Happy Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we are grateful to the dozens of readers who suggested names for anti-military types who criticize our military and think they know how to do the job better. A few of the best (clean) entries:

“Mainstream media,” “Microphone cowboys,” “Chair-a-troopers” and “Chair-borne Rangers.” Michael offered “John Kerry,” and Joyce proposed “traitors.” Keeping the avian theme, we had “wingless doves,” “quails” and “perplexed geese.”

This Thanksgiving we are grateful to the dozens of readers who suggested names for anti-military types who criticize our military and think they know how to do the job better. A few of the best (clean) entries:

“Mainstream media,” “Microphone cowboys,” “Chair-a-troopers” and “Chair-borne Rangers.” Michael offered “John Kerry,” and Joyce proposed “traitors.” Keeping the avian theme, we had “wingless doves,” “quails” and “perplexed geese.”

Phil improved our vocabulary: Sciolist, from sciolism, noun: Superficial knowledge or show of learning. Inkhorn, adjective: Affectedly or ostentatiously learned or pedantic. Bulverist, from bulverism: coined by C.S. Lewis to describe the act of telling a person why they are wrong before proving them wrong.

Morrie went with TERSYMPS (from the Cold War “comsymps” or communist sympathizers) and PATRINOTS. Two people proposed “Fifth Estate,” a cross between Fourth Estate and Fifth Column.

Vietnam vets took both sides. Gilbert wrote, “I propose the sobriquet bequeathed by the grunts in ‘Nam to all of their beloved uniformed far to the rear second guessers: REMFs – Rear Echelon Misinformed Fools (although many in Vietnam felt the MF stood for something else that polite conversation prohibits me from mentioning).” Stewart, however, suggested we, “Learn HOW combat vets use the term ‘chicken hawk’ before discussing the concept.”

Thank you to Sid, Irwin, Ivan and Lloyd for the kind words.

A special note to Tommy, who thought we shouldn’t make light of a serious subject and worried that we would become the sneering people of whom we disapprove. There is a time and place for levity, without it the world of terrorism, hatred and violence against the innocent would be intolerable. We try to stay sincere. And in that vein, our Thanksgiving note:

We are grateful to soldiers, police officers, fire fighters, airport security screeners, border guards, FBI and CIA agents, the Administration and Members of Congress of both parties who voted for the USA Patriot Act. We believe it is the combination of all these people working under difficult and often dangerous circumstances – not a lack of trying on the part of the bad guys – that has have kept us from another 9-11 and allowed us to have Super Bowls, World Series, presidential elections, Thanksgivings and silly write-in contests in peace and security. And we are grateful to the families of those who serve for sharing their loved ones with their country and the cause of freedom.

The contest winner? David, for Turtle Dove – One who believes that the appropriate response to being threatened is to withdraw into your shell, hoping the bad guys will go away.