shut up blue angels
Its fleet week, when the Navy comes into port and Marine Corps jets are screaming low in the sky. The war machine on parade. Most folks in other parts of the world, when they hear a jet that low in the sky, expect explosions and gun fire to follow. In san francisco they expect us to celebrate. I just hold my paint brush still in the air and look up and over my shoulder from the aluminum ladder leaning against the peak of the house and say to myself, “Shut up blue angels.”
It makes me think of my old roommate, Annie. She hated fleet week. She would still be in bed reading in the afternoon on sunday when the jets came absolutely fucking screaming two hundred feet above our flat. “SHUT UP BLUE ANGELS!!! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!
Annie also hated George Washington High’s marching band, and she would tell them to shut up too. Loud noises bothered her.
Last time I was home my new uncle said, “San Francisco was in the news. It was something that made me think of you. What was it?….oh yeah, they want to ban military recruiters from campuses.”
“Yeah, I heard that. They want to ban ROTC too,” I said.
“Boy, I hope they get attacked next. See how they feel then,” he said.
He’s got three sons. I don’t know how hard he pushed them to join the military. None of them did, far as I know. I haven’t really ever met them. It’s second marriages all around. It seems strange to want to encourage your 14 year old to join the military. Usually the only way to convince someone to join the military is to offer it over a prison sentence. That or create cool uniforms and weapons and tell the kid he is needed and wanted – typical gang tactics.
I’ll gladly kill people who try to attack my country. Especially if they are some radical religious believer. But I kinda see the concern of some parents who don’t want military recruiters approaching their children unattended during high school and doing the hare krishna brainwash routine on them.
Of course I do. I live in San Francisco.
An army of invaders would be hard pressed to occupy Oakland or Watts, let alone the entire United States. Most of our 5th graders are better armed and more blood thirsty than, for instance, Iranian or Korean infantry. The aliens who are planning on taking our planet must be thinking, “We were sure they’d annihilate each other before all the resources were consumed. At this rate there will be nothing left to use. What a miserable creature these humans are. How repulsive and irresponsible! Disgusting parasites!” Oh, sorry. That’s what I was thinking.
Comment by oggy — October 7, 2007 @ 9:11 pm
the great hing about guns is now even the obese can kill. At some point we ought to have a fat unit, like we did for blacks and japanese/americans in WW2.
Comment by Rolston — October 8, 2007 @ 7:10 am
The fat unit would be the ultimate front line. As they are easily gunned down by the enemy, they create a natural barrier from behind which our craftier, slimmer soldiers can take down whoever we’re fighting. At night, they can be cut open and used like sleeping bags, just like in The Empire Strikes Back.
Comment by Lyle_s — October 8, 2007 @ 7:55 pm
and I thought these things smelled bad… on the outside.
Comment by Matt — October 14, 2007 @ 10:08 am