I keep forgetting that it is winter for most of you… as it is amazing here. However, I am not gloating because I know it will be God-awful come summer. God-awful.

Let’s see, what else has been happening on this fun extravaganza known as Africa? Oh, ummm, have any of you ever heard of some movie called Avatar? I hear it’s pretty big right now. We don’t get any commercials here and I don’t watch any news so I have no clue what is happening back home. In fact, I hear there is some big event happening next Sunday… some kind of bowl game or something? Anyway, they showed the movie here yesterday and are showing it again tonight. I wasn’t able to see it yesterday as I had two final papers to write… I know… war is hell.

Oh and Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, some older actor guy, and some older producer guy all came here. I thought that was pretty cool of them. They were mobbed all day signing autographs and posing for pictures. I waited for several hours to get some autographs for my kids but there were too many people and I had to write those papers.

I really liked that they came out here to visit us. They really don’t have to. It’s not like I would’ve been saying to myself at any point during this deployment… “Hey, why the hell don’t all those damn Hollywood movie stars come to Djibouti to visit me? Don’t they know I’m here? Oh. Yeah. They probably don’t. But if they did shouldn’t they completely reroute their life to come visit me?” I do not at any time ever expect them to do that. No matter who they are. But then they do. And Sigourney Weaver is a pretty big star to me.

What’s that, kids? She was in Alien. And all of the sequels. And Michelle Rodriguez was in something that I’ve seen. I’m just not sure what. But I remember her. And that other guy was in Public Enemies and Men Who Stare at Goats. And the other guy produced the movie… he is completely loaded. And they all decided to come here. It’s not like we are paying to see the movie. They came here to support us. They came to Africa to meet a bunch of largely uninteresting people who have no way of helping any of their careers or families and sign pictures for hours and hours.

I know that some will say that on some level we protect their rights and ability to make their movies. And while that is true, it still doesn’t oblige them to come all the way here. They don’t have to but they chose to do it anyway. I appreciate that. I didn’t get to meet them because the throng was overwhelming, but if I did I would’ve said, “Thank you.” In an age when Hollywood is often given the label of Lefty or Moonbat Headquarters West, and where many, many actors and socialites decry the very notion of going to war but still “support the troops”… here were some Hollywood elite, at a moment of triumph (I hear the movie is rather successful), coming here. That isn’t saying you support the troops… that is supporting the troops. The only thing they are “required” to do is pay their taxes just like everybody else. That is the only support required. But they did more and I appreciate that. I wish I could’ve told them.

And listening to me rant on and on… incessantly… is all the support I need from all of you. Thank you.

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Tags: art & entertainment, terror & war // 2 Comments »