Saddam Shame

The movie was released in 1984, the year George Orwell projected for the mature totalitarian state of Big Brother, maintained by the universally ingrained use of "doublespeak," a propaganda device best illustrated by contradictory slogans such as "War is Peace" and "Freedom is Compliance."

Which movie? Why, "Red Dawn," of course. You'll remember it with a subtle tug at your heartstrings: a group of plucky kids, led by young Jed Eckert (played perfectly by Patrick Swayze), takes to the hills as their All-American hometown is invaded by Soviets and Cubans. There they metamorphose from a bunch of scared kids into a guerrilla force that kicks serious butt and helps to defeat the invaders. At the end, you desperately need a hanky and a slice of apple pie.

Well, leave it to the U.S. military (and/or the Bush Administration) to hijack this beautiful icon of the indomitable American spirit and turn it into a vivid, albeit unintentional, self-parody.

You probably noticed it. When the announcement came today of Saddam's capture, you heard the name of the operation that snagged him: Red Dawn. There may have been a glimmer of recognition … or not. Then you heard about the two groups for the operation, named "Wolverine One" and "Wolverine Two."

Another glimmer of recognition? There should be. "Wolverines" was the name young Jeb and his squad adopted, in tribute to their High School mascot.

Accident? Yeah … right.

OK, here's the $64 question.

What kind of mind, firing both neurons at once and working with hints from his "Lifeline," could equate (1) a bunch of kids defending their home against invaders with (2) a bunch of invaders fighting against home defenders? Huh? Oh. The kind of mind wearing dust-free desert camos with stars (or birds or leaves) adorning collar and cap? Or the kind of mind whose buttoned-down conception of geography is "The Beltway, and then everything else around it"? Well, OK – maybe both of these, with an extra ingredient thrown in: the transformation of the attitude "My country, right or wrong," into "My country is always right!"

Bingo. How else could the Red-Dawnish concept, "Defending America good!" be equated with the Smack-Iraq concept, "American invaders good!"?

Disclaimer time. I'm glad Saddam was caught. He needs to face justice for all the crimes he committed against the Iraqi people. Was it our job to catch him? Hell, no. Check the Constitution, for Pete's sake. No declaration of war, yadda, yadda…. Our troops should be home right now, making babies and money. Instead, they're off on an extra-Constitutional jag, making enemies and a hike in the national debt. And corpses, widows, and orphans.

Yep, I'm happy to see Saddam in custody. But I hate the way it happened. The ends don't justify the means.

And "Red Dawn" didn't deserve this treatment.

It's a damned shame.

December 16, 2003

Kent Van Cleave is a philosopher finishing his doctorate at Indiana University, Bloomington. He also commits libertarian activism at VoteBuddy.com and http://welcome.to/HomelandSecurity1.