Rudyard Kipling"
“When 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 soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It 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."
FRANKS: Future looks bleak for Egypt’s Coptic Christians - Morsi constitution disregards religious freedom
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Tens of thousands of Coptic Christians took to the streets in the
Maspero section of Cairo to protest the government’s failure to protect
them from attacks on their churches. While the protests began
peacefully, violence ensued after the Christians were attacked by
civilians. The Egyptian military
exacerbated the situation when army personnel carriers plowed through
the crowds, crushing protesters as soldiers fired on unarmed civilians.
This horrifying massacre occurred on Oct. 9, 2011.
What began as a peaceful protest to express frustration over attacks on
Coptic churches ended in the staggering loss of innocent human life.
Nearly 30 protesters died, many of them Copts, and 500 people were
injured on that tragic day. The Rev. Filopater Gameel, a Coptic priest
and eyewitness to the Maspero massacre, stated that “tens of thousands
were devastated as they watched innocent civilians crushed and shot to
death, and their only crime was participating in a peaceful march to
reject the destruction of their church.”
Now, after the election of Egypt’s new Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, the Copts are terrified about their fate in Egypt.
Since the Maspero attack, not one member of the Egyptian armed services
has been convicted. In fact, the Egyptian panel responsible for leading
the investigations closed the case because of a supposed “lack of
identification of the culprits.” Even a simple YouTube search reveals how Egyptian army
personnel carriers rammed into crowds of unarmed protesters during the
demonstrations. Friends and relatives of the Maspero victims have vowed
to continue fighting for justice and even considered taking the case to
international courts.
Coptic Christians in Egypt have long suffered discrimination and violence. During a 2011 New Year's Eve service at a Coptic church
in Alexandria, for instance, a bomb explosion killed more than 20 and
injured 70. The brutal attacks in Alexandria and in Cairo’s Maspero
section occurred shortly before the fall of the Mubarak regime and
during the subsequent interim military government. Bishop Angaelos, general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, succinctly described the plight of the Copts in Egypt,
especially after the Arab Spring: “I think the problem is ever since
the [Arab] uprising, there is still no accountability. We’ve had
churches bulldozed, we’ve had churches burnt down, we’ve had Christians
killed, we’ve had villages torched, and it’s almost the same as it was
before. No one’s been brought to justice, no convictions, and so
therefore, no justice at all.” The impunity with which the attacks
against Coptic Christians were carried out is striking and deeply
troubling.
The new government led by the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mr. Morsi
now openly seeks to permanently enshrine dictatorial arrogance and
blatant disregard for religious freedom in the Egyptian constitution. Mr. Morsi pushed for a speedy vote Saturday to adopt a new constitution profoundly dangerous for Egypt’s
Coptic community. Groups opposed to the constitutional draft argued
that the drafting Constitutional Assembly had been dominated by Mr. Morsi’s extremist allies, and the drafting process lacked transparency.
Islamist movements in Egypt certainly have dominated Egypt’s
political process, and the Copts are among the main casualties. When
the Islamist-dominated Constitutional Assembly drafted the constitution,
they insisted on the supremacy of Egypt’s
religious identity, not the nation’s joint civil identity. The new
constitution can now legitimately sanction religious discrimination.
Once the constitution begins to take effect, we will witness a new era of additional repression in Egypt. The first few constitutional articles — the foundation of Egypt’s
new legal framework — are especially frightening once the implications
are assessed and the articles are viewed in context of one another.
Article 2 maintains that Shariah, Islamic religious law, is the basis of
legislation. Religious freedom analysts have argued that Article 3
essentially sends Egyptian society to a pre-modern system where
non-Muslims were extended a limited degree of state protection but were
relegated to second-class citizenry in public life. Additionally,
Article 4 gives a non-elected, sectarian body, not the Egyptian
parliament, arbitration rights to decide how Shariah and current and
subsequent legislation should be implemented for all Egyptian citizens.
Furthermore,
Article 219 reaffirms that Islamists monopolized the constitutional
drafting. Language within this article is unprecedented for Egypt. The article requires that the law be measured for consistency with legal principles found in Sunni Islamic law.
Religious life, as a whole, is under grave threat in Egypt.
Article 43 severely limits the freedom of religion and permits only the
“heavenly religions” of Islam, Judaism and Christianity to build houses
of worship. The Egyptian Baha’is, for instance, and other groups not
recognized as “heavenly religions,” would not have freedom of religion
or even the freedom to worship.
The legal framework that should
ensure equality for all Egyptian society is severely compromised in this
new constitution. The United States, and the Obama administration in
particular, must undertake every effort to side with the principles of
religious freedom for all and underscore the importance of religious
pluralism. Unless this happens, Egypt
may be completely swallowed up by an Islamist dictatorship as a result
of this constitution, and the Coptic Christians and other religious
groups will be in extreme peril under a Morsi regime. Washington Times. Rep. Trent Franks, Arizona Republican, is co-chairman of the International Religious Freedom Caucus.
COP Christian is only 10% of Egypt populatiaon.,If you read the new constitutian carefully nothing is meniion about COP Christian freedom of Faith. Knowing Morhi an Mualim brotherhood,they are God fearing people.I dont they dare to do thing that againat the freedom of religious. Give them a chance.
COP Christian is only 10% of Egypt populatiaon.,If you read the new constitutian carefully nothing is meniion about COP Christian freedom of Faith.
Knowing Morhi an Mualim brotherhood,they are God fearing people.I dont they dare to do thing that againat the freedom of religious.
Give them a chance.