Shock And Awe

Reporting from Joint Security Station Constitution, Iraq -- The soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team are, as their designation implies, trained and equipped to fight. They have a fleet of tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles. They carry their M-16 rifles slung over their shoulders at all times, ready to shoot if they are attacked. But since they deployed to Iraq eight months ago, they haven't fired their guns. Their tanks and Bradleys sit unused in a lot at the sprawling Camp Victory beside Baghdad airport.

The heaviest place to be at Coachella 2013, from a sound perspective, wasn't in the sweet spot of the Main Stage rig while Phoenix was preparing for the arrival of R. Kelly, or at the heart of the Sahara stage during Baauer's big, dumb, joyous set of beat music, heavy on the synth riffs and dirty beats. It was nestled away near the food court in the Yuma tent, where four bass cabinets the size of Jeeps were parked in each corner of the room. The tent is the sixth and newest venue at the festival, and because it's fully enclosed, the bass can't escape.

"Analysts write about war as if it's a ballet," Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf said after Operation Desert Storm, "like it's choreographed ahead of time, and when the orchestra strikes up and starts playing, everyone goes out there and plays a set piece." "It is choreographed," he continued, but "what happens is, the orchestra starts playing and some son of a bitch climbs out of the orchestra pit with a bayonet and starts chasing you around the stage. And the choreography goes right out the window."

A comic who specializes in a taboo-busting form of mischievously delivered shock and awe, Sarah Silverman's profile isn't quite as sky-high as when she was inspiring complimentary magazine profiles in the wake of her one-woman-show-turned-movie "Jesus Is Magic," but she still has a sharp eye for digging into sacred cows. Here she'll be joined by a roster of guests that includes Natasha Leggero, Eddie Pepitone and more. Largo, 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. Thurs., 8:30 p.m. $25. http://www.largo-la.com .

On Friday I watched the beginning of the "shock and awe" bombing of Baghdad. I was truly amazed. I haven't seen anything like it since I was a child and watched newsreels of the Nazi blitzkrieg of Eastern Europe. This unjustified, unilateral and what I believe to be illegal action by the Bush regime legitimizes every future attack on American government, business and civilian interests. I believe that the ramifications are likely to have negative effects for the rest of our lives. Ken Blalack Redondo Beach If I hear once more that the U.S. attack on Iraq was unilateral and preemptive I think I will scream.

"Shock and awe," that jarring conjunction of trauma and wonderment, was the Pentagon's original strategy for a quick victory in Iraq. A blizzard of cruise missiles would crash down on Iraq's command-and-control nodes in a dazzling display of explosive firepower that would paralyze the enemy's leadership. Now, however, it is the ongoing kidnapping and beheading of civilians and the widespread dissemination of pictures and videos of these brutalities that instead shock us.

The Pentagon's plan for Baghdad is expected to incorporate a military doctrine known as "shock and awe," under which thousands of bombs and missiles, nearly one every minute, will streak down on the Iraqi capital.

A comic who specializes in a taboo-busting form of mischievously delivered shock and awe, Sarah Silverman's profile isn't quite as sky-high as when she was inspiring complimentary magazine profiles in the wake of her one-woman-show-turned-movie "Jesus Is Magic," but she still has a sharp eye for digging into sacred cows. Here she'll be joined by a roster of guests that includes Natasha Leggero, Eddie Pepitone and more. Largo, 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. Thurs., 8:30 p.m. $25. http://www.largo-la.com .

Dan Neil's March 6 column ("What a Rush") inspired such shock and awe in this reader that a copy of it is now making the rounds at the office. Consider the sheer force of intellect in his contemplation of Southern California freeways: The man not only sees beauty in "the escalades of the HOV lanes" while driving his favorite stretches of freeway late at night, but he actually finds a reason for living here! We look forward to more columns from Dan Neil. Gene Heck Architectural historian, Caltrans District 8 San Bernardino

I wanted to share an anecdote that happened Saturday when I took my 5-year-old and his grandmother to Disneyland. My family is of German descent and, although I was raised in Pasadena, I typically speak to my mother and my son in German. My 65-year-old mother and I were standing in line waiting for one of the rides. As we were talking, a fairly average-looking guy and his female partner verbally attacked us after they heard us speak German. Before we could tell the guy that we were American citizens, a number of epithets flew our way and we were encouraged to return to Germany to join our fascist leader, Gerhard Schroeder.

Reporting from Joint Security Station Constitution, Iraq -- The soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team are, as their designation implies, trained and equipped to fight. They have a fleet of tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles. They carry their M-16 rifles slung over their shoulders at all times, ready to shoot if they are attacked. But since they deployed to Iraq eight months ago, they haven't fired their guns. Their tanks and Bradleys sit unused in a lot at the sprawling Camp Victory beside Baghdad airport.

In this age of mindless phrases, such as "out-of-the-box thinking" and "a time for change," another silly phrase -- favored by presidents Bush, Clinton and Bush -- is causing America's defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq. The phrase is "small, light and fast," and it refers to the kind of military that they think we need to have.

IAM PRO-TORTURE. And I don't mean just the music-blaring, sleep-deprivation, forced-standing kind. I'm for tearing out lamp wires, wetting a guy down and shocking his nipples while staring at him with your one crazy blue eye and one crazy green eye and screaming, "I am not going to ask you again! Where is the bomb?!" Admittedly, most of what I know about interrogation is from the TV show "24."

Dan Neil's March 6 column ("What a Rush") inspired such shock and awe in this reader that a copy of it is now making the rounds at the office. Consider the sheer force of intellect in his contemplation of Southern California freeways: The man not only sees beauty in "the escalades of the HOV lanes" while driving his favorite stretches of freeway late at night, but he actually finds a reason for living here! We look forward to more columns from Dan Neil. Gene Heck Architectural historian, Caltrans District 8 San Bernardino

"Shock and awe," that jarring conjunction of trauma and wonderment, was the Pentagon's original strategy for a quick victory in Iraq. A blizzard of cruise missiles would crash down on Iraq's command-and-control nodes in a dazzling display of explosive firepower that would paralyze the enemy's leadership. Now, however, it is the ongoing kidnapping and beheading of civilians and the widespread dissemination of pictures and videos of these brutalities that instead shock us.

Re "Taking a Ride on Disney's Dark Side," Commentary, Aug. 26: I very much enjoyed reading Jonathan Turley's account of the wickedly good time he had at Disneyland. I too had found the experience to be very unsettling and for some of the same reasons. The sheer amount of organization and manipulation of "guests" struck me with more than a little shock and awe -- only a totalitarian state could muster such efficiency. On the other hand, I can recall seeing an interview with a very successful school principal in the San Fernando Valley who had been inspired to study hard and come to the U.S. from China after she saw photos of Disneyland.

Re "Taking a Ride on Disney's Dark Side," Commentary, Aug. 26: I very much enjoyed reading Jonathan Turley's account of the wickedly good time he had at Disneyland. I too had found the experience to be very unsettling and for some of the same reasons. The sheer amount of organization and manipulation of "guests" struck me with more than a little shock and awe -- only a totalitarian state could muster such efficiency. On the other hand, I can recall seeing an interview with a very successful school principal in the San Fernando Valley who had been inspired to study hard and come to the U.S. from China after she saw photos of Disneyland.

Re "The Left's Man in the New Iraq," Commentary, July 7: In an astounding Orwellian statement of modern historical revisionism, Paul Berman tells readers that the war in Iraq has always been a war against fascism. What planet has Berman been on that last two years? This war has always been about weapons of mass destruction and nothing more. How do I and other Americans know this? Because national security advisor Condoleezza Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney, President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell told us over and over again that the United States needed to invade Iraq in an act of preemption to stop Iraq from attacking the United States with WMD. Now, like an elementary school student changing his reasons for failing to complete his homework, Berman invents yet another far-fetched reason to justify the terrible costly and murderous invasion of Iraq.

Re "The Left's Man in the New Iraq," Commentary, July 7: In an astounding Orwellian statement of modern historical revisionism, Paul Berman tells readers that the war in Iraq has always been a war against fascism. What planet has Berman been on that last two years? This war has always been about weapons of mass destruction and nothing more. How do I and other Americans know this? Because national security advisor Condoleezza Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney, President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell told us over and over again that the United States needed to invade Iraq in an act of preemption to stop Iraq from attacking the United States with WMD. Now, like an elementary school student changing his reasons for failing to complete his homework, Berman invents yet another far-fetched reason to justify the terrible costly and murderous invasion of Iraq.

The next "shock and awe" campaign may be advertisements for hot sauce, pesticides, video games or even condoms. The phrase that described bombing attacks on Baghdad is listed in 28 applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for use in marketing a variety of products. The first application, for fireworks, was filed March 20, the day U.S. bombs started raining on the Iraqi capital.