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-Obits-
Hitchens: A Death in the Family
2007-10-06
Bring a bottle of excellent whisky and a case of Kleenex.
Posted by:Seafarious

#13  Thanks, TW. I did read it all, and it's way better than I thought.
Posted by: Bobby   2007-10-06 17:34  

#12  Each time I saw a friend "buy the farm" or knew of a fellow flier that had strapped on his last F-4, I knew that they were part of a special breed. Some at risk for love of country. Some for an undefineable sense of duty. Some for the love of flying and, yup, even for a check (so they said). But these bright eyed, death defiers, could have been or done anything they wanted but they chose to serve. Shed not a tear of sorrow or harbor an ounce of regret Mr. Hitchens, you simply stirred the sleeping soul of an American. As long as we have the Lt. Dailys of the world we can sleep safely at night. You are both in my prayers as I sleep soundly tonight.
Posted by: Total War   2007-10-06 14:51  

#11  Well Mr. Hitchens, you could always pray to God for forgiveness for the influence your words had on sending this young man to war......

oh wait.....

You sorta burned that bridge, didn't ya?
Posted by: mcsegeek1   2007-10-06 14:37  

#10  Well said, Mike N. Bobby dear, we all have our moments, but we know you're one of the good guys. Go take the lovely Mrs. Bobby for a walk or shopping or something, and come back refreshed.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-10-06 13:46  

#9  Perhaps I missed the point, of got up on the wrong side of the computer this morning.

Oh, and Excalibur - thanks for your insightful comment. I'll try to improve.
Posted by: Bobby   2007-10-06 13:03  

#8  Two words come to mind whenever I read an article like this.

Can't lose.

A country that produces citizens like Mark hundreds of thousands of times over can't lose.

America. Can't. Lose.
Posted by: Mike N.   2007-10-06 12:57  

#7  Exactly, P2K.

I thought, Well, here we are to perform the last honors for a warrior and hero, and there are no hysterical ululations, no shrieks for revenge, no insults hurled at the enemy, no firing into the air or bogus hysterics. Instead, an honest, brave, modest family is doing its private best. I hope no fanatical fool could ever mistake this for weakness. It is, instead, a very particular kind of strength. If America can spontaneously produce young men like Mark, and occasions like this one, it has a real homeland security instead of a bureaucratic one. To borrow some words of George Orwell's when he first saw revolutionary Barcelona, "I recognized it immediately as a state of affairs worth fighting for."
Posted by: Seafarious   2007-10-06 11:10  

#6  Bobby,

It's not about Hitchens or Daily. It's about ourselves. The mourning for 'Diana' was one big narcissistic declaration about some people's dreams. The dream died. The obit for Daily was about affirming the fundamental core of who we are. That lives.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2007-10-06 09:58  

#5  Bobby, you have bigger problems to deal with than your spelling.
Posted by: Excalibur   2007-10-06 09:11  

#4  ...worried about it? Preview is your friend, but only if you use it after you add one more thought.
Posted by: Bobby   2007-10-06 07:55  

#3  Sorry, I couldn't get past the first page. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances. My best friend in high school was killed on a motorcycle before he graduated. He didn't even get a chance to try to change the world. Do you think the folks at Honda worroed about it?
Posted by: Bobby   2007-10-06 07:54  

#2  True soldiers enjoy the rush of battle. I can understand why some people crave being in the thick of armed conflict. We need them. We should devise rules of engagement that advance their survival.
Posted by: McZoid   2007-10-06 06:31  

#1  Hitchens didn't kill him---PC killed him.
Posted by: gromgoru   2007-10-06 03:45  

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