Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader is an even handed leader much of the time. In that spirit we get this message from a loyal (but not like-minded) minion.

From: Victor Littlebear
To: Maximum Leader
Subject: The Bushiad and The Idyossey

The Bushiad and The Idyossey
I think this may be right up your alley

Victor Littlebear

Your Maximum Leader responds: Thank you Victor for the link to your site. While your Maximum Leader doesn’t share your political views, he does tip is floppy (bejeweled) cap in your direction for writing such a great peice of satire. Your Maximum Leader even sees that your site was lauded by that recent Palme D’Or winner, Michael Moore. Your Maximum Leader is sure that the Minister of Propaganda will really enjoy this.

Carry on.

FPS = First Person Shooter. It’s the type of game first popularized by Castle Wolfenstein and Doom. And, yes, the US Army has published one such game. Check out the homepage here, and the free download site here.

… and there are a lot of them here. History nuts, that is.

It’s an official Naval photographic gallery of historical events. click here. Dig around on the web site, though. Lots of stuff in directories that don’t appear to be linked. Click here for a directory listing of all sorts of things. All related to Naval photos, with some Leathernecks and Jarheads throw in for good measure.

Lastly, a site that lists U.S. Navy ships Listed by Name. I don’t think it’s a complete list as it doesn’t seem to have recent subs. Not sure what else is missing, but it’s damn huge none the less. It includes a brief history of the ship, and some photos. My personal favorite is the Yorktown.

There have been a series or articles in the media and stories on TV and radio this weekend that have tried to shed WWII in new light. Mostly, to me, it seems like Boomers are trying to understand the war and falling short.

Here’s an essay by Anne Applebaum on the Warsaw Uprising. Here’s a book review or Matthew Parkers book on the Battle of Monte Cassino. The Foreign Minister here may attribute this trend to “The Liberal Media” and maybe he’s right. I don’t know. I tend to see it as more generatioal. These two stories are from the Washington Post, a liberal media source, so take that for what it’s worth.

The trend goes like this. A Boomer writes an article on WWII Realizing “Hey, it wasn’t glorious. Rather, it was nasty, mean, cruel, and sometimes ambiguous.” This then leads to the conclusion “You want to glorify the war, but it wasn’t like that at all.”

Let me illuminate Boomers as to why we glorify the Greatest Generation, and why WWII stands tall in our minds and hearts. The task facing America was mean, nasty and all consuming. It also was a fight that needed to be fought. And the Greatest Generation comming from a cynical depressed America that still remembered WWI laid down everything they had to fight the fight. They went to war sacrificing dreams, hopes and lives for a greater cause. We all bask in the glory of their achievment daily through exercise of freedoms, liberties and the prosperity that America achieved following the war.

Reading Applebaums column is like watching a kid finally understand 1+1=2. “Oh my GOD” she realizes at the end

Perhaps there is no such thing as an entirely “good war” after all.

THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT! WWII vets knew that it would be horrible going in, but they went anyway because it was the right thing to do. People who stayed at home put aside their lives to contribute to the War effort. Yes, Ann, “In fact, for millions of people, World War II had no happy ending. It had no ending at all.” In the words of Henry Higgins, By Jove, I think She’s Got it!

WWII was a fight against horrible evil that killed tens of millions. And we sacrificed big time. It was a horrible time on the planet. And we overcame. Big Time. That’s the whole point. We don’t glorify it because it was a fun party. The GI’s didn’t head to Guadalcanal expecting a Luau. They went knowing they could die. And they may have been ambivalent about the ideology behind the whole thing, but the knew one thing. They knew they were on the right side.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader just doesn’t have any blog in him today. So rather than the pithy commentary you are used to allow your Maximum Leader to just to a pityful link dump.

But before the link dump… Your Maximum Leader, Mrs. Villain, and the Villainettes were pleased to host the Minister of Agriculture, Mrs. Smallholder, and Smallholderette to the Villainschloss. We feasted on venison hunted on the Smallholder’s small hold, and had a breakfast of eggs from the Smallholder’s chickens. It was good to have them here, and we hope to see them again very soon. (Probably pretty soon as Mrs. Villain is likely to deliver the little Villain any day now.)

On to the link dump…

Your Maximum Leader figures you all are paying close attention to the housing plight of the Poet Laureate. You’re not? Well read all about it here and here.

You know something… Your Maximum Leader really likes that Dr. Rusty Shackleford. He again linked to your Maximum Leader in a very funny link dump of his own. If you haven’t seen the good Dr’s recent post containing all of the war posters you need to. Of course, as propaganda posters go, few are as good as Soviet posters. Indeed, the Minister of Agriculture has one of his own… Which reminds your Maximum Leader of a wonderful exhibit he saw at the Guggenheim in New York years ago. It was a great collection of new socialist realism art and architecture.

Speaking of art exhibits. This is one your Maximum Leader will endeavour to see when it comes to DC.

Of course film is an art form… But is the presence of Jennifer Love Hewitt (aka: the “Sex” Goddess of the MWO) in this film enough to make your Maximum Leader want to see it? Probably not. But if one of the Villainettes really wanted to see it badly, he could be talked into taking them to a matinee.

Speaking of sex… Your Maximum Leader knows it isn’t his most recent post. (Which is here and very good.) But thoughtful post. Of course, being an intelligent woman, Andi mentions that she reads this site, and tips her sword to your Maximum Leader for reading the Illiad. Your Maximum Leader does prefer the poetic rendering as well, Andi. But the prose is making for a good read too.

Do you minions ever read this site off the blog roll? You should. Some days there is something so funny there it makes your Maximum Leader’s day.

What’s this? You mean that Halliburton isn’t winning every new government contract worth over $50,000! Damnit… Congress should investigate this.

Is your Maximum Leader the only one who thinks that the Iraqi Governing Council dissolving itself and turning power over to the new interim government with a minimum of whining is a good sign? Yeah they didn’t have much choice in the matter. But they really didn’t fuss much.

Read Derb’s May Diary. If for no other reason than your Maximum Leader respects his knowledge of martial poetry. If only there were a collection of such poems….

Why can your Maximum Leader, a hockey fan, not get all caught up in the playoffs? He doesn’t know. Go Flames! Your Maximum Leader needs to find something he likes about Canada right now. (Okay, other than Skippy.) They certainly aren’t acting like our friendly neighbours to the north.

And if your Maximum Leader may quibble with the good Dr. Burgess-Jackson. Isn’t it “buck-nekkid” and not “buck-naked?” We ought to try and get the dialect correct.

And if you have ever needed a quick bunch of definitions concerning naked, nekkid and such. Allow your Maximum Leader to use the definitions provided to him by the good Keith Roots. (Who, by the way, should contact your Maximum Leader if he is reading this.) Nude is the artistic state of being without clothing. Naked is the normal state of being without clothing. Nekkid is the state of being without clothing coupled with vigourous action.

And finally, regardless of what she says. Anna is the shit.

Carry on.

I am not Rance, although that would explain why I never have any time to post here. I was not aware of his blog; I enjoyed reading it and thank Maximum Leader for drawing it to my attention.

Believe.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader has been a little caught up in thinking about the Trojan War. Why? Well, there has been lots of hubub around the movie and it got your Maximum Leader to thinking that he ought to re-read “The Illiad.” (NB: Your Maximum Leader has not yet seen the film.)

Your Maximum Leader must make a confession. He last read “The Illiad” in high school. He did read excerpts and passages in college. But the first (and so far only) time he read the whole epic was in high school. It has always been on his list of books to re-read. But he never made time.

He is making time now. And let him tell you some of his thoughts.

Achilles isn’t as much of a whiner as your Maximum Leader remembered. When he first read the poem he was convinced that the only two worthwhile characters in the work were Hector and Odysseus. And while he still thinks that Hector and Odysseus are the two most noble characters. Achilles is getting a makeover in his mind. Achilles is a bit sulky. But he is being wronged all the time by Aggamemnon. Who wouldn’t be a little sulky if you were the bravest warrior on your side (leading the most ferocious fighters on your side, the Myrimidons) and you were always being shortchanged on booty and prizes? Your Maximum Leader might get a little sulky even. Achilles is a proud man who’s ego is being constantly bruised by a lesser man - who happens to be the King.

Menalaus is coming off as much more of a wussy than your Maximum Leader recalled. He seems to be a weak-willed pawn in Aggamemnon’s game. He doesn’t seem terribly wronged by the fact that it was his wife that was stolen away by Paris.

Paris still strikes your Maximum Leader as a pansy-assed wussy who can start a war, but is too much of a pretty-boy coward to fight.

Hector and Odysseus are still great.

Aggamemnon is a greedy, self-serving tyrant who is really starting to annoy your Maximum Leader.

And one more thought… Your Maximum Leader is reading two copies of “The Illiad” more or less simultaneously. One is a rendering as epic poem, the other a rendering in prose. Wow! What a difference it makes. While your Maximum Leader reads the prose ersion much faster, the respects the poetic rendering a lot. It makes you really respect the talents of the translator. Your Maxmimum Leader is sure the poetry is so much harder to get right than the prose. It is an impressive accomplishment.

Carry on.

Its good to know that there are sites like this and this that give you a greater perspective (from somebody on the ground in IRAQ)about the good things that the United States is doing there.

Back to the Trenches

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader was just reading about how there all sorts of hullabalou in LA about the author of the Rance Blog.

Your Maximum Leader guesses that Rance is none other than our own Minister of Propaganda!

Carry on.

A guy named Kim with a last name pronounced “Twat”.

Hmmm.

That a GUY named KIM is making fun of names in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings?

or am I the only one getting a chuckle out of this…?

back to the trenches

Everyone here is a Python fan. Here is Eric Idle’s newest little tune. I don’t think the Maximum Leader will like it as much as the Kissenger song (or the lunberjack song - he seems to have an odd affinity for that ditty and frequently sings it while violating Deuteronomy’s instructions by donning traditional Scottish garb).

The difference I think is the perception of the viewer. I think that comparing the WW2 Memorial with the Vietnam & Korean memorials is comparing apples & oranges.

The Vietnam and Korean memorials are viewed in a “war is bad”, “anti-war”, and a “no war is a good war” light. We “lost” the Vietnam War and most people feel like it was unnecessary. The Korean War is our “forgotten war” and one that was never brought to conclusion. Both these memorials capture that sentiment and do so beautifully.

Enter the WW2 memorial.
This was a “good” war that had to be fought. The war was fought all over the globe and there was DEFINATELY a winner. It was costly in military, material, and civilian terms but there was no way to avoid it and it had to have been fought.
How do you capture all of aspects of WW2 in one memorial? I would argue that you can’t.
Do you spend the effort on memorializing the dead? The holocaust? The civilian casualties? The triumph of good over evil?

Not an easy task but most of the things I just mentioned are covered under other memorials.

I think that in the end, the monument pays tribute to the fallen, but just as importantly, validates and celebrates the victory all of the world’s survivors.

Back to the trenches….

I’ll reserve judgement until I see it for myself, but from what I hear the overall response is less than stellar.

Here’s an editorial from the post that pretty much typifies reactions to the WWII memorial. I’m torn on the subject. While it does look good in pictures, the most common criticism I hear is that it doesn’t connect with the visitor. The Vietnam memorial, and the Korean War Memorial are both very powerful for the visitor.

WWII represents the most important struggle in moddern times, and the seeming eternal theme of the modern world. The struggle against tyranny and opression. Yes, comming out of the Great Depression, the world was cynical, and things were not as black and white as they may seem in retrospect. But it’s hard toargue agains the evil that faced the world.

Nanking
Comfort Women
The Bataan Death March
Auschwitz
Dachau
“The Final Solution”
Hitler
Mengele
Eichman

and on and on

these represent evil pure and simple.

Yes, there was ambiguity, and attrocities were committed by the allies. Dresden for example. But that’s the nature of Total War. You can’t equate the Rooseveldt administration with the Nazi’s, or Imperial Japan.

But the task that generation faced, the sacrifices they made, and the success they achieved demand something special. An overblown, yet patriotic unfocused memorial just seems almost like an insult. I suppose a significant memorial is long overdue, and better this than nothing. Still, I wish they’d have gotten it right.

“For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here, in Normandy, the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.”

– President Ronald Reagan,

on the 40th anniversary of D-Day at Pointe du Hoc, France, June 6, 1984

Good editorial here on the “Greatest Generation” and the good fight they fought.