Grabbed from Elaine Cunningham's LJ...
"An excerpt from a post by Michael Goldfarb on the blog of John McCain's official website:
'It may be typical of the pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd to disparage a fellow countryman's memory of war from the comfort of mom's basement, but most Americans have the humility and gratitude to respect and learn from the memories of men who suffered on behalf of others.'
Excuse me? It's a little unnerving to see this sort of sneering, dismissive, cheap-shot cliche employed on the blog of a presidential candidate. Insulting ANY portion of the electorate is bad politics, and employing shallow, silly generalizations is bad writing.Another thing that bothers me about this? The men and women in uniform who play D&D and read game-related novels--and there are quite a few of them--deserve better.Over the years I've heard from many servicemen who are a long, long way from home. I've mailed signed books, and donated novels and gaming supplies to base libraries.
For a couple of years, I exchanged emails with a young serviceman stationed in South Korea. He organized a yearly fundraiser at his base, collecting signed items the others might want to purchase and donating the proceeds to a local orphanage. I've talked to quite a few gamers at cons who have served in the military. And I've noticed that book signings near military bases generally have a stronger turn-out. (Submarine bases in particular--those guys like to stock up.) In short, it is my observation that "the D&D crowd" includes quite a few people who have shown themselves willing to suffer on behalf of others. Those I'm been privleged to meet, both in person and online, are exemplary young men. I'm guessing any one of them could teach Mr. Goldfarb a few things about the art of showing respect."
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