john walker, the american taliban man

In a piece not long ago in Slate, Mickey Kaus mused about about the cinematic possibilities of 9/11. What would be the key storytelling moments that could be turned into a movie (or, for that matter, a novel)? Well, I think we have the clear winner: John Walker, the idealistic 20-year-old from D.C. who decided to go to Afghanistan, join up with the Taliban, and fight against his American countrymen. “Bill Jones, a family friend in San Rafael, California, described Walker as a ‘very sweet, unassuming, very spiritual young man — rather frail, not an All-American football player or anything like that, certainly not a fighter.'” (Attention, Ethan Hawke — your agent is calling.) Be sure to check out the chilling video of Walker on that link.