Buffy and Preemptive strike

[skjpm]

I just watched the episode where Buffy calls for a pre-emptive strike against the first evil. I think it's important to point out some differences between Buffy and Bush:

1. Buffy had actually seen the WMDs (ubervamps) and knew approximately where they were.

2. She trained her troops for the right kind of combat.

3. She consulted her allies (Spike) and got enemies on her side (Andrew, etc.)

4. Her plans did not involve the deaths of non-combatants--she didn't strike until LA was cleared out.

5. She allowed others to question her tactics, even when it worked to her disadvantage. They ended up stronger for the arguments.

6. The First Evil was, well, Evil--he hadn't been propped up by earlier slayers. He was clearly evil and clearly a threat.

The point is--I'm not necessarily against the concept of a first strike, but we need leaders like Buffy to do it.

[hwmnbn]

1. hmmm....

Buffy for President :loveya:

I LIKE IT!!!!

[tandem5]

2. but then Willow doesn't do the spell to make them all slayers until

right before the attack! That's like handing out rifles on the battlefield as the other side is charging. What's up with that? I know I know nothing to do with the analogy.

[skjpm]

3. And Angel sent Spike to die for him. . .

Did he know? Anyhoo--I meant Sunnydale, not LA. I watched Angel today, too.

The point of the analogy is that, before they launch a pre-emptive strike, they have everything in order, more or less.

[Arianrhod]

8. That was due to the circumstance of not knowing

what the battleaxe was for, or how to use it. The hint came in the fact that every Slayer who touched it could feel its power coursing through her.

BTW, I thought the way they showed the distributing of Slayer awareness in females around the world was a great analogy for the empowerment of women. :)

[madrchsod]

4. Buffy kicks ass

who ever wrote the script knew military tactics and history.

[SariesNightly]

5. Pretty good analogy..

Wow, I was really sad when all the potentials ganged up on her in that one episode, that was really painful to watch.

Bush's preemption argument is a total shamfest, there's not one reason which everybody agrees on but I'm convinced the petrodollar euro connection is the most plausible. All the pieces of the puzzle fell in place there. Look up a very good article about that in Current Concerns.

There's another difference between Buffy and Bushco,

1. The front line soldiers are the expendable.
2. Lesson from Vietnam - No coffin pictures
3. Contractors (mercenaries) to skew the numbers of soldier deaths.
4. Refusal to alter strategy or add enough troops
5. Bogus milestones celebrated as major successes.

In short, lying to start it, lying to keep them there, and then lying about progress. Buffy would rather sacrifice herself than put everyone's lives on the line.

Does the ends justify the means? Could be, but define "ends" first.

[shockra]

6. I love the Buffy series.

I just rewatched Season Seven on DVD and started back on Season Six last night.

Yeah, we really need a vampire slayer to take out some of those creatures we have in government right now.

[Arianrhod]

7. "Buffy" is some of the best TV writing I've ever seen.

Joss Whedon is a genius, IMHO.

[shockra]

9. Yes, it's phenomenal.

Even better than most movies, too. It's got absolutely everything, drama, humor, horror, suspense, mystery, great-looking guys and gals -- complexity and intelligence up the wazoo. And oh boy, some really gut-wrenchingly painful moments.

I absolutely love that Joss never compromised. He kept taking risks and kept the level of quality high throughout the whole series. Practically unheard of. He also had a great, loyal crew working with him. I've been enjoying watching the commentaries of certain episodes on DVD. Joss has done some of them and it's fun going behind the scenes to hear the thought processes of those doing the creating.