Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for September 21, 2013

It really does.

Orion

@itisme….I’m not on his “notify” list or anything, but near as I can make out, Mr. Trudeau’s project has gone into overtime…

just like it in hurt locker, war is a drug.

If Alpha House is based on four Democrats, why have the series with four Republicans?

Going to a combat zone for the first time one must learn a tremendous amount of new things and at the same time unlearn a tremendous amount of old things. For some, returning to the “normal” reality is analogous to having a bachelors degree and being placed in a nursery school. That isn’t meant to demean nursery school attendees or those in the “normal” reality; only to give an idea of how different and out of place a returning vet may “feel”, of knowing what others don’t. As far as war is a drug, I used to speed in my car on lightly traveled roads up to 95 mph (car wouldn’t go faster) to get the adrenaline going, just to feel alive again. I really appreciate GB’s attention in this matter. It amazes me how much he knows about so many subjects.

I’ve got to add one more thing: A combat zone is essentially a commercial-free environment. Yes, some had subscriptions to magazines such as Time and Playboy and some received their hometown newspapers; it can be argued that the labels on our packs of cigarets (sic) and our cans of beer are also advertisements. But it was basically free of ads. To those looking for a new challenge, try living in a commercial-free environment for a year. It is a form of peace most Americans will never know. That could also be a reason why Ray doesn’t mind returning to the CZ.

“When it’s cold, I bundle up good; so far, I haven’t had the flu in years.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I just recovered from a flu that they say is sweeping the country. Temps here (FLA) are in the eighties every day. You don’t have get cold to get the flu —you just have to be in close proximity tosomeone who has it.

Thanks, TEA Party. It’s the first time I’ve been right this month!

No, goweeder, that’s only a tiny part of commercials. Tee shirts with messages, the sides of truck vans, billboards, what we see in grocery stores, hardware stores, diners, bars – I can barely begin to list the many ads we sense. Also, try living without electricity. I remember a lecture in physics in which the instructor mentioned that there are low frequencies associated with electricity which have a negative, though subtle, effect on humans. Maybe there are those among the readership who can elaborate?

Sounds like Ray should apply to DEA or ICE…forget that sissy NSA stuff.

In the Zone at least you can shoot back.

I can see how returning to “normal” American life might drive someone bonkers when he (or she) is around people who continually max out over trivia.

Well, in some fairness here, Tea/sgt’s comments today are entirely reasonable and on-topic – I’m genuinely surprised. Or at least they were relevant, until he replied to your untargeted remark with an attack on you. That’s the GuardSGT we all know.

To be fair to those like me who were snarky, this question was asked and answered in comments on the 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th and 17th Sept, answered (by me) but apparently removed by mods for reasons I don’t understand on 10th, and mentioned or part answered on about four more occasions in the past two weeks. Ever since the reruns started the original intention to return on Labor Day was explained at least twice a week. I’ve personally answered it completely straight about half a dozen times. Understandably we have grown a bit bored and tempted to snark.

If you want to read 250 comics a day that’s great, and if you don’t want to comment or normally to read the comments, I fully understand (and think you might well have the right idea). But if you want to ask a question in the comments, basic net etiquette does recommend that you try looking through previous comments first to see if it has already been answered.

Yes, your consistent lack of courtesy or respect for other members shines through again. Anyone who disagrees with you is treated thusly:“YOU are a LIAR!YOU hate Truth.YOU hate FREEDOM.”;Copied and pasted from your response to my posts yesterday. And patently wrong on all counts, as anyone who knows me even remotely would know. Disagreeing with you does not make me any of those things.

Or, as you responded to Doctor Toon “Toon, I see you still hate freedom. How do you live being so afraid of truth???” The classic “when did you stop beating your wife?” attack of embedding your answer in the question.

You are the master of ad hominem attack. Your response to any who question your outlandish claims is to attack the questioner. If they dare question your omniscience, they hate freedom, hate the truth, hate Oceania… oops, I mean America… and on and on.

Ever read Orwell’s “1984”?

If you weren’t so blinded by ideology, perhaps you might have noticed I presented a logical argument, did not use personal attacks, and provided external links to a reputable website for material to back up my assertions. Your response to my specific challenge to link to material showing your assertion “more and more real scientists are saying global warming is a myth” went unanswered. You provided no such link – instead you went on to rave about Al Gore and a hockey stick graph (not part of the materials I linked, which I still doubt you read). So you ignored my question to substitute more of your own (unbacked) material. Could it really be that hard to link to material backing what you say, if you are going to question and attack other people’s views? I’m pretty sure what you were talking about must be from “An Inconvenient Truth” (haven’t seen the movie); incidentally, attacking Al Gore as someone who helped popularize the long-accepted science of anthropogenic global warming is just more ad hominem attacks, rather than dealing with the substance of the matter is just another variation of ad hominem. Show us Gore’s mislabelled graph. Here’s a link to a wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockey_stick_controversy on the supposed “hockey stick” graph controversy (it’s not Gore’s graph) – however, the overwhelming scientific consensus is that despite a number of fossil-fuel industry funded studies that have tried to cast doubt on it, the finding of anomalous, rapid warming beginning roughly from 1900 on has not only held up, but actually been reinforced by more recent climate data. Presumably you might have some different data you could link to back your assertion? But you don’t provide such. Prove me wrong. Respond to my arguments, rather than just launch into more ad hominem attacks or changing the topic. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m trying not to attack you – I’m trying to coach you on how to present a logical argument. I teach college students, and I love a good debate. Give me one.

And I was being sincere earlier, your first post today was relevant to today’s strip, thoughtful, and insightful – that’s not entirely surprising, since you’ve said you are a vet yourself. But I’d like to think it does show you have it in you to do more of the same.

Well, Trudeau’s “project” going into overtime saves him from having to find some way of defending Obama after Snowden, Syria etc.

(Spoken as a tacopielvr-certified ignorant racist troll who’s neither ignorant or white.)

@ SUSAN NEWMAN

Contrary to popular (American) belief, Afghanistan in winter is intensely cold with heavy snow. Trudeau has depicted as much in a few of the Red Rascal strips.

@Gee Man – I think that’s a no…