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."
Malaysiakini : Vijay47: We must, of course, rejoice that after months
and years of terrified anguish, a mother is finally able to be with her
children again, to lavish on them the hugs and kisses they were all long
deprived of.
Let us also not forget to thank assemblyman Satees Muniandy and NGO
leader David Marcel for their dedicated application to bringing matters
to a happy ending for the family. Yet while men of common decency
and justice celebrate, we must remember that the issue is far from
settled. Those convenient days of “It was all a misunderstanding” must
end, those who break the law whatever cause they serve must be brought
to face justice.
That vile woman who allegedly kidnapped the
children must be arrested and charged in court, let her also suffer like
she made the Loh family suffer. Has this country reached a stage where
anything made in the name of religion, however illegal it be, can be
overlooked?
The excesses of Muslim bodies must be brought to heel.
But who can we turn to - the mountains? The prime minister despite his
pathetic ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ sloganeering has again revealed he is good
for nothing. The IGP (inspector-general of police) is worse.
Perhaps we should seek the intervention of the rulers to ensure that
all peoples in the country can live here without fear of abuse and
denial of their rights.
Let us also not forget the other poor
woman in similar but much longer plight. The promises have been
countless but when will Indira Gandhi also be able to hug and kiss her
daughter kidnapped by a criminal husband? How about the Raymond Koh and
other abductions? Still investigating, Mr IGP? And in case you did not see the nexus – the Loh-kidnappings are along the lines of the earlier ones. This time by a sick woman. Aren't you all mothers? Aren't you all fathers? Don't you love your children?
What
is terrifying is that from the almost universal silence, most of you
seem committed to the belief that conversion into Islam, by whatever
means achieved, places you in God's favour. God is not this cruel.