National Affairs: The Word from God

On K.P. duty in the G.I. mess hall at fancy-pants Fort Myer, Va., just across the Potomac from Washington, Pfc. Andrew God Jr. was supposed to be peeling potatoes. But like many a soldier before him on many another potato pile, Soldier God, a Detroit architect before the draft caught him, was fairly hacking the daylights out of the spuds, so his mess sergeant reported him for goofing off. Sent up before Captain Thomas Woods, his commanding officer, for disciplinary action, Pfc. God refused a company-punishment sentence of two hours of hard labor every day for 14 days, demanded a summary...