tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post4150685528838698670..comments2023-10-03T07:01:41.144-05:00Comments on Always On Watch: Semper Vigilans: Memorial Day Weekend 2017Always On Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-24614512928677010082017-05-31T16:22:16.692-05:002017-05-31T16:22:16.692-05:00FT,
Diplomacy is le merde du boeuf.
Since WW2.
I...FT,<br /><i>Diplomacy is le merde du boeuf.</i><br /><br />Since WW2.<br /><br />I support freedom of expression here, but I do filter comments to some extent.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-64578009360602325962017-05-31T14:56:49.572-05:002017-05-31T14:56:49.572-05:00Diplomacy is le merde du boeuf. I have come to reg...Diplomacy is <i>le merde du boeuf.</i> I have come to regard decisive, PRE-EMPTIVE action as the wisest, kindest, most efficient way to avoid major conflict and widespread destruction.<br /><br />Just think how much better things would have been if "someone" had had the presence of mind, –– and the courage ––, to have sent a commando squad into Germany and assassinated Hitler <i>before</i> he marched into Poland and the Sudetenland!<br /><br />Think how much safer and saner the world would have been if only Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin and the rest of those filthy Bolsheviks had been assassinated BEFORE they were able to mount the Communist Revolution! Czar Nicolas and his family were brutally murdered, because the Czar did not have what it would have taken to eradicate his enemies BEFORE they got enough power to harm the Russian Royal Family.<br /><br />I USED to believe in complete Freedim of Expression until I ran into characters like Canardo the Quacking Commie. Now, I am much in favor of the SUPPRESSION of PERNICIOUS, INSIDIOUS IDEAS expressed by seditious FOOLS.<br /><br />I was never raised to "hate" anyone, and I didn't, but that was before I saw the naked aggression of treasonous rabble rousers, and heard the insidious seductive sophistry poured into the dear little ears of innocent, ignorant children by Communist bastards ready, willng,able and EAGER to destroy ur country and everythng fr which it once stood.<br /><br />CUT OFF the HEAD of a SNAKE, and he DIES. Snipe away at his tail, and he's likely to sink his fangs into you and thus inject a dose of lethal poison into you that would quickly end your life.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-66160223716508052902017-05-29T10:36:01.969-05:002017-05-29T10:36:01.969-05:00All who enlist in our now-voluntary armed forces k...All who enlist in our now-voluntary armed forces know in advance that they may make the ultimate sacrifice. These are America's heroes.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-77103730417959616452017-05-29T10:34:07.352-05:002017-05-29T10:34:07.352-05:00Z,
I note that Gold Star families are being honore...Z,<br />I note that Gold Star families are being honored on this Memorial Day Weekend. This honoring is right and proper.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-34859704929689392582017-05-29T10:10:33.744-05:002017-05-29T10:10:33.744-05:00And may I add to be grateful for all of your right...And may I add to be grateful for all of your rights, and your freedoms and just remember it should never be taken for granted, as we have seen, in just eight short years of the Liberal, Democratic, and the progressive socialists have been doing in the past eight years of their administration..<br />And may God Bless our Troops and our Veterans, of the Past,and those who are serving in the Present, Our Fallen Heroes, Their Families, and Our President, and to all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and their Families, Thank you,you will not ever be forgotten.<br /> And Thank You for your serviceThe Debonair Dudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15612822956784562586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-48193953153787597422017-05-29T09:49:57.162-05:002017-05-29T09:49:57.162-05:00God bless those who want to serve their country .....God bless those who want to serve their country ...knowing they could give the ultimate gift.<br />And I think so much of the FAMILIES who lose SO MUCH with the deaths of their loved one. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-7070446622701750472017-05-29T09:30:08.385-05:002017-05-29T09:30:08.385-05:00SF,
What was the motive of those shouting "He...SF,<br /><i>What was the motive of those shouting "Hell No We Won't Go?"<br /><br />For many, it was probably they didn't want to interrupt their college education, didn't want to leave the pot and the girls behind.<br /><br />How many of them joined the Peace Corps? (a fine organization, imo. We should quadruple its funding).</i><br /><br />Good point about the <i>Hell No We Won't Go</i> crowd!<br /><br />It is only quite recently that society as a whole hasn't sneered at those wearing the uniform of our country. I noticed a change after 9/11.<br /><br />Like you, I'm sure that FT didn't intend <i>any disrespect toward anyone</i>. <br /><br />I stand behind what I said: today is a day commemoration, of funeral. Afterwards, we can celebrate.<br /><br />And tomorrow we can post anti-war sentiments and decry the global military complex (the Oligarchs).Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-68388167462233502102017-05-29T09:24:30.548-05:002017-05-29T09:24:30.548-05:00SF,
So, while on a macro-global-government level t...SF,<br /><b><i>So, while on a macro-global-government level things got all bungled up, at the personal level, good and brave American men and women gave it all up for fellow human beings.<br /><br />So, while we all rightly throw bricks at government stupidity, we must never fail to honor those men and women who gave their all.</i></b><br /><br />Well said!Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-52007298459449968142017-05-29T09:20:12.411-05:002017-05-29T09:20:12.411-05:00What was the motive of those shouting "Hell N...What was the motive of those shouting "Hell No We Won't Go?"<br /><br />For many, it was probably they didn't want to interrupt their college education, didn't want to leave the pot and the girls behind.<br /><br />How many of them joined the Peace Corps? (a fine organization, imo. We should quadruple its funding).<br /><br />AOW's comments about her wedding and newlywed days caused me to recall that when I joined in the 80's, the US military still suffered a bad reputation.<br /><br />So many people, mostly my classmates, could not understand why I was joining the Air Force. The military was for losers who couldn't get a real job and who were too stupid for college.<br /><br />For a pop culture perspective, I tell people to watch the movies "Heartbreak Ridge" and "Tank," paying attention to how the civilians viewed the military.<br /><br />I'm not crying a river here, just piggybacking on what AOW said.<br /><br />Also, I took FT's words in the spirit of charity I believe he intended them. We've known him too long to believe he meant any disrespect toward anyone, but I do believe, like AOW, that today is not for contumely, but for remembrance and honoring the dead.Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-21404719396023138252017-05-29T09:08:01.990-05:002017-05-29T09:08:01.990-05:00I spoke plainly because though one can honor those...I spoke plainly because though one can honor those who served while criticizing government stupidity, it's a tightrope.<br /><br />I was a support troop in Iraq and Afghanistan, doing communications work for those who actually went out and engaged in combat.<br /><br />The US Army should have won some kind of globally-recognized award for ingenuity, resilience and constant adaptation to ever-fluid situations.<br /><br />We had Captains acting as town mayors, Majors doing Ambassadorial work, Sergeants as town sheriffs.<br /><br />Our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines did everything asked of them, and more, and they did it with bravery and ingenuity.<br /><br />We fought to give those people some space, a chance, to improve their lives. <br /><br />So, while on a macro-global-government level things got all bungled up, at the personal level, good and brave American men and women gave it all up for fellow human beings.<br /><br />So, while we all rightly throw bricks at government stupidity, we must never fail to honor those men and women who gave their all.Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-59330203599842552442017-05-29T08:56:21.776-05:002017-05-29T08:56:21.776-05:00A timely essay by John Kelly appeared in today'...A timely <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/looking-at-memorial-day-through-the-eyes-of-a-blind-veteran/2017/05/28/e20548b0-42e9-11e7-adba-394ee67a7582_story.html" rel="nofollow">essay</a> by John Kelly appeared in today's WaPo. <br /><br />Excerpt from "A Blind Veteran's View of Memorial Day" (emphases mine):<br /><br /><i>“I’ve lost brothers on the battlefield, specifically my buddy Tyler Trahan,” Brad [Snyder, a blind veteran] said. The two went to explosive ordnance disposal school together. Tyler was 22 when he was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2009. <br /><br />“Dealing with a loss like that is very difficult,” Brad said. “He was a good friend of mine. I miss him every day. I wish he was here. But <b>I have to live in honor of him. I have to live a life he’d be proud of. And I have to make the most of every moment, because it’s a moment he didn’t have.</b><br /><br />“That goes for the hundreds of thousands of service members who have offered their lives in the name of this country.”<br /><br /><b>Memorial Day, Brad said, “is a day to have fun and barbecue and enjoy the time you have with your family and friends. But know that you’re enjoying that in honor of someone who gave up that opportunity, to give it to you.”</b></i>Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-19494081797364729442017-05-29T07:51:32.431-05:002017-05-29T07:51:32.431-05:00PS: The poets Wilfred Owen and John McCrae also se...PS: The poets Wilfred Owen and John McCrae also served on the field of battle.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-42906509359128305492017-05-29T07:48:47.900-05:002017-05-29T07:48:47.900-05:00FT,
SilverFiddle effectively said EXACTLY what I s...FT,<br /><i>SilverFiddle effectively said EXACTLY what I said, but I used plainer, less equivocal language –– and you appeared to AGREE with him.</i><br /><br />SF served on the field of battle. That's the difference.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-32683764669364991252017-05-29T07:47:36.265-05:002017-05-29T07:47:36.265-05:00Memorial Day is a day of funeral.
Exactly. Especi...<i>Memorial Day is a day of funeral.</i><br /><br />Exactly. Especially for the countless legions of fallen, who had nobody by their side as they passed, nor anyone to mourn and bury them with grace.Constitutional Insurgenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03251746798758539951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-42288558073753509332017-05-29T07:41:01.402-05:002017-05-29T07:41:01.402-05:00FT,
I'm not offended exactly.
I think that to...FT,<br />I'm not offended exactly.<br /><br /><b>I think that today is not the day for anti-war sentiments.</b> <br /><br />In my view, such sentiments denigrate the service of those who are no longer with us <b>on a day of commemoration</b> -- for all the fallen in war, including the American War for Independence. <br /><br />I liken this appropriateness to how we are tactful on the day of a funeral. <br /><br />Memorial Day is a day of funeral.<br /><br />Tomorrow is time enough for anti-war sentiments, of which I have plenty of my own.<br /><br />Like my father before me, I believe that every war promoted by the Oligarchs has within that war the seeds of the next war. <br /><br />Also like my father before me, I don't believe that modern wars (WW1 and following) ever solve anything.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-57863005170033337222017-05-29T07:12:21.023-05:002017-05-29T07:12:21.023-05:00PART ONE:
I’m sorry you chose to take offense at ...PART ONE:<br /><br />I’m sorry you chose to take offense at my remarks by taking them PERSONALLY, AOW. SilverFiddle effectively said EXACTLY what I said, but I used plainer, less equivocal language –– and you appeared to AGREE with him.<br /><br />As always when it comes to blogging, I am concerned priarily with root causes and underlying principles much more than I am with personal feelings and personal anecdotes.<br /><br />I’m sure you will like the post I put up at 4:00 AM –– an essay on the significance of Memorial Day I’ve published before in several venues. I know you are already familiar with it, but I took considerable time locating fresh illustrations for it, then concluded with John McCrae’s, famous, highly evocative poem In Flanders Fields.<br /><br />While neither I nor my father ever served in the military, my Uncle Bob was the one who was tortured then died in a Japanese Prison Camp just befofre the war ended. Uncle Tony saw action throughout the war. Uncle Fred Mack, no relation but one of my father’s best friends from their youth, served and saw action during the Great War. He participated in D-Day. <br /><br />My cousin Eddie was wounded in the Pacific, and had to spend the rest of his life in pain walking with a permanently stiffened leg because of shrapnel in his knee the surgeons were unable to remove. <br /><br />My cousin John was present a Anzio. And Primo Semprini, the gardener my father hired off the local garbage truck, whom we came to regard as a family friend, fought in the acific theater, was wlunded and taken prisoner by the Jappanese. His life as a POW was an unimaginable hell, but he came back GRATEFUL to be able to return to American soil. <br /><br />(CONTINUED)<br />FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-9712610808779279122017-05-29T05:38:43.799-05:002017-05-29T05:38:43.799-05:00The words of Thomas Jefferson:
The tree of libert...The <a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff109180.html" rel="nofollow">words</a> of Thomas Jefferson:<br /><br /><i>The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants</i>.<br /><br />War becomes a necessity when in-good-faith diplomacy fails.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-46929845083728420382017-05-29T05:29:39.991-05:002017-05-29T05:29:39.991-05:00FT,
I see now that those rude, scruffy, unwashed, ...FT,<br /><i>I see now that those rude, scruffy, unwashed, long-haired bastards shouting "Hell No We Won't Go." back in the SICK-sties had a good point, despite the vile style in which they expressed it.</i><br /><br />As one who is married to a veteran who was drafted during the Vietnam War Era and whose best friend died in Vietnam, I can tell you that the words <i> "Hell No We Won't Go"</i> didn't go down very well.<br /><br />It was not until 2006 that Mr. AOW ever heard the words "Thank you for your service." As his wife, I, too, was denigrated for marrying "a pig." Example: ministers refused to marry a man in uniform, so Mr. AOW chose not to wear his dress blues for our wedding -- even though I very much wanted him to do so.<br /><br />Furthermore, my being married to a man in uniform (and, later, a veteran) even adversely affected my possibilities for employment. <br /><br />For a long time after Mr. AOW got out of the Army, he and I never mentioned that he had served. <br /><br />The anti-war sentiment was that strong until quite a long time after the fall of Saigon.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-14224587925160174982017-05-29T05:18:45.965-05:002017-05-29T05:18:45.965-05:00FT,
This is exactly the reason I choose to post AN...FT,<br /><i>This is exactly the reason I choose to post ANTI-WAR poems on Memorial Day.</i><br /><br />I disagree with posting anti-war poems on Memorial Day.<br /><br />Would we lecture the family who has lost a loved one about the dangers of the deceased's life style?<br /><br />Memorial Day is a day of commemoration of those who lay down their lives to save others. We can post anti-war poems all other days of the year.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-39780838382898238762017-05-29T04:06:01.450-05:002017-05-29T04:06:01.450-05:00______ In Flanders Fields ______
In Flanders fiel...<b>______ In Flanders Fields ______<br /><br /><i>In Flanders fields the poppies blow<br />Between the crosses, row on row,<br />That mark our place; and in the sky<br />The larks, still bravely singing, fly<br />Scarce heard amid the guns below.<br /><br />We are the Dead. Short days ago<br />We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,<br />Loved and were loved, and now we lie<br />In Flanders fields.<br /><br />Take up our quarrel with the foe:<br />To you from failing hands we throw<br />The torch; be yours to hold it high.<br />If ye break faith with us who die<br />We shall not sleep, though poppies grow<br />In Flanders fields.</i></b><br /><br />~ Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae (1872-1915), Canadian physician, <br />poet, author, artist, soldier<br />FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-51985919280829106182017-05-29T04:03:05.227-05:002017-05-29T04:03:05.227-05:00This is exactly the reason I choose to post ANTI-W...This is exactly the reason I choose to post ANTI-WAR poems on Memorial Day.<br /><br />Virtually EVERY American oldier who has died or been maimed, or driven mad since World War War Two ended has died IN VAIN –– a tragic waste of young life and human potential.<br /><br />KOREA!<br /><br />VIETNAM!<br /><br />KOSOVO!<br /><br />IRAQ! <br /><br />AFGHANISTAN!<br /><br />MOGADISHU!<br /><br />LIBYA!<br /><br />ALL of these exercises in futlity have been a WASTE –– a waste that has profited NO INE other than The Oligarchs who make huge profits from the manufacture and deployment of War Materiel.<br /><br />It's taken me many years, but I see now that those rude, scruffy, unwashed, long-haired bastards shouting <b><i>"Hell No We Won't Go."</i></b> back in the SICK-sties had a good point, despite the vile style in which they expressed it.<br /><br />Our post-WWII military history has made a MOCKERY of the sacrifices made by the heroes of all our JUST and NECESSARY armed conflicts.<br /><br />It is LONG past time to abandon the <br /><br /><b><i>Theirs not to reason why<br />Theirs but to do an die</i></b><br /><br />mentality so long accepted as the DUTY of every yung man when called into battle.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-11334127786814374762017-05-29T03:55:28.869-05:002017-05-29T03:55:28.869-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-29470861508317072262017-05-28T20:48:56.631-05:002017-05-28T20:48:56.631-05:00FT,
About the words Dulce et decorum est pro patri...FT,<br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulce_et_decorum_est_pro_patria_mori#Context" rel="nofollow">About</a> the words <i>Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori</i>:<br /><br /><i>The poem [by Horace] from which the line comes exhorts Roman citizens to develop martial prowess such that of the enemies of Rome, in particular the Parthians, will be too terrified to resist them.</i><br /><br />Something along the lines of carrying a big stick [Teddy Roosevelt].<br /><br />Then, there's <a href="http://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/04/24/war/" rel="nofollow"><i>No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making some other poor dumb bastard die for his country</i></a>.<br /><br />The reality, of course, is that wars cost lives. For that reason, wars should never be entered lightly. Every military man I know is a strong advocate of diplomacy -- especially if that military man has seen combat himself.<br /><br />As mentioned in the body of the blog post, more than 1.8 million servicemen and servicewomen have died in the service of our nation since 1775. Memorial Day is about honoring our military fallen.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-9241480926699242862017-05-28T20:31:27.480-05:002017-05-28T20:31:27.480-05:00SF,
Amen to that! Almost 16 long years of this &q...SF,<br />Amen to <b>that</b>! Almost 16 long years of this "war on terrorism," a meaningless term if there ever was one.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-49013720277871049862017-05-28T20:06:06.885-05:002017-05-28T20:06:06.885-05:00Well said.Well said.Constitutional Insurgenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03251746798758539951noreply@blogger.com