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."
They Should Pound Gaza And Raqqa Into A Parking Lot - As Suggested By Quinn In Homeland, Donald Trump Take Note
Saturday, January 04, 2025
Robert Spencer : By Hugh Fitzgerald: “Forse che sì, forse che no” — Maybe Yes, and Maybe No — is the
memorable motto that Federico II of the House of Gonzaga, that ruled
over Mantua for centuries, took from a “frottola” or ditty that was sung
in the early 16th century. It could be used today to describe the
reading of tea-leaves that is going on all over the place as the world
tries to figure out what will become of Syria under the new regime.
Quinn tells it like it is in Syria, die for the Caliphate and to usher it into the world without infidels, it's been that way since the 7th Century
Should we look at its leader Ahmad al-Sharaa’s jihadist past, with ties
to Al-Qaeda and even to ISIS, or believe his recent assurances that he’s
undergone a kind of Pauline conversion on the road to Damascus, has
severed all ties to such groups, and wants to reassure all of Syria’s
many non-Sunni minorities — Alawites, non-Alawite Shi’a, Kurds,
Christians, Druze — that they will receive treatment equal to that given
to Sunni Muslims? Or should we suspect that Al-Shaara may only be
deceiving us in order to receive Western aid to help rebuild his ruined
country? Or could he be on the level, but for that very reason is in
danger of being overthrown by jihadists in HTS, or in other rebel
groups, so it would be folly to pin our hopes only on the continued
leadership of Ahmad Al-Shaara?
Here’s one more news item to ponder — the new rulers in Damascus have
appointed a half-dozen non-Syrians to high posts in the Syrian army,
including three who were made brigadier-generals. They have been
described as “foreign jihadists” by spokesmen of HTS. More on these
appointments can be found here: “Syria appoints some foreign Islamist
fighters to its military, sources say,” by Timour Azhari, Khalil Ashawi
and Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Reuters, December 30, 2024:
Syria‘s new rulers have installed some foreign fighters
including Uyghurs, a Jordanian, and a Turk in the country’s armed forces
as Damascus tries to shape a patchwork of rebel groups into a
professional military, two Syrian sources said.
The move to give official roles, including senior ones, to several
jihadists may alarm some foreign governments and Syrian citizens fearful
about the new administration’s intentions, despite its pledges not to
export Islamic revolution and to rule with tolerance towards Syria‘s
large minority groups….
The sources said that out of a total of almost 50 military roles
announced by the Defense Ministry on Sunday, at least six had gone to
foreigners. “This is a small token of recognition for the sacrifices Islamist
jihadists gave to our struggle for freedom from Assad’s oppression,” an
HTS source told Reuters….
“Islamist jihadists.” Nota bene. If you were not yourself a jihadist —
which Al-Sharra claims he no longer is — would you allow “jihadists,”
as HTS describes them, to take high-ranking posts in the army? Something
to worry about.
These foreign appointees to high posts in the Syrian military are
united by a strong faith in Islam, and a deep commitment to helping
other Sunni Muslims living, and fighting, beyond those appointees’ own
national borders.
Should we be worried that such appointments go against the assurances
we have been given by Al-Sharaa that he is interested only in the
wellbeing and unity of the Syrian state, and has no interest in
establishing a caliphate?
I can only answer “Forse che sì, forse che no.”
And that is likely to be the answer for many months of Syrian uncertainty to come.
