Oh, hah hah hah. Haven't seen that one before! Thanks AD. If it's any consolation, there have been a number of questionable awards over the last 20 years. This is just the latest. Perhaps leaders should not be deemed worthy until they are no longer in power so we can judge their performance over the full term of their leadership. Anyway, I'll shut up now, this is going off-topic.

>> Perhaps leaders should not be deemed worthy until they are no longer in power so we can judge their performance over the full term of their leadership.

I think the whole point of them giving the Nobel Peace Prize to Obama was to get him to accept it, which would then make feel him feel the need to do something to justify the award. After all, when accepting the award, Obama himself said he hadn't done anything to merit it yet. I know it's expected for award recipients to pretend they haven't earned their award, but in this case it was obvious to everyone that it wasn't just humility. He was only in office a few months. Really, how much could he have done by then?

And you can't underestimate that it was just as much intended as a dis to Bush as a compliment to Obama. Who knows? Maybe he'll actually get a deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis in these peace talks. Not holding my breath, but if he did that (and both sides actually keep up their end of the deal), he'll have earned it.

ardav, you never struck me as anti-American. Just more of an "Americans are from Mars, Brits are from Venus" deal. You should come over here, bring a few friends and a few thousand bucks, buy some guns, get drunk, go to a ranch, buy some old cheap fancy vases at a thrift shop, line up all the empty bottles and whatever else, and just start shooting like a bunch of teenagers. You'll feel silly, but it's harmless and it's fun, ESPECIALLY for someone who never did it growing up as a kid, and I honestly think you'll leave poorer, but with a better understanding of the culture. I'm joking, but I'm actually not. It's a rite of passage. A stupid rite of passage, but a rite of passage nonetheless. Probably like rioting at soccer games when you're young where you live.

As for guns, I think you'll find some wisdom in this:

http://books.google.com/books?id=PZDcoEchkIAC&pg=PA84&lpg=PA84&dq=phil+gramm+i+own+more+shotguns&source=bl&ots=rrQO3NE68F&sig=DeWzeQZ6VD3YyZETJ_i8Ib36e7I&hl=en&ei=YxuUTLDbIofUtQOU8_HuDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=phil%20gramm%20i%20own%20more%20shotguns&f=false

Cheers VD. BTW - Soccer is for girls. Rugby for men. We don't riot. We just have a drink together after the game. As for shooting - hell, I enjoy blasting cans as much as anyone - just don't like the idea of somebody using my head as a can as I walk down the street. Just joking. Would love to come to the US again - haven't been for over 30 years. Had a great time in the South, DC and NY. Wife won't fly and I can't afford the cruise. Shame. Anyway enough of this off-topic stuff, or I'll get an infraction.

Only people who have never served in the military would be shocked at the banning. Such a thing is actually pretty common. I recall one time the Base Commander banned a Cheek and Chong movie because it involved drugs.

I served in the military for 10 years and was in Iraq. While in Iraq, we had a few game systems, and would play games like medal of honor most nights. I don't find it to be offensive at all to myself, any of the other soldiers who played it, or any of the soldiers who I have seen die.

I find it quite unusual that the military would go so far out of it's way to try and keep a game out of it bases and not do anything about a web site that leaks confidential military secrets.

If a soldier wants to play MoH, just order it off the internet.