Matt Welch is a well-respected journalist who currently writes for Reason and the LA Times, and he wrote a highly critical book about McCain before it was cool to do so this election cycle. However, he recently stated that McCain truly is a military hero for suffering during his stay at the Hanoi Hilton. When he made this statement, the flurry of CHUD-related nasty emails in his inbox reached unprecedented levels. From Reason:
Does being a POW make you a war hero? I think not - obviously it is hella-bad times, but that does not in itself make you a "hero." I pray you do not breed or vote...do you feel then that the detainees iwho have been in Guantanamo or rendered ("rendition') to countries more suitable for intense interrogation are heroric and worthy of being considered for the highest office in this land?
Luckily this election will be over in a couple of weeks and hopefully this sort of thing might go by the wayside, but somehow that seems like a too optimistic assessment.
The term "cannon fodder" gets thrown out quite a bit in the blogosphere, often to refer to people foolishly enlisting in the Armed Forces in a time of war. Unfortunately, these comments are usually left off an article designed to highlight inter-service support between Navy mothers. Chetdude leaves his thoughts:
More propaganda for the Empire's War Machine.
It makes me sick to see tax dollars being p*ssed away for the whole spectrum of disgusting pro-war BS!
I guess I should look on the bright side though. The latest push to con parents into sending their kids off to be cannon fodder for big oil must mean that the kids are getting smarter.
Yippee!
If Chet Dude is seeking to impress the ladies online, he should realize that women often judge a man based on how he treats his mother. On an article designed specifically to appeal to Moms with such a CHUD comment, that would put Chet Dude as likely to attract women as Disco Stu.
Type: Dotsam and Netsam C.H.U.D. CHUDitude: 5 Location of Outbreak:Netflix, Reviews (h/t Jacki) Description (from Jacki): I was checking out military documentaries on Netflix and saw Frontline: Bad Voodoo's War. Being a long time fan of JP and I went to add it to my queue. I read the "reviews" and this one was charming:
Propoganda piece. Pure garbage that does nothing to show the other side of our troop presence... all of the rape, execution, terror and murder our troops commit regularly.
I guess one shouldn't expect much else from a guy whose name on Netflix is AntiNeoCon.
His other reviews are revealing: The Peace! - Well done. Just too bad Americans won't wake up and inform themselves with facts like this. Unfortunately, facts are not a part of the American diet, nor are they offered to us in any meaningful way by the "mainstream media".Civic Duty - An interesting fictional portrayal of the irrational frenzy that people in our society go into as a result of government propoganda, fearmongering and indoctrination. Imagine, they were able to stir an entire country into a similar frenzy to build support for the Iraq war.In the Face of Evil: Reagan's War - Propoganda piece. Portrays the imperialist policies of Ronald reagan, including support of terrorists, death squads, etc. against innocent people who pose no harm to us as some sort of righteous cause.Letters from Iwo Jima - True, there is no moral equivalency between Japan and the Us during WWII. They attacked our military installation at Pearl Harbor without civilian targets... we firebombed Tokyo, and nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki, disintegrating hundreds of thousands of TARGETED civiliansOperation Enduring Freedom - Pure propoganda garbage. Skip it unless you want to see it for purposes of assessing the Bush propoganda campaign.
Prognosis: Despite spelling propaganda incorrectly on 5 separate occasions, Anti-NeoCon is well versed in the pathetic art of trolling. This ensures that honest-to-goodness Americans like Jacki can't rent a damn netflix movie or even go to a social networking site without being hassled by low-grade CHUDs. Clearly, people who want to rent the superb Bad Voodoo's War would be interested in military culture and supporting the troops. Therefore, the trolling CHUD will simply denigrate our servicemembers as a way to further their misanthropic ambitions and upset the common user. Like the popular girls at their high school, it is best to ignore these trolls as they spread their hate and discontent for not getting on the varsity Chess team. Thanks to Jacki for the tip and stay safe out there.
Type: Dotsam and Netsam CHUD CHUDitude: 3 Location of Outbreak:Jezebel, comments (h/t Ms. K) Description of Attack: The case of Megan Lynn Touma, who was murdered near Fort Bragg, has been a shocking tragedy. Often, people will take one event and try to proscribe a lesson about society in general. Despite not citing any evidence, a commenter at Jezebel, leaves a sweeping assertion about pregnant service members:
The military is a microcosm of middle class and poor life, because those are the groups most represented in the everyday military. As such, incidents such as these are not terribly shocking, given that the general trend is for pregnant women to be murdered by spouses/ex-spouses. It is highlighted only by the fact that there have been so many cases in one particular area, focusing attention on the problem. Let's hope the attention does some good before more pregnant soldiers meet their demise at the hands of colleagues.
Assuming "general" trend implies a majority, a pregnant woman in the military would have a higher chance of survival than if she played Russian roulette with 3 rounds in the chamber. C.H.U.D. Busters looked on the Google for evidence of most pregnant women getting killed while on active duty, but there was no such study. Is there a government cover-up involved?
Prognosis: People on the internet often assert statements that have no basis in facts or reality. These include comments about Lyndon Larouche being a great man, a secret cabal of Jews running the world, and that most people in the military are uneducated morons. This hyperbole is often used to prove some ideological point, but generally makes the commenter look more dumb than if they had just posted a few smiley faces or something. Lucky for us, Ms. Kiyum was on Jezebel refuting this CHUD attack. Be careful though, Ms. K, don't get dragged down into their lair.
Type: Dotsam and Netsam CHUD CHUDitude: 2 Location of Outbreak:SF Chronicle, Comments (h/t Mezzo SF) Description of Attack:Ronald Gray was an Army cook who moonlighted as a serial killer at Fort Bragg back in the late 80s. His story has seen a resurgence in popularity because Bush chose to affirm his death sentence, which is rare in military justice. There has been little CHUD outbursts at the military as a whole, but MezzoSF found one lurking in the shadows in the comments section of the newspaper from her beloved city. Carverbrian writes in:
Unlucky for him, if he'd just had enough patience and self-control to wait until 2003, he could have raped and killed Iraqis to his heart's content. Probably would have gotten a medal, especially if he was an officer.
For the sake of accuracy, it should be noted that servicemembers (both officer and enlisted) can achieve the highest medals presented by the U.S. government without actually raping civilians.
Prognosis: The response to Gray's actions has been primarily directed at his horrendous deeds and not the service as a whole. The half-life of this story has been short, as the L.A. earthquake and Senator Stevens' shenanigans have sent it down the memory hole. For extra credit, you can read the odd Kos diary where the poster asserts that Bush is executing this man because he's black and wants to make Obama look bad, but it's very devoid of reasoning and not a CHUD attack per se. But good job to Mezzo for catching this one, as it shows how CHUD patterns can be unpredictable when there is seemingly little disturbance.
Type: Dotsam and Netsam CHUDs CHUDitude: 4 Location of Outbreak:OYE, Comments (h/t Wek) Description of Attack: A Special Forces soldier, blinded by a mortar attack, but still proudly serving, would be a moving piece to most Americans, possibly symbolizing the epic struggle of mankind to persevere. Operation Yellow Elephant highlighted this courageous young man, but the CHUDs were still not impressed. Aaron Kinney chimes in:
You would think that after losing his sight that he would realize that the military is a meat grinder, and that it would ultimately destroy him. You would think that he would take this as a warning, or as a foreshadowing, and get out of the military/slaughterhouse... but no.
Oh well. Those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them.
And here we are, the taxpayers, paying a BLIND GUY to keep WATCH over our safety.
Hooray for government! Wheeeee!
I'm sure the paratroopers in the 82nd are wetting their britches at the harsh threats that Mr. Kinney is making from his anonymous residence in Los Angeles.
Prognosis: Aaron Kinney is a recurring troll who likes to spout ideologically inconceivable arguments about "radical libertarianism" and show erotic pictures of his cat. He, along with his CHUD partner Francois, have made similar threats to military members before. They once received the coveted title of "World Class Douche" at The Sniper, and responses to negate this honor were met with accusations that all service members were "faggots". A joint video they concocted on July 4th shows their commitment to America, and clearly it is filmed from the confine of their mother's basement.
Type: Dotsam and Netsam CHUD CHUDitude: 5 Location of Outbreak:Youtube, Staten Island Madman's Video Comments Description of Attack: The self-proclaimed Staten Island Madman, aka Mr. Hotshit 1960, has a video up dating from late 2006 expressing his modest dissatisfaction with the "Fuck the Troops" Myspace group.
Proud American!
In true New Yorker form, he states "You don't back the troops, go fuck yourself, get the fuck outta heeeeere...you little prick bastards". Obviously, this outspoken support of our service members has left him open to some low-level e-CHUD attacks from barely literate Youtube commenters. Sleepy2k16 writes:
a soldier is a sucker, a moron, a dumb animal, a killer, a fool, an idiot. Your stupid. MILITARY MEN ARE A BUNCH OF DUMB ANIMALS, MEANINGLESS PAWNS To be used for profits in foriegn policy
A quick perusal of Mr. Sleepy2k16's YouTube page shows a bunch of creepy 9/11 conspiracy videos in his faves, a lone bulletin who argues that "all we need is love" to solve the world's problems, and a massive anti-CHUD reaction force in the comments section.
You are a disgusting excuse for a human being. GET THE FU*K OUT OF AMERICA WE DO NOT WANT YOU HERE. I would LOVE to boot kick your ass from Maine to the Mexican border. You ANTI-American SCUMBAG!!! GET THE FU*K OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and
your a funking dumb ass, I don't know how you can be so dumb, saying that shit about the USMC, those are brave people defending you and you disrespect them? there fucking dieing and your making fun of them?? I just hope someone kicks your ass and kills you for what you wrote...
There are many of these. Apparently, SLEEPy2k16 didn't join Youtube to make a lot of friends and influence people.
Prognosis: Dotsam and Netsam CHUDs are frequently "pwned" by anti-CHUD forces in the exact same comments threads where they first appear. Like wrangling a rabid dog that has bitten their crotch, those that retaliate can often appear clumsy and use foul language as they throw off the offending CHUD. However, it is often best to take the high road during a CHUD encounter free of emotion and contact, as the CHUD's own appearance is evidence enough that he/she is an ugly offshoot of our modern society.
Type: Dotsam and Netsam CHUDs CHUDitude: 5 Location of Outbreak: LiveLeak, Greyhawk's Milblog Channel Description of Attack: Greyhawk has tossed out a morsel of CHUD-bait onto LiveLeak and had some of the pubescent sewer-dwellers come to the surface to voice their discontent about our military. ZenGaardens opines:
Scumbags who try to link the so-called "war on terror" to Iraq are the sheep who've bought into the neocon agenda. I pity you, but at the same time you're beneath my contempt.
well they signed up.... they deserve whatever comes their way....as the American economy goes down the drain as a direct result of their actions. Have fun. Dont complain or cry PTSD...You re-uped yourselves.
Along with having this avatar of a pooch that just screams "Help, my owner is a big douchebag", AndyBlue's opinions are frequently unwelcome at LiveLeak as evidenced by the massive amount of "thumbs down" troll ratings he receives. AndyBlue is fond of deviously using the term "Republiturd" in his comments, which is a clever pun on the word "Republican" (a conservative-leaning political party in America) and "Turd" (slang for feces).
Prognosis:LiveLeak is an excellent source for viewing provocative and silly video uploads such as obese mothers holding up a convenience store at gunpoint, ATV accidents, and hecklers attacking the President. However, just like the all-night porn shop off the interstate in Alabama, the goods may be enticing, but the clientele is probably low-class. This explains the high number of grammatically incorrect comments as well as the use of typing in all caps. As Greyhawk puts it, "These are low-level e-chud, likely pre-teen basement dwellers who's moms are out for the evening, and hardly worth a response." Consider this CHUD outbreak low-level.
Matt Welch is a well-respected journalist who currently writes for Reason and the LA Times, and he wrote a highly critical book about McCain before it was cool to do so this election cycle. However, he recently stated that McCain truly is a military hero for suffering during his stay at the Hanoi Hilton. When he made this statement, the flurry of CHUD-related nasty emails in his inbox reached unprecedented levels. From Reason: 
