August 14, 2004
Winston Review, No. 6
"It's fun to get together and have something good to eat at least once a day. That's what human life is all about - enjoying things."
The Winston Review is a Flea-feature intended to offer spirited, uplifting alternatives to the defeatists and apologists of the mainstream media. This week's Review honours Julia McWilliams, WWII "file clerk" with the OSS who would become famous as Julia Child (via Argghhh!!!).
After seven days' travel by train and seven days of orientation in California, Julia and several other women were issued gas masks, fatigues, bedrolls, canteens, and pith helmets. In Long Beach, as these female civilians boarded the ss Mariposa, a cruise ship converted to a troop ship, they were greeted by the loud music of a band and the raucous wolf whistles of 3,000 enlisted men.
Julia Child died this week having lived "a good, long life."
This week in the Red Box:
"PFC Jessica Lynn Nicholson - Someone You Should Know", Blackfive salutes an American bad ass (via Wince and Nod).
"The Soldier", Canadians Are Smug posts the most important thing I have read all week.
"In the Name of the Other", Alain Finkielkraut writes that we must be surprised by European anti-semitism for "Pessimism has no right to laziness, for even bad news can be news. Even demons can glow with the innocence of youth." (via The Shotgun)
"Game Plan", Stephen Green points out that "before 9/11, we almost always knew how to end a war."
"Fourth Estate = Fifth Column", Charles Johnson asks what the reaction would have been if WWII Allied wire services had "run photographs of bravely posing Waffen SS stormtroopers."
"An American Hiroshima", Nicholas Kristof writes on the all too real danger of nuclear terrorism. I have said it before: we are going to lose a city before we take this fight seriously. And even then the voice of Wormtongue will still make itself heard in the streets (via lgf).
"Another Egyptian 'CIA Agent' Beheading Video", mypetjawa carries images of the most recent victim of jihadist snuff film propaganda. It is increasingly obvious we preserve our sensitivities at our peril.
"While England Sleeps", George Osborne, noted Notting Hill Tory MP, argues success in the war is "not a cause for embarrassment but for celebration" (via Daimnation!).
"Battle Droid Death Rate", I just love the Rantburg tag-line. "Bush Lied, Droids Died!"
"Dan in the Desert", Dan Taxson "goes to Iraq to perform some mad civilian sysadmin skillz; will he come back or won't he?" (via Kevin who likes the domain name)
"Kill Moqtada al-Sadr" & "Kill Moqtada Al Sadr - Part Two", Michael Totten bolsters his case with a quote from Omar at Iraq the Model who "doesn't have much patience for the 'soft on fascism'."
Your courage. Your cheerfulness. Your resolution.
Will bring us Victory.
Is it just me, or does OSS Julia seem kinda...er, hot.
Posted by: RS at August 14, 2004 10:53 AM