William J. Astore, a retired lieutenant colonel (USAF), is a TomDispatch regular. To listen to Timothy MacBain's latest Tomcast audio interview in which Astore discusses the thrill of weaponry in pop culture and how it faded for him, click here, or download it to your iPod here. He welcomes reader comments at Email address removed .
Follow TomDispatch on Twitter @TomDispatch and join us on Facebook.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).