52 thoughts on “What goes around… comes around”

  1. An ad like this is like shooting our own troops in the back. I understand the message. I agree violence often leads to violence. I’m against the Iraq war. However, I am MORE against the imagery in these ads. It’s tasteless.

    Reply
  2. I think we all know that violence sometimes leads to violence, but picturing our guys like this is a little sick. How about one picturing Al-qaeda or Hamas or Somali pirates or Muslim terrorists also?

    Why not??

    Reply
  3. Thanks crispy. Any intelligent American would.
    BTW – Your job sounds awesome! Congrats on doing something a lot of us could only fantasize about.
    What a difference in the way people today see Japan and the Japanese than my parent’s generation did, eh? And some of that difference is due to 6 decades of people like you. Best wishes.

    Reply
  4. When I first saw this I didn’t even notice the text “Stop the Iraq war”. I saw the graphic as interesting and the text that I did see… “What goes around comes around” sort of clever. I, in no way, wish harm to our or anyone’s troops. I wasn’t trying to send any “message” by posting this. I just found the graphic interesting.

    Reply
  5. It never ceases to amaze me how two people can look at the same image and see completely different things. What is so sick about showing the troops being targeted? That’s just the reality…and it’s not too late to change it.

    Reply
  6. Oh, don’t worry, Jonco. I don’t blame you. You’re just the messenger. Even if I dislike the imagery, I like the fact that it’s here on Bits and Pieces for us to discuss. We don’t have to like or agree with everything here on B&P. This site is here to make us think, not make us happy. At least that’s my thought. And this ad is something that’s out there, and by putting it up on B&P, it gives us the chance to think, discuss, reflect on the world and on culture. I don’t think highly of the people who made the poster, but the I don’t blame you at all. You’re cool.

    Reply
  7. ^ What he said. Precisely. This is truly an open forum.
    Don’t sweat it…we hope your kidneys keep on kidneyin’.

    Reply
  8. Just liked the graphics of American soldiers being killed while in the act of defending their nation under orders from the chain of command, eh? Didn’t notice the anti-military, anti-American message, huh? Just wanted to “report” on it, right? You’re blind, stupid, or a liar. God bless America and her military who are in harm’s way this very moment. I’m sure all of us veterans are heartened by your show of support, especially those of us with loved ones on active duty.

    Reply
  9. I won’t repeat myself from the White House Press Dinner rant I posted previously, but, in a nutshell, yes, I’m a vet, yes, I’ve lost people, and no, I don’t see this as you do, twolaneflash. I don’t really like the ad, but Jonco has always shown himself to be supportive of our troops, honest, and fair. Even when he’s disagreed with my views (and of course, I don’t see how anyone could), he shares them and doesn’t demean anyone for their beliefs.

    Reply
  10. Twolane, You’re making shit up and putting words in my mouth that I didn’t say nor do I think. I may be stupid but I’m not a liar. To imply that I like to see graphics of “American soldier being killed” is just ludicrous and so fucking stupid.
    Truth is I don’t spend enough time analyzing content before I post it. That I may be guilty of. I’m in too big of a hurry to get stuff up. I didn’t even know they were American troops. I saw no U.S. insignia or flag on them but that doesn’t really matter.
    I have a friend over there right now too and I sure hope he makes it back safe along with the rest of the troops.
    Don’t put words in my mouth. You don’t know me.

    Reply
  11. This is the fairest site on the web…an equal opportunity annoyer.
    But you might be too much of a n00b here to know that he never insults our (or any) military. You’ve made some very wrong, crude, and baseless assumptions.
    Jonco’s always been open and fair, and if he says he didn’t notice it in his hurry to get it posted, then you can take that to the bank.
    I find the signs revolting, but I also think it’s an intriguing item to create a stimulating discussion and to generate deep thought.

    Reply
  12. I agree with those that said these ads are tasteless and un-supportive of military personnel. I also agree that just because he posted them, it does not mean that Jonco is unpatriotic or what have you. I am glad that he posted these, otherwise I would most likely not have stumbled upon them.

    Reply
  13. Twolane, there’s more than one way to look at it. Jonco said “I saw the graphic as interesting and the text that I did see… “What goes around comes around” sort of clever.” Now, what Jonco was looking at, I’m certain, is that the form of the poster reflects the metaphor of the words. He was probably looking at it from visual and artistic point of view, and probably found it interesting how the metaphor was expressed in the physical form of the wrap-around. Jonco, don’t let me put words in your mouth here. Now, I looked, and I immediately saw the visual symbolism of the weapons coming towards the soldier from behind, seeming to shoot them in the back. Jonco and I looked at the same thing in two different ways. If you only look at it from a visual or artistic way, what he says is true. It’s interesting and sort of clever. However, if you look at it as I did, from a symbolic or political sense, it’s offensive. Jonco didn’t intend to offend anybody. He’s a good guy.

    Reply
  14. Jonco and his minions (including me) vs twolaneflash

    estimated fight time: 1.2 seconds

    You must understand twolaneflash

    THIS IS BITS AND PIECES!!

    Reply
  15. PLEASE, listen to me for 10 seconds. I know Jonco, he is a true friend. He does not lie. He is a caring, thoughtful guy who gives up his time for our enjoyment. I ask that you never call him a liar again, thank you.

    Reply
  16. Absolutely brilliant advertising!

    and I completely agree with the message as well!

    Well done. As with all great ideas, wish I’d thought of this.

    Reply
  17. This site is an aggregation of images/jokes/material that one person found on the internet and thought interesting enough to share. I don’t believe Jonco allows personal opinion to inflame his assessment of something being “neat” or worthy to post.

    When I first saw the ad, I was intrigued by the concept – I like ads that cater to the placement (such as elevators, highways, shopping carts). When I actually LOOKED at the ad, I was saddened by the imagery. I am a third generation military spouse, and I hate how many people blame the troops for what is ordered from above: hate the war, hate those that put the country in this situation, not the soldiers.

    Jonco – I find your posts to be very neutral and not jaded by your personal perceptions. Don’t let a few flagrant fools affect the site! I come everyday to get my daily dose of entertainment… for good or for bad

    Reply
  18. Waaaahhhh!!! Jonco is a meanie because this offends me! Fuck that. I don’t agree with the overall sentiment in the ads, however the bottom line message of the ads is that our soldiers are in danger and the group wants us home. It doesn’t threaten the troops, though it does try to make pawns out of them for politics. However, I have put my ass on the line exactly so that people can be free to express themselves and live how they want as long it doesn’t harm others.
    The imagery of the ad does bother me on a rather visceral level as it pictures soldiers in “mortal danger”, but we have there is no “freedom from being offended” in the Constitution. And it really is a clever and interesting graphic. If it were somehow an ad against jihad featuring Taliban, I’d find it quite a smart treatment of a controversial subject.
    TwoLane, you went wrong with a direct and mean spirited personal attack on Jonco, rather than addressing the issue of the content.

    Reply
  19. I did only look at it from a visual or artistic way. I found it a clever concept as well. It did make me think ‘those poor bastard are at risk from behind too. I can’t inagine what it takes to be a combat soldier.’

    twolaneflash – Fuck off with your good self!

    Reply
  20. It IS an interesting graphic! I don’t agree with the message. It is the constitution that these soldiers defend that guarantees someone’s right to make graphics like this, whether we agree with the message or not.

    I’d rather see more videos of Iraqi bomb makers getting blown up by their own devices. Maybe some UAV video footage of a group of insurgents getting nailed.

    Reply
  21. Good to see the cartoonish liberal worldview is still alive and well and believes that murderous sociopaths with a religious fanatical desire to kill all infidels will leave us alone if we would lay off a bit. We haven’t been attacked in 8 years. We’ve also been at war in the middle east for 8 years. Coincidence? Or should we just pull all troops out and let the bad guys regain their strength?

    Reply
  22. BTW, twolaneflash, I think it’s also pretty honorable that Jonco allowed your unwarranted comment to post rather than just tossing it in the bit bucket.

    Reply
  23. A chill ran down my spine when I saw these ads and I’m glad Jonco posted them. Yanks, Brits and Canucks are in the Iraq/Afghan war, either in active duty or peacekeeping. They put their life on the line every second of every day for our safety and God Bless them. I pray that each and every one of them arrive home safely and are respected for the heroes that they truly are. It would be wondrous if this kind of advertising OR any kind of advertising could stop that bloody war!
    Oh ya, twolaneflash – GFY. You are ignorant.

    Reply
  24. just curious as to why the imagery is being assessed as “troops” instead of “military?” sure, it’s one soldier/pilot, but i think the overall message i get is based on the military/government itself. i support our troops entirely, but militaristic decisions have made me ask questions. that’s where the ad speaks to me, anyway; not to the troops, but to our decision making in our military.

    Reply
  25. This was one of the best graphics I have ever seen. Fabulous. As a “Canuck”, and our military being relatively small, I have friends and family who have served in Afghanastan, in both combat and non combat roles. It is the duty of every civilian citizen to question the way our goverments use our military forces. This in no way diminishes the extraordinary actions taken by individuals in extraordinary circumstances. One must always question. Again this is one of the most effective “ads” I have ever seen. The tone of some of the comments here dismay me as much as the confict depicted in the graphic. Great work here Jonco.

    Reply
  26. “We haven’t been attacked in 8 years. We’ve also been at war in the middle east for 8 years. Coincidence?”

    Not a coincidence, but correlation does not equal causation. The security measures have increased. And i’m not even going to delve into the possibility of the 911 attacks having been “allowed” to happen.

    And thousands of people are still dying in the middle east, especially in afghanistan, where the taliban come from. The Iraq invasion was just for profit.

    Reply
  27. Yes, violence results in more violence. However, they should show the 9/11 attacks on one side, then a Warthog making a strafing run on the other.

    Reply
  28. to the people who thought these posters should have featured 9/11 hijackers and al-qaeda instead of soldiers: i have a feeling these posters weren’t hung up in tehran or kandahar. perhaps they only feature military agents because that’s the group being communicated to.

    BUT say that these did feature terrorists. so the one poster has the soldier firing a rifle, but then another poster has a terrorist with an RPG. wouldn’t it piss you off more to have the soldier equated with the terrorist in this way?

    Reply
  29. billy…Well maybe they should feature 9/11 hijackers and al-qaeda and maybe they should be hung up in Tehran or Kandahar. Do you really think that if the US left the areas we’re in over there that violence there would stop…that the citizens of Iraq, Afghanistan, and that entire region would suddenly be safe and free of fear??

    Reply
  30. In other words billy, if you want to stop violence begetting violence, go to the real sources of most of the violence in the world and put up cute posters and talk to them real nice and say pretty please…that should cause rainbows to appear and unicorns to romp in fields of cotton candy, eh? Or, you could actually do something to stop it…as the saying goes, fight fire with fire. If the US comes home and sits in it’s corner sucking it’s thumb with it’s eyes closed tightly, I don’t think that solves the violence problem. Not at all.

    Reply
  31. I had no idea he was going down that path. BILLY GOAT, we supply free books and all you do is eat the effing pages. It is never too late to learn to read.

    Reply
  32. if you were wondering, it’s true. when you are there you wish you were here. when you are here you wish you were there. I’ll be heading back via KAF in Hadjiland with a PSD this go round. Cheers to all!

    Reply
  33. Well, I think violence does beget violence, and if we’d just pull all our troops out of foreign conflicts, we’d have peace. If necessary, we just isolate ourselves from the conflict. We can pass sanctions, and we can condemn acts of aggression in legislature, and that should be enough. If we just keep real still and don’t piss anybody off, nobody will bother us and the world can live in harmony. Yeah, right. Sure stopped the Nazis didn’t it? I don’t like war. Who does? But this attitude that if we’re peaceful, everybody will be peaceful is just romanticism, and it’s more dangerous than any terrorist.

    Reply
  34. wanting the war to end is not anti patriotic … wanting the troops not to be there is not a lack of support or anti american … what is so great about having dead friends and family? … when i see senator’s sons on the front, i’ll take the time to reconsider my own positions, until then, it would seem that american politicians agree with me in practice if not in word … that is really some stupid ass rhetoric war supporters spout … the images are logical, doesn’t matter whose flag is on the uniform

    Reply
  35. Will – I agree…what is so great about having dead friends and family…like the ones who worked in the WTC, or the ones who worked in the Pentagon, or the people, including kids, on those planes, or the stewardesses who had their throats slashed, or the people killed on the plane in Lockerbie, or the Olympic team murdered in Munich, or the commuters on the trains in Madrid, or the hundreds of little kids murdered in Beslan, or the Americans and Brits beheaded, or the diners and shoppers and bus passengers blown to bits in Israel…are those the ones you mean? They were all friends and family of somebody, too.

    (BTW- Sen. Tim Johnson’s (S.Dak) son served in Afghanistan & Iraq in the 101st Airborne. Sen. Jim Webb’s (Va.) son has just returned from Iraq with the Marines, VP Biden’s son served in Iraq with the Del. NG, Sen Joe Wilson’s (NC) son was in Army intel in Iraq, Rep. Duncan Hunter’s (Calif) son served with the Marines in Fallujah, Rep. John Kline (Minn) son is an Army Black Hawk pilot with the 101st Airborne….and there are others…look it up! Stop guessing! Once you know a few facts, I bet you’ll still “take the time to reconsider your own position”? Yeah, sure. That’s just the stupid ass rhetoric you anti-war-no-matter-what supporters spout.

    Reply
  36. Christian – Good to see the cartoonish liberal worldview is still alive and well and believes that murderous sociopaths with a religious fanatical desire to kill all infidels….

    OMG! Who killed Infidel?! *sob*

    Reply
  37. Actually Obama was the only one in the last presidential campaign without any direct tie to the military. McCain, Biden, and Palin all had family members currently serving.

    Reply
  38. show some respect for people who are away from there family & getting themself killed, so that some people wearing rose tinted glasses can exercise there freedom of speech.

    Reply

Leave a Comment