Back in the early Ding Ho days (late 70’s), Crimmins used to do a bit about listening to talk radio – only because he had sustained a serious head injury …

It’s a gig … It pays bills …

If the AAR folks had some wits, they’d have Crimmins with his own show …

Peace
JTD

Ha ha, something tells me that he’s not going to be too big on Crimmins. Especially since he writes for the Randi Rhodes show. I’ll listen to Franken before I listen to her anyday. I’ve never understood the attraction. Then again, I’ve never understood the attraction to Rush either. I guess it’s all about preaching to the choir.

You can make a lot of money that way, and as the blogosphere has shown, the same ideological bent carries over.

On a similar tangent, political satirist Barry Crimmins, who was done his share of skewing American politics, would get the hecklers and others shouting at him “If you don’t like it here, why don’t you leave” … Crimmins had a simply reply.

“I would, but I’m affraid of our Foreign Policy …

Check’em out – (www.barrycrimmins.com)

Peace
JTD

I read Al Franken’s book when it came out and the chapter I skipped over was the one about all the Chickenhawks. I just didn’t find it very compelling or funny.

However, I think the point people have tired to make (when you wade through all the attacks) is that when you have people who actively avoided military service during wartime (like Rove and Cheney…and for that matter Dean) they really don’t understand what it’s like to be IN a war. And since a lot on the left felt that the US rushed into the war, critics felt it was a valid observation to make.

In any event, good post. I think the call for the “chickenhawks” to serve in the military and Michael Moore’s stunt in Fahrenheit 9/11 was pretty damn silly in the end.

The bottom line is that if we were to limit voting to military members ala Starship Troopers, the Democrats would be a dead party.

It is a fundamentally unserious idea, from fundamentally unserious people.

Actually the “chickenhawk thing” goes back to the early 80s (at least) and an older generation of liberal editorialists like Mike Royko and Art Buchwald. These people were known as “humorists” and were mainly concerned with making fun of John Wayne, not making serious public policy.

These were men who were drafted in the 40s and 50s, during the “good wars”, and who generally had a low opinion of the military and of military service. Telling somebody to join the Marines was their way of telling them to go f–k themselves.

This is the key. These people are eternal adolescents in perpetual rebellion. Maybe it will keep them young and hip forever. It’s certainly more fun than having to deal with actual situtions whether you are equipped or not, like a real adult.

Tommy is right, our system insists on putting the decision in civilian hands. This is not just explict in the Constitution, but a lot of statute law cements it into place. Colonels become generals by acts of Congress. When some Congressman’s staffer asks some unit about a letter they got from a soldier complaining about whatever, nuts drop, assholes clench and answer goes back immediately. And so on. It may sound like an interference that would lead to paralysis, but in fact it helps ensure the health of these organizations.

I have a lot of years of service, and I don’t mind civilians saying other people should go to war. I just insit that it be an honest and well thought-out position.

It takes a rare tallent to articulate a point that all of us understand, but somehow have difficulty putting into words. I’m going to remember some of you analogies next time someone comes along with this argument!

It’s still a weak intellectual argument, but it has strong emotional support.

I thought that was one of the things our system was designed to prevent. The military has to answer to the politicians ultimately and I’m pretty sure that is what you want, or do you really want the military engaging in conflicts (or refusing too) and the voters not having the ability to change that decision by electing new politicians to office. Because I’m fairly certain the proponents of the chicken hawk meme would think that if they won the elections that they should be able to make that decision instead of the military.

Just more namecalling.

What I find most hilarious about this is that many of the people who throw that charge in my face will proudly say they supported the war in Afghanistan. But they didn’t go. So they’re “chickenhawks” too.