While no fan of Lincoln, I do appreciate one of his quotes, germane to Veterans Day:
“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as best he can, the same cause.” – Abraham Lincoln
The thought arises once again: That our brave men have died in vain If in our now-degraded state We see no more why they were great,–– And rattle on belligerently –– Rejecting Thought that made us free –– Embracing now with loud insistence –– Malice threatening our existence –– Tearing at each other's throats –– While a leering Satan gloats –– A sorry spectacle that wrenches My heart thinking of the trenches Filled with anguish, fear and dread As bullets whizzed above each head, And buried in the mud the mines Lurked to shatter limbs and spines, While in the distance cannons boomed Inspiring fear that all were doomed. Then to see a body shattered –– One a buddy –– now parts scattered –– In the mud with corpses strewn –– Gruesome lit by sun or moon –– More pitiful the wounded lie In agony praying to die. And all around the smell of blood Vomit, –– urine, –– faces, –– crud Defined the hellish atmosphere But few if any shed a tear. They knew they had a job to do –– Protecting our land –– and you –– From Tyranny, –– Brutality –– Poverty –– and Slavery –– Their Sacrifice –– Our Legacy – Now relegated to the Fire –– Ever the Enemy’s Desire –– Because their precious Victory Was neutralized by Sophistry That promised Peace eternally By ceding our Sovereignty As a dumb ovine assembly Always led too easily To the abattoir where brutally They end up slaughtered ruthlessly. And so the Enemy has won –– Not by bayonet, bomb, or gun –– But by an ideology Seductive, to those lazily Imagining there’s an Easy Way To stop becoming Satan’s Prey. Thus lulled into a stupor we Now feel a false Security. Forgetting the we owe a debt To those brave men who fought to get Continued Opportunity To cherish their fine legacy. Because the Left runs Education We’ve lost our great Emancipation –– Betrayed great men through dissipation Made worse by bitter argumentation.
“Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, ‘What should be the reward of such sacrifices?’ … If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands, which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!” —Samuel Adams (1777)
A Veteran is someone, who at one point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America”, for an amount of “up to and including my life”.
That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
What we're seeing is the harvest of the education system, which conservatives and libertarians basically abandoned decades ago -- at least at the professorial level.
Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there. I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning's hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there. I did not die.
Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away to the next room. I am I and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, That, we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without effect. Without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same that it ever was. There is absolute unbroken continuity. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you. For an interval. Somewhere. Very near. Just around the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before only better, infinitely happier and forever we will all be one together with Christ.
That's lovely, AOW. I'm glad to be acquainted with it.I'm reminded of a story about Helen Keller who wen asked towards the end of her astonishung life, if she feared death?
"I have no fear of it at all," she said, "for I am certain it will be no different than passing from one room into another, but I know that in that Other Room I shall be able to see and hear."
I've always found that almost unbearably touching –– to the point where I get choked up, and tears come to my eyes every time I think of it.
We welcome civil dialogue at Always on Watch. Comments that include any of the following are subject to deletion: 1. Any use of profanity or abusive language 2. Off topic comments and spam 3. Use of personal invective
While no fan of Lincoln, I do appreciate one of his quotes, germane to Veterans Day:
ReplyDelete“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as best he can, the same cause.” – Abraham Lincoln
___ A VETERAN’S DAY LAMENT ___
ReplyDeleteThe thought arises once again:
That our brave men have died in vain
If in our now-degraded state
We see no more why they were great,––
And rattle on belligerently ––
Rejecting Thought that made us free ––
Embracing now with loud insistence ––
Malice threatening our existence ––
Tearing at each other's throats ––
While a leering Satan gloats ––
A sorry spectacle that wrenches
My heart thinking of the trenches
Filled with anguish, fear and dread
As bullets whizzed above each head,
And buried in the mud the mines
Lurked to shatter limbs and spines,
While in the distance cannons boomed
Inspiring fear that all were doomed.
Then to see a body shattered ––
One a buddy –– now parts scattered ––
In the mud with corpses strewn ––
Gruesome lit by sun or moon ––
More pitiful the wounded lie
In agony praying to die.
And all around the smell of blood
Vomit, –– urine, –– faces, –– crud
Defined the hellish atmosphere
But few if any shed a tear.
They knew they had a job to do ––
Protecting our land –– and you ––
From Tyranny, –– Brutality ––
Poverty –– and Slavery ––
Their Sacrifice –– Our Legacy –
Now relegated to the Fire ––
Ever the Enemy’s Desire ––
Because their precious Victory
Was neutralized by Sophistry
That promised Peace eternally
By ceding our Sovereignty
As a dumb ovine assembly
Always led too easily
To the abattoir where brutally
They end up slaughtered ruthlessly.
And so the Enemy has won ––
Not by bayonet, bomb, or gun ––
But by an ideology
Seductive, to those lazily
Imagining there’s an Easy Way
To stop becoming Satan’s Prey.
Thus lulled into a stupor we
Now feel a false Security.
Forgetting the we owe a debt
To those brave men who fought to get
Continued Opportunity
To cherish their fine legacy.
Because the Left runs Education
We’ve lost our great Emancipation ––
Betrayed great men through dissipation
Made worse by bitter argumentation.
~ FreeThinke (11/11/18)
“Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, ‘What should be the reward of such sacrifices?’ … If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands, which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!”
ReplyDelete—Samuel Adams (1777)
Honor our veterans, by getting the hell out of Afghanistan
ReplyDeleteAmen! And poste haste.
Delete- CI
Found on blog rounds:
ReplyDeleteA Veteran is someone, who at one point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America”, for an amount of “up to and including my life”.
That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
But that was when we still had a country WORTH defending. I doubt we do any longer.
DeleteFranco,
DeleteI wouldn't go that far.
America has just SPAT in the FACE of our living defenders and honored dead by empowering the fiends and fools I can now only call DemonRats.
ReplyDeleteThe fallout from last Tuesday's election has succeeded in making a SICK JOKE of Veteran's Day. and a MOCKERY of true patriotism.
Franco,
DeleteAgreed!
What we're seeing is the harvest of the education system, which conservatives and libertarians basically abandoned decades ago -- at least at the professorial level.
Do not stand at my grave and weep
ReplyDeleteI am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
~ Mary Elizabeth Frye (1905-2004)
At Mom's request years before she passed, I used something similar at her funeral.
DeleteThe meditation I used at Mom's funeral:
DeleteDeath is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away to the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
That, we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you.
For an interval.
Somewhere. Very near.
Just around the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before only better, infinitely happier and forever we will all be one together with Christ.
Henry Scott Holland
That's lovely, AOW. I'm glad to be acquainted with it.I'm reminded of a story about Helen Keller who wen asked towards the end of her astonishung life, if she feared death?
Delete"I have no fear of it at all," she said, "for I am certain it will be no different than passing from one room into another, but I know that in that Other Room I shall be able to see and hear."
I've always found that almost unbearably touching –– to the point where I get choked up, and tears come to my eyes every time I think of it.