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."
Malaysiakini : Former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is suffering from dementia, according to his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin.
The
health minister told reporters that Abdullah, who served as premier
from 2003 to 2009, no longer recognises nor remembers his family
members. "I have never shared this before. Many asked where is
Pak Lah? He has dementia and that is why you do not see him in public
anymore. It is a cruel condition.
āThe body is there but the mind is not. He is wheelchair-bound. He cannot function normally anymore. āHe does not remember my name, my wife's name. The only reason I know
he recognises me is the flicker in his eye when I visit him," Khairy
was quoted as saying by the News Straits Times today.
MS : We remember Badawi as, relatively speaking, a good man who was viciously undermined by Mahathir who replaced him with the felon now in jail.
It is commendable KJ has publicly acknowledged his father-in-law's condition instead of treating it as some dark secret. Dementia is not a problem. Selective amnesia, which afflicts politicians of the ketuanan kind, is.
KAJANG PRISONER : Tunku, Hussein Oon and Badawi were only 3 who were true gentleman. However, Badawi was a good man but not the kind of material to make a good PM.
MarioT : A simple yet a caring person whose short lived premiership gave hope to us all. It pains to speak about it and courage to reveal it in public. Only the family's presence can give him that little assurance of being not alone.
David Dass : A good man. It was during his time that judges who were expelled during Mahathirās time were compensated and had their pensions restored . He was known for his kindness and his honesty. We wish him and his family Godās grace and blessings.
Fair minded Senior Citizen : A gentleman by any standard. Regrettably bullied out of office only to see the emergence of a felon and supported ably by āfelonessā incomparable.
Fellow Malaysians could not see the goodness in this man who together with his caring wife would have been a great symbol of our unity and our caring nature.
The rest is history, we have learned our lesson ( hopefully) so please think and choose carefully when you get the next chance. Donāt be fooled by sweet talk and other unsubstantive promises.
Easy to spot the thieves and the parties they represent - this message is for the youth who will take their responsibility for the first time soon. Donāt mortgage your future to charlatans.
We all have a great future in this country. šš»
Vijay47 : What a painful truth this is, Khairy Jamaluddin, that your father-in-law must go through and you and your family must bear with him. An injury, an illness, any form of ailment is a heavy load for the victim and those close to him.
There could have been matters of politics we did not agree with Abdullah Badawi, there may have been wrongs done by him, yet most of us would have viewed him as a decent person and it grieves us that he or anyone must suffer in this manner.
Khairy, it was brave of you to share this sad news with us, humble of you to seek our prayers which nearly all of us would offer without a momentās hesitation.
May your father-in-law and your family find some solace these trying times.
Kilimanjaro : We are sad and sorry to hear of his condition. Mere optimism of better days may be just a comfort as the condition progressively takes hold. Most of us have our own sad experiences and most of the time it is not something that we readily want to discuss or share.
But no doubt it is emotionally draining. It is encouraging enough for Khairy to say it out openly and hope he and the loved ones around Badawi would continue to be strong. I have seen how a friend's family just went to pieces because of one in their family.
