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."
Pua's 'Langkah Sheraton' painting now an NFT project
Monday, August 01, 2022
Malaysiakini : Damansara MP Tony Puaās āLangkah Sheratonā painting is now an NFT
(non-fungible token) project to generate funds for DAPās next general
election campaign.
At the soft launch of the project today, Pua,
who turned 50 today, said he was gifting his 121cm by 152cm oil on
canvas painting to the party. Pua began working on this piece when
movement controls were imposed in 2020 and after the āSheraton Moveā
that caused the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan federal government.
This
artwork featured 15 very recognisable political personalities, mostly
in faux renaissance poses. Upon completing the piece last year, it was
displayed at Theatre Impian. āIt took me a fairly long time to figure out the best approach to āsellā the painting to raise funds for the party.
āA typical art sale would be through an auction. Perhaps a taukeh
will buy it for a few thousand and often see a painting will be stored
in a collectorās private gallery or storeroom, while no government-owned
gallery would acquire such a āsensitiveā or controversial piece, even
if it was of historical import,ā he said.
Eventually,
Pua chose to āsellā the painting as through NFTs so that it could be
meaningfully owned collectively among thousands of Malaysians. āVia
the rapidly developing NFT platforms, it could unlock a higher value
and hence raise more funds for the party and the cause,ā he said.
