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."
Jihad Watch : Wow, I had no idea. God bless you Robert! Will pray for you to come back stronger than ever. Get well Robert Spencer!!!!
Inigo Montoya: Heās dead. He canāt talk.
Miracle Max: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead.
Thereās a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive.(The Princess Bride)
Some of you may have noticed that I havenāt written anything at Jihad
Watch or anywhere else since late April. The reason for this is that my
heart stopped. About six weeks ago, while I was already in the hospital for
pneumonia, I suffered heart failure, kidney failure, respiratory failure
ā you name it, I failed at it. I was airlifted by helicopter from one
hospital to another (alas, I donāt remember this adventure) and hooked
up to every machine the doctors could find a way to plug me into.
Finally, yesterday, I left the hospital (this time, alas, not by
helicopter), with most organs having recovered passing grades.
I owe an immense debt of gratitude ā indeed, I owe my very life ā to
the many doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals who helped me
get from the time when I had no pulse to this moment. Except for a
couple of brief interludes, I was unconscious for about twelve days in
late April and early May, so I wasnāt even aware of the presence of many
of them, but that doesnāt dim my gratitude. While I had no pulse and
was out, I was nowhere: I saw no all-encompassing light, and I heard no
voices, a fact which I believe carries no metaphysical or spiritual
significance. But I have had ample opportunity to reflect, and I came to
some realizations that everyone knows but that many often forget: life
is good. Be grateful. Love your family. Consider the lilies. Donāt take
things so seriously. Donāt take yourself so seriously. All Godās days
are beautiful days. Etc.
And I realized one other thing: the astounding medical technology
that pulled me back from nowhere developed, and only could have
developed, in a free society. That makes the struggle for freedom of
which Jihad Watch and my body of work is an infinitesimal part all the
more important. With the darkness and totalitarianism against which we
are struggling comes immense human misery. Let us then, with malice
toward none and charity for all, continue to strive as long as we have
the ability to do so. We owe it to our children, and all children, to
try to leave the world as livable a place as we possibly can.
So I hope to be back at it, gradually, in the coming days and weeks. I
want to express my warmest thanks to all the faithful readers of Jihad
Watch, to Christine Douglass-Williams, who indefatigably and expertly
kept the site going in my absence, to all those who contributed
articles, and above all to those who offered prayers and good wishes on
my behalf.
Your prayers were heard, your good wishes granted, and I love
you all.