It's a shame he couldn't have roped in George Armitage and maybe Minnie Driver and done a full-on Grosse Point sequel. I would love to see that.

I'm not saying that the war-or the Bush presidency-have been a success. But anyone (with the possible exception of Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton) who starts letting their hatred of either dictate how they do their jobs is letting their emotions get in the way of common sense.

Personally, if the comedy serves to enlighten, and they get their facts straight, I think this movie could be really important, and timely NOW. The new system set up by Cheney and Co. will outlive the Bush presidency, it might outlive us, for all we know, so the more people who learn about it now the better. Go ask a perfect stranger on the street if he or she is against the war, but supports the troops. Pretty easy, most people would probably say yes. now ask that same person if they believe that their government colluded with some private interests to wage a war and put us all at risk based on false pretenses, not to mention exploit the military to increase profits and give them a veneer of respectability and an unassailable shield against dissent (as the bodies piled up), that essentially, war is now literally a business, with our elected leaders more interested in serving their shareholders than the American people. I doubt you'll get the same answer.

Ultimately, it's your duty as a citizen to know the difference between the troops and the mission. if you don't, you're doing a disservice to the men and women of the armed forces. It's not up to the soldiers where they're deployed, or against whom. Those decisions are made by your government, and therefore, by you.

Mark Twain said: "Loyalty to your country always, loyalty to your government when they deserve it."

congrats to you sir!

Also, if your point is that companies like Halliburton are connected not-too-subtly with the architects of the war (and who's shareholders and CEO's make obcene amounts of cash through no-bid contracts for reconstruction), and that puts them on the same morally bankrupt level as Hollywood 'execs' who, uh, make movies ABOUT such actions, I think we can all agree that you're a fucking idiot. That's assuming this was your point. If not, please forgive me.

A soldier's role is to serve, not to kill, and not to die. If a soldier kills, he or she does so in service to their country. This is not some 'abstract' rationalization or apology, this is the role of a soldier in your society. I, like you, have a huge problem with the wars being fought right now, and I could get into all kinds of reasons why I believe they are illegitimate, obscene, tragic, disgraceful, etc., but I don't blame the soldier, any more than I would blame the bullet for a murder.

Also, you might want to consider that the demographic that is being unrelentingly pursued for recruitment by the military are teenage boys, usually from underprivileged corners of the country. If you're 18, with no prospects, not much chance for a college education, and a piss-poor public education under your belt, joining the army is a way out and a way up. You might not have any first-hand experience knowing what it's like to have no future, but you probably do know what it was like to be 18, assuming you're even there yet. You never made any mistakes when you were 18? You weren't naive or gullible enough to believe some line, or fall for some pitch when you were that young?

It's a complex issue, and I doubt you have the right to pass judgement on an entire group of people who you may consider 'fools' for calling themselves patriots, who believe that a citizen has a duty to his country, but you'd have to be a complete asshole to think that every soldier who signs up does it because they want to shoot people and get paid for it. Those assholes are called mercenaries, and there are plenty of them around these days for you to mouth off at.

Spandau, the simple fact that your only way to 'relate' to this issue is through some sitcom tells me more about you than you'd probably like. You have no way of knowing how privileged you are, because that is one of the luxuries the privileged enjoy- ignorance.