Calling the Michael Moore wanna-bes

So according to the news, the Manchester Republican Committee in New Hampshire is planning a fund-raiser at a shooting range next month, where folks can pay money for the opportunity to shoot machine guns, assault rifles, and other similar instruments of machismo overcompensation:

The Manchester Republican Committee is inviting party members and their families to a "Machine Gun Shoot" where, for $25, supporters can spend a day trying out automatic weapons, said organizer Jerry Thibodeau.

"It's a fun day. It's a family day," said Thibodeau of the August 5 event. "It's quite exciting."

(Dunno about Jerry, but my idea of a "fun family day" usually doesn't involve blasting out my eardrums and risking accidentally vivisecting Cousin Millie. But I digress...)

Call me a bitter cynic (you won't be the first), but the moment I heard of this, I figured it was just another way for the GOP to prop up Bush's Damn Fool War™, tying partisan patriotism ("We support the troops!") to the soldiers under fire in Iraq. I'm only slightly disappointed that I was beaten to the punch by right-wing chameleon candidate Mitt Romney.

Of course, a moment later, my impish self realized that the fundraiser would also be a perfect opportunity for the local New Hampshire Army Recruitment Office to sign up new targets volunteers for said Damn Fool War™...

"Good morning, sir. Lovely day, isn't it? You like shooting guns? You want to support the troops? Great! Sign here and join them on the front line..."

Of course, I'm sure that 99.9% of those "patriotic" "troop-loving" Republicans would immediately cough up a litany of excuses not to valiantly throw themselves into the line of fire -- which would be positively hilarious if someone were to videotape their collective denials and stick it up on YouTube or something.

So, any wanna-be gonzo documentarians up for the challenge? All you need is a video camera and an Army recruiter (or a willing substitute), and you're golden...