Treebeard

Went to a Fourth of July thingy at the American Embassy in Amman yesterday. Not the true Fourth, but Sunday is the beginning of the work week here so one must make allowences, what with this being a different culture and all.

One such allowance was very much not made on the part of the 15 Marines providing interior security to the base. They hosted an after party thing in their barracks-compound thingy. (Barracks in name only. Read: Nicer than any apartment you've ever owned.) Had by reservations of course, but seeing the other side is always tempting so I went. Honest goodtimes were had. They were just dudes. Like us all. I'm sure you've met them before. Dudes.

But soft! Lack of tact! They had a quote printed on this eight foot long, four foot high plastic thingy meant to (I'm assuming) inspire.

The greatest happiness is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see those dear to them bathed in tears, to clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters.

Tactful, right? No, this isn't deepend me applying that as a microcosm for all our military everywhere. But that's rude, right? Even tounge-in-cheek, that's not so neat. No Jordanian nationals are really gonna see it, it being behind the walls of the American embassy and all. But seen or not, that type of behaviour is just boogan.

They can be as boogan as the want. It's their Right. Free Speech, brother! Hooray! We died in the muck for this! Tis true, tis true. But lotsa Jordanians are convinced, honestly, sincerely convined, that the Khan quote is the U.S. government's unspoken mission statement in the Arab world. They've asked me. Not about the quote, being the unspoken objective and all, but about the message therein. The boogan-endorsed message therein.

Such is the moral high ground of protection from all enemies foreign and domestic.

No, just hanging out. Naw, it's cool guys, it's cool. Good times first, right? Let's not talk about stuff like that, it's a holiday, you know? Let's just hang, how you doing? You like country? No, salsa's better for dancing...

And the tan guy in the tank top with the biggest cannons, his arms nuclear silos to my straws...yeah, that guy. See, I've still got more manhood than that guy. Cos of the two of us, I was the only one not wearing a fanny pack.

.......

Letzter Funf

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