It was fun. Thanks, Kip.

I have friends who are serving in the military right now. MoBear is due back in April. I have friends who have returned from service – TheCoast got back in November. And I’ve lost a friend in the war, too:

Adam didn’t make it back.I don’t hate the troops. I hate their mission(s). Maybe it’s selfish. I dunno. But I have friends who have served and survived, friends who are serving now, and friends who have paid that ultimate price. Do I hate the choices that they have made? The sacrifices that they have paid? No.

To be consistent, I can’t do that. It’s the intention of their honor that I evaluate. I, myself, only having become what I consider enlightened at the ripe old age of 25 or 26, I cannot possibly fault my brethren for the decisions they made at an even younger, and hopefully dumber, point in their lives.

Do I wish that they didn’t have to do whatever they’re obliged to do, for us me? Of course I do. But hindsight is 20/20. We can always talk about what might’ve been; what should’ve been. What, if anything, could I change? Well, I’d hope that my “enlightenment” might’ve come at an earlier date, that perhaps I could’ve influenced the decisions that my friends made. But I can’t change any of that now, and I can’t judge the substance of their character on the basis of such variables. Had I the opportunity(s), I’d have voiced my opinions. I’d have tried my damndest.

Does this change anything? Adam is still buried, his wife still widowed. I gain nothing from desecrating the mission towards which he gave his life. Is it inconsistent of me, to weigh this price, not against its costs, but against its sought ends? Perhaps. But I can’t fault good men, for making bad decisions, that I likely would’ve made, given the circumstances. I was one family member away from enlisting after 9/11 – an uncle lives and works very close to ground zero.

Did I consider it? I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t. In hindsight, I can justify my stance, because of what I know now. The problem is, that I didn’t know that much then. So, perhaps a fortune of circumstance. But I don’t see it that way. When TheCoast was over there, and even now, when MoBear is over there, I wish that I could do something to protect them – they’re my friends, after all, and I want to protect them.

Problem is: it’s too late to protect them from the greatest danger to their lives – the State.

How about this quote:

“I feel comfortable enough in my masculinity to say that if I had to stand in the presence of these men for more than ten seconds, I’d spontaneously grow a pair of ovaries.”

So, without further adieu, has anyone seen 300 yet? I totally want to see it. And I’m going to go see it regardless of what you tell me, because I remember learning about the battle of Thermopylae in ninth grade world history class. And I was amazed. Absolutely stunned by the story of the 300 – which in fact was probably closer to a few thousand, but either way, they were significantly outnumbered. On the order of 30:1.

Throw in a pinch of 2006 CGI (the movie was filmed in Montreal, against blue-screens) and you’ve got yourself a recipe for one seriously bad ass movie. I think it’s showing on IMAX nearby…