An article in the San Francisco Chronicle confirms what I already believed: Pat Tillman was a complex character who doesn’t easily fit anyone’s stereotypes. Although he’s been embraced by conservatives, he wasn’t really conservative himself. While definitely a nonconformist, he was willing to conform when it suited his purposes. And he was a thoughtful and intelligent man.

Returning to Rene Gonzalez, I think the thing that really made me angry about his article was the general feeling of resentment. His attitude seemed to be, “Why should he be a hero? What’s he really done?” Now, like most writers, I’m something of an amateur psychologist, so what does this tell me about Rene Gonzalez?

It tells me that Gonzalez has big dreams, plans, and ambitions, and that he hasn’t done a damn thing to achieve them. He’s the kind of person who wants things to happen but isn’t willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make them happen. He probably puts the blame on others, when really all he needs to do is put down the bong, get his butt off the couch, and go do it. Sure, getting out of your comfort zone can be intimidating, but at least then you wouldn’t need to tear down those with the confidence to go out and do what they really want to.

And that’s all I have to say about that.