I recently began rereading McPherson’s book of essays on the Civil War “This Mighty Scourge.” Of interest was a theme I noticed from William Tecumseh Sherman’s memoirs a few months ago. Then, as now, the fourth estate was a tool for both good and ill. While every American soldier dating back to the days of… Continue reading The Media and War
Month: December 2012
Is There a Line?
I think we can all agree that the weaponry that should be available to the public is somewhere between a thermonuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile and a BB gun. Since Americans, in general, do not think North Korea or Iran should be allowed to have thes former, I think it is safe to… Continue reading Is There a Line?
Responding to Gun Nuttery on Facebook
I was recently having an online discussion (I have no idea what you really call commenting on facebook) with some old Army buddies. One stated that, while she supported the 2nd Amendment, something should be done to limit access to assault weapons. Another responded that a person does not support the 2nd Amendment if he… Continue reading Responding to Gun Nuttery on Facebook
Repost on Charleton Heston
The original Planet of the Apes 5-movie set has recently been released in Blu-ray, so that is how I have spent the weekend so far. I have not yet made any statements on the Newtown event. But these two things converged to remind me of something I wrote four and a half years ago: When… Continue reading Repost on Charleton Heston
Knee Jerk
The last week’s conversations have been dominated by the Connecticut child massacre. What have I learned from all this? First, I have learned that an unfortunately large percentage of Republicans present the buffoonish right-wing crank reply one would expect to see in a caricature like this unfortunately accurate Tom Tomorrow cartoon: That is to say… Continue reading Knee Jerk