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^moctober 18,2001 The Blue Banner Page 3 Opinions lean 3S..V nd... "tiuni: tute ffice n OU! HBO series compares to war Josh Day Columnist s ) A 3I the at The HBO mini-series “Band of Brothers” offers a looic back at tra- iitional warfare during the second 'J/orld War. Objectives were clear- itorming beachheads, holding cit ies, taking enemy strongholds-and there were few ambiguities. The allied invasion of Nazi-occu- jied Europe measured their suc- ;esses in terms of geography, and pushing the front closer to Hitler md Berlin. In one sense. World War II was the purest war of the century, if you ;ver deigned to apply the word pure” to a war. A tangible war, unlike Vietnam, where success was not measured in geography, but in Viet Cong body counts, World War [I was the last war fought on the traditional stage of warfare. Indeed, when one thinks of war, ne often imagines barbed wire, mine fields, and Marines storming beach. Over the course of 12 episodes, “Band ofBrothers” shows the allied invasion of France through the eyes of Easy Company, a paratrooper unit of the acclaimed 101st Air- ' borne Division. ,f In light of Operation Enduring Freedom, the cut and dry progress af Company E through war-rav- Bged Europe almost radiates a nos talgic glow for a time when the enemy had a face, and objectives were as clear as pushing Hitler out of France. Easy Company jumps on Normandy on D-Day, getting scat tered all over the country with the rest of the 101st. The company then proceeds to slice through France, participating in many of World War II’s most famous battles. Author and historian Stephen E. Ambrose wanted to capture the whole of the American soldier’s experience in the allied invasion, and Company E was the perfect choice. From parachuting into Normandy under heavy artillery fire, to the Battle of the Bulge and, ultimately, the discovery onto Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest (the vacation getaway where the Reich’s highest ranking offi cials met and planned strategies and tactics). Easy Company saw it all. Beautifully filmed and well-writ ten, “Band ofBrothers” is an excel lent production, although it may not appeal to someone who isn t specifically versed in World War II history. A general knowledge of World War II goes a long way, and is almost necessary for getting the full effect of the series. Characters phase in and out, and there are so many of them, it’s hard to keep track of all the names and faces. Although produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, “Band ofBrothers” is no “Saving Private Ryan.” The series focuses more on historical fact and the broader re sults of battles than it does on indi vidual characters or gratuitous car nage that was so abundant in “Sav ing Private Ryan.” While keeping the big picture of the war in focus, the action often stops to zoom in on a smaller scene that encompasses the whole, like the shining blue sky with wisps of smoke trailing through the air after D-Day, or a burning town seen from a distance. Visually and thematically, “Band ofBrothers” is more like “The Thin Red Line” than “Saving Private Ryan.” As I watch the series, I can’t help but contrast World War II to the military campaign against Afghanistan. Every major war is fought accord ing to the rules learned in the previ ous war. Operation: Desert Storm is obviously on the minds of the George W. Bush administration in their current bombing campaign against the Taliban. The public has been given the following campaign rhetoric: If we bomb the hell out of them, then Osama bin Laden will be forced to crawl out of his caves or else be blasted to death. The bottom line, however, is that we don’t know where bin Laden is, and the results of this operation, whether positive or negative, will not be known until we know who or what we’re fighting. We are bombing the Taliban be cause they are harboring bin Laden and refuse to give him up. We are not bombing the Taliban because they attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. If they had, then we would simply declare war on that government and destroy it. Instead, we are fight ing the only face we see, while the true enemy hides in caves in the desert. There are no beachheads in this war and no front line to push to ward the heart of the enemy. Right now, there is no definition to this war. Only history will define what we are actually doing. "We are bombing the Taliban because they are harboring bin Laden. We are not bombing the Taliban because they attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon” Tales of Middle Eastern cxdture Craig Lovelace Columnist For the past few weeks. I’ve been : doing a lot of research on the Middle East, for the purpose of having some idea what I’m talking about. I have come to one inescapable conclu sion: this place is screwed. It’s been screwed largely from the leginning of time. For those who think the Middle East’s troubles a new phenomenon caused by Islam, Israel or America, let me turn your attention to a book, “The [ewish War,” recounting a first- century A.D. Holy Land rebellion. It describes a region torn by groups battling each other, and occasion ally themselves, over religion, land, food, and pronunciation. It takes place a half a millennium before the rise of Islam, and much longer be fore the little brawl we call the Revolution. The description is remarkably close to a description of the Middle F,ast today, complete with ham- fisted dealings by outside powers of every stripe. The fashion arud hair- ityles are largely the same. The only difference is the choice ofawarrior’s weapon, Kalishnikovs instead of scimitars. It becomes obvious reading these old histories that no simple solu tion for the violence exists. Unless, of course, you take the Stalinesque approach: burn crops, raze buildings, sow the ground with salt, and kill anything that moves. In some circles, this solution has not been written off Perhaps the best experience I’ve had in dealing with the Middle East’s crankiness was at Indiana University. In an effort to better understand the violence, one of the Profes sional Worrywart’s clubs invited a “former terrorist” to speak to the group. Since all were welcome, and I was bored, I tagged along. I first met “Ali” (called both to protect the mindless and because I can’t spell his real name) at an in formal reception hosted by the club. I fully expected to meet a body bag, since there aren’t any terrorist re tirement plans. Apparendy, Ali was part of their equivalent of Sinn Fein, the branch of people who want to help, but can’t be trusted with a rifle. He seemed pleasant enough, even telling some Syrian border patrol stories, which are the Polack jokes of the cradle of civilization. Ali, it turned out, had been with one of the Scrabble triple word score groups in the land of Lebanon (it’s improper to call most of these places countries - they’re arguments with boundaries). He had represented his organiza tion in a human rights board exam ining incidents of mayhem in a community outside of Beruit. You can imagine the meetings: “Abdur, your district has not thrown an adulteress off a minaret in al most three weeks. Stand on your chair and sing ‘Danny Boy!’” When the time came to give his talk, Ali proceeded to rail on West ern civilization, to the great ap proval of the Sandalistas who wanted to show how everything is America’s fault, from World War II to “Three’s Company.” His Patrice Lumbaba University education showed through, as he attacked American foreign policy using quotes from Saddam Hussein. If I were going to accuse someone of devious political maneuvering, I’d try to find better source material. I’m amazed Saddam has time to foam at the mouth, considering he’s busy slaughtering Kurds, giv ing his son’s victims torture ses sions for their birthdays, and writ ing the new Iraqi national anthem, an up-tempo number called, “America Will Choke on its own Imperialist Excess.” Even better than this, however, was his frequent references to Idi Amin. It wasn’t as funny to the Sandalistas, of course, who still think Amin was a CIA plant who ate people on orders from former president Richard Nixon. The most useful part, however, was the question and answer pe riod. Ali answered questions about Arab culture from some fairly level headed people. For example, if I’m ever in the Middle East, I’ll stay out of neigh borhoods filled with one-armed men, something I should have known from watching “The Fugi tive.” Overall, accounts of Arab customs, and horror stories concerning them, are absolutely true. The people are hospitable to the point of Alfred Hitchcock psychopaths. When in London, I was trying to get a needle and thread to sew a fly button back onto my chinos before going to see a play. I was directed to speak to Mustafa down the hall. Knocking on the door, I was invited in, then was given little thimbles of coffee. It was only after half an hour of small talk, I found out I wanted the other Mustafa, at the end of the hall. I left with a profound understand ing of how inhospitable I am. I finally understood why you can’t get real coffee at Starbucks any more. It’s all being served to lost houseguests in Riyadh. Things were fine at the talk until one of the Sandalistas asked Ali what he thought would bring last ing peace in the Middle East. “The creation of an Islamic Para dise for the faithful is our aim,’ ’ he answered (it’s amazing how these things always sound like failed projects from a sociopolitical Disneyland - Islamic Paradise, Worker’s Eden). The follow-up talk, given by a middle-aged former marine, won dered if this meant incompatibility with states having secular on other religious findings. Ali assured us the Islam had a place for believers and non-believ ers, all except for Zionists, Imperi alists, hockey players, and other infidels. I clapped loudly, then did what any right-thinking, un-brainwashed American would do: I left. Being a proud American, I then went to a bar, put a big dent in their bourbon supply, and lit some fire works while singing theme songs to old John Wayne movies. I thought it was amazing that any one could live with his head buried that far in the sand. Maybe American life isn’t founded on whiskey and the Duke, but that makes it worth living. If we want to help the downtrod den people of the world, we can send them big-screen televisions, VCRs, and wide-screen versions of “Rio Bravo,” “The Longest Day,” and “Big Jake.” ‘‘Overall, accounts of Arab customs, and horror stories concerning them, are absolutely true. The people are hospi table to the point of Alfred Hitchcock psychopaths.” The Blue Banner Staff Editor-in-Chief Lena Burns News Editor Luke Knox Features Editor Rachel Grumpier Sports Editor Deleon Dendy Photo Editor Walter Fyler Copy Editor Sarah Wilkins Online Editor C.J. Eland Assistant Online Editor Holly Koss Advertising Manager Emily Schell Business Manager Dearborn McCorkle Circulation Manager Matt Deal Photo Technology Manager J.R Ammons Computer Consultant Breandan Dezendorf Faculty Advisor Mark West Reporters Lori Brenner, Hollie Childers, Lana Coffey, Megan Fazekas, Ed Fickle, Lynne Fox, Stuart Gaines, Sachie Godwin, Sarah-Vance Goodman, Jenna Lahmeyer, Margaret Lee, Ben Martin, Alison McKone, Rae Stephens, Sarah Wilkins, Ryan Wilson Photographers Ian Baillie, Jon Basirico, Lou Horton, Erik Jacobs, Sean Stevens, Leah Tedrick-Moutz Columnists Josh Day, Craig Lovelace The Blue Banner is the student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, pub lished every Thursday, except during summer ses sions, final exam weeks and holiday breaks. Our offices are located in Karpen Hall, room 244. Our telephone number is (828) 251-6586 and our campus e-mail address is banner@unca.edu. 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