Billmon:
II. Gibbon Take
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September 15, 2006
WB: Be All You Can Be + Gibbon Take
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Eventually they come back home too: Vietnam Requiem
The subject is the Vietnam War combat veteran who has since been imprisoned for committing violent crimes. We are told that combat veterans have been arrested at a rate that is almost twice that of nonveterans of the same age. And a Veterans’ Administration study concludes that the greater a veteran’s exposure to combat the more likely is his chance of being arrested or convicted.
On ABC Friday night (???)
Posted by: anna missed | Sep 15 2006 6:38 utc | 1
Billmon! what great quotations. I will write down my favorite regarding the actions of government during the empire of Justinian whose policies brought “the death of thousands, the poverty of millions, the ruin of cities, the desolation of provinces”.
Posted by: jlcg | Sep 15 2006 8:13 utc | 2
Brilliant. Made this morning’s coffee memorable. Thanks.
Posted by: Noirette | Sep 15 2006 9:45 utc | 3
She is state’s oldest war casualty in 50 years
Waukesha – An Army reservist who has become the oldest Wisconsin war casualty in at least 50 years told family members that she worried about being too old and poorly trained for combat.
“We had no idea why she was there,” said Lorraine Stevenson, a cousin of Merideth Howard of Waukesha, who was killed Friday in Afghanistan, five months after her unit arrived there.
Howard was 52 years old, making her also the oldest female military member from anywhere in the United States killed in action since U.S. military operations began in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Posted by: John Francis Lee | Sep 15 2006 11:01 utc | 4
Republicans: Fellow travelers and fifth columnists.
Posted by: Doran Williams | Sep 15 2006 14:19 utc | 6
Thank you beq.
I apologize for the empty link.
I usually test them but…
Posted by: John Francis Lee | Sep 15 2006 16:40 utc | 8
my favourite Gibbon (from memory)
“The decline of genius soon led to the corruption of taste”
Posted by: ed_finnerty | Sep 15 2006 18:32 utc | 10
Very nice.
Although I have been aware that the US has been imitating the downward-spiral policies of late Rome, I had not set about researching it point for point.
Thank you very much.
From a militay-political standpoint the prospects of the US are doubtful. When one includes the financial, economic, and environmental standpoints–for the last two of which I am unaware of any Roman parallel–our prospects are much worse than that.
Posted by: Gaianne | Sep 16 2006 1:21 utc | 11
I suppose I should ask Sgt.Star (even if he can be something of a shill… that guy will just talk to anyone!)whether lowered enlistment standards are producing a degenerate military force akin to the maladjusted rabble that represented other declining empires… but things between he and I have been a little uncomfortable since I declined my last invitation to attend a US ARMY sponsored video game party. It was just so awkward; I couldn’t remember whether it would be appropriate to bring a red or white wine to participate in simulated, sanitized slaughter and drag racing.
If Sgt. Star and I were still close, I would definitely ask him if this approach weren’t a little self-fulfilling… for instance, I’d be hard pressed to be offended by any faux pas at my next dinner soirée if the guest list had been culled nearly exclusively from attendees of the latest Hell’s Angel rally. But dammit… my soirées should at least be learning experiences for them! Every petty crook should know that small, concealable arms go to the right of the place setting!
Posted by: Monolycus | Sep 16 2006 5:26 utc | 12