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Happy Birthday, Joe Heller



Read Catch-22 and then tell me you support the Iraq War.

Not much time to write today, but relish these great insights from The Man -- all from Catch-22 :

Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.


Justice is a knee in the gut from the floor on the chin at night sneaky with a knife brought up down on the magazine of a battleship sandbagged underhanded in the dark without a word of warning. Garroting. That's what justice is.


War ... it paid well and liberated children from the pernicious influence of their parents.


Maybe a long life does have to be filled with many unpleasant conditions if it's to seem long. But in that event, who wants one?


Insanity is contagious.


Comments

  1. UnknownMay 10, 2008 at 2:51 AM

    I have, of course, read "Catch 22". I think all wars are a waste or lives and treasure, but in this present world in which we live, there is sometimes no apparent viable alternative.

    I am not sure that there was any viable alternative to the Iraq invasion. It may appear now that it was the wrong choice but it was not so overwhelmingly clear at the time. Having entered the fray it would be cowardly for us to turn and run now. What are the alternative actions that we can take if we do decide to try to stop military action? Who has a proposal for what we do if and when we start withdrawing troops while the situation in Iraq is still very unstable? Have you heard anyone, even Obama, address that as yet? I have not.

    It is all very well to take a very righteous view of the evils of war, but doing so falls on its face quickly when no workable alternatives are offered. Have any been offered that will not leave Iraq worse off?

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