Well done. I recently read a book by the real Winters, which I believe was called "Beyond Band of Brothers" -- fascinating stuff.

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I laugh in the face of danger ... then I hide until it goes away.

Thank you! You know, sometimes I feel the urge to be creative, then I have to do something. I know it´s no great art, but hey... I did something similar before with scenes from "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" - I guess you know that movie too, the best Western ever imho.
The "art" really is, to select a view that has some expression and then to pick exactly the right moment in the scene. It´s not cool if the actor has his eyes closed, or during certain movements of walking, or if the flames or explosions are only small at that moment.

Yes, "Beyond Band of Brothers" is also a documentary about E Company, it´s included in the DVD set of the series, among some more infos about the whole thing.

Well, it may contradict what I think about "war against terrorism" but I believe then it was the right thing to do, to put an end to the Nazi rule in Europe. Even if business interests were also involved - they are never completely on halt - the dedication of the american people was admirable! They could have said "Europe, that´s far away..." But I dread to imagine how Europe would look today if the Nazis had stayed in power. Germany would be a lot bigger now, that´s for sure... But I don´t think I would like to live there.

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Hm ... I always thought "True Grit" was the best western ever made. But even though they're both westerns, they're so different that it's apples and oranges. Nobody can squint like Eastwood can, but nobody can drawl like Wayne can.

Americans, despite our reputation, are slow to want to get involved in foreign affairs. However, once we've decided a cause is just and we should be in, we're *all* in. There wasn't much doubt of that when it came to facing Hitler.

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I laugh in the face of danger ... then I hide until it goes away.

I think Eastwood and Wayne have a lot in common - they both don´t act very well. They look just the way they are in real life... But in a fitting role they are just perfect, of course. And the roles Eastwood played in the Leone Westerns are perfect for him. Also in "A Fist Full of Dollars" and it´s sequels he is unbeatable.
But also Lee Van Cleef is like made for this kind of villain character.

Well, I could say a few things about the US interventions since WW2... but I better don´t.
I know that the US were very reluctant to actively engage in the war against Germany. Eventhough you supported the british war efforts early - without the supplies from America they would have not lasted much longer - it took something like Pearl Harbour to convince you that things were getting out of hand and that you had to do something about it.
But once you started doing something... wow! I guess nobody in Germany or Japan imagined what kind of war machine you were able to set up, in a relatively short time. Compared with that, Iraq and Afghanistan are sort of "hobby wars".

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We do tend to be slow to anger, but quick to support other democracies; and when we do get angry it's usually a bad thing for someone else.

I don't know if I agree that Wayne doesn't act very well. Granted that he, like Eastwood, usually plays himself, but watch his performance in "The Longest Day" -- or Eastwood's in some of his non-cop roles. They've learned a few tricks, along the way!

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I laugh in the face of danger ... then I hide until it goes away.

That´s a very patriotic way of putting it...
One could also say: you are quiet patient, but only until someone starts interfering in the business plans.

The acting qualities of some actors a hard to evaluate - if the only play the same type of characters in their films. For many of the action movie (and Western are action movies in a way) stars this is the case. Schwarzenegger is a exception, Eastwood too, but many others get a "label" and keep playing the same stuff for the rest of their life. Chuck Norris for example. But he propably doesn´t play at all...

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I'm not one of those who believes America's foreign policy is mostly about our business plans; although of course it is a factor, as it is for every country that conducts foreign trade. I've always found it ironic that protestors claimed we were in Iraq for oil, when Iraq has always been more than willing to sell its oil to us or anyone else, even under Saddam's rule.

Now, Chuck Norris -- he's one action star who doesn't seem to have much acting ability. I wouldn't tell him that to his face, though!

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I laugh in the face of danger ... then I hide until it goes away.

Well, I am one of those... but I guess you are not too surprised about it by now.
There have been exceptions of course. But in the past 25 years or so, since the communist threat has no relevance, there was a lot of dubious actions. You should get a paragraph in your constitution like we have (and we break it, too): the armed forces are solely to defend the borders of the nation.
About the Iraq and it´s oil - they don´t want to rely on someone like Saddam (or some other Sheik) if it´s about the most vital supply the US need. Dignity and honor and truth and that, that´s things nice to believe in, but beyond a certain point in politics there is only one rule left: efficiency.
You and I dismay this kind of thinking, but in politics it was always present. Machiavelli summed it up in the 16th century already. Or the 17th? Whatever...



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Visit me at BOINC Synergy Team: [link]
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What happens to countries like Kuwait if every other nation refuses to defend anyone other than themselves? Who keeps Taiwan or South Korea from being invaded, or kicks communist invaders out of Grenada, or rids places like Panama of killer dictators? If America went strictly by a rule like that, Saddam Hussein would have spread his evil over the entire Mideast by now, just as Hitler once did in Europe. War should always be the last option, but it should never be taken off the table as a way to defend the weak.

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I laugh in the face of danger ... then I hide until it goes away.