Posted on 06/26/2011 7:42:09 PM PDT by stolinsky
The Doc Holliday Principle
David C. Stolinsky
June 27, 2011
http://www.roadtripamerica.com/places/tombstone01.jpg
Boot Hill Cemetery, Tombstone, Arizona
In the film “Tombstone,” lawman Wyatt Earp, his brothers, and his friend Doc Holliday confront a violent outlaw gang. But Doc has tuberculosis − of which he will die at age 36 − and should be resting. A member of the posse asks Holliday why he is exerting himself. Doc replies, “Wyatt’s my friend.” The man says, “Hell, I’ve got lots of friends.” Doc replies, “I don’t.” Here we have the first part of the Doc Holliday Principle:
When trouble comes, it’s not how many friends you have that counts − it’s what kind of friends they are.
This is relevant to what we call “coalitions.” Some members of the coalition in Afghanistan send only a few hundred troops. Even worse, some of these troops do not patrol at night, do not go into “hot” zones, and fire only when fired upon. That is, even if they spot a Taliban leader, they do nothing if they aren’t fired upon first.
This concept of a “coalition” accords more with the posse member’s idea of friendship than with Doc’s. The concept is so broad that it includes all acquaintances except actual enemies. It bears no relation to loyalty. On the other hand, we have the Brits. They accord more with Doc’s concept of friendship − those are there when we really need them, even if the situation is dangerous, and even if they are in a weakened condition.
Then we have so-called “friends” who get us into trouble, not out of it. Take the situation in Libya. The Europeans, especially the French, urged military action against Qaddafi’s bloody regime. But because of decades of military decline, they are too weak to take on even this third-rate power, so yet again they depend on America to do the heavy lifting. As Mark Steyn observed, “You can have massive welfare or a credible military, but not both.” Europe found this out years ago. We have yet to discover it − but if we continue on our present course, we will be forced to confront this sad fact.
But back to “Tombstone.” Wyatt Earp is challenged by Johnny Ringo, an unstable killer. Earp knows that Ringo is faster on the draw, yet feels honor-bound to meet him. But as Ringo is waiting at the appointed place, who should show up but Doc Holliday.
Ringo insists that he has no quarrel with Holliday. Doc reminds him that they challenged each other. Ringo protests, “I was only fooling about.” Doc replies, “I wasn’t.” They proceed with the gunfight, and Ringo comes out second best. Here we come to the second part of the Doc Holliday Principle:
In matters of life and death, the first thing to decide is whether the person is serious or just pretending. And if he is serious, it is best to be careful.
It is wise to decide whether the other party is serious, but it is essential to decide whether we are serious. Sending young people into a life-and-death struggle without being really serious about it is a sin − and even worse for a government, it is a mistake. Half a war is an oxymoron.
It is impossible to have half a gunfight. Johnny Ringo wasn’t serious about the challenge, but Doc was. It takes only one side to make a lethal fight. If the other party isn’t serious, he can lose just as badly. The runner-up doesn’t get a silver medal; he gets six feet of dirt.
The United States has engaged in several armed conflicts since World War II, but we haven’t unequivocally won any of them. In part, this may be because our very existence hasn’t been threatened since World War II. But in part, this may also be due to the fact that in none of these conflicts did we formally declare war − so we did not fully understand we were in a war, and were not really determined to win.
President Obama talks about “winning the future,” a ringing phrase of unknowable meaning. But he never talks about winning the wars we are fighting − or rather, the wars our armed forces are fighting. Instead, he talks about ending the wars “responsibly,” hardly an inspiring expression. Imagine Churchill declaring that he intended to end World War II “responsibly.” You can’t picture that? My point exactly.
If people claim, “It’s not our grandfathers’ war,” I reply, “No, we’re not our grandfathers.” They knew what they were fighting for − to preserve Western civilization. We’re not sure what Western civilization is, much less that we want to fight to preserve it. Yes, it is our grandfathers’ war. It’s just slower paced and requires more patience. Patience was never an American strongpoint, but now we need it.
The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, but it does not specify any words to be used. It could be argued that when Congress approved the use of military force in Korea, in Vietnam, in the Gulf War, in Afghanistan, and in Iraq, in effect Congress declared war. This makes sense logically, but not psychologically. The purpose of declaring war is not only to let the world know, but also to let ourselves know.
This is similar to taking the oath when one joins the military or becomes a public official. The purpose of the oath is to make the solemnity of the obligation crystal clear to the person undertaking it. The purpose of a formal declaration of war is to make the gravity of the act crystal clear to everyone, especially to those in charge.
Movies, like all art, are not meant to provide a precise picture of reality, but to reflect and clarify some aspects of reality. “Tombstone” did not show us exactly what happened during the gunfight at the OK Corral. It did something far more important. It showed us the value of true friends, and it emphasized the difference between being deadly serious and merely fooling about.
The world has changed remarkably since the days of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. But some things haven’t changed at all. The value of true friends hasn’t changed, nor has the importance of recognizing them and treating them accordingly. This lesson we seem to have forgotten, one might hope temporarily. Our best friends through two World Wars, Korea, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq are the Brits.
And how has President Obama treated the Brits? On entering the Oval Office, he removed the bust of Churchill the Brits sent us after 9/11 and gave it back. He ostentatiously snubbed Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He gifted Queen Elizabeth with an iPod, and Brown with a set of DVDs of movies − DVDs which could not be viewed on European players. But Obama bowed before the Saudi king.
How long would Wyatt Earp have lasted in Tombstone, if he had insulted Doc Holliday but shown weakness before Johnny Ringo and his outlaw gang? How long would he have lasted, if he had been unable to distinguish between people who were serious and people who were just fooling about?
Like it or not, we have been cast in the role of Wyatt Earp. We too have reluctantly put on the badge of lawman in a lawless and dangerous world. We too have many faults, as do our friends, and we have done things in the past of which we are not proud. But despite these faults, we alone have the capability to stand up to the outlaws.
The question is this: Like Wyatt Earp, do we also have the courage and steadfastness to stand up to outlaws? Or, unlike Earp, are we so busy apologizing for our faults, and so occupied with distancing ourselves from our friends and being submissive to our enemies, that we have no time left for fighting evil?
In answering this question, we would do well to recall the Doc Holliday Principle. After all, he was our best friend.
Dr. Stolinsky writes on political and social issues. Contact: dstol@prodigy.net.
That was probably the best role Val Kilmer has had, and also apart from being a real-life character, was also excellently portrayed by Kilmer.
Good post
http://www.johnnyringo.com/jrdeath.html
Wyatt Earp claimed to have killed Mr. Ringo. Then, later, he denied it.
It’s rough using a fictional movie as a framework for a non-fiction point.
Interesting, but kitschy --- at every corner was a barker/cowboy trying to get the turistas to visit "their gunfight show" (admission fee, of course)......turned out there were at least a half dozen in the two blocks.
If Obama’s objective is to completely undermine America, destroy our Constitution, industry, economy, and position in the world, he is precisely on track, and none of his policies are in conflict with that objective.
When trouble comes, it’s not how many friends you have that counts − it’s what kind of friends they are.This is true, but it's what known as "too late binding" in the Doc Holliday case! That is, when trouble comes and that's when you find out ... too late.
So its good advice, but you have to have some trouble first to find who your friends are. A similar principle is found in great generals and leaders: those who lose and lose at the start of things will come out as great winners ... if they can persevere. The US example is of course George Washington. Robert Bruce the Scottish example, especially if one allows the legend of the spider he learned from. Churchill among others is a British example. Cao Cao is a Chinese example.
In losing, horrible yet survivable losses, you really do develop a core group of the extremely trustworthy.
And what about this:
In matters of life and death, the first thing to decide is whether the person is serious or just pretending. And if he is serious, it is best to be careful.Okay, how do determine that? No general rule applies really. The key here is it is a life and death situation. But for who? For you, for him, for who?
People don't "pretend" in their own life and death situations--but their behavior does tell a tale. Some ignore the situation: as strange as that may sound it's perhaps the MOST common reaction. Deadly of course, but very normal.
Others panic, some freeze. A few deal with the situation. Training and experience count a WHOLE LOT.
Speaking of fiction, I would not cite that website as the source of any authority. Contrary to his portrayal in the film, Johnny Ringo was not a dangerous gunfighter. As a matter of fact, he was probably not much of a gunfighter at all; he once killed an unarmed man. That’s the only gunfight he’s actually known to have been in. Any of the Earp brothers could have handled him very easily — one of them may, or may not — have.
If you go to a tourist town, you should expect to see tourist attractions.
Something can be false in historical accuracy and yet be 100 percent true on another level. Actually, that's always been how good fiction works.
There was a hell of a lot of truth about human nature, love, and duty in Tombstone.
The same thing can be said about Shakespeare's "historical" plays, most of which are nothing but Tudor propaganda on a historical level; but they contain fine lessons and high drama (and comedy) withal.
I wasn't actually commenting about that, although I believe Gondring was.
The film also has the best character roles of several of the actors' careers (usually the sign of a great screenplay and a great director when all the actors do so well.) Val Kilmer in particular has never been quite so good again.
Dan Rather said that, too: "Fake but accurate." But in his case he was lying.
Sure it wasn't Ken Kesey - the last sentence of Chapter 1 of "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest?"
Regards,
It was a “Steinbeck-like” quote...;)
Lord Palmerston was correct in his maxim and the author of this piece is wrong. As one poster has already observed, it is on a false foundation to construct an analysis on a work of fiction.
American foreign policy must not be crafted out of sentiment but out of a rigorous analysis of our national interests. We have have violated this rule in the past. We have twisted the British Lion's tail to appease my Irish cousins who immigrated to the states. We have conducted our foreign policy against Cuba with one eye on the South Florida student émigré community. We have aligned ourselves with 4 million people with no oil against half a billion people with the world's great reserves of oil because of the American Israeli lobby.
Ludendorff, referring to Austria in the midst of World War I famously said, "we have shackled ourselves to a corpse." Where was Bismarck when Germany needed him? Where is John Adams when we need him?
The idea that we could take the slightest moral lesson from the career of Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, Arizona is ludicrous beyond description. Earp was a whore master, a gambler, and a dirty policeman. His "wife" was a whore who practiced her profession in Tombstone where she was duly licensed by Wyatt Earp himself.
There might be much in Earp's career in terms of courage and independence which is admirable but there are very few lessons to be had which would inform our foreign policy.
"The Cuban émigré community..."
>>> trying to get the turistas to visit “their gunfight show” (admission fee, of course)......turned out there were at least a half dozen in the two blocks.
Are you positive you didn’t get turned around at the cloverleaf and take the Baltimore exit?
>>> John Steinbeck said (and I paraphrase) that just because something didn’t happen, doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
John Ford got the point across better.
Ransom Stoddard: You’re not going to use the story, Mr. Scott?
Maxwell Scott: No, sir. This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend
Why Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave...
He said from the outset "In the movie Tombstone". He never claimed to be quoting from real life. A fictional story makes a great illustration for reality. That's why we have fables, allegories, etc.
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