I’ve been suspicious of the group called the Patriot Guard Riders who show up in the news about funeral services for fallen American soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan. They ride mostly Harley Davidsons, wear the usual do-rags and sleeveless denim vests, and fly gigantic American flags from the backs of their bikes.
They say they attend to honor the fallen but also to protect families from vocal anti-war demonstrators. They shield the families with their giant flags, and if demonstrators get too loud, they fire up their bikes to drown out the noise.
What anti-war demonstrators?
All of this smells faintly of the persistent rumors over the years of Vietnam veterans who were spit on when they returned home. No one can say with certainty that this never happened, but I’ve looked into it a little and it seems to be an urban myth. I can say that I frequently flew in uniform on commercial airlines when I was in the Army from 1967 to 1970, and I never saw an anti-war demonstration at an airport. Personally, I was met with complete indifference, even when I flew into San Francisco airport after my tour in Vietnam.
But last night after reading about yet another funeral of an Oregon soldier, I tried to find out what I could about the Patriot Guard Riders. It turns out they’re an informal network of biker types and a lot of Vietnam vets with links to the American Legion. They offer to attend military funerals but only show up with an invitation.
What was amazing to me is that they did form up in response to outrageous demonstrations at funerals, but not by your typical anti-war activists. Here’s an excerpt from a Time magazine story:
“They formed as a response to the Rev. Fred Phelps, an attention-crazed fanatic based in Topeka, Kans., who has logged 15 years as a kind of paleo-fundamentalist, gay-baiting performance artist. Last spring Phelps grabbed the already troubling line, taken by preachers such as Pat Robertson, that disasters like 9/11 were God's punishment for American sins, and spun it past the boundary of the outrageous by having his followers crash military funerals with signs like GOD LOVES IEDS (improvised explosive devices) and scream to grieving parents that their children were in hell as divine punishment for what Phelps calls the nation's "enabling" and "harboring" of homosexuals.”
Phelps hates “fags,” and his congregation of under a hundred makes news by gay-bashing their way around the country blaming 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and even the war itself on American tolerance, such as it is, for gays. They even carry signs saying “God hates America.”
I guess in crazy times you’re going to hear a lot more from crazy people.
Here’s a link to the whole article:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1189333,00.html
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Wild Hogs
Last night, Mary had dinner with a group of women friends, so, left to my own devices, I decided to go out to a movie, something I rarely do. I decided to see Wild Hogs, which I knew would be at best good for a few mindless chuckles. Actually, I enjoy mindless chuckles. Austin Powers movies, for example, crack me up. And Wild Hogs has motorcycles in it, even if they are Harley Davidsons.
I certainly had some good laughs, but overall, it’s a very poor comedy. I had hopes because John Travolta is, in my mind, best as a comic actor, and William Macy is always worth seeing. Still, the writing was mostly terrible and even the best of actors couldn’t do much with the material.
The funniest part of the movie for me was the ending, and I was surprised to find myself the only one laughing. Our four heroes, off on a middle-aged motorcycle odyssey to rediscover their lost youth and freedom, find themselves in a small New Mexico town being trashed by a gang of outlaw bikers. Just when it seems that all hope is lost, in rides the Shane character on his Harley.
We see only his boots and leathers as he steps off. And then, Peter Fonda walks into the fray and tells the bikers to leave the town alone; they have lost the meaning of freedom and what it means to be a biker.
I certainly had some good laughs, but overall, it’s a very poor comedy. I had hopes because John Travolta is, in my mind, best as a comic actor, and William Macy is always worth seeing. Still, the writing was mostly terrible and even the best of actors couldn’t do much with the material.
The funniest part of the movie for me was the ending, and I was surprised to find myself the only one laughing. Our four heroes, off on a middle-aged motorcycle odyssey to rediscover their lost youth and freedom, find themselves in a small New Mexico town being trashed by a gang of outlaw bikers. Just when it seems that all hope is lost, in rides the Shane character on his Harley.
We see only his boots and leathers as he steps off. And then, Peter Fonda walks into the fray and tells the bikers to leave the town alone; they have lost the meaning of freedom and what it means to be a biker.
The outlaws look like a playground full of chastised bullies, and I’m laughing my ass off because I know immediately that Peter Fonda is Easy Rider. It was a great visual allusion, and the film gets credit for not explaining it to the uninitiated.
When the lights go up, I look around and see that I’m the only person in the theater old enough to have seen Easy Rider and know what an icon it became for our generation. I felt like I sometimes do when I’m lecturing and my mind wanders off to some reference that’s not going to make sense to anybody under fifty. Most of the time, I don’t bother to try to explain.
My friend Broschat recently sent me a special edition DVD of Easy Rider, one of his unannounced and unexplained gifts that show up now and then. (Thanks, Michael!) I haven’t got around to watching it yet, and now that sounds like a great way to spend this rainy and cold Saturday afternoon.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Spring ride
Spring has arrived in the Klamath Basin with its usual mix of cold weather, rain, wind, and an occasional snow. When the weather is like this and you love a good motorcycle ride, you have to jump on it when the sun comes out.
One day last week, my friend Jim Stewart called early in the morning and asked if I wanted to go for a ride somewhere. Absolutely!
Jim has a new BMW K1200 RS and we rode from Klamath Falls over to Medford together. The roads were clear of snow but dirty. I was taking it pretty easy, which was a good thing because a turkey flew across the road in front of me. It wasn’t even a close call, but we always have to be on the lookout for wildlife when we ride around here. Deer are the usual close call. I would not want my obit to read "killed by a turkey," though I suppose that could always happen. There are a lot of turkeys out there, though this is my first incident with one that had feathers.
One day last week, my friend Jim Stewart called early in the morning and asked if I wanted to go for a ride somewhere. Absolutely!
Jim has a new BMW K1200 RS and we rode from Klamath Falls over to Medford together. The roads were clear of snow but dirty. I was taking it pretty easy, which was a good thing because a turkey flew across the road in front of me. It wasn’t even a close call, but we always have to be on the lookout for wildlife when we ride around here. Deer are the usual close call. I would not want my obit to read "killed by a turkey," though I suppose that could always happen. There are a lot of turkeys out there, though this is my first incident with one that had feathers.
We stopped at Hanson’s Motorcycles in Medford, where I got to drool over several new bikes. I’m not seriously thinking about anything new. My VFR is a great motorcycle and still has low miles. Still, there are close to a dozen new bikes on the market that I can get excited about.
We had lunch in Ashland, then went down I-5 over the Siskiyous to the Klamath River Road. We rode in about fifty miles, then took a short break and rode back home. Probably about 250-mile day.
We had lunch in Ashland, then went down I-5 over the Siskiyous to the Klamath River Road. We rode in about fifty miles, then took a short break and rode back home. Probably about 250-mile day.
Jim with his new new K1200RSThe pace got brisk in places, breaking 100 on the straights and pretty fast through the turns. Then we got stuck behind a guy in a car, and I was just starting to get wizzy because he wouldn't pull over to let us pass when a CHP went by coming towards us. I figure God put that car there to spare me an expensive ticket. Thank you, Jesus!
Today, it's cold and rainy again, but that's spring in Oregon. I hang around motorcycle web forums and plan trips. I really should do some dusting.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Surge Update
Watched two disturbing programs on PBS last night: one on The Gangs of Iraq.
About all I can say is what a fucking mess. The more you know, the worse it gets. I felt personal humiliation watching an American contract trainer and self-described “inspirational speaker” in a session with Iraqi police recruits.
“Let me hear you say Freedom!” They say freedom.
He exhorts them to say it louder: “FREEDOM!” They do.
This goes on like a high school pep rally through about five iterations. At the end he makes them repeat an improvised pledge of allegiance to the Iraqi flag, which looks like it’s been crudely painted as a wall poster.
The rest of the program documented the infiltration of Iraqi police and army units by militias and the steady deterioration of security in Iraq since our invasion. It was gritty stuff. You won’t see footage like this on NBC or ABC. CBS I couldn’t say since even the sight of Katie Couric makes me gag.
But the scene that stands out in my mind most is not the mutilated bodies or the deserted Iraqi police stations. It’s the idiot cheer leader trying to get a roomful of Iraqi police to shout “freedom!” just a little bit louder.
The second program was an amazing film made by PBS but entirely produced by and about Richard Perle, one of the neocon architects of the war. (So much for the PBS “liberal bias.”) Perle was adamant that neocons still passionately believe we were right to invade Iraq. He rehashes the WMD evidence. He never quite acknowledges that we got that wrong, saying only that even the Germans and French agreed on the intelligence. Even Hillary agreed on the links to terrorists.
Who cares? The Germans and the French opposed the invasion. Hillary is not my role model and she doesn’t speak for me or all Democrats.
For what it's worth, I’m proud that all of Oregon’s congressional Democrats voted against the war: Senator Ron Wyden and four Representatives. Most Americans opposed the invasion until they were tricked into believing we were a multinational coalition. Now that the war grinds on into its fifth year, the situation still “grave and deteriorating,” most Americans have turned against Bush and his few remaining Congressional allies.
Who cares even about that? I feel terrible for the troops, now getting news their tours have been extended to 15 months. In Vietnam, we knew our DEROS: “Date Returned from Overseas.” Mine was May 2, 1969. Every day I blacked out one more date on my calendar. When you had a month or less, you were short. Shortimers didn’t take shit.
I feel even worse for the Iraqis, the vast majority of which want us to leave now. Fifty-thousand Iraqis a month leave Iraq, most of them from the more educated professional classes who have decided it’s time to DEROS themselves out of there while they still can. Soon, only the cannibals will be left.
I admit I stopped watching the Perle propaganda film half way through and went to bed to read a fluffy novel. I needed some time to get my mind back.
For someone who devours news,opinion, and analysis, I’m lately spending less and less time on anything related to current affairs. The war will go on just as it has until Bush leaves office. Someone else will have to seek for a way to disengage. Not redeploy. Get the fuck out. And then the fighting will go on for another century or so, and back here, everybody will be blaming somebody else for losing Iraq.
Any chance I could be wrong about all this? I can only say to myself that I’ve been right so far. I know I won’t live long enough to see it all play out.
About all I can say is what a fucking mess. The more you know, the worse it gets. I felt personal humiliation watching an American contract trainer and self-described “inspirational speaker” in a session with Iraqi police recruits.
“Let me hear you say Freedom!” They say freedom.
He exhorts them to say it louder: “FREEDOM!” They do.
This goes on like a high school pep rally through about five iterations. At the end he makes them repeat an improvised pledge of allegiance to the Iraqi flag, which looks like it’s been crudely painted as a wall poster.
The rest of the program documented the infiltration of Iraqi police and army units by militias and the steady deterioration of security in Iraq since our invasion. It was gritty stuff. You won’t see footage like this on NBC or ABC. CBS I couldn’t say since even the sight of Katie Couric makes me gag.
But the scene that stands out in my mind most is not the mutilated bodies or the deserted Iraqi police stations. It’s the idiot cheer leader trying to get a roomful of Iraqi police to shout “freedom!” just a little bit louder.
The second program was an amazing film made by PBS but entirely produced by and about Richard Perle, one of the neocon architects of the war. (So much for the PBS “liberal bias.”) Perle was adamant that neocons still passionately believe we were right to invade Iraq. He rehashes the WMD evidence. He never quite acknowledges that we got that wrong, saying only that even the Germans and French agreed on the intelligence. Even Hillary agreed on the links to terrorists.
Who cares? The Germans and the French opposed the invasion. Hillary is not my role model and she doesn’t speak for me or all Democrats.
For what it's worth, I’m proud that all of Oregon’s congressional Democrats voted against the war: Senator Ron Wyden and four Representatives. Most Americans opposed the invasion until they were tricked into believing we were a multinational coalition. Now that the war grinds on into its fifth year, the situation still “grave and deteriorating,” most Americans have turned against Bush and his few remaining Congressional allies.
Who cares even about that? I feel terrible for the troops, now getting news their tours have been extended to 15 months. In Vietnam, we knew our DEROS: “Date Returned from Overseas.” Mine was May 2, 1969. Every day I blacked out one more date on my calendar. When you had a month or less, you were short. Shortimers didn’t take shit.
I feel even worse for the Iraqis, the vast majority of which want us to leave now. Fifty-thousand Iraqis a month leave Iraq, most of them from the more educated professional classes who have decided it’s time to DEROS themselves out of there while they still can. Soon, only the cannibals will be left.
I admit I stopped watching the Perle propaganda film half way through and went to bed to read a fluffy novel. I needed some time to get my mind back.
For someone who devours news,opinion, and analysis, I’m lately spending less and less time on anything related to current affairs. The war will go on just as it has until Bush leaves office. Someone else will have to seek for a way to disengage. Not redeploy. Get the fuck out. And then the fighting will go on for another century or so, and back here, everybody will be blaming somebody else for losing Iraq.
Any chance I could be wrong about all this? I can only say to myself that I’ve been right so far. I know I won’t live long enough to see it all play out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)