I'm getting a few really thoughtful, insightful posts mixed in with the hate mail as well (to my Slate piece. By the way, I still like my title better--Scapegoats of the Academy--but they thought otherwise. It just carries such wonderful echoes of Scapegoats of the Empire. Maybe they never saw Breaker Morant. I'd like to read the book, but Amazon has just 5 used copies, ranging from $115 to $650.)

Just got a great response from a female Academy grad, with lots of wisdom to offer. I'm going to keep adding them to the Hate mail! post below, so they're all together. I'll keep adding them for the next day or two, or as long as interesting mail on it comes in.

There's also a town-hall meeting down at the Academy on Friday that I'm going to, so I'll probably have more thoughts and fresh perspectives then.

Just finished (watching) the Charlie Rose interview w/ Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed.

I don't get what they're doing together. Either he's way over my head or just a little thick. I'm thinking the latter.

She, on the other hand, is a singular being. (I was going to say "that rare singular being," but that's redundant, isn't it?) And was I imagining it, or was she clamping down on her eyebrows every other minute, as they attempted to rear up and lead her corneas on a great big roll.

She's the first-ever artist in residence at NASA right now. Man, would like to have her job.

On a much brighter note, I was a slightly sad this afternoon to see my story kinda drift down the Slate page and not get a lot of visibility. I never expected it to be the cover story, but they've got six different slots right below the cover graphic to highlight pieces. I was hoping I'd get one of those.

And now it's the cover!

Quick go see, before they change it!

UPDATE: I'll getting some insightful email responses too, and will continue adding the best for a few days, continuning chronologically, with most recent lowest.

My Slate piece, The Air Force Academy's Show Trial has been up several hours, and man, it's just pouring in.

I thought it was the military people who were going to be irate at me knocking their prized institution. Surprisingly, it has been mostly positive from that quarter so far. This one was pretty typical:

As a retired Air Force officer,  I applaud your account of the upcoming

show trial.

 

I only hope that the officers who serve on the court have the integrity

to render a just verdict based on the facts.  If they are "careerists",

justice may not be served.  Please stay on top of this story.

That caught me by surprise. That is so refreshing to hear someone from the military unafraid of prying eyes, even encouraging them. When I hear a person asking for his own institution's feet to be held to the fire, I know I'm talking to a person confident in that institution. And more interested in justice than their own friends' hides. Gotta love people like that.

But the pleasant military responses were not half as surprising as the level of venom coming from a lot of young men and women. Many staunchly believe that if you have sex with a drunk woman you're automatically a rapist. I find that perplexing. Then with all the people hooking up at singles bars, getting drunk and going home together, all the men are rapists? And what are the women?

It doesn't seem like a rational response to me, but I guess that's the point. They're responding emotionally, and reason doesn't necessary play a big role when you're infuriated. And are they furious. Try this one:

hey nice article, asshole! maybe you should have suggested that the victim actually be sentenced to prison. i mean, being raped and humiliated and having her career dreams shattered really isn't enough punishment for a woman for enrolling in a MAN'S academy. i mean, women don't even deserve to be there in the first place, right?

FUCK YOU. that was the most one-sided opinionated article i have ever read. you should be banned from any further attempts at "journalism". . . . 

more more more! of this post

My first story on Slate!

Feels like I've been working on this story forever. Just posted:

The Air Force Academy's Show Trial
The academy's new mascot should be the scapegoat.
By Dave Cullen

I'm eager to hear what everyone out there thinks.

And one request. It's my first piece for them, and I'd hate it to be my last, so traffic would be a good thing!

If you can pop over there to check it out, that would sure help.

If you could pass on the news to anyone you know interested in rapes, show trials, the Air Force, the Academy, Reichen, pilots, airlines, vacations, sex, or injustice, that would be great. If anyone you know has no interest in any of those things, what the hell are you doing wasting time with them?