The Spitting Image

First Blood:

Trautman: It's over, Johnny. It's over!

Rambo: Nothing is over! Nothing! You just don't turn it off! You asked me I didn't ask you! And I did what I had to do to win, for somebody who wouldn't let us win! Then I come back to the world, and I see all those maggots at the airport, protestin' me, spittin', callin' me a baby killer and all kinds of vile crap! Who are they to protest me?! Huh?!Who are they?! Unless they been me and been there and know what the hell they yellin' about!

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Five males assaulted a National Guardsman, an Iraq veteran

Police looking for men who beat guardsman near Tacoma

Two notable details:

1. "the victim is black and the attackers were white"
2. "They called him 'baby killer' while they were doing it"

The second point has the rightwing blogosphere calling for the heads of anyone left of Reagan.

Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said that during the assault, the attackers made references to the man's military service in Iraq.

"They called him 'baby killer' while they were doing it," Troyer said.

The guardsman was walking on 138th Street South, near Pacific Avenue, about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday on his way to a convenience store when a black Chevrolet Suburban pulled up next to him, Troyer said. The driver, a man believed to be between 25 and 30, asked the victim whether he was in the military and had experienced combat. The driver then got out of the SUV, yelling insults and showing a handgun. Four other men, believed to be in their 20s, also got out and knocked the Guardsman down, punching and kicking him. Some of the men wore red baseball hats and red sweatshirts. Troyer said the victim was left with a black eye, bruising and some swelling but he was not taken to the hospital. Though the victim is black and the attackers were white, Troyer said detectives do not believe race was a motive for the assault.

"They weren't interested in his race as much as they were interested in his being in the military," Troyer said.

Crime Stoppers of Tacoma and Pierce County is offering up to $1,000 for information that can help police arrest and charge the men. People with information can call 253-591-5959 and all callers remain anonymous.

"We haven't had this before," Troyer said. "We want to find out who they are and put an end to this."

Assault is a horrible crime and those responsible should be punished to the full extent of the law.

I do wonder about the "baby killer" part. I'm not saying that militaries don't kill babies. I think all war is against children, ultimately. I'm skeptical more so because so often "they called me baby killer and spat on me" thing often proves itself to be a myth, perpetuated by movies like Rambo.

Are these guys really militant anti-soldier lefties, as the neoconbloggers of the world want to believe? Or are they white supremest racists?

My money is this was racism, not antiwar sentiment, and that the perps will be found to be part of a white supremacy group.

Officer Troyer has seen his share of horror associated with Iraq vets in his jurisdiction. I recognized his name from this article:

IRAQ WAR 'CHANGED' SOLDIER CHARGED IN WIFE'S DEATH, FATHER SAYS

The cases could even be related. I hope they get to the bottom of this one.

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The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory, and the Legacy of Vietnam