In the Schoolyard

From CNN:

Following complaints from a congressman, the producers of "Wedding Crashers" removed from the movie's Web site Monday a printable Purple Heart medal advertised as a gimmick to pick up women and get free drinks.

[snip]

It is a crime to wear, manufacture, buy, sell or trade a Medal of Honor, the nation's highest decoration for valor. Salazar's Stolen Valor Act, introduced Friday, would expand the law to include more medals and would allow prosecution of anybody who falsely claimed to have earned a military medal or a Purple Heart.

[snip]

"If any movie-goers take the advice of the 'Wedding Crashers' and try to use fake Purple Hearts to get girls, they may wind up picking up an FBI agent instead," Salazar warned in a statement. "I am pleased that New Line Cinema has agreed to take down offensive parts of the Web site. Our veterans and FBI agents are working hard to make sure that we honor our true heroes. No one should undermine their efforts."

Stolen Valor? Actually lying about medals to "get girls." Is he serious?! It's a paper god-damned purple heart. Probably the stupidest promotional idea I've heard in ages.

I'll tell you what, if it's this easy to insult our troops, I've got serious questions about their combat-readiness. And since the past couple of years have demonstrated our troops to be courageous, steadfast, loyal, and honorable (this site neither has nor will insult anyone serving this country unless s/he runs far afoul of the basic rules governing such things), I can only conclude that what this actually is all about is a politician's need to milk something -- evidently, more or less anything -- for three seconds' airtime. And so instead I have serious questions about what our Representatives our doing with the six-figure salaries, well-rounded staffs, and endless array of perqs that come with the job we've entrusted to them.

Stolen Valor. Unbelievable.