Another Happy Birthday to the Marines
MKFreeberg at House of Eratosthenes on Nov 10 2007 at 11:22 am | Filed under: A Salute to Our Soldiers
Happy birthday, to the noble warriors who would be utterly useless to us in an imaginary world where nobody ever wishes harm on anybody else.
Since that world has been, is now, and always will be a work of pure fiction — even though a lot of citizens fail to realize this, to the embarrassment of all the rest of us — we’re glad you’re here. Oo-rah!
It seems appropriate to mark the occasion now with a story you can download from just about anywhere, and keeps getting better every time it is retold:
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included admirals from the US, British, Canadian, Australian, and French Navies.
At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a group of half dozen or so officers that included personnel from most of the countries.
Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks, but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked: “Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences, rather than speaking French?”
Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied:
“Maybe it’s because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies, and Americans arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.”
It got so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.
On this 232nd, let us remember: Those who are opposed to freedom, always come marching in under a banner of “peace.” Ever since human sensibilities have “matured” to the height of realizing that war is a horrible thing, there have been no exceptions to this. The tyrant doesn’t say “submit to my will or I will hurt you and kill you” — he says “I have a plan, and my plan is a sure path to peace.”
Looking back over the years from my deathbed, I’m sure it will be all the clearer to me that this has been the big disadvantage to being alive in these times. Our ever-unslaked thirst for more and more “peace” has left freedom, already won and enjoyed by countless peoples, in danger at every turn of being lost forever. Get this guy out of office so we can have peace. Put that guy in charge so we can have peace.
It’s the campaign slogan of despots. Freedom means fighting. It always has and it always will. Your service, in particular, is invaluable and irreplaceable.
[Discuss This Topic with MKFreeberg at House of Eratothenes]
