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."
Germany Bends as Turkey Plays Domestic Violence Card
Thursday, June 27, 2013
The decision to reopen Turkey's EU membership negotiations represents a
shameful submission by Germany to Turkey. Conflict between the two
countries flared last week after German Chancellor Merkel made
relatively innocuous remarks about Erdogan's crackdown on protesters.
This was greeted with threatening remarks from Turkey.
Critical words by Turkey's European affairs minister against
Chancellor Angela Merkel have apparently gone too far for the German
government. On Friday, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle summoned
Turkey's Ambassador to Germany to the Foreign Ministry, a source told
SPIEGEL ONLINE.
Westerwelle is currently on a short visit to Ukraine, and Turkish
Ambassador Hüseyin Avni Karslioglu will instead be asked to meet with
another Foreign Ministry official. Earlier this week, Merkel expressed her concern over actions by Turkish
security forces against protesters in Istanbul and other cities. The
chancellor said she had been shocked by police deployments she found to
be "too harsh".
For Turkish Europe Minister Egemen Bagis, such criticism crossed the
line. "If Ms. Merkel is looking for domestic political material for her
elections, that material should not be Turkey," Bagis told reporters on
Thursday. "If Ms. Merkel takes a closer look, she will see that those
who mess about with Turkey do not find an auspicious end."
He also urged Merkel to consider not only the thousands of
German companies that do business in Turkey but also the "3.5 million
blood brothers" who live and vote in Germany. Bagis allegedly also
told European politicians that Turks in Germany could launch mass
demonstrations against Merkel and that he couldn't guarantee stability
in Germany were that to happen. Merkel reportedly was furious and
interpreted Bagis' comments as a direct threat. Ankara had also said
that there would be a "strong reaction" were talks cancelled altogether.
