Ben Domenech: Semper Fi

Atrios is sad:

Eschaton: Aw, Crap. I knew I should've saved the damn picture. Box Turtle Ben deleted the "Marine Sniper - you can run but you'll die tired" or whatever mug from his cafepress site.

You see, up until yesterday, the Washington Post's Ben "'Red Dawn' Is Not Just Another Cheesy Throwaway Sunday Afternoon Movie" Domenech sold "Marine Sniper - you can run but you'll die tired" mugs. Now he doesn't.

Now, Ben Domenech is not now and never has been a Marine sniper, or a Marine, or a volunteer for America's armed forces. I bet he does play a mean shoot-em-up video game though.

Now there is great honor in volunteering for America's military. Our soldiers, sailors, and airmen deserve our respect and our deference--including my grandfather the Marine (who died last week at 97), and my two cousins, one in Air Force flight training and the other in the 82nd. Those who merely sell "Marine Sniper" mugs--well, contrary to what John Milton said, they do not also serve.

And what do those who frantically purge their websites of "Marine Sniper" mugs when it begins to get some attention?

Semper Fi, Ben.