I’ve often expressed my admiration for Peter David. He is, quite frankly, one of the best fiction writers around. He blends his trademark humor and horrid puns with profound insights and, occasionally, moments of sheer horror. I’ve read pretty much every book he’s written in the last few years, bought most in hardcover, and read several of the comic books he writes. I’ve seen him in person several times, and he’s a remarkably entertaining public speaker and dramatic reader, as well as tremendously generous with his time and thoughts.
Politically, though, he drives me bonkers. He’s a bit liberal. No, it’s more than that. He’s a stark raving moonbat. He has a “Freedom Clock” counting down the duration of the Bush adminstration, right down to the second. He fits in, ideologically, with the Michael Moore and Cindy Sheehan wing of the Far Left — but with far more integrity (meaning, he has some).
Every year, the United States Air Force hosts the National Security Forum. They gather about 100 civilians from every single walk of life, and toss them together with the current graduates of the Air War College. (These are generally career officers, O-5 (Lt. Colonel) and above, those who will someday be running the Air Force and facing the threats and concerns.) They spend most of a week in various seminars, discussions, meetings, and gatherings.
For some reason, PAD (as he goes by) was one of the invited guests this year. He respects their wishes and doesn’t go into detail about what was discussed, but the does give a few anecdotes that are classic PAD. And from what little he says, he didn’t embarrass himself too badly. (Personally, I wish there was a video of his question to the Secretary of the Air Force. That’d be right at the top of Youtube’s play list in an instant.)
It’s too early to see if PAD’s up close and personal encounter with the Evil Bushco War Machine will have any lasting effects on his politics, but it’s certainly changed his perceptions of the military itself.
Keep your politics out of your fiction, PAD, and I’ll keep reading. And, sooner or later, I WILL get your autograph on some of my books.
and now the Iraqi government is changing their perceptions of our military leadership as well.
Could PAD really mean “Practically All Doody”
I wonder how long the “moonbat” defense will last? I wonder if any post-er on Wizbang can go through a month without using it? It would be a good challenge, and maybe actual issues would be discussed instead of being dismissed w/ name-calling.
Or maybe jp2 can avoid the automatic knee-jerk.
What was bad about this post fer crissake? If anything it was a loving rendition of “moonbat”. Holy cow, if someone wrote something so nice about me and stuck a “wingnut” in there to describe my unfortunate politics I’d probably print it out and frame it.
But maybe it’s just the “right” that’s able to view themselves with humor instead of constant extreme earnestness? Sorta like Christians taking their name from what was intended as a slur all the way down to latching onto the idea of blogging in pajamas which was meant as a dismissive insult to having fun with “digital brownshirts” instead of getting defensive or angry. Sorta how the different insults exchanged between the branches of our military mean one thing, squid or zoomie or jarhead or… what does the army get called? (Late for supper?) And something else when it comes from a different source.
Some people seem to take almost an obsessive pride in their ability to be offended.
I just don’t *get* that.
I’m just saying we’ll have meaningful discussion if we don’t paint people as “wingnuts” or “moonbats.” It’s a way of avoiding actual issues. I’m guilty of it to, and it has nothing to do with being offended. (I’d have to be a moonbat, I suppose, to be offended)
Don’t you agree?
I agree with a side note that it’s situational.
I thought that this was a very nice post in particular that it was admiring and humanizing toward “the other side” rather than divisive and I don’t think that a light-hearted ribbing about moonbattiness or a count-down clock (egad) did anything other than make it more so. Without explaining that Peter David is as different from Jay Tea as it’s possible to be the rest of it doesn’t mean as much.