In Fallujah, Iwo Jima, Chickamauga and … in Flanders fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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203 comments Add your comment
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:18 pm
See my 4:07
God bless.
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
4:23 pm
Scout
The point of my poem, Scout, is that the time to live is right here, right now; and since you are a Christian, well, you get the rest. Try it, you might like it much better than always being afraid. It makes my stomach churn just thinking about it…lol!
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:27 pm
One more time for those who may have not seen this earlier:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB2Ad04mukI&feature=related (Music theme for the movie “We Were Soldiers” ….. old balland entitled ………. “Sgt. McKenzie”)
“Joseph MacKenzie wrote the haunting lament after the death of his wife, Christine, and in memory of his great-grandfather, Charles Stuart MacKenzie, a sergeant in the Seaforth Highlanders, who along with hundreds of his brothers-in-arms from the Elgin-Rothes area in Moray, Scotland went to fight in the Great War (World War I).
Sergeant MacKenzie was bayoneted to death at the age of 35, while defending one of his badly injured fellow soldiers in the hand-to-hand fighting of the trenches.”
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:28 pm
“For it’s Tommy this an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
……….But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
……….An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
……….An’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool – you bet that Tommy sees!”
Rudyard Kipling
Mister
May 28th, 2012
4:34 pm
Middleton, seems like you have an issue with the person you refer to as “scout”. Does this issue pertain to Memorial Day or remembering loved ones? You appear to be a bully. Good day sir.
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
4:36 pm
Scout
If that’s your response, Scout, then I’ve given you something you can’t deal with without actually becoming the real Christian you say you are already. When you finally get on to it, sir, you’ll be very, very grateful, for it is the very essence of life itself!
josef
May 28th, 2012
4:37 pm
SCOUT
@ 4:06
It’s not something you dwell on, however. It’s not healthy. You carry it with you and you keep it in mind. But you also get on with the joy of daily life…again, as we say, l’chaim!
****
And I don’t think that’s what Tom is saying.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:38 pm
Why I fought for the Vietnamese people (as Lafayette and the French fought for us) :
“Vietnam Magazine (2010)
DECORATED NVA OFFICER CONVICTED OF SUBVERSION
“In late December, a 60 year-old former lieutenant colonel and proponent of democratic reforms in Vietnam, Tran Anh Kim, was convicted of subversion and sentenced to five years in prison. According to press reports, Kim’s trial was the first of a series of upcoming prosecutions of pro-democracy and human-rights activists. Kim, who faced a potential death sentence, stood accused of joining an organization promoting multiparty democracy, of posting pro-democracy articles on the Internet and being a member of an outlawed party.”
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:40 pm
“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 animated 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 you were our countrymen!”
Samuel Adams
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:41 pm
“I have the sense from time to time that I am not alone, and I suspect that despite the limited understanding we have of events in distant places, there will always be those among us who have the gleam of the quest in their eyes. They are people of every sex and station and they yearn to be challenged to a cause. They will always be looking for that wrong to right, that ill to cure, that song to sing; and there will always be those who will go to arms in aid of the helpless and the downtrodden. Ignoring the political issues of the moment, these people will champion the weak and the poor in the face of evil and tyranny. And no matter what the outcome, in their romantic hearts they will always keep the secret, if secret it must be, that they are better men for having held the lamp beside the golden door”.
David Donovan – “Once a Warrior King” (Vietnam)
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:42 pm
Last verse to our National Anthem:
“Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “IN GOD IS OUR TRUST.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
4:43 pm
Mister
I’m just talking in an off-and-on conversation, Mister, so I’m no bully. But you, sir, appear to be a coward to run away like that. Is this true?
Paulo977
May 28th, 2012
4:43 pm
josef @ 1:45pm
__________________________________
Very sobering
Remembrance Day in England also known as Poppy Day
The Last Post
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmQ3gpAgcPg
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
4:46 pm
Scout
If Jesus was here, would he be a general, a corporal, or someone going around teaching that there is a better way? I think you know the answer to this all too well.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:46 pm
“Many times in battle one might lose their mind, their life, their soul. What makes them a Marine is that they entered combat knowing the price they might pay, and chose to enter it anyway.”
Author Unknown
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:49 pm
Jesus came the first time as a “suffering servant”. He will come again as a “Conquering King” !
Revelation Chapter 19:
“11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.”
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:52 pm
“What It’s Like to go to War”
Karl Marlantes was a USMC platoon leader in Viet Nam (awarded the Navy Cross).
His previous book was the recent bestselling historical novel : “Matterhorn” (Marines in the Viet Nam DMZ hill fighting)
His new book (sure to be another best seller) is non-fiction and is a primer for anyone wanting to serve in the military …….. especially infantry combat.
Chapter One : TEMPLE OF MARS
“Warriors deal with death. They take life away from others. This is normally the role of God. Asking young warriors to take on that role without adequate psychological and spiritual preparation can lead to damaging consequences …………. For the most part they have been left to do this on their own.”
Acknowledgments:
“I would like to thank the members of the Three A.M. Shopping Club, combat veterans all; you know who you are, why we keep running into each other at deserted twenty-four-hour supermarkets, and how much you mean to me.”
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:53 pm
“You’ll never get a war movie authentic until you put smell into it.”
Leon Beck, WW II American guerilla (Philippines)
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
4:54 pm
Scout
Jesus was a man of peace, Scout, who was the very embodiment of everything he taught, including the Golden Rule. How dare you attribute to him such ill will and malice, that he would suddenly tell everyone that they must now live differently.
That would be someone else giving you that interpretation, sir, not God . What Jesus taught was eternal, meaning it will never change!
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:55 pm
“I’ve jumped out of airplanes, climbed up cliff sides, raced cars, done drugs. I’ve never found
anything comparable. Combat is the crack cocaine of all excitement highs – with crack cocaine
costs.”
Karl Marlantes – “What it’s Like to go to War”
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:56 pm
“There are thousands of people running around trying to pretend they were Vietnam Veterans.
I don’t know anyone who is pretending to have been at Woodstock !”
General Anthony Zinni (USMC)
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
4:56 pm
“Corporals are the backbone of the infantry”
“No True Glory” (A Frontline Account of the Battle of Fallujah)
Bantam Books – 2005
Soothsayer
May 28th, 2012
5:01 pm
Well, it sure seems like we’re having a “war fest” today. Since I’ve never been in a war or even in the military for that matter, I guess I don’t have anything to contribute.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
5:01 pm
Ooo Rah !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdaX7LG67to
O.K. I’m out for awhile. Someone else take point.
Normal Free, Human Rights Thug...And liking it!
May 28th, 2012
5:06 pm
My experience in combat did not leave me with a cocaine feeling. It left me with a feeling of disgust, soiled to the soul and they only thing that kept me going was that I convinced myself I was doing it for my country. When I realized that my country had no desire to win, that our lives were nothing to it…any more than human sacrifices to the Military complex god, I left the fight and just became an ordinary sailor again. Never again will I lift a finger for this country until it has formally declared war. Until that time I will do my best to prevent more Viet Nam’s and Afghanistan’s. I do not and will not support the loss of young American lives to make profits to the military industrial complex. It is insane and, in my eye, most unchristian.
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
5:06 pm
Scout
Have a great rest of the day, Scout, and rest of your life, should you be willing to make the changes a true Christian would make. The war for you is over, sir, and now it’s time for peace!
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
May 28th, 2012
5:17 pm
Well, we found the best hot dogs and hamburgers at good old American Legion Post 307 in Cumming. I think the missus set a new record—23 hot dogs and 18 hamburgers—that will stand for a long time.
I see we got fussing and fighting going on at this blog. I wish they’d set it aside on this day of all days. This one is for the hundreds of thousands of those that died fighting for us. There’ll be plenty of time to clash tomorrow and the days that follow. Have a thoughtful Memorial Day everybody. While you’re having fun try and think of the hundreds of thousands of 18, 19, 20, and 21 year olds that never got the chance to have much fun and all those parents that had alot of their remaining life ruint.
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
5:25 pm
At no point were our soldiers disrespected, Redneck. Those of us who love war and those woking for peace, love our soldiers everyone, and always, not just today!
G Mare 71(PLEASE VOTE NO ON TSPLOST)
May 28th, 2012
5:49 pm
I have been following the posts today; never having experienced the death of a loved one in war (my dad came home alive from WW II), I haven’t commented. But that last one from Tom M got to me. Who could possibly LOVE WAR???
kayaker 71
May 28th, 2012
5:55 pm
For those of you that have never been in a combat hospital operating room, there is a certain something that you will never forget. The casualties come in bunches to the receiving ward off of the Dust Offs. They are stripped of their clothing and their weapons are stacked in a pile outside. Many are covered in mud from the rice paddies. If they are lucky, they already have an IV or multiple IV lines already started. They have usually bled out to the point of hemorrhagic shock and many barely have a pulse or a blood pressure. After hurried X-rays, they are brought to the operating room, already in shock to the point where very little anesthesia is needed to do their surgery, even belly surgery which is the most painful of all. No one wears underwear under their scrubs. Most are barefoot because the irrigation fluids and blood going to the floor would ruin a pair of shoes right away. The blood drains away from the room via a drain in the center of the room, under China Beach and into the ocean where, after a big night, the sharks gather in abundance. A bad place to swim. The concrete floor is hosed down between cases and sprayed with disinfectants to lessen post op infections, then it starts all over again, most times for hours upon hours. Some don’t make it but by the grace of God and some good surgery, most do. The ones that we remember today are taken to graves registration and placed in a morgue where they are prepared for the long trip home in that shiny aluminum box bound for Dover. For the ones that made it, and survived, we placed a big state flag above their bed to identify their home state. When stable, most were air evaced to Clark AFB or to Japan for interim care, then to a major medical center nearest their home. You never got to see them again.
josef
May 28th, 2012
6:07 pm
G-MARE
Like I said, don’t mess with the old ladies…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=bEk8BofSIY0
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
6:11 pm
Everything in its proper context:
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34
“So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” John 2:15
“But now,” he said, “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!” Luke 22:36
“Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!” Joel 3:10
But someday in the future ……………….
“He will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Isaiah 2:4
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Rev. 21:4
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
6:13 pm
kayaker 1:
God bless you !
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
6:17 pm
Normal Free, Human Rights Thug…And liking it! :
Were you a corpsman with the Marines ? If so which unit, dates, etc.?
There were never braver “Marines” than Navy Corpsmen.
G Mare 71(PLEASE VOTE NO ON TSPLOST)
May 28th, 2012
6:34 pm
Josef @6:07, GO, GRANNY!
G Mare 71(PLEASE VOTE NO ON TSPLOST)
May 28th, 2012
6:48 pm
PS re loving war: should have added ‘except for the military industrial complex (& Chaney).’
K 71, just WOW & THANK YOU. Thanks for being there for our wounded, & thanks for sharing with us here what must have been a horrific experience for you.
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
7:19 pm
G Mare
Go join up and see them for yourself.
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
7:21 pm
Scout
Like I said, Scout, you can find any reason to misunderstand what Jesus taught if you look hard enough.
You can believe that the love of God and love of one another are the essence of his Christianity and why he came, or you can believe that violence is a good thing for those too lazy or lacking in faith to even want to try.
I’m certain that in the “final days” the world will be divided, but will it be those who believe what Jesus taught strongly enough to live the way he said vrs those who don’t, or will it be like you said, when apparently everyone deserts what Jesus taught for God knows what?
I do not believe that God would have sent Jesus to live, suffer, and die to bring an eternal message to all humankind, only to allow us to modify it whenever we get the urge. I mean, this is why Christianity is in such a convoluted, segmented mess today; and not only that, but why everyone, and I mean everyone, thinks that their little group of believers are the only ones who are right.
There may be one last big war, as the Bible suggests, but it’s the “meek who’ll inherit the earth” that will be the foundation for the coming new age, not the violent. And it’s the ones working for peace now that will get us to the threshold , not those who take the kingom by force because that’s who they’d rather be.
Mt 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth, and the violent take it by force.
And:
Lu 3:14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do VIOLENCE to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
You can keep trying to justify your violent nature anyway you like, Scout, but there’s nothing to suggest in either of the two basic commandments “on which all the law and prophets are based” that violence is a desired method of worship for the one God of us all. Remember “turn the other cheek”?
In my humble opinion, when you deny what Jesus taught so plainly and perfectly well, you deny Jesus. It’s love, not violence, that will ultimately save the day, and what’s wrong with this since it’s love, not violence, that Jesus taught, again, so plainly and so well?
P.S. Sorry I’m late; I had to feed the dogs…lol.
G Mare 71(PLEASE VOTE NO ON TSPLOST)
May 28th, 2012
7:28 pm
Tom, what part of “old lady” do you not get? The 71 in my blog name is not the year of my birth or my IQ. If I must spell it ou for you: I am 71 years old. My conclusion here is that you are NOT a nice or a forgiving person, ergo you are now on my permanent ignore list. Jesus may love you, but I do not.
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
7:36 pm
I’m 66, and what did I do wrong, tell the truth?
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
7:40 pm
I just lost a friend 100 years old, and she had more mental acumen that anybody on this blog (except Jay).
barking frog
May 28th, 2012
7:42 pm
Tom Middleton
you left off a 6.
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
7:44 pm
LOL…Knew that was coning, but it’s oK. I just considered the source.
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
7:44 pm
How about a little verse, frog.
barking frog
May 28th, 2012
7:49 pm
Tom.Middleton
may the source be with you
and I agree with your
assessment of your mental
acumen as you know you
better than we but the
others not so much..
barking frog
May 28th, 2012
7:49 pm
Enter your comments here
barking frog
May 28th, 2012
7:52 pm
Tom Middleton
Re, uni, multi ??
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
7:53 pm
Sheeesh! You need to type something before you hit the send button, frog. See what I mean?
barking frog
May 28th, 2012
7:56 pm
Tom Middleton
You follow orders well.
BlahBlahBlah
May 28th, 2012
7:56 pm
godless heathen, I like it but with all due respect it’s the 3rd year in a row you posted it. Each year you changed it. Why not just post what you originally wrote?
Jm
May 28th, 2012
7:56 pm
Off topic
Re: drug crazed Miami cannibal zombies and Jay’s marijuana legalization blog post
I wonder if we really want to legalize pot…. Especially when it can be laced with all kinds of crap
Granted that psycho was either on coke, crack, or LSD supposedly
But that kind of sick stuff is beyond nuts
Pot isnt LSD
But drug legalization needs to be thought about long and hard
barking frog
May 28th, 2012
8:00 pm
Jm
do not post too much
about long and hard.
Recon 0311 2533
May 28th, 2012
8:13 pm
Thanks to people like 71, if someone died in Vietnam they usually died right there on the battlefield, if they got out on a Medivac before they bled to death and went out on a Klondike, they probably would make it back.
Fred ™
May 28th, 2012
8:18 pm
To absent companions. Here is one for you Scout you wooly VN vet you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozpdBvB0hek
Fred ™
May 28th, 2012
8:18 pm
And for you too Recon.
Fred ™
May 28th, 2012
8:19 pm
Well damn, was Kayaker a band aid? Well then that last song fits you the best……….
Fred ™
May 28th, 2012
8:20 pm
As for Memorial Day, Brother Shakespeare did a great one:
What’s he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark’d to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call’d the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian.’
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.’
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
Recon 0311 2533
May 28th, 2012
8:27 pm
Fred, great posts…about says it all.
Fred ™
May 28th, 2012
8:34 pm
Recon: I always liked the last of that Shakespeare speech and I think of it often when I talk to you and Scout and we differ so much politically:
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
48th IBCT
May 28th, 2012
8:36 pm
SPC Gus Brunson, Americus;
SSG Carl Fuller, Covington;
SGT James Kinlow, Thomson;
SGT John Frank Thomas, Valdosta;
SFC Victor Anderson, Ellaville;
SGT David Jones, Augusta;
SPC Jonathon Haggin, Kingsland;
SPC Rod Shelley, Valdosta;
SGT Lewie Ganey, Folkston;
SPC Matthew Gibbs, Ambrose;
SFC Charles Warren, Duluth;
MAJ Kevin Jenrette, Lula;
SSG John Beale, Riverdale;
SPC Jeffrey Jordan, Rome;
SGT Brock Chavers, Portal;
SSG Alex French, Milledgeville;
1SG John Blair, Calhoun;
SPC Issac Johnson, Columbus.
RIP, Brothers
Recon 0311 2533
May 28th, 2012
8:39 pm
I’m out…thanks to all the fallen veterans that I’m able to honor. You’re the true hero’s on this Memorial Day.
Fred ™
May 28th, 2012
8:45 pm
I don’t really want to post anymore. I hold this day special. I remember my brothers, my absent companions. I chose to cherish them in my own heart and don’t really want to share it with anyone else.
Ya’ll be blessed. Scout: Sgt McKenzie is one of my favorites. We were soldiers once is a tale I am well familiar with. I was too young of course, but I served with some guys who were there and new about it long before the movie came out.
One last time: To absent companions. Were you here (and you too Del) we would clink a shot glass and toss it down silently remembering our individual brothers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPr9g3EVz-o
They BOTH suck
May 28th, 2012
8:45 pm
A special thought and thank you to the family members and friends of those who have died serving this great country. As well as a thank you and my personal appreciation for those who have served and currently serve the good ole USA…….
Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend….
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
9:31 pm
Fred @ 8:34
Ooo Rah! I got your back !
G Mare 71(PLEASE VOTE NO ON TSPLOST)
May 28th, 2012
9:33 pm
Barking Frog @ 7:56 re tom’s orders: I have to wonder from whence his orders come.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
9:36 pm
Tom:
The sad part is when people (even Christians) fail to understand the WHOLE counsel of God.
God is love but He is also a God of righteousness and judgement. Those attributes are inseparable. To hold one higher than the other is to go down a false road of apostacy.
It’s beyond our human comprehension but God inspite of his immeasrable love does send people to eternity in hell. And “that” is the ultimate violence.
Consider this: The Faith of the Centurion (a soldier, a WARRIOR)
“5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”
7Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”
8The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour. “
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
10:18 pm
So we have a centurion who could change, nothing less than Jesus asks of you and anyone else willing to follow his true teachings.
You know that Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by what they do.” And you also know that none of his twelve, nor Jesus, ever committed an act of violence against anyone, even those he labeled “hypocrites” for their blocking the kingdom for others and not going in themselves.
You can decide for yourself where some in Christendom decided that violence is OK, but if you indeed accept his teachings in their entirety, as you like to claim, you know that violence is not OK, no matter how much you like to pretend otherwise.
Why don’t you want to trust the will of God to be the all-you-need, Scout? You know from Jesus that the Father knows what you have need of before you even ask, and that if you serve him first, not yourself, that he will give you what you need as simple acts of love for one so loving him.
You turn to God in times of crisis, don’t you? So why can’t you remember God first, last, and always during normal times as well, and leave the rest to him as he counseled. He’s also around then, you know?
I mean, if you want to understand the incredible power of what Jesus taught, the power of change, I’m afraid you’re going to have to make the effort to live it as it was given, not just memorize a few verses and then try to claim you’re saved.
Until then, all I can do is continue pointing out what should be the perfectly obvious for someone who says he believes, which is not, by the way, that Jesus taught violence in any way, shape, or form, for that would be hypocrisy of the very worst kind!
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
10:26 pm
G Mare
They said the same kind of crap about Jesus when he was on the earth, and all I’m saying is what he said without leaving anything out.
SaveOurRepublic
May 28th, 2012
10:26 pm
Thanks especially to the 1st veterans who stood against the British for the founding of our Republic. They were the original freedom fighters!
An Anonymous Feminazi
May 28th, 2012
10:33 pm
Not What I Planned By Samantha Reese
My life isn’t turning out the way I had always planned.
I hadn’t planned on falling in love with a guy in the military. I had planned on falling in love with a hometown guy who was just an average person that I would wake up to every morning,
but instead I have fallin’ in love with a navy boy who lives
on a ship on the coast line somewhere. I don’t wake up to him every morning, I just wait for the next phone call to come through, for the next letter or email to arrive, and then I just wait.
I wait for the day he will come home to me. I wait to be in his arms again. Its been so long since I’ve felt his touch I’m not sure how it feels anymore.
I never planned on having to wait and wonder when I would get that next kiss or hear the next “I love you baby!” I had planned on getting that kiss and hearing “I love you baby!” every night.
I have learned to cherish everyday we spend together as it was our last and I cherish every sweet kiss we share more than most do. I’ve
learned to make everyday count cause you never know when it could be your last.
I make every phone call the best it can be and hold to everything he
say’s so i can get through until the next phone call. When you live in the military world you never know what to expect you just live day by day.
When your a sailors girl your world turns into a navy world. You don’t plan on anything cause things can change in a blink of an eye. You just go with what your sailor say’s.
The weird thing is that, all those years i spent planning
how I wanted my life to be, but my life is nothing like I had planned and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Happy Memorial’s Day to All the Military Families Who have supported our Military with their love and dedication.
An Anonymous Feminazi
May 28th, 2012
10:37 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9a9ZQU8eyM
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
10:56 pm
Tom:
” And you also know that none of his twelve, nor Jesus, ever committed an act of violence against anyone”
You conveniently ommitted His driving the money changers from the Temple with a whip !!! He did not do it in a “rage” but sat down and took the time to make the whip “then” drove them out. I can just imagine the number of money changers there and the scramble to get away from Him and that whip ! I bet they couldn’t move fast enough.
We will just have to agree to disagree. I see God in all of His attributes as the Bible teaches ……… not just the ones that are o.k. with me. He does make make war on sin and evil. Sometimes He uses us as His instruments to do that.
I know because I was in law enforcement for 34 years …….. there’s a lot of evil out their that MUST be fought.
JKL2
May 28th, 2012
10:57 pm
Happy Memorial Day everyone. Thanks for all who have served.
Special props going out to two of my own:
http://www.jsonline.com/multimedia/photos/69433537.html#id_25605647
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/69389737.html
Both completely devistating loses. Now if we could get that loser in the White House and his flunky–not qualified to hold a job parking cars– Eric Holder to do something about it. It’s only been 2.5 years with a complete confession and about 50 witnesses. I can see why he’s having such a hard time going to trial. Wouldn’t want to upset those sensitive muslims over something like this…
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
10:59 pm
An Anonymous Feminazi :
So this is just for you ……………
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwgLuOTpRVE
JKL2
May 28th, 2012
11:08 pm
-scout
An oldie but a goodie for you. (a guy I work with swears he knows this dude)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nx6TiegRL4
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
11:21 pm
JKL2:
HA ! HA ! Trust me. Every outfit has a guy like this. I’ts what makes it bearable !!!
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
11:24 pm
One more time before midnight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgi6nhGTJdQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB2Ad04mukI&feature=related
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
11:39 pm
2335 HOURS 28 MAY 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VQkebaQWmU&feature=related
Tom Middleton
May 28th, 2012
11:55 pm
All he did was purify the temple, Scout, and it wasn’t with anyone’s death. I mean, you call what he did violence? Sheeesh.
And while I’m certain you could, if you wanted, become a disciple like those he called around him, I‘m also fairly certain you wouldn’t give up your past at this point to become someone far better.
It’s a hard thing to “become as a little child” at your age in the willingness to be lead, admonished, and pruned for even the eternal Kingdom of God, but it’s been done. I’m probably even older than you are, dude, and I’m having a ball.
Meanwhile, you instigated this conversation today, but I gladly kept it going. And should you want to do this again sometime, I’m ready even as I speak. Just jump in there, Scout, and we’ll go another round; and maybe next time, you can finally see the light.
P.S. Don’t shoot anybody, Scout, you think may be guilty of something. He may not be, and then like it is with Zimmerman, may God help your soul!
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 28th, 2012
11:58 pm
“All he did was purify the temple, Scout, and it wasn’t with anyone’s death. I mean, you call what he did violence? Sheeesh.’
Changing the goalposts are we?
HELL is violence ………. Holy violence for eternity !
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 29th, 2012
12:00 am
P.S.
I bet if you had been there you would have countermanded the Lord’s advice for those disciples to buy swords to protect themselves on their travels.
By the way, at a time when Jews were forbidden to have weapons. Hummmm …………………..
You would be wise to accept the “whole counsel of God” not just the parts you like.
It’s midnight.
TAPS !
Tom Middleton
May 29th, 2012
12:13 am
Hell is holy violence for eternity? Are you serious? So when you commit violence as an “instrument,” are you the devil or something or just feel that way?
It’s getting deep, Scout, and not making any sense at all. Get some rest, dude, and we’ll try again later.
Bruno
May 29th, 2012
12:26 am
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”
Tom (and Scout)–People are attracted to religion for a variety of reasons. Ideally, folks embark upon spiritual journeys in order to become better people: more at peace with the unanswerable questions which trouble us all, more compassionate toward our fellow travelers. Sadly, many use religious faith in negative ways: to justify self-righteousness, to separate ourselves from others.
As the Bible states, “The tree is known by its fruit.” In my experience, folks in the first group are generally humble people, who typically have a kind word for everyone they meet. As for the second group, expect a lot of references to “being saved” and a lot of self-labeling.
Bruno
May 29th, 2012
12:32 am
FWIW, here is Santana’s take on it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYSQtv66k20&feature=fvst
Tom Middleton
May 29th, 2012
1:10 am
When someone’s a spiritual teacher, Bruno, they have to be clear, often against ill will. I mean, if Jesus and his disciples had acted like you said, nothing, I mean NOTHING, would have gotten taught at all! Maybe you should read a bit and think about it some, O holier than thou!
oldguy
May 29th, 2012
1:24 am
To Recon and all you other vets here.
I drug out the old slouch camo hat with the SSgt pin still centered on the front (my ex never could understand why I would not let her wash it for all the years since I came back from “in-country”). I hobbled down to the state capital for our yearly get together at the Vietnam MIA memorial. We get fewer and slower each year. For handshakes and stories and maybe even a few tears. On my way back I gave a few seconds to think of my Uncle Bill, a WW2 pilot in the 10th AF who we lost this year…..and then my great great great grandfather Fullwood who is buried at Chickamagua and of course, all the guys who never came back from SE Asia. Memorial day is always a little tough. Best wishes to all who serve and who served.
USinUK - pro-gay-marriage thug and former Girl Scout
May 29th, 2012
5:59 am
Following up on Fred’s 8:20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-yZNMWFqvM
(Branagh so rocks)
godless heathen
May 29th, 2012
7:01 am
Blah, blah, blah: Because I can.
USinUK - pro-gay-marriage thug and former Girl Scout
May 29th, 2012
7:20 am
And speaking of all things British … me, I’m looking forward to this weekend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_chlZd3×40&feature=related
Betty ROCKS!!!
USinUK - pro-gay-marriage thug and former Girl Scout
May 29th, 2012
7:30 am
there she is … at last year’s Trooping of the Colors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy6BOOaBrVo&feature=related
go Betty! go Betty! it’s your jubilee! go Betty!
USinUK - pro-gay-marriage thug and former Girl Scout
May 29th, 2012
7:34 am
oh, all right … one more fun one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnY83VTHSTM
everyone sing along!!
Bud Wiser
May 29th, 2012
7:54 am
Two of my friends from high school are on the Vietnam Memorial wall.
When I last visited it in DC a few years ago, I took a pencil and paper and scribed their names like an overlay.
I found that paper yesterday and just stared at it, thinking of what kind of men they may have eventually become, then remembering and respecting their ultimate sacrifice, along with the thoiusands of others.
Remember……………
Adam
May 29th, 2012
7:57 am
For Thulsa from last week, in case he got it in his head that he somehow won the argument because I went away (argument from silence): http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2012/05/25/mitt-romneys-plan-to-federalize-education-reform/?cp=5#comment-964381
To recap, Thulsa contends US private sector is more efficient than US public sector. I contend that there is no significant different between efficiency in public and efficiency in private (again, we’re talking about the US). After multiple attempts to deflect away from this, first by saying I said that public sector is better (binary thinking) then by accurately saying that I say that both are roughly equal, but trying to change the subject to other countries as “proof” that the public and private sectors in THIS country somehow follow that pattern, he then presents “which provides a better product: public or private education?” I contend, again, that it’s roughly equal statistically speaking. It should be no problem for Thulsa to prove me wrong, but there are a couple of caveats:
1) Citing that certain companies prefer to hire people if they see a particular university’s name is not evidence that university is turning out a better product
2) We aren’t JUST talking about universities. Let’s also look at K-12, and see if the determining factor is mostly or always due to private sector involvement, shall we?
Adam
May 29th, 2012
7:59 am
Oh, also to recap, I actually have evidence to back my claim, and have consistently asked for facts from Thulsa to back his. As of yet, I get simple responses, usually deflection if any response at all, but no facts.
n
May 29th, 2012
8:06 am
the long grey line was on the move
there was not a concern for winning hearts and minds
destroying the enemy was what it was about
there could be no doubt
when it was over
the fallen foe
would be pushing up clover
no video pictures to unite the enemy
no suicide bombers
all quiet in the fields of clover
Gale
May 29th, 2012
8:09 am
godless heathen
May 28th, 2012
8:26 am
Thanks for this. I am going to try to remember this and make it a quest for our remembrance “holidays”.
For those of you remembering with poems on that day, thank you also. For those of you who served, thank you.
For those of you who lost someone, I am sorry.
For myself, I am sorry I didn’t pay more attention yesterday.
JamVet
May 29th, 2012
8:16 am
USinUK, great fun! Brought back good memories of Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace.
My mom is the same age as the Queen, and just as spry! (For 86!) And the Duke of Edinburg still kicks butt at 90!
Bud, even though I grew up in a tiny little town in Kansas, I too have a buddy whose name is on that wall. He was a real wild child, a good looking guy who loved the girls and motorcycles,etc. He wanted to be a helicopter pilot and he succeeded in that dream, but tragically he never came home.
And forty plus years later, I still think of Bobby…
USinUK - pro-gay-marriage thug and former Girl Scout
May 29th, 2012
8:24 am
JamVet – the Proms is an amazing event … and the last night is a joy to watch
and way to go JamVet’s MOM!!! my dad turns 86 in November and is just as much of a pistol, calling BINGO at the VFW in Marietta – hopefully, we’ll be as spry
JamVet
May 29th, 2012
8:38 am
ex-pat, I love that at least some of our parents are still living happy, active lives at that age!
My dad died young, real young – 58.
I’ll be that age next year. And considering that I’ve already come within an eye lash of checking out at age 50, I have NO plans to die young!
Dad is buried in a pretty little national cemetery along the Platte River in Nebraska. It is bittersweet joy to go see him, whenever I go home.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pis&PIcrid=100645&PIpi=1969201&PIMode=cemetery
josef
May 29th, 2012
8:42 am
Howdy, all you poor shmos at work and blogging on the boss’ dime…I’m holier than thou, I get to blog on you po’ taxpayers’ coin…
Anyway, I guess the Imam must be busy doing his Reader’s Digest condensed version of the NYT article on Obama’s personal hands-on policy on terrorists and drawing up of the hit list…
It is, though, an interesting read. He sounds a lot like Scout…for real, he does…
Otherwise, hope y’all had a good long weekend…