A former U.S. Army intel troop was arrested in the process of trying to get to Somalia, where he allegedly dreamed of living out his days eating lizards in the bush with Al-Shabaab and dying with a rusty Kalashnikov in his hands.
You'll forgive me for noting that, as ambitions go, that's kinda lame.
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I agree if it's by Souza, but 18th century German and Swedish military music is decent enough.
ReplyDeletePuts me a cleaning mood. handy that.
Sorta like that line attributed to a Brit FitRep; "Sets low standards and then fails to meet them."
ReplyDeleteKids these days...
Because Sharia is AWESOME!!
ReplyDeleteI was hoping this guy had at least read The Man Who Would Be King or had some plans along the lines of The Mad Man of Mongolia. http://christopher-eger.suite101.com/themadbaronofmongolia-a1691
ReplyDeleteAlas, just another suburban Jedediah-wanna-be.
As a former Army Intelligence soldier, all I can say is HEADDESK.
ReplyDeleteA crypto nerd who spent too much time on his computer and thought he was going to live out a video game. Leaving his ass in Somalia would be a better punishment than prison.
ReplyDeleteUngern-Sternberg: like Custer, only with a jillion times more Baltic craziness. (And not the good craziness, either.)
ReplyDeletewv: unfelt. You felt it, it can't be unfelt
Keep in mind that military intelligence is about the second largest branch, after Infantry.
ReplyDeleteWith a large population, the tail of the distribution can extend pretty far. "Going Native" is an occupational hazard of Intelligence.
I had the rationale behind the military methods of the old Soviet Union explained to me over and over. I had to play the Soviet side in our war games(centered for our unit on the Fulda Gap). I had some uniforms that we used to train soldiers on what their enemy would look like, and how they should search prisoners(where are the discrete pockets). They would have been a formidable foe.
In situations like that, if you are not well balanced, you appreciation becomes admiration.
What was the attraction? The seventy-two virgins, or did the free Super Sham Wow clinch the deal?
ReplyDeletePretty sure the attraction is like the attraction of retirement to a working man.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to think, you don't have to doubt. All the hornets and wasps that haunt our shallow craniums are anesthanized.
Like I've said before, "There's stupid, and then there's Intel stupid..."
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the MI-types who were going to Florida to meet Jesus when he arrived in his flying saucer. Or the 98J who drive into East Germany in a jeep full of laptop with SCI on the hard drive.
Or what's his name, The Wikileaker.
I love Sousa. Especially "The Liberty Bell March."
ReplyDeleteHey! As an old band nerd, over here at the Right of the Line, with The Colors...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, one of my housemates has preserved his old rose-and-dagger collar badge from the Army. Not only that, but he later worked for An Agency. I will take my oath before the Throne of God that he is even weirder than I am. He also has _lots_ of cool books. Yay!
WV: clues. Yes, somebody should have noticed the clues, there.
@anonymous at 4:15. "Fairest of the Fair" is better; more subtle, more melodious, more earnest and serious but also having a touch of sardonic humor. I think of Tam when I hear it, and not just because she is a Person of Paleness.
ReplyDeleteP.s. You should try "Daughters of Texas."
P.s. "Fairest of the Fair" did not start out as a regimental march, but was copy-pasted from tunes in Sousa's operetta of the same name. Not only did Sousa compose a _lot_ of operettas, he also produced some excellent waltzes.
ReplyDeleteWV: pigcwync. Mike Z, is that you, inserting some kind of Welsh cuss word in here?
Hey.. I was a 98J and we of the ASA did not deem ourselves as part of regular MI lol
ReplyDeleteBut that Souza guy wrote the theme song for "Monty Python". So, thats pretty good.
ReplyDeletegregg
Spud: The rest of us 98s didn't want to associate with you anyway...
ReplyDeleteFirst tune I learned to play on my trombone was "Stars & Stripes Forever"
ReplyDeleteUlises from CA
There is even a Sousa march for Bill Clinton: "Our Flirtations." During Billy Jeff's second inaugural, one of the bands played "The Bride-Elect."
ReplyDeleteNow, for The Won, you are going to have to go to Karl King. I recommend "Barnum and Bailey's Favorite."
WV: omiwo. Yes, I do tend to say "Oh, my! Woe!" a bit more these days.
Yup, looks like Karl King circus marches are just the thing for Barry. There is "Grandioso", and "Prince Charming", "The Purple Carnival", and "Entry of the Gladiators" (like, bread and circuses?).
ReplyDelete