Rudyard Kipling"
āWhen you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldierā
General Douglas MacArthur"
āWe are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.ā
āIt is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.ā āOld soldiers never die; they just fade away.
āThe soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.ā
āMay God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .ā āThe object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
āNobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
āIt is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
65 years ago today: Guardian misses one key element of 1947 UN partition
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Today is the 65th anniversary of the passage of UN General Assembly Resolution 181on the future status of British ruled Palestine. The Guardianās Picture of the Day,
Nov. 29, in recognition of this event in history, includes the
following iconic image of Israelis celebrating in the streets of Tel
Aviv shortly after the UN vote codifying their right to statehood. Hereās the Guardian headline and strap line for the pictorial post. Do you notice any information missing from the strap line? Well, it seems that they failed to
mention one quite significant element of the UN resolution (which passed
with 33 votes in favor, 13 against, 10 abstentions and one absent). Res. 181 not only called for the creation of a Jewish state, but the creation of an Arab one as well. The Jews accepted partition.
The Arabs didnāt accept
partition, refused to compromise on any outcome other than a single
unitary Arab state and launched a war when Israel
declared independence in May, 1948. While the UN debates Palestinian
statehood tonight in NYC, itās important to remember that on this day,
65 years ago, a Palestinian state was offered by the international
community, accepted by the Jews, but rejected by the Arabs.CIF
