{"article":{"id":85421,"heading":"in my younger days, i was the perfect student.","author":"Bush-whacking vet","created":"2003-09-29 18:49:43","modified":"2003-09-29 18:49:43","last_modified":"Tue, 30 Sep 2003 01:49:43","article":"<p>in my younger days, i was the perfect student. <br> my homework was completed on time, every time. <br> i never challenged authority. <br> i was a model student, and a model son. <br> in other words, i behaved as expected. <br> at 19, my jungle warfare &amp; counter-guerilla operations instructor said, \"ambush is murder, and murder is fun.\" <br> i believed him. <br> i found a new home. <br> i was the perfect soldier. <br> i completed my missions on time, every-time. <br> i never challenged authority. <br> i was a model soldier, and an exquisite killer. <br> women &amp; children guerrillas drew their last breath on my bayonet. <br> i enjoyed my work. <br> killing is easy, and second nature to many. <br> but living with the ghosts separates the professionals from the amateurs. <br> i'm an economist now. <br> i don't challenge authority. <br> my work helped screw fellow americans out of their life savings &amp; their health insurance. <br> but living with the ghosts separates the professionals from the amateurs. <br> my children frequently misbehave, and challenge authority at every turn. <br> they protest the inequity in america, and the body count of our \"wars.\" <br> they are arrested by men carrying the very weapons i used in guatemala. <br> they sleep soundly at night while I awake in a cold sweat. <br> if only i had misbehaved as a child... <br><br>  <br> just another bush-whacking vet, but this time, i'm misbehaving. <br> <\/p>\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"the struggle never ends.","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2003\/09\/85421.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}