[stmercy2020]

Oo- I like that idea!  Cindies for EVERYBODY!

Put me down for one.  Or two, maybe…

[stmercy2020]

I was driving home from a linguistics class at the University of Akron.  I was pretty sleep deprived at the time, and I remember thinking at first that it seemed like a pretty tasteless joke for the radio DJs to be playing on an otherwise unremarkable weekday morning.  It was the kind of horrible thing that seemed almost plausible coming out of the Bob & Tom show or whatever it was back then, but it didn't stop.  And then the second plane hit, and there was no laugh track in the background.  It took forty-five minutes to drive home, and I spent pretty much the entire time numb, wondering about friends and family living in and around New York.  Ironically, the people I knew who were most directly affected by the attacks- my at-the-time brother-in-law and father-in-law- both worked in D.C. in sensitive jobs that frequently had them travelling to-and-from the Pentagon, but I didn't think of them at all until much later, when it was discovered that my brother-in-law had been on a plane that was grounded and couldn't be located or reached.

Emotionally, I remember being first sad, then angry, then both together.  I'm ashamed to admit that for a moment I was among those who entertained visions of turning the Middle East into the worlds largest magnifying glass, although I recoiled from that sort of reactionary view pretty quickly.  I felt and feel a strong desire to see those responsible for these attacks brought to justice.  I also have a pretty uncompromising view of what constitutes responsibity- I don't believe that murder and genocide are ever justifiable, no matter how you have been wronged in the past.

[stmercy2020]

Hmmm, not really – in the ways that really count.  8)

I'd say age before beauty – or put more succinctly: cunning and worldly experiance over that of youth and strength, hampered by naïvety.

In the end, real battles are won – or lost – not by the strength of arms alone, but by the will to overcome the impossible.

One of my favorite pithy sayings of all time: "Age and treachery will always win out over youth and skill!"

[stmercy2020]

I would love to see it- I think I vaguely remember seeing it on ZZZ's GTS board, but I was never a regular there, so I don't remember it terribly well.

Truthfully, this site can feel pretty lonely if you aren't writing something typical- not that you are likely to get unfriendly comments; more like you are unlikely to get any response at all.  If you are writing for the validation of your peers, this could be a major bummer for you.

[stmercy2020]

Hmmm, you make me sound like Michael Ironside / Lieutenant Jean Rasczak from Starship Troopers . . . I'll shoot you myself.  😉

But then again, I still have my all of my hair, red-blonde, of course.  8)

Gee, I had you pegged more for a Sergeant Zim type… :ducks and covers: 😉

[stmercy2020]

Wow!  😮

That's a gorgeous piece- stylish and sexy!

[stmercy2020]

Speaking of Alec Guinness, Bridge over the River Kwai is one of my favorites, though it's more about Brits than Americans: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050212/

Amen, brother.  Is it just me, or has the use of flashy special effects been used all-too-frequently to replace what used to be staples of good movies: plot and acting?

[stmercy2020]

Sorry- my mistake- you said you got a postgraduate course from your local uni, and my sleep deprived brain turned the course into a full degree.  Don't you wish I was in charge of your degree requirements? 😀 ;D

[stmercy2020]

Sorry- I should have clarified- American social values.  As a culture, we claim to like things like freedom of press, freedom of speech, freedom of religion; we also like to ridicule and condemn people who exercise them.  We are not an overly tolerant culture.

And, regarding Shooter:  As an avid Stephen Hunter fan, I have to say that movie was an outrage and a rape of his book.  I'm disappointed that he even allowed his name to be attached to it.

EDIT: Just as an aside, I really miss the days of movies like Kelly's Heroes and Heartbreak Ridge.

[stmercy2020]

So… wait a minute.  The initials G.I. have traditionally standed for Government Issued.  It's been a staple of the American military culture ever since World War I (although it started life as an abbreviation for galvanized iron, referring to the metals used in American military equipment- thanks Wikipedia).

I am not against creating a highly fictional global military force (we've seen how effective they are in reality, of course) but raping GI Joe to do it seems like a cheap copout.  Worse, given that the impetus for the acronym change is Hollywood, is the fact that the change is pretty much certain to be in name only- the organization will almost certainly reflect conservative American ideals and act to protect American interests with little more than a wave and a nod at the concerns of other nations or cultures.

Sounds like a movie to ignore in theaters and wait to watch until someone offers to rent it for you for a dollar. 🙁

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