Help Unsell The War

Back cover ad from Famous Monsters # 93 [October 1972]

If you have a son 10 years old, you'd better start worrying.

It sounds absurd, doesn’t it? That your son will have to go to Vietnam 8 years from now.
It may sound absurd, but this is an absurd kind of war. And it’s perfectly possible you will see your own son sent off to it.
It’s perfectly possible because this is a war that’s been going on for the past 30 years. Yes, the past 30 years. That’s how long there’s been fighting and killing in Vietnam. So it isn’t so absurd to think this war can go on for another 8 years, is it?
It’s perfectly possible, because in spite of all the speeches and all the promises, the President has yet to set a definite date for withdrawal. Yes, that’s true. The President hasn’t named a day nor a month nor even a year as a time for getting out.
In fact, the President talks about leaving “residual” forces and “maintenance” troops in or around Vietnam. (If you remember, what got us into this mess was the sending of “advisory personnel” to Vietnam.)
Now do you see why it’s perfectly possible that your son will fight in this absurd war? A war where mass murders of women and children are called “no big deal.” A war that has already killed over 50,000 American boys who were 10 years old themselves not so long ago.
One of the most effective things you can do for your son is write your Congressmen today. They must know they have your support to act in Congress against this absurd war.
Write them now. And maybe 10 years from now your son will be glad you did.

Space contributed and message sponsored by the publisher

Comments

[Kipling]

I thought this was interesting; we don't have the draft anymore, but we have mandatory draft registration (plenty of females get those notices; I got one myself, and had to "prove" I was a girl and therefore ineligible). We also have a "President" who doesn't seem interested in end dates for his little party. The more things change...

[erin]

Back then, writing your congressman might have actually made a difference. Now a days, all one has to do is phone up friends and bitch about the war. Don't worry, Washington is eavesdropping...err, I mean listening.

[Wee-Bone Talker]

I'm positive the only reason they're contemplating nuking Iran (or putting it on the proverbial table) is because your average American Joe Nacho-hat would find that scenario mentally more appealing than bringing back the draft. But how do you fight a permanent war without conscription?

[Joe Natcho]

The reason they're contemplating nuking Iran is the fact that Bush's approval rating is lower than it's ever been, and his sabre-rattling helps get the numbers up! Yee-Ha! He's desperate. With the possible exception of religious hillbillies smoking crack, most folks who voted for Bush are now starting to realize that the war sucks, that it was based on "flawed intelligence" (lies), and that there is no end in sight. When will it end? Bush went so far as to say, "That will be a problem for the NEXT president."

That kind of arrogance, coupled with massive domestic spying on citizens without warrants; gas prices going through the roof, and the energy crisis-for-profit; repeated trashing of environmental protection safeguards, science, education, and health care; and Bush's nasty habit of appointing biased, superstitious judges, and awarding all military contracts to good ol' boy corporate cronies without any competition, and you see why folks are getting riled! All that, in the name of Jay-sus!

[Granny Grumbles]

Considering that the NEXT president will probably be Jeb Bush, you'd think ole George would have a little more interest in making it easy for him. Wow, that's depressing, isn't it? It all reminds me of that awful, awful joke:

Q: Why did Marilyn Monroe kill herself?
A: Because all she had was Ted to look forward to...

[Tomb]

This is all well and good, but can I have my FM #93 back please?

[Knid Vicious]

Oops...I gave it to Abigail and she made a nest out of it. She feels very, very guilty about it though.

http://7deadlysinners.typepad.com/sinners/2006/05/guilty.html

[Screaming Skull Bob]

I loved Famous Monsters of Filmland when I was a kid. Each issue was a treasure and I dreamed of someday owning one of the Frankenstein masks that covered your entire head. I imagined using it to scare people, like my little sisters. Now I realize a full-head mask would probably suffocate a poor child, if it wasn't flammable to boot. You wouldn't be able to see out of the eyeholes and you'd probably get hit by a truck when yoiu were trick-or-treating.

I also treasured Creepy Magazine for all the great frank Frazetta covers. Cavemen in the mist, wolfman coming over a hill...those images made me want to be an artist. That would be cool. You'd spend the day painting, wearing a nice smoking jacket, surrounded by the James Bond girls. Now that my dream has become a reality I still look back fondly at the innocent lad I once was, pooring over weirdo magazines. Ah, where does the time go?