worth dying for? And is it in their crappy,
when-in-doubt-bow-to-Islam constitution? Sheesh!
Partition that place (Kurdish north, Shiite south, East Gaza in the
middle), negotiate with the new governments, and let the center
rot. Sure al-Queda will have a year or two of celebrations, but I
don't think losing Vietnam made us lose the Cold War any sooner,
did it?
Sandnshoes|11.2.06 @ 1:03AM|#
I'm from Phoenix and currently in Iraq, the picture is
definitely Iraq.
Anyone (Jon & Warren) who makes disparaging remarks against
people in the military is a Jack Ass! Assuming the inteligence of
people because they are in the Military or Iraq makes your comments
worse than Kerry's since he was just being a bafoon and you are
sincere.
|11.2.06 @ 2:09AM|#
Isn't the military supposed to stay out of
politics?
Yes. Military personnel must, among other things, "refrain from
participating in any political activity while in military uniform,
as proscribed by DoD Directive 1334.1 (reference (f)), or using
Government facilities or resources for furthering political
activities." [DoD Directive 1344.10]
If that picture isn't a Photoshop job, it's pretty clear that
they're violating military regulations (and before anyone tries
arguing that these soldiers aren't participating in "political"
activity, give me a moment to preemptively laugh at you).
Sorry Warren, but it looks like you need to check up on some
MOS slot requirements. Some of them BEGIN at 120.
Okay, Elmo, care to hazard a guess about which and how many
military jobs have those requirements? I have a hunch that "tanker"
isn't among them. Nor is "infantryman," I expect.
I was in the Army from 1998 - 2002, and I had the same experience
as Warren; military personnel (enlisteds in particular, but no
shortage of officers, either) tend to skew toward the dim side. I'm
not saying they're all stupid (because they're certainly not), but
I am saying that the lack of education and life experience on the
part of your average recruit, combined with an environment that
doesn't exactly favor critical or original thinking, tends to keep
uneducated recruits... well, uneducated.
Assuming the inteligence of people because they are in the
Military or Iraq makes your comments worse than Kerry's since he
was just being a bafoon and you are sincere.
I've rewritten this about five times and there's just no way to
make this not sound cold. Nevertheless:
Has it occurred to you that you may not be the best person to
defend the claim that we have a well-educated military?
|11.2.06 @ 2:10AM|#
Looks like those soldiers are cut and run defeatocrats!
...what? They were telling a joke?
|11.2.06 @ 4:23AM|#
Well, I think he was teling the truth ( either way you can take
the "joke"). Surely more educated people are less likely to be in
Iraq.
Very few people signup for the "service" because of "patriotism."
When I was in school, good grades and/or a high ASVAB almost
disqualified you from being recruited. Half the people from my
class that joined were ditzy girls that thought the recruiter was
"cute" and that the Army was going to give them 30 grand and a
Mustang. The other half were dudes that "were not college material"
or had nothing better to do.
I will never understand how telling the truth or talking about
reality is "offensive."
Saying that a lack of education causes people to serve is NOT in
any way questioning intelligence or disparaging anyone. To me it
just means that some people have more opportunities than others. I
think the reward is not worth the risk/work and that MOST people
who have a choice would rather get a higher paying job or start a
business in the private sector. And anyone who wants to go to
college can go(somewhere) for free, without the Army.
Anyone who thinks that is disparaging troops would have flunked
basic Comprehension ( and proves the lack of education/intelligence
theory?)
If a pol gives a pseech and tells students to get an education so
they dont have to work at mcDonald's, would there be all the
outrage? Why not.
Implying someone is "not educated" is not disparaging, IMO. Plenty
of intelligent people dont have much education. It is just a
statement ( often true) that education presents more opportunity-
Like not dying for a glorified minimum wage job where you get to be
just another number.
|11.2.06 @ 9:03AM|#
You can call service members stupid if you would like, but the
facts don't lead to that conclusion. The average soldier is
slightly smarter then the average American, period.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1534472/posts. Sorry I
don't have time to find primary source material on this.
The average soldier may seem dumb in retrospect to some of the
ex-military people who have the time and inclination to post on a
political blog. Compared to your college classmates or your
coworkers in a professional office they would be. Then again if you
hung out at a factory or construction site all the time you would
realize that they were just average joes. It why whenever someone
writes a war memoir they seem to be the smartest person in the war,
because you have to be pretty intelligent to write a successful
book.
|11.2.06 @ 9:05AM|#
"I think anyone who volunteers (today) to serve in Iraq is an
idiot. I'll admire the patriotism, self-sacrifice, their service
and devotion, and I'll even wish them well. But I'd still think
they're an idiot."
What an astounding display of verbal gymnastics. You should be a
politician.
|11.2.06 @ 9:09AM|#
I think anyone who volunteers (today) to serve in Iraq is an
idiot.
Good one, jon. What, no Viet Nam-era vets nearby to spit on?
Nice of you to mention how much you admire our servicemen while
calling them idiots. Classy.
|11.2.06 @ 9:30AM|#
ed:
This goes to show how the left these days completely twists itself
into a pretzel when they talk about the military.
As you allude, back in the Vietnam era these lefties didn't
disguise their contempt for our fighting men and women.
In the ensuing decades, when they were ultimately called out for
the shrill, clueless assholes that they are, they never the less
held on that contempt, and merely changed the packaging. So now
they claim that they "support our troops", even though they still
detest the very basic thing that these warriors do (fight and die
in the name of nationalism).
And instead of "spitting" on the soldiers, they now smother them
with smug condescension... these soldiers are merely ignorant dupes
caught up in something beyond their control (and perhaps even
beyond their awareness).
|11.2.06 @ 9:52AM|#
Reasonettes: Can one of you give me an example of a current politician that is smart? Educated? Yes. Smooth? Yes. Glib? Yes. Smart? I've been trying. The only example that I can think of is historic. Jefferson. Possibly. Thanks. Al
|11.2.06 @ 10:21AM|#
"What an astounding display of verbal gymnastics. You should be
a politician."
It would be *wiser* to wait until 2009 to enlist. At least then
Rummy and his incompetent crew will likely be kicked to the curb,
improving the life expectancy of new recruits.
|11.2.06 @ 10:24AM|#
Mr. Nice Guy,
While I concur that there are some on the left that seem to have a
basic contempt for the military, I still think that supporting the
troops themselves, while not supporting the decisions that put them
where they are, is an entirely valid position. If you want to move
all the way over to the most cynical position possible---that the
lefties who hold this position are simply using it as a "softer"
contempt---that's your decision. But I'd like to submit that this
level of cynicism is unreasonable, and it completely eliminates the
possibility of rational discourse on a certain position that is
pretty sound. Surely some of them exercise "smug condescension",
but to dismiss the aforementioned position, in all its forms, with
this assertion, is irresponsible and dishonest.
A valid position stands on its own---it cannot be tarnished by your
broad generalizations about the supposed motives of the left. And I
believe that supporting the troops themselves, while not supporting
the decisions to put them where they are, is a valid position. I'm
not a leftist or a democrat or a liberal, but I just don't think
that your broad dismissal of this position, based on what you
perceive to be perverse motives, is a reasonable action.
|11.2.06 @ 10:51AM|#
Somewhat recycled from previous thread...
I think it's fairly obvious to anyone being honest that many on the
left fall into the false belief that military enlistees are pretty
uniformly dumb saps with no better prospects. (Possibly a
correlation to why so many Ivy League-types avoid military
service?)
While we can argue whether or not a high school diploma is a level
of educational "achievement" or not, there are plenty of people in
the general population who do not achieve that level of
education.
Just because there are very few Ivy League university graduates in
the military, it doesn't mean that those serving in the officer
corps from other educational institutions are poorly-educated. This
is clearly not the case.
The very fact that there IS an educational standard required for
eligiblity to serve, it means military personnel are more likely to
be better educated than the general population.
For those who have argued that the guys the served with were "dim"
I'd point out that this probably reveals a certain intellectual
snobbery that is unjustified.
The standard to be in the military is actually higher than it is to
NOT be in the military. Because it is a fact, it means military
enlistees are more likely to be educated than the general
population (which doesn't require an educational standard to be a
member).
This means they are more likely to be intelligent - as long as you
posit that educational level and functional intelligence are
closely correlative.
So if you base your argument on the idea that educational level is
a good indicator of intelligence, then the enlisted corps is filled
with people who are better educated than the gneeral population and
the officer corps is filled with folks who are MUCH better educated
than the general population.
I think that to claim from one's personal experience that the folks
you served with were "dim" compared to the folks you see walking
the streets every day is just bad anecdotal evidence.
|11.2.06 @ 10:52AM|#
Evan:
Even with our revered founders there was hardly a consensus. These
guys were at each others' throats. That is part of what makes this
country the greatest.
But there is an element among us that has a deep-seated hatred of
US nationalism and western culture in general. They are zealots
disguised as intellectual elitists. And, as far as I'm concerned,
they have nothing of value to add to reasoned disagreement.
So what I'm saying is that in order for us as a nation to have a
calm, mature discussion, there needs to be an honest weeding out of
the fringe. I happen to pound on the left because I find them
especially perverted by their fringe. But the right certainly has
their fruitcakes, too.
|11.2.06 @ 12:16PM|#
I agree that there are those on the left who hold people in the
military in contempt. It's sort of equivalent to libertarians who
hold police officers in contempt, although the latter is much more
commonplace from what I read on this board.
That being the case, it is most unfortunate and unwise when
conservatives and their media allies work to blur the line between
those who look down on the troops, and those who look down on the
President, a certain war, or a certain set of military
policies.
One of the things I liked about Kerry when he ran for president is
that, while he adhered to a liberal position on foreign policy, his
background as both an officer and in politics led him to abandon
the old shibboleths about the military from the anti-Vietnam
left.
But Republicans don't care. They'd rather have a Democratic Party
full of people who hate the military than one that would discredit
that line of thinking about those lefties who still adhere to
it.
ben|11.2.06 @ 12:20PM|#
Shame the sign is mis spelled
(hear instead of here )
Kerry is an Illumunati stooge front man
ask him to have a drink of Kool Aid
Sam Franklin|11.2.06 @ 12:42PM|#
The standard to be in the military is actually higher than
it is to NOT be in the military. Because it is a fact, it means
military enlistees are more likely to be educated than the general
population (which doesn't require an educational standard to be a
member).
Maybe, but I wouldn't neccessarily say the same thing about getting
a job in the military versus the difficulty of landing a
non-military job.
|11.2.06 @ 12:45PM|#
"I agree that there are those on the left who hold people in the
military in contempt." - joe
Now that we've got that out of the way...
"It's sort of equivalent to libertarians who hold police officers
in contempt, although the latter is much more commonplace from what
I read on this board." - joe
I think you'll find contempt for police officers who use too much
force on Hit & Run. But for cops in general? No. But amongst
the left side of politics and the Democratic Party you'll find a
lot of barely-repressed hatred for the military, even those who
serve impeccably and with complete honor.
So no, it's not really equivalent at all.
"it is most unfortunate and unwise when conservatives and their
media allies work to blur the line between those who look down on
the troops, and those who look down on the President, a certain
war, or a certain set of military policies." - joe
I agree 100%.
"One of the things I liked about Kerry when he ran for president is
that, while he adhered to a liberal position on foreign policy, his
background as both an officer and in politics led him to abandon
the old shibboleths about the military from the anti-Vietnam left."
- joe
Here you go right off the tracks entirely. Kerry's Winter Soldier
Congressional testimony alone puts him firmly in the camp
responsible for creating "the old shibboleths about the military
from the anti-Vietnam left." For crying out loud, his testimony is
where much of this nonsense started!
"But Republicans don't care." - joe
No kidding... Actually, it looks like Repubs dance with glee every
time someone says something they can construe as offensive to the
troops. But I can't honestly say that if the shoe was on the other
foot, Democrats would behave better. The whole boondoggle started
with Kerry "botching" an insult aimed at the guy who beat him in
the last election. (Now that I think of it... what does it say
about Kerry that he can't beat a guy he claims is demonstrably
dumber than he is?)
"They'd rather have a Democratic Party full of people who hate the
military than one that would discredit that line of thinking about
those lefties who still adhere to it." - joe
Well, I think the Repubs are smart enough to realize that most
Democratic voters don't hate the military the way much of the
extremist, self-proclaimed "intellectual" side of the party does.
It's always seemed an unreasoned, knee-jerk approach to me, and
it's always seemed odd that it comes from people who think they are
real-life versions of Mr. Spock...
The Democratic Party seems hell-bent on giving this advantage to
Repubs... That should be what actually makes you mad, joe. You'd
think they'd have done a bit of cost-benefit analysis on this like
the sort that led Dems like Howard Dean to join the NRA.
But how are the Repubs responsible for a Dem party that fails to
discredit such an odious line of thinking? This is like blaming
your neighbor when you shoot yourself in the foor...
Couple of questions for you, joe...
Why have the Dems failed to eradicate this evil shite from its
leadership? Why is the Democratic Party beset with a leadership
that sounds like Peter N. Kirsten?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_N._Kirstein
|11.2.06 @ 12:53PM|#
"Maybe, but I wouldn't neccessarily say the same thing about
getting a job in the military versus the difficulty of landing a
non-military job." - SF
On the contrary, not many 18-year-olds can get an entry-level job
that requires a degree...
The military, OTOH, takes people who are smart enough to learn -
but who are untrained in a given field - and trains them to be
expert (or nearly expert) in that field.
I'd say that it is true that you can't compare a 23-year-old
entry-level computer systems administrator with a degree in
computer science to an 18-year-old assigned to a Communications
Squadron. But that same 18-year-old at 23? He/she will probably be
a better system admin than the college graduate.
Of course, not all military occupations have such a clear
corresponding civilian career field.
Sam Franklin|11.2.06 @ 1:06PM|#
"Maybe, but I wouldn't neccessarily say the same thing about
getting a job in the military versus the difficulty of landing a
non-military job." - SF
On the contrary, not many 18-year-olds can get an entry-level
job that requires a degree...
Correct, getting an entry level job with the military is easier
than securing an entry level job somewhere else. This is why people
who are neglectful in high school are liklier to volunteer for
military service than those who are diligent.
getting stuck in Iraq may or may not be good for the soul and the
work ethic and the IQ and all that (we will have a better idea when
stop loss ends), but the path to getting stuck in Iraq in the first
place often starts by being neglectful and losing other viable
options in life. Which is basically what Kerry words suggested and
what he now insincerely and unconvincingly disavows.
|11.2.06 @ 1:33PM|#
"Correct, getting an entry level job with the military is easier
than securing an entry level job somewhere else." - SF
Sorry, I should have been more explicit - your argument doesn't
make sense because you're comparing apples to oranges.
"This is why people who are neglectful in high school are liklier
to volunteer for military service than those who are diligent." -
SF
So what is your take on college graduates who join the military?
Are they also people who have lost educational opportunities?
Just like joe has admitted that there are left-leaning folks who
rabidly hate the military, I admit some people join the military as
the "best among tough options." But I don't think that this is
indicative of the majority of military folks. If you've got
evidence to the contrary, I'm interested in seeing it.
"but the path to getting stuck in Iraq in the first place often
starts by being neglectful and losing other viable options in
life." - SF
Based on your keen examination of the educational achievements of
military personnel?
"Which is basically what Kerry words suggested and what he now
insincerely and unconvincingly disavows." - SF
Wow... Way to follow up an interesting take on what leads people to
join the military with speculation on what "Kerry really
meant."
I can't stand Kerry, as you may have guessed from my previous post,
but I still think he's being unfairly raked over the coals for
something he obviously didn't mean - for once.
(Not that he hasn't made himself fair game with shenanigans that
tried to make the entire military out to be monsters back when he
left the military for politics.)
Sam Franklin|11.2.06 @ 1:40PM|#
,em>If you've got evidence to the contrary, I'm interested in
seeing it.
My evidence comes from living in 29 Palms for 2002-2003 and talking
to a fair number of men in the military in casual situations, like
at bars, in laundromats or in the common areas of our apartment
complexes. I don't think there is any real substitute for first
hand experience. These men did not want to talk about the looming
Iraq War, not even after it actually arrived. They often did talk
about how they ended up volunteering.
Of course, generalizations only take you so far. I am sure that
there are geniuses who volunteer and dunces who go to med school.
probably the best thing to do is to take each individual on their
own merits and not worry about whether they are somehow better than
other people by virtue of being, or having been in, in the
military.
Rick REED RxR|11.2.06 @ 2:18PM|#
I POsted this Reason .com Blog addres on Ten Of NBC's Message
Boards and that was all they would allow.
I was glad I got it on Jay Leno's.
The address for anyone wanting to go there is..
http://nbc.com/tonightshow
Then just hhit up where it says...be a part of..
then youare on your own.
All I have been doing for twelve hours is PUSHING this page.
Doesn't matter if it is a bunch of actors posing to get a point
across or if it is real...
Kerry..like so many others in posito9ns like that..they only speak
FOR themselves...and ThankYouGod, when they do, they only TELL ON
themselves as well.
WEeeeeeeeeeeee.....
Tick REED
arexar3@yahoo.com
Rick REED RxR|11.2.06 @ 2:19PM|#
check out what I did with the poster hgere..
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RxR108
|11.2.06 @ 4:32PM|#
"My evidence comes from living in 29 Palms for 2002-2003 and
talking to a fair number of men in the military in casual
situations," - SF
Hmmm... That's definitely a convincing and scientific comparison
study you've conducted, amigo. I can't imagine how you could
possibly come to any unrealistic conclusions...
"These men did not want to talk about the looming Iraq War, not
even after it actually arrived." - SF
That's not exactly surprising. I had a British chick light into me
for my evil American imperialism at a bar. Makes you think twice
about even admitting you're military when you could be enjoying
your beer in peace. It also makes you appreciate U.S. dentists...
She'd have been gorgeous if her teeth didn't repeatedly puncture
her own cheeks when she spoke.
|11.2.06 @ 4:57PM|#
That's not exactly surprising. I had a British chick light
into me for my evil American imperialism at a bar. Makes you think
twice about even admitting you're military when you could be
enjoying your beer in peace.
No, it is not. One reason that I got on as well with the soldiers
as well as I did despite having very different politics is that I
was sensitive to the difficult situation they were in, and was
always careful not to pry, or to be too open with them about the
fact that I thought they had made a mistake by enlisting. With a
little common sense, we were able to co-exist peacefully and even
enjoy each other's company. For their part, they did not try to jam
the Iraq War down my throat or act racist or anything like
that.
Political discussion belongs on poltical discussion forums, and not
when you are trying to enjoy an apolitical beer in a bar and listen
to Shania Twain and play darts. That holds true for both soldiers
and civilians, I think.
It was more interesting when one of my coworkers, whom I have been
friendly with, volunteered this summer for Afgnanistan. He knew my
politics since we had known each other for a couple years. Even so,
we were able to discuss his decision and career choice without any
rancor. That is as it should be. In the context of his life, it was
a pretty understandable decision. You really have to take every
individual, soldier or not, on their own merits regardless of
aggregate trends taken over larger groups.
|11.3.06 @ 8:07AM|#
"I think anyone who volunteers (today) to serve in Iraq is an
idiot. I'll admire the patriotism, self-sacrifice, their service
and devotion, and I'll even wish them well. But I'd still think
they're an idiot."--me, recently, in this thread.
I'm going to apologize. I'm sorry to idiots, who were unfairly
slandered. Please replace "idiot" with something more appropriate,
such as "pro-actively delusional person of insufficient objectivity
to determine that the policy in Iraq is a failure." Thank
you.
Military guys are indeed above average in intelligence, but that
doesn't mean they aren't capable of fooling themselves.
|11.3.06 @ 9:43AM|#
How The Picture got from Iraq onto the screens of millions of
webheads, and the front pages of countless newspapers, courtesy of
the Milwaukee
Journal-Sentinel.
Kevin
|11.3.06 @ 12:03PM|#
This is an interesting discussion.
I turned 18 in June, 1971. The day after my birthday I was in boot
camp at Ft. Lewis, WA. I joined for a bunch of different reasons. I
was vaguely attracted to the GI bill paying for my college
education. I was bored, and the army looked like a fun, exciting
time, and it turned out to be fun and exciting. I was a little
nervous about getting my ass shot off in Viet Nam, but I felt
pretty invincible just as an 18 year old is supposed to feel.
I joined. I served. I had a great time. I have fond memories of it
all and made life long friends with people I cherish to this day.
The bond you develop with other soldiers is impossible to explain
really, and if you haven't done it I really think you can't grasp
it.
The last thing in my mind was "US foreign policy" or any notion of
politics. I can't imagine an 18 year old boy (man) who is
interested in politics of any sort. In fact, I am suspicious of an
18 year old who gives a rat's ass about politics. To say that
anybody who volunteers for Iraq is an idiot is arrogant and stupid,
but that's OK because the world needs arrogant, stupid people
too.
I have since graduated college with a degree in Math, and work in
engineering. I am no genius, but I have never thought of myself as
idiot.
I am in Iraq as I write this and I have been since June. I came for
the adventure and the experience; sort of a last chance in my
lifetime to do something like this. I will say that this is a much
uglier war (orders or magnitude) than Viet Nam, and the boys
serving over here, and lots of girls too, have my utmost respect.
Viet Nam was a cake walk in comparison.
There are worse things in life than doing something dangerous.
Doing something dull comes readily to mind.
Oh, one more thing, the picture is legitimate; it circulated over
here for a day or so before it hit all the news outlets in the
states. It is amazing how a bunch of "idiots" could come up with
such a biting, satirical rejoinder to an intellectual blow-hard
like Kerry, isn't it
|11.3.06 @ 12:35PM|#
"Yes. Military personnel must, among other things, "refrain from
participating in any political activity while in military uniform,
as proscribed by DoD Directive 1334.1 (reference (f)), or using
Government facilities or resources for furthering political
activities." [DoD Directive 1344.10]
If that picture isn't a Photoshop job, it's pretty clear that
they're violating military regulations (and before anyone tries
arguing that these soldiers aren't participating in "political"
activity, give me a moment to preemptively laugh at you)."
The picture is legit. Please explain how these soldiers are
politicing, I am curious. Is John Kerry running for
reelection?
Poking fun at a Lantern-jawed jackass does not seem like politicing
to me.
Sam Franklin|11.3.06 @ 2:19PM|#
I am no genius, but I have never thought of myself as
idiot.
Please explain how these soldiers are politicing, I am
curious.
lol
|11.5.06 @ 3:57AM|#
The picture is legit. Please explain how these soldiers are
politicing, I am curious. Is John Kerry running for
reelection?
Poking fun at a Lantern-jawed jackass does not seem like politicing
to me.
When said jackass is a U.S. Senator, especially one who, in the
most recent presidential election, campaigned for the presidency,
and the remarks in question were part of a speech he made blasting
the winner of said election, I'd say it looks a lot like political
activity. If they were blasting Jay Leno or Richard Simmons, not so
much.
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