"The unwilling doing the unnecessary...."

[Stephen Goranson]

Quoting Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu>:

> Quoting "James A. Landau <JJJRLandau at netscape.com>"
> <JJJRLandau at NETSCAPE.COM>:
>
>> On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:13:39 -0400 Jonathan Lighter
>> <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>> Subject: "
>>
>> <q>
>> It's hard for me to believe that Google Books (and Amazon) turn up so
>> little for this quotation, which I first heard (or more likely read) in
>> the early 1970s (in the 1970 version) as applied to the Vietnam War.
>> <snip>
>> "We are the unwilling, led by the unqualified
>> </q>
>>
>> I have a vague recollection that when I reported into the Pentagon in
>> November 1969 this was already a cliche.  I do remember, but cannot
>> put a date to, a professionally-printed placard which went something
>> like this:
>> "We the unwilling led by the unqualified, have been doing the
>> unnecessary for the ungrateful for so long, we are now qualified to
>> do anything with nothing."
>>
>> The quote had nothing to do with combat or politics; it was merely
>> used to express frustation by working technical people (e.g. computer
>> programmers) at what they considered to be idiotic decisions by thier
>> superiors.
>>
>>     - Jim Landau
>
> FWIW
>
> GB gives as "v.52-1970" Labour Monthly p. 39
> And one Australian armoured vehicle in Vietnam had written on its side:
> "We are
> the unlucky, led by the unqualified, to do the unnecessary for the
> ungrateful."
>
> GB gives as Epoch volumes 19-20 "1969" p.225:
> We are the unlucky
> Led by the incompetent
> For the unnecessary"
>
> Stephen Goranson
> http://www.duke.edu/~goranson

*Correction*. Though Googlr Book Item Notes claims 1969, the following from
Spring 1971 Epoch [Cornell U.]
"We are the unlucky
Led by the incompetent
For the unnecessary."
Written on a wall at Camp Pendleton.

Izzy Stone wrote that he got his quote from the May 8 Washington Post.

Whether Labour Monthly is eally 1970 and pre or post May * I don't know.
SG

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