Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

January 23, 2005

Ransom Stoddard

Filed under: International — Bunker @ 3:11 pm

I was watching The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance this afternoon. It is one of the best of all time. John Wayne. Jimmy Stewart. And Lee Marvin.

As the town of Shinbone holds a meeting to determine their representative at the Statehood Convention, Valance (Marvin) makes it quite clear that anyone who opposes him is putting their life in jeopardy:

“We have declared a fierce war on this evil principle of democracy and those who follow this wrong ideology,” said the speaker, who identified himself as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, head of the al-Qaida affiliate in Iraq. “Anyone who tries to help set up this system is part of it.”

Sorry, I had the movie confused with real life:

The speaker said candidates running in the Jan. 30 elections are “demi-idols” and those who vote for them “are infidels.”

Ransom Stoddard takes a stand against Valance. Will the Iraqis?

I’m betting they will.

5 Comments

  1. There is a lot riding on this election. I believe that the MSM has underestimated the Iraqis and that we will have reason to be impressed with them. Hey, no election or democracy is perfect, but thinking like that means I will never be a talking head journalist. Somewhere on my Sunday morning TV watching I heard about Allawi’s TV commercials in which he says “I’m an Iraqi.” The point being that he did not say “I’m a Sunni” or Shia, or Khurd, or whatever. There are a few folks in this country that might want to take notes.

    Comment by Cerberus — January 23, 2005 @ 5:10 pm

  2. Group identification is one of my pet peeves. I’m glad to see Allawi doesn’t suffer from that malady.

    Comment by Bunker — January 24, 2005 @ 6:38 am

  3. But who will be the Iraqis’ John Wayne, there to take Valance out so that Stoddard’s stand is not in vain? I guess that’s our military.

    Comment by John Adams at The Commons — January 24, 2005 @ 5:49 pm

  4. That was my thought, too. The difference this time is that the Iraqis know the Duke is there. Rance didn’t have that luxury and thought he was on his own.

    Comment by Bunker — January 24, 2005 @ 6:26 pm

  5. What we really need is the Iraquis to be more like Stoddard — take the stand even when they don’t know we’re there.

    Comment by John Adams at The Commons — January 25, 2005 @ 12:17 am

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