Friday, July 30, 2004
 
Lessons from The Last Samurai

Heather and I just watched The Last Samurai, which many have taken at its face value as an anti-Western message. Well, if you want to look at it that way, take whatever lesson you want from it. I, on the other hand, prefer to take these messages away from it:
  • An all-volunteer army is better than a conscript army. Ergo, it's against the mock draft proposal being floated around by those who want us to fear the militarization of the Republican police state.

  • Apparently, Sun Tzu was not translated into Nihongo until sometime after 1877. I mean, when you've got 500 men with swords and bows against two regiments with cannons and machine guns, Sun Tzu would have pointed out that narrow mountain passes that completely block in winter might present better terrain to your strengths than open fields.
I could write a paper on either of them. The benefit of an English degree, donchaknow.

- posted by Brian J. @ 9:09 PM
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To say Noggle, one first must be able to say the "Nah."