yeah, but it's a dry heat, sarge.

[somedaybitch]

Will Collier fisks a Slate review of Joe Dante's new zombie flick.

"My brother-in-law served in the Iraq invasion, and spent a year after that getting shot at in Balad. A year later, he went to Afghanistan, and he's back there now, having just returned from a two-week leave. He got to see his youngest son at Thanksgiving, after missing eight of the first nine months of the little guy's life (he missed the second year of his older son's life while in Iraq). Matt is a polymath who holds a couple of advanced degrees, and is one of those people who knows something--and usually a lot--about nearly any topic. His list of hobbies is exhausting for me to even think about, not even mentioning his actual job. In a battle of wits, I feel very secure in flatly declaring that he'd bury Grady Hendrix, or any other elitist mediot snob, in much the same way that USC demolished UCLA this afternoon."

criticize the war all you want, but for God's sake do it with some intelligence, people. those soldiers aren't mindless victims. they choose to be there and that distinction is enormous.

Will's brother-in-law is not the exception, but the rule. my best friend from college is a pilot in the Air Force. he's multi-degreed in Aeronautical Engineering. recently back from Iraq, he teaches pilots how to be instructor pilots. in his squadron, he's actually under-educated.

also:Norm Geras links to a review of a new book from France, "Le Livre Noir de Saddam Hussein".

Comments

[arthurfrdent.livejournal.com]

well sure kid, but if you make them into a homogeneous, faceless, mindless hoarde, it's a ton easier to think of them and their mission in terms of absolutes.

[somedaybitch.livejournal.com]

isn't though? now you can profess commisseration and sympathy for them, thereby avoiding the wrath that comes with calling them babykillers, but still get your so-called point across.