How does a rah rah WWII movie stack up against Afganistan?
Pretty well, Jack-- pretty well.
-- no retarded helicopter gunners nearly killed me when I was watching the movie
-- I didn't worry about anyone blowing me up while I waited in a huge line of trucks outside the gate, while I was in my living room enjoying the movie.
-- The food is pretty good at Bagram, but it's still better at home
--no camel spiders in the movie. Big plus. They are horrible.
-- Afghanistan was pretty, wish I was allowed to take pictures, but Utah is still prettier.
-- No one launched rockets in my direction while I enjoyed Cliff Robertson's sardonic wit. This is a big contrast to when I tried to watch "Full Metal Jacket" on the balcony-- the helicopters and HMMV's searching for the cowards in the field outside the base was very distracting.
-- The movie scenery looked nice and pleasant, climate-wise. Afghanistan was roughly a million degrees and the dirt has the consistency of talcum powder. Very bad. I had some breathing issues for a couple weeks after I came back.
-- The movie made me proud to be American, that I was able to watch a movie, that was filmed at leisure, about a worthwhile effort. Afghanistan inspired a great deal of ambivalence in me, Jack-- while I and the Afghanis I spoke to despise the Taliban's oppresssion, I have very mixed feelings about helping the NSA run Asia out of that facility. I really do, and I'm about as hawkish as they come on RME-- in service of people's freedom, that is.
-- Movie: entertaining, light, somewhat amusing. Afghanistan: serious as a heart attack, heavy man, heavy, not amusing in the least. Did like all the Toyota vehicles we can't have here-- favorite was the 100 Series Land Cruisers with diesels, straight axles, and offset barn doors. I REALLY would like one of those.
I'd say the movie wins... even counting the money that came with Afghanistan.
