The Cold War

July 17, 2003 11:22 AM

Operation: Air Conditioner
It's about dropping our differences and getting together to support our troops and keep them cool.
Should I feel terribly guilty about giggling at some of the things on this web page? Like: "Together We Are: An Army of One" (Say what?) and "Here are some of the items that I buy and send besides air conditioners: Baby Wipes, Powder... Liquid Soap (I heard the bar melts)... Tiki Torches. Check out the Baghdad Weather Report near the bottom, and... wait a minute... "I’ve organized people to begin “Operation Christmas” and we need to start planning that in August." (So we aren't leaving anytime soon?)
And, while they seem to have enough power to run the A/C at the Army camp, electricity for the rest of Iraq is still gonna take some more money.
posted by wendell (30 comments total)

Should I feel terribly guilty about giggling

Yes.
posted by gwint at 11:26 AM on July 17, 2003

I thought so.
posted by wendell at 11:31 AM on July 17, 2003

"This is the best July 17th I've seen so far because there is no Saddam and no Baath," said Fadil Amin, an out-of-work translator. "We're better off without them, even if we don't have any electrical power or water and security is abysmal."
posted by Armitage Shanks at 11:33 AM on July 17, 2003

Wendell, why do you hate America so much? On a more serious side, there are concerns that a number of pages like this one are scams. In this case, for example, you make the check directly payable to this guy. For all I know, he may be well intentioned, but there's no way for us to discern that.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 11:34 AM on July 17, 2003

I don't understand what the giggling is for? Is it because you use baby wipes on your bottom? Because he said feminine hygiene? What's so funny really, is this 7th grade? Its hot and buggy in the desert. Soldiers sleep upright in a seat in their apc many nights and crap using a modified lawn chair. Life sucks, why's it so bad to try and give them some comfort. Sure the jingoism is a little over the top, but there's plenty of funnier sites out there if that's the joke.
posted by Pollomacho at 11:40 AM on July 17, 2003

Should've included a link to the news story that pointed me to this web page (and Frankie's an Army Mom). But I would've had to acknowledge via Drudge.

Sometimes the corniness of something like this is refreshing ("a breath of fresh air?" no, didn't say THAT), sometimes it's telling of something deeper, and sometimes it's just silly. I leave it to the MeFi collective intelligence where to categorize this one.
posted by wendell at 11:44 AM on July 17, 2003

What the hell? Like 50% of my taxes go to the military and they can't even get the boys a damn window unit? A 6k btu at homedepot.com retails at $149. Less than the average toilet seat or F-16 ashtray. That's messed up. Maybe some of the fat bonuses they give to Halliburton execs should go to AC units instead, eh?
posted by ehintz at 11:45 AM on July 17, 2003

pollomocho, please post for us the provate data you are in possession of which reveals the proper level of jingoism at which giggling may ensue. the same data related to sniggering, disdainful snorting, and guffaws would be greatly appreciated as well.
posted by quonsar at 12:03 PM on July 17, 2003

sorry, that should be "private".
posted by quonsar at 12:04 PM on July 17, 2003

A BILLION FUCKING DOLLARS A WEEK!!!
posted by jpoulos at 12:07 PM on July 17, 2003

If it is the "patriotism" there are a million other sites to get excited about, I just don't get what makes this site special?
posted by Pollomacho at 12:33 PM on July 17, 2003

i dunno. what makes your newsfilter crap about guns in dc special?
posted by quonsar at 12:42 PM on July 17, 2003

"tiki torches" Tiki torches? Hell, its s'posed to be nearly that hot here, and nobody's helping the downtown hipsters without AC and they hafta live here with no possibility of rotation home to the states.

Then again, we don't have massive, head-sucking spiders
posted by Ogre Lawless at 12:44 PM on July 17, 2003

How does this have to do with the thread? It doesn't. Sorry someone's strange personal vendetta seems to be getting in the way of your thread's discussion.
posted by Pollomacho at 1:10 PM on July 17, 2003

Thanks for the defense, quonsar. I take back that comment in the other thread about a Sign of the Apocalypse being 'quonsar becomes the voice of Reason at MetaFilter'.
"Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out."

Pollomacho, I guess I just saw something unique among all the other "Support Our Troops/Care Package" programs in one that was shipping items the size of air conditioners, not to mention as dependent on electricity (which is definitely an issue in Iraq - Here's another serious news link), and this Army Mom named Frankie turns out to be naive enough to seriously misinterpret the recruiting slogan ("An Army of One") they're using to attract individualist-types into the military collective, and some of the lines like "I heard the bar melts" may not be Comedy Gold, but at least Comedy Bronze, and, hey, I admit it, I use baby wipes 'cause the wipes for grown-ups cost twice as much, and... and...
Y'know, only Albert Brooks can get a laugh explaining a joke that didn't get a laugh...
posted by wendell at 1:39 PM on July 17, 2003

The road to hell...
posted by rushmc at 1:40 PM on July 17, 2003

...runs through Baghdad.
posted by wendell at 1:49 PM on July 17, 2003

All right, good enough, I just thought it was because something about baby wipes were supposed to be funny, just misread I guess. Sorry I was a little slow on the uptake there.
posted by Pollomacho at 2:04 PM on July 17, 2003

i just couldn't help but notice how seriously pollomacho presides over his precious newsfilter discussion, when he at the same time has been dropping wet blanket commentary here and in jasonspaceman's mystery spot thread, and pretends not to get it when i put it in his face. i'm over it for now. :-)
posted by quonsar at 2:04 PM on July 17, 2003

Why do you care? Did I say something about your mom or something? Jeez, get over it already, how about you just follow me around and try and make my life miserable. I don't have any idea why you would give two shits about me suddenly, you must be bored or something!
posted by Pollomacho at 2:21 PM on July 17, 2003

I like the "Together We Are: An Army of One" line - it reminds me of "A problem shared is a problem doubled" from this show.
posted by jamespake at 2:27 PM on July 17, 2003

Well, I'm headed home to find out if my dad survived his open heart surgery or not, no, I'm not kidding. I'm kind of nervous to go though, expecting to open the door and find quonsar fucking my mom when I get there.
posted by Pollomacho at 2:32 PM on July 17, 2003

Is it just me, or did Quonsar's last comment just disappear?
posted by jamespake at 3:02 PM on July 17, 2003

quonsar, you're right on the borderline of the Fifth Rule.

I'll give Pollo a pass this time, and all my good wishes, hopes and non-religious prayers are with you and your father, but MeFi is not the most comforting place to hang at times like these (a mistake I've made). Anyway, I wasn't even going to look in at your DC Gun thread until quonsar brought it up - it's definitely better than your average 'NewsFilter', but I have nothing to add there myself.

Anyway, is it hot enough for ya?
posted by wendell at 3:04 PM on July 17, 2003

jamespake, there are some things we mere mortals must leave in the hands of the Mighty Haughey. I think he has a dedicated function button for "delete quonsar's last comment". I know he has one for "delete wendell's last comment".

"Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were are going out."
posted by wendell at 3:09 PM on July 17, 2003

As long as there's an explanation, Wendell. There's something quite spooky about a comment just vanishing when you refresh.
posted by jamespake at 3:15 PM on July 17, 2003

People do the same thing, jamespake....
posted by rushmc at 3:18 PM on July 17, 2003

You mean there's a delete Quonsar button? And Matt pressed it. Oh my God!
posted by jamespake at 3:21 PM on July 17, 2003

quonsar asked matt to delete his intemperate remark.
posted by quonsar at 4:13 PM on July 17, 2003

expecting to open the door and find quonsar fucking my mom when I get there

That's the second funniest thing I read all day.
posted by sharksandwich at 5:40 PM on July 17, 2003