Reality on a Stick

5 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

1. I’ve just got to comment on this, but not with the usual Bush-bashing (it’s become too damned easy). What this reminded me of was an episode of The Simpsons when the problem of avoidance of jury duty is solved by renaming the courthouse The Palace of Justice.
   Enter The Center for the Intrepid. Are we re-branding veteran’s hospitals/physiotherapy centres now? There is nothing intrepid about some stupid 20 year old kid getting his ass blown off. Will being in this Center make that kid any better? More patriotic? More likely to channel the spirit of John Wayne and sort out those pesky foreigners? I don’t get it.
   Why try and dress up what it is? A hospital for kids who’ve been needlessly mutilated.

   1. rob on November 13th, 2007 at 4:37 pm

2. Rob: Great to see you back in action. I agree with most of what you wrote, especially your final point about calling a spade a spade. Not sure if the “stupid 20 year old kid” rhetoric is a fair generalization. A fair number of kids are just raised to believe that military service is what a real man should pursue. A little known fact about me: I was pretty close to applying to West Point as a college option, until my dad discouraged me from going the military way. I didn’t understand it at the time, but–looking back–it was a pretty bold line to take for a father who had justified his early life choices by placing a high value in his own military service (FYI–Pops was a Green Beret). He kindly informed me that the civilian world had much more to offer someone with my skill set. (I think he just knew I would have a hard time taking orders from anyone who was less than intellectually gifted:-)

   2. Steven Nishida on November 14th, 2007 at 12:33 pm

3. When I speak of the 20 year old kid, I’m thinking of all the kids from low income, essentially dead towns, and of course those unable to find any other form of employment. Now I don’t like Michael Moore. Let me just say that before I go any further. I think he’s an ass with a needlessly heavy handed style. But there was a great moment in his film Roger & me about his hometown of Flint, Michigan becoming a husk of a place after GM (I think, definitely an autmotive company) pulled out. Finally getting to the point now. He filmed two army recruiters who target areas like this, who harass kids just out of high school into joining the army. They have targets to meet, quotas to fill. They offer to drive guys to the recruiting office. They plan to call into them the next day despite the guys obviously wanting nothing to do with them. They even try to recruit a high school student. Now factor in the other eejits who are sucked in through the commercials that for all the world make fighting a war look like playing a game of Halo.
   Now I respect your Dad for being able to be in the army. I sure as hell wouldn’t do it. This is the thing though. There is no honour in being in the army. There’s no honour in men or women of any age being burnt, shot or blown up. I’ve just looked through those photos again and by Christ it makes my blood boil. PFC Nicholas Clark is missing half a leg. For what? For having to go to war for at best specious reasons and for a starting wage of $14000 a year. And he probably has a lovely little wife, perhaps a couple of kids at home. He’s got half a leg missing for no good reason. Not to forget Lance Cpl. Matt Bradford, a double amputee and blind. Continuing in the spirit of calling a spade a spade he is basically fucked, and if he is a day over 21 I’ll eat my hat. Interestingly enough I see they haven’t put any of the ages of these poor guys.
   And as for the Centre for the Intrepid, what are they? Fucking G.I. Joes? Come on now. If they don’t have some piece of equipment called a Mobile Command Centre in Iraq I’ll eat my other hat. I’ve got two.

   3. rob on November 24th, 2007 at 12:46 am

4. apologies for the rant there

   4. rob on November 24th, 2007 at 12:46 am

5. rob: Don’t ever apologize for ranting here. Loved it. And agree wholeheartedly. I didn’t mean to distract the discussion with my personal anecdote, I just always have to remind myself that I was a hair’s breadth from jumping on the war-bound track. It does suck how slimy the recruiting practices of the US military have always been.

   5. Steven Nishida on December 1st, 2007 at 8:03 pm