Posted on 05/05/2008 7:08:56 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Writer Stephen King: If You Can't Read, You'll End Up in the Army or Iraq Photo of Noel Sheppard. By Noel Sheppard | May 5, 2008 - 09:54 ET
Remember shortly before Election Day 2006 when Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) suggested that if you don't get a good education, "you get stuck in Iraq" (video available here)?
Well, last month, famed horror auther Stephen King was speaking in front of a group of high school students at the Library of Congress, and he virtually made the exact same statement.
For those that can bear it, what follows is another in a long line of liberal media members bashing the military (embedded right, h/t Terry Ann):
I don't want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don't, then you've got, the Army, Iraq, I don't know, something like that. It's, it's not as bright. So, that's my little commercial for that.
Nice sentiment when the nation is at war, Stephen.
Stephen King drinks toilet water.
I would love for some of these jerks to take the ASVAB and see how well they do.
This odd person writes novels that scare people but have no intrinsic value. He has nothing worthwhile to say about education or war.
Stephen King drinks used toilet water.
“Stephen King drinks toilet water.”
“drinks” = “is.”
His books stink.
Jerk. And he said this to kids in a speech. Loser. I’m tired of morons like this trashing and smearing our military personnel. I bet most of them have more intelligence and class than this clown will ever have.
That's just great Stephen. Scaring kids into thinking they'll lose their legs by serving their country.
I’ll stack up the intelligence of the average American Soldier against a moonbat like Stephen King any day.
his book KING OF THE GYPSIES is the only useful book he ever wrote.......The movie was horrible
“Writer Stephen King: If You Can’t Read, You’ll End Up in the Army or Iraq”
Some of the most intelligent and well educated and well read people I’ve ever met, I served with in the Army. I’ve bought this jerks’ last book.
I was attending a Realtor membership luncheon and the fathers around the table were discussing how they tell their sons basically the same thing. I had to bite my tongue real hard.
I remember an interview with him during the Cold War, decrying our participation in the arms race. Now that freedom from Communist totalitarianism has been preserved for so many around the globe, I’m sure he would retract that statement too. /sarc
Typical elitist, ivory-tower dwelling, liberal, snotbag, unwashed creep.
Not only is that a stupid thing to say on an emotional basis, it’s factually incorrect.
Do your research Mr. King, the Army will not accept someone who cannot read.
The left hates America. I used to laugh at the idea of a civil war. Now, I wonder not if a civil war could happen, but when.
There was a King discussion a year or so ago on this thread, and zillions of freepers were explaining that not only was King a great writer, but that he writes TRUE LITERATURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not THAT was funny.
I thought it was Peter Maas(Serpico)who wrote that book?
Hey mr. king, if you can’t read, you can’t do well enough on the ASFAB to get into the Army. Eff off, you effing moron. I will never buy one of your increasingly sh!tty books or watch a movie based on one again. Seriously, FOAD.
Um, ASFAB = ASVAB.
nope.....after King earned his bizarre name , he was contacted as a trusted writer.......book is eyeopening and King wrote it
Flagg is saddened....
What really irks me is that the dishonest POS “liberals” won’t publically admit that this is their opinion of the US military,
while all along, in their little enclaves, in their lefthanded circlejerks, when they think it’s “safe”, they spout this crap all the time.
Libs KNOW that their beliefs are not acceptable to Americans, but the only reason they care is that it would keep them out of power. Once they can figure out how to remove this restraint on their elitist leanings, we’ll see some major “know better than you” policies coming down and being forced on all of us.
Damn I despise libs.
What if you are in such a tizzy that you can’t type?
:)
King is a mindless ghoul.
Now if you want an intelligent, talented suspense writer, read Dean Koontz. You read his books, and you know what’s in his soul.
I quit reading Stephen King novels a long time ago. The only good one I ever read was “Rose Madder”.
And, at least those I have met, are among America's brightest and finest...dedeciated to that quaint notion of liberty and willing to volunteer for hazardous duty to protect it...and to improve themselves in the process.
How much are you willing to sacrifice and put on the line for the blessings of liberty that you appear to enjoy so much?
He’s either clueless or a malicious liar.
I don't know about that... he is very prolific and his books sell!
Having said that, I don't read his books because I don't like the horror genre...
And can you imagine being part of the family where the dad is always thinking of ways to kill people in the worst way imaginable?
What a pig. My son joined the army after 5 years of college and a bachelors degree.
Just who do these pigs think would be defending their freedoms if there were no army??
I am fairly certain that if you cannot read, you cannot get into the military. You can’t get through basic training without the ability to read. There are more damn training manuals than you can imagine for every level and specialty in all the branches.
There were classes and tests. You had to pass the tests.
Having said that, I remember on one ship, we did have this bosun’s mate (boatswain, ok, ok)who was, in fact, retarded. It had more to do with his family desperately trying to find something for him. Well, he was there for a few months. It was obvious he wasn’t working out, so he was “fired” from the Navy, if you will.
So, other than cases like that. You are expected to be literate. AND, you can wash out of a whole bunch of programs because you can’t hack the lessons: Electronics, sonar, radar, you name it, you can fail it.
Plus, I have a funny feeling Stephen King would not be able to hack it in the Navy or any branch. Whatever horror stories he has written could not compare to the risks the men and women of our military take every day.
My wife, son, and daughter are all fans of King, and have ALL of his books. But, I have never read a single one of them, and would rather go to Iraq than to read any of his books...
PLUS to be an officer, you MUST have a college education.
“Now if you want an intelligent, talented suspense writer, read Dean Koontz. You read his books, and you know whats in his soul.”
Eww, no. King is a tool but he can write circles around Koontz.
Reading or typing impaired?
You’re right, Califreak. King of the Gypsies was written by Peter Maas.
If you can barely read, you’ll enjoy the works of Stephen King.
Just take breaks from time to time, to rest your mouth.
“Writer Stephen King: If You Can’t Read, You’ll End Up in the Army or Iraq”
At least the illiterate won’t have to read his ponderous drivel.
He’s just mad because Owen is so ugly that they had to pay the family dog to play with him.
Along with John Grisham and Clive Cussler, King is one of the most over-rated authors in contemporary America (not is sales, obviously, but in talent).
Nope, Peter Maas wrote KING OF THE GYPSIES.
If you can’t read, you DEFINITELY won’t end up in the US Armed Forces.
When I first started reading his stuff years ago - back in 77 actually - I thought he was extremely good. Then, when I read ‘Salem’s Lot, I thought that he just rewrote Dracula. I thought the Shining was great until I read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and realized he stole the idea from her. And then as I read more and more of the old pulp stories, I saw where he got a lot of his stuff. The last straw was his Gunslinger series. The ending in the last book sucked so bad I decided not to buy anymore of his stuff. Dean Koontz kicks his arse.
I wish someone like Ollie North would issue King a public challenge to take it. Make him eat those words.
“The left hates America. I used to laugh at the idea of a civil war. Now, I wonder not if a civil war could happen, but when.”
No kidding. I think it’s pretty much inevitable.
Ping #45,
How about a public challenge to take the ASVAB.
Funny, I was in the military and managed being an instructor pilot for the test pilot school, got my doctorate from Oxford (in a real subject, not marshmallow stuff), am a registered professional engineer and am a top engineer in a really big company. I’ll challenge ANY of the lib-O-wimps to attempt to do even one of the things I’ve done, and we’ll talk. Oh, and I was in the lower half of my academy class. I’m one of the “dumb” ones.
Now that's hysterical.
King is a great storyteller, but not one thing he has written in his prolific and successful career will ever be considered "literature."
Stephen King does not believe in any cause or concept which is bigger than himself. Honor and self-sacrifice are concepts beyond his grasp. Those like King who are incapable of honoring their country and those who risk their lives to serve, only dishonor themselves. Stephen King is a very dishonorable fellow, but that comes as a surprise to know one.
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