A jerk is a jerk is a ... And etc.

Thirty-five years ago at the newspaper where I edited news stories, a whole lot of people thought that the mantle of (whichever great writer you want to name) had laid its folds across their shoulders.

One I remember because he and I were the only Vietnam-era veterans in the newsroom of 30 or so. He was Air Force and spent his four years Stateside; I was Army, and my four years included one in Korea and another in Vietnam.

The former Air Force guy one day had a column on something that had happened to him while he wore blue. The next day, I had a column on something infantry that had happened in Vietnam.

Early on the afternoon my column ran, former Air Force stopped by the copy desk and said, “You know, you’d make a good churl.”

I thought, “And you would look good with an axe handle rammed up your ---.” I didn’t say that, though. He wasn’t worth expending a good line.