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."
Syria: Civil War Death Toll Now Over 100K, War Spills Over To Lebanon
Thursday, June 27, 2013
BEIRUT (AP) - More than 100,000 people have been killed since the start of the Syrian conflict over two years ago, an activist group said Wednesday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has been
tracking the death toll in the conflict through a network of activists
in Syria, released its death toll at a time when hopes for a negotiated
settlement to end the civil war are fading.
It said it had tallied a total of 100,191 deaths over the 27 months of
the conflict, but Observatory chief Rami Abdul-Rahman said he expected
the real number was higher as neither side was totally forthcoming about
its losses. Of the dead, 36,661 are civilians, the group said.
On the government side, 25,407 are members of President Bashar Assad's
armed forces, 17,311 are pro-government fighters and 169 are militants
from Lebanon's Hezbollah, who have fought alongside army troops. Deaths among Assad's opponents included 13,539 rebels, 2,015 army
defectors and 2,518 foreign fighters battling against the regime.
Entry of the foreign media into Syria is severely restricted and few reports from the fighting can be independently verified.
The total amount of dead in the Israeli-Palestinians conflict since 1948 is less than 15,000, and yet it's the biggest travesty on this planet to many. What gives?
Earlier this week, sectarian tensions drew Lebanon's weak army into
the fray. Eighteen soldiers were killed in a two-day battle between the
army and supporters of a radical Sunni sheik in the southern city of
Sidon. The army had earlier reported 17 deaths and said Wednesday that
another soldier died of his wounds in a hospital.
The conflict reached the capital Beirut on Wednesday when masked men ambushed a bus and attacked the approximately 30 people aboard with knives, a Lebanese official said. He said 10
people were wounded in the attack in the eastern part of the city,
including five Syrians, two Palestinians and three Lebanese, the officials said. He spoke anonymously in line with regulations.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the bus was carrying
Syrians headed to a TV studio in the eastern Sunday Market district to
take part in a cultural program. It said there were eight attackers, who
fled the area. More...
Have you noticed how the "international community" is silent about Palestinians being knifed? What gives? Hat tip : Eye On The World
