As usual it is the weekend and I let my mind wander to places that it would like to visit…..today the title is Not about the blockbuster film of the 30’s….but rather something completely different, to quote Monty Python…..
I had been thinking of what our troops were doing in their war zone spare time……I mean there are not many bars to hang in, or girl watching is pretty much out of the question………..so what is left? listen to music, or TV or one of those endless card games that seem to go on for weeks or months……what are some of the other forms of “recreation”?
Okay, let us step into the “way back machine” and go to the days when I was in the Army in Vietnam….I know…I am ancient.
There were times when we had a lot of dead time on our hands….long stretches of pure boredom….so what did we do? Play a little football, music, radio and those endless poker games….and there was another form of recreation that is not talked about too much. (pause here for thought)……..The body function known as flatulence….that is right….we turned the art of farting into a sport! Once we got beyond the “poll my finger” thing and the “silent but deadly” attack…… There was the Divine Wind…..where points were given for categories like duration, audio and odor and then there was Blast-Off, this one was where a person would assume a position and have a partner hold a Zippo up and the fart would be lit……grading was two fold…..color and duration……..,and the winners of the different categories had to eat everyone’s mystery meat sandwiches for the night.
I realize that some may find this a bit disgusting but think about it….what else would you expect from bored 20 year olds? With that out of the way….I will, bet that you are asking just where the Hell am I going with this post? Right?
Well, to be honest when I was surfing the other day I found a report that was a bit disturbing to me…..it was on the Newser website……..
US military leaders, sensitive to winning hearts and minds in Afghanistan, have instituted several unloved regulations on troops there—no swearing, no talking about volatile subjects like politics or girls. But now leaders apparently want to win ears and noses, too, as they have introduced an unusual no-no—no farting, according to the Military Times. In particular, the rule is no audible farts for downrange marines. “But farting? That’s practically a sport,” writes Gina Cavallaro. “OK, it’s not soccer, but a good contest could open the door for cross-cultural exchanges, jokes, and other gallows humor.” Or perhaps the top brass is just overly sensitive to criticism that the US forces in Afghanistan could cut-and-run…
A ban on audible farting? Come on! The guys and gals in Afghanistan cannot hang out in bars or go girl watching….let us be real here…there are only so many hours that you want to pass a football or play cards….now with the farting thing gone….If you had been in a war zone then you will know that there are times of prolonged boredom and a 20 yr old will find ways to fight that boredom…….what will they do now to avoid the boredom?