Doing the jobs.... ohnevermind
re. en. act. ment. Break down the big words, boyz
Maybe I’m just fortunate to have met some SCA types early in my life. Well, not them, in particular, but the idea of re-creating with as much authenticity as possible the conditions and requirements of an earlier age strikes me as a worthwhile endeavor. [Can you knit your own chainmail? Not I.]
Apparently, that’s what candidate Rich Iott [OH D-9] does, with his family, in his spare time; re-enactments of Civil War and WWII. Some times he takes part as Johnny Reb, sometimes a Blue Belly. Sometimes as a Yankee Imperialist from WWI or WWII. The WWII re-enactment group—to which he belonged for three or four years— was interested in the Wathen SS. He said he and his then-teenage son had joined as a part of a shared interest in history.
During the peak of his involvement in the early 2000s, Iott said he dressed up about a half dozen times a year at the most. He said he wore the Nazi uniform in battle re-enactments, presentations at schools and public events.
Asked what he said while wearing the Nazi uniform in the schools, he said, “We talked about the atrocities that were committed and it was a horrible, horrible part of history. But we can’t forget about it or, you know, sweep it under the rug. Because those who forget about history are destined to repeat it."
Anachronistically, folks take snapshots at these events. A shot of Iott in his National Socialist uniform showed up in his opponent’s hands and, of course, all hell tea-cup-tempest broke loose with the MSM BFBMOG*.
Iott seems to be handling it well—when he can be heard over the garment rending and handwringing.
“Rep. Cantor did what so many career politicians do…he reacted before he had all the facts,” Iott said. “He didn’t know the whole story. He didn’t understand what historical reenacting is all about, or the education side of it. And he just made a decision without all the facts.”
“Hardball”... is that some kind of homoerotic leg-tingle fest?
*Big Fat Baby Made Outta Gravy
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