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Why GI Joe Riles the Left
FrontPageMagazine.com ^ | 7/08/04 | William R. Hawkins

Posted on 07/08/2004 2:00:36 AM PDT by kattracks

Over the 4th of July weekend, antiwar protesters demanded that the Minnesota Twins baseball team cancel a promotional giveway of "G.I. Joe" action figures. The Twins provided figures of the character "Duke" (the lead character in the G.I. Joe series, who shares his nickname with John Wayne) to 5,000 children who attended the July 5 game against the Kansas City Royals. The promotion was an attempt to honor American service men and women and was done after consultation with local veterans groups. Real veterans groups that is. John Varone, president of the Twin Cities chapter of Veterans for Peace, told the Associated Press that the effort was misplaced. "For gosh sakes, the last place we need to promote war is at our national pastime," he said.

On its homepage, the national Veterans for Peace organization claims its mission is "to restrain our government from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the internal affairs of other nations" and "to abolish war as an instrument of national policy." They also claim a "greater responsibility to serve the cause of world peace" than they showed when they merely served in defense of their own country. The upcoming VFP convention in Boston (July 23-26) will feature an array of far-Left speakers including Howard Zinn and Daniel Ellsberg. At the antiwar rally held on the eve of the Iraq war on April 20, 2002, in Washington, VFP President David Cline also denounced  the military campaign against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. He then not only embraced activists from the Vietnam War era, but also veterans of the Lincoln Brigade recruited by the Soviets to fight in the Spanish Civil War. It is no wonder that VFP objected to distributing toys that promote the ideals of patriotism and steadfast loyalty.

The campaign against "war toys" is another example of American leftists emulating the decadence of socialist Europe. The European Parliament has recommended that its member states ban advertising of war toys and reduce their sale. Sweden, Norway, Greece and Malta have already taken various steps to restrict their sale or import. And it can happen here. The Federal Trade Commission held a workshop last October to deal with issues relating to the marketing of violent entertainment to children, focusing on movies, music and video games. When Jocelyn Elders was Surgeon-General in the Clinton administration, she proposed a national ban on toy guns. The Coalition for Peace Action claims war toys "teach children to accept a militarized world. They teach children that people who look or think differently should be defeated."

When I was growing up, toy guns and toy soldiers were the favorite playthings of my circle of friends. I remember having a plastic Hopalong Cassidy six-shooter, which was superseded by a double-holster Roy Rogers set of chrome-plated cap pistols. Later came spring-action replicas of Thompson sub-machine guns. Our neighborhood gang would spend hours chasing each other around the empty lots down the street. We also fought major battles with toy soldiers on the living room rug and on the back porch. Later, we graduated to wargames recreating history's great campaigns on a table top. Today I join my son in playing video games like "Counterstrike," which depicts American special operations troops hunting down terrorists.

None of my old gang turned out to be public enemies. Instead they became lawyers, engineers, and bankers. My best friend in these childhood "wars" grew up to be an Episcopal priest. This is because we lived in an era with strong values. Television was more violent then, but less morally ambiguous than now. Westerns like "Gunsmoke" "The Wild, Wild West" and "The Rifleman" dominated my viewing. Our idols were the "good guys" who always triumphed in the end. The villains ended up in jail (usually awaiting the hangman) or had already been sent directly to Boot Hill by the hero. And we cheered because we knew that's where the "bad guys" belonged.

It is this very idea of moral clarity that has liberals upset. Physicians for Global Survival claims that war toys like "G.I. Joe" tell children that "the world is divided into ‘goodies' and ‘baddies' where the bad guys are devoid of human qualities and their destruction is desirable. The story-line repetitively casts bad people (as aliens or robots) seeking power to control the world (or city or universe). The ‘good people' vanquish them with violence. The child learns that justice, reason and effective communication do not achieve success. The weapon is a tool of power over others and necessary to deal with evil.....acceptance of war toys by adults socializing children is likely to interfere with inducing values and skills of nonviolent conflict resolution, empathy, compassion and a complex view of the equality and diversity of humankind and the worth of all living things."

One wonders how the Physicians for Global Survival would have dealt with Hitler. We know how they would have dealt with Saddam -- they would have left him in peace and power, free to continue the extreme diversity he practiced in the use justice and reason.

Today's popular culture is filled with anti-heroes who smirk at conventional morality, sneer at authority and behave in ways that are openly irresponsible -- but then prosper as a result. Lust and greed dance in the name of free expression. Fortunately, there are still toys like "G. I. Joe" that teach the proper devotion of strength to good causes. The Joes took their present form in the 1980s in tune with the Reagan era. They are individual "action figures" each with a personal history. "Mainframe" was a computer genius who quit Silicon Valley to join the Marine Corps. "Airborne" gave up a successful law practice to become a paratrooper. "Flint" was a Rhodes Scholar who became a Ranger after becoming "bored with the groves of academe."

In each case, a sector of our overly materialistic, self-indulgent culture is found shallow and unfulfilling. Only by putting their talents to the defense of their country do the Joes find satisfaction. And while modern society asks only a few of its citizens to don a uniform, successful military operations and the diplomacy they empower do require popular support based on the proper ranking of values.

The Joes use violence to defeat their arch enemy Cobra "a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world" but does anyone really think the simpleton "caring and sharing" philosophy promoted by leftist educators is going to make our lives more secure or put an end to the plots of our enemies?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: actionfigure; gijoe; leftists; mntwins
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1 posted on 07/08/2004 2:00:37 AM PDT by kattracks
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To: kattracks

Its the one toy collectible precisely cause it enrages the Left. G.I Joe Lives!


2 posted on 07/08/2004 2:03:31 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: kattracks

http://www.hasbro.com/pl/page.searchresults/dn/default.cfm?age=&brand=520&category=


3 posted on 07/08/2004 2:06:20 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: goldstategop

http://www.hasbro.com/gijoe/default.cfm


4 posted on 07/08/2004 2:09:47 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: goldstategop; B4Ranch; MeekOneGOP; JohnHuang2; devolve; PhilDragoo; potlatch; Smartass
Another attack on our military by the socialist left - this time at a (of all places) Minnesota twins baseball game halftime - ping.

______________________________________________

"Over the 4th of July weekend, antiwar protesters demanded that the Minnesota Twins baseball team cancel a promotional giveway of "G.I. Joe" action figures.

"The Twins provided figures of the character "Duke" (the lead character in the G.I. Joe series, who shares his nickname with John Wayne) to 5,000 children who attended the July 5 game against the Kansas City Royals."

"The promotion was an attempt to honor American service men and women and was done after consultation with local veterans groups."


5 posted on 07/08/2004 2:12:39 AM PDT by Happy2BMe (Ronald Reagan to Islamic Terrorism: YOU CAN RUN - BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!)
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To: kattracks

One of my favorite toys was a Dick Tracy machine gun. I haven't killed anyone, yet.


6 posted on 07/08/2004 2:26:16 AM PDT by Bahbah
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To: goldstategop

I loved the cartoon, done by the same folks who did Transformers. It was so kewl!


7 posted on 07/08/2004 2:33:25 AM PDT by Clock King
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To: kattracks
The Coalition for Peace Action claims war toys "teach children to accept a militarized world. They teach children that people who look or think differently should be defeated."

What a bunch of misguided idiots. I didn't know that toys could teach.

And as far as eliminating those who think differently, I believe Islam fits that bill quite nicely. Do I hear the 'Commies' for Peace Action criticizing Islam? (chirp....chirp....chirp)

8 posted on 07/08/2004 2:42:47 AM PDT by Looking4Truth (NEVER trust Muslims to keep their word.)
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To: goldstategop
Peaceniks would enjoy an Osama or talking Uday!
9 posted on 07/08/2004 2:43:44 AM PDT by endthematrix (To enter my lane you must use your turn signal!)
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To: kattracks
My favorite commercial EVER is the old Nissan 300ZX commercial scored with "You Really Got Me" by Van Halen.

G.I. Joe is driving a 300ZX and slides up to Barbie's house. Barbie looks at wussie Ken on the balcony with his little sweater tied around his shoulder and jumps in the car with G.I. Joe and they ride off together.

Used to LMAO every time I saw it.

10 posted on 07/08/2004 2:45:56 AM PDT by Looking4Truth (NEVER trust Muslims to keep their word.)
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To: kattracks
Veterans for Peace organization claims its mission is "to restrain our government from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the internal affairs of other nations" and "to abolish war as an instrument of national policy."

War is as much our national past time as baseball! I don’t think they will get far.
11 posted on 07/08/2004 2:50:20 AM PDT by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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To: kattracks

I'm buying one today!


12 posted on 07/08/2004 3:15:30 AM PDT by samtheman (www.georgewbush.com)
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To: Looking4Truth

Re: Remove the word "war" from usage and you eliminate the action of its meaning. (BARF)

"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed, will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten. Already, in the Eleventh Edition, we're not far from that point. But the process will still be continuing long after you and I are dead. Every year fewer and fewer words, and the range of consciousness always a little smaller. Even now, of course, there's no reason or excuse for committing thoughtcrime. It's merely a question of self-discipline, reality-control. But in the end there won't be any need even for that. The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect. Newspeak is Ingsoc and Ingsoc is Newspeak", he added with a sort of mystical satisfaction. "Has it ever occurred to you, Winston, that by the year 2050, at the very latest, not a single human being will be alive who could understand such a conversation as we are having now?"


13 posted on 07/08/2004 3:43:33 AM PDT by endthematrix (To enter my lane you must use your turn signal!)
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To: Looking4Truth

I think the Mattel people threatened to sue. It was a cool, cool commercial. Especially at the end with David Lee Roth screaming "oh, nooooooo" and shows Ken yelling it.


14 posted on 07/08/2004 3:51:43 AM PDT by 7thson (I think it takes a big dog to weigh a hundred pounds!)
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To: kattracks

I suppose this is a mean spirited question, but are there any real veterans in this group?


15 posted on 07/08/2004 3:51:55 AM PDT by stevem
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To: kattracks

Reply I received from the Twins regarding an email I sent them:

Dear *****,

On behalf of the entire Minnesota Twins organization, thank you for your
email supporting our Armed Forces Appreciation Night and corresponding G.I.
Joe action figure giveaway! We've been overwhelmed with positive notes
about our planned tribute to the real G.I. Joes and G.I. Janes who are
willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect and defend this country.
The Twins are proud of the young men and women of the Armed Services and our
giveaway will go ahead as planned. Below is the tribute that appears on the
G.I. Joe package:

"Minnesota Twins Armed Services Appreciation Day - Monday, July 5, 2004

This G.I. Joe action figure is a tribute to the brave men and women serving
the United States in the U.S. Armed Services. Thousands of Minnesotans are
supporting our nation as active or reserve members of the Army, Navy, Air
Force, Marines and National Guard. Many are civilian soldiers with families
and careers who may be deployed on a moment's notice to trouble spots around
the globe. Members of the National Guard are also available, at the
direction of the Governor, to serve Minnesotans during natural disasters and
other emergencies.

The Minnesota Twins salute these courageous men and women, past and present,
who put their lives on the line to defend our country and assist us in times
of need."

Your comments and support are greatly appreciated.

Warm regards,

Patrick Klinger
Vice-President, Marketing
Minnesota Twins
(612) 375-7455


16 posted on 07/08/2004 3:59:58 AM PDT by barker (Never read the fine print. There ain't no way you're going to like it.)
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To: stevem
Baghdad Bob:

Only in America do Americans get upset over a doll. In Iraq we get upset over real live American G.I's. The irony is in Iraq we show them more respect than you do in your country. I wish I had dreamt up Veterans For Peace before the last war started and I might still be around as the Information Minister.

17 posted on 07/08/2004 4:01:29 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: Looking4Truth

LOL!!! I remember that!


18 posted on 07/08/2004 4:03:14 AM PDT by walden
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To: kattracks
The Muslim Jihad Doll is the darling of the left.

ALLAH FUBAR

19 posted on 07/08/2004 4:21:56 AM PDT by Jeff Gordon (LWS - Legislating While Stupid. Someone should make this illegal.)
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To: kattracks

"On its homepage, the national Veterans for Peace organization claims its mission is "to restrain our government from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the internal affairs of other nations" and "to abolish war as an instrument of national policy.""

Sorry boys, but war will always be an instrument of national policy.

Clearly it should only be used as a last resort, but it should ALWAYS be ready for use. It should also be kept razor sharp. There's nothing worse than using a dull razor as you wind up cutting yourself with it in ways you most certainly did not intend...."


20 posted on 07/08/2004 4:23:24 AM PDT by roaddog727 (Bury them with a pig's hoof in their mouth......)
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