NORTHERN ISRAEL – War does strange things to the mind. The first time you hear the loud BOOM, BANG, and CRASH of incoming and outgoing artillery, you will jump. You will twitch. You will want to take cover. You will want to hide. You will feel like you could die at any second, like the air around you is drenched with gasoline, like the universe is gearing up to smash you to pieces.It’s amazing how fast you get used to it, even if you have no military training and grew up in a tranquil conflict-free place in suburban America.
It took me four hours.
An essay by Michael Totten.
(Be sure to hit his Paypal button.)
Remember Lt. Col. Kilgore in Apocalypse Now? That's who you become when you stop fearing random attacks. Notice how he never flinched when the shells rained down? He was aware of the numbers, of the averages, and he wasn't fazed by the explosions. He was there to do a job.
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning. That gaseous smell...smells like...victory."
Now I know Kilgore was an ironic character in what was primarily an anti-war film...but still...maybe the Middle East needs a few Kilgores.
Breaking: Flight from London to DC Diverted
London-to-D.C. flight diverted to Boston.
BOSTON - A flight from London to Washington, D.C. was diverted to Boston Wednesday morning after the pilot declared an emergency because of a passenger disturbance, the airline said.
United Flight 923 with 182 passengers and 12 crew members landed safely at Boston’s Logan International Airport, United spokesman Brandon Borrman said.
A Logan spokesman said three passengers had a confrontation with the flight crew. State Police took control of the plane after it landed. All the passengers were being taken off the plane and their carry-on luggage was being checked, said spokesman Phil Orlandella.
UPDATE at 8/16/06 8:20:59 am:
Fox News is reporting that the woman who created the disturbance had a tube of “Vaseline,” a screwdriver, and a note purportedly from Al Qaeda, in both Arabic and English. ...-
littlegreenfootballs
Not too sure how the diverted flight is relevant to this thread but heres the link to that:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,208669,00.html
The woman did not have "vaseline", a screwdriver and a note from Al Qaeda, they think she was having a claustrophobic episode.