Hilarious

Those who've served overseas or who have family that did might be familiar with the Stars and Stripes newspaper, which is published daily by various overseas printers and provided free on U.S. military installations in the Middle East (I believe it is command-sponsored here, but not elsewhere). It has some independent reporting with a military focus, but also aggregates a lot of wire service reporting, like most newspapers these days.

There's probably some irony in the fact that even though I have as much access to the Internet here as I did in the States, I've actually taken to reading this newspaper pretty regularly. It may be because I am having breakfast and dinner in the DFAC where they have stacks at the entrance, whereas I rarely "eat out" at home. But I think it also provides a sense of normality and domesticity, just another little way not to feel 7000 miles away.

Anyhow, I have always loved the Sunday comics, and thankfully Stars and Stripes includes some of the best strips. This one is a classic:

When someone finds out I am a vegetarian, the reaction I get can say a lot about the person. Or at least about the assumptions they do or do not make. The caricature in this comic portrays the worst kind of vegetarian (vegan, actually, but I digress), one whose elevation of their personal morals to a religious imperative is distressing no matter the subject, and who feels a penchant for unsolicited intervention. I do think that if I can get all the nutrients I need without an animal having to suffer or die, I should. And on a more general level, I also believe people should make informed choices in the way they live, and I don't think most Americans do that when it comes to food. But so long as no one tries to convince me to eat meat, I will not personally try to get them to stop. I'm OK, you're OK, as it were.