Setanta wrote:Intrepid wrote:Setanta wrote:
Quote:and Intrepid seems to wish to be one of the club, without actually having to be an American--he loves to rant against America too much for that
He knows nothing about me. He knows nothing about what I do or not feel about the U.S. He insists on making these accusations at every possible opportunity. He seems to rant about everything and everybody and does so with no facts. I am tired of his unfounded accusations.
I sure did write that, and i stand by it. I've seen your anti-American bile time and again, and so often in cases in which it is not germane. I do note that you've removed your snotty sig line about America . . . that was awfully obvious for someone who wants to claim it ain't so . . .
That sig line was in no way anything against America. It was a bit of American/Canadian humour. Since you seem so inanely sensitive about it and maybe it was the reason for your childish rant... I removed it. Of course, you could not know or appreciate anything about courtesy.
This is the line that you mentioned:
God Bless America, but God help Canadians to understand them.
Yeah, god bless america while we go down the hill in a handbasket. What is there not to understand?
Ok, let's get back on topic here, okay everyone? Looks like we all got a bit distracted for awhile.
Have we all prayed for the troops today?
sozobe wrote:I can't believe I read this whole thread, either!
It's kinda all over the place but I will say that I draw a sharp distinction between a poster who says something I disagree with but says it well, and a poster who says something I disagree with (or agree with for that matter) and makes an illogical mess of it. I like it even less if it's a rude illogical mess, but I don't have much patience for illogical messes even if they're civil.
But you still...LIKE me, don't you?
<trying to look cute and puppy-dog-ish>
You show about as much courtesy as any other playground bully i've ever seen. The most recent example of your anti-American hysteria to which i have been referring is your off-the-wall remark about America bombing civilians as a response to the remark that "It's not name calling if it's true." I made that remark after you characterize it as name calling when i pointed out that the god of the bobble is murderously violent, vengeful, racist and sexist. You made rude comments about name-calling. I pointed out that it's not name calling if it's true. You responded with a truly hysterical post, in part of which, you ranted about America bombing civilians.
You badly need to get a grip on reality, and take a good look at yourself. You foam at the mouth about how i address others, but you can't stay away, and you can't resist any opportunity, even if you have to manufacture one, to make slighting comments.
What a big, whining baby your posts make you appear to be.
yeah about the soliders went down in the chopper today and the familes - darn sad.
Setanta wrote:You show about as much courtesy as any other playground bully i've ever seen. The most recent example of your anti-American hysteria to which i have been referring is your off-the-wall remark about America bombing civilians as a response to the remark that "It's not name calling if it's true." I made that remark after you characterize it as name calling when i pointed out that the god of the bobble is murderously violent, vengeful, racist and sexist. You made rude comments about name-calling. I pointed out that it's not name calling if it's true. You responded with a truly hysterical post, in part of which, you ranted about America bombing civilians.
You badly need to get a grip on reality, and take a good look at yourself. You foam at the mouth about how i address others, but you can't stay away, and you can't resist any opportunity, even if you have to manufacture one, to make slighting comments.
What a big, whining baby your posts make you appear to be.
Have you considered anger management?
Very sad about the helicopter.
And Kicky, yes. Most of the time. :-D (Your recent morph into man of action from man of kvetch is appealing -- hope you find a great place.)
sorry I just noticed I said chopper should have been helicopter
OK "Christians"!
Here is a simple question ...
How many troops would Christ have sent to kill arabs in retaliation for 9/11??
Anon
Anon-Voter,
I worry about what the Lord thinks of me and no one else.
God Bless You.
only if you answer mine first.
You fail!!
Comeon boys and girls ... read your bibles and tell me what Christ says about what you should do about your enemies!!!
Next???
Anon
The War Prayer
by Mark Twain
It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.
Sunday morning came -- next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams -- visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender! Then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag, or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation
*God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest! Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!*
Then came the "long" prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory --
An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there waiting. With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued with his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal, "Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"
The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside -- which the startled minister did -- and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:
"I come from the Throne -- bearing a message from Almighty God!" The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. "He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd, and will grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import -- that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of -- except he pause and think.
"God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two -- one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this -- keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.
"You have heard your servant's prayer -- the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it -- that part which the pastor -- and also you in your hearts -- fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: 'Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. the *whole* of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory--*must* follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!
"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
(*After a pause.*) "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!"
It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.
Twain apparently dictated it around 1904-05; it was rejected by his publisher, and was found after his death among his unpublished manuscripts. It was first published in 1923 in Albert Bigelow Paine's anthology, Europe and Elsewhere.
The story is in response to a particular war, namely the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902, which Twain opposed. See Jim Zwick's page "Mark Twain on the Philippines" for more of Twain's writings on the subject.
You no play fair, I asked you a ? a page or so back and still havn't received an answer to it yet.
<Sigh>
As I have some on here I'm sure never answered. I gotta go find them.
Anon-Voter wrote:You fail!!
Comeon boys and girls ... read your bibles and tell me what Christ says about what you should do about your enemies!!!
Next???
Anon
please respect our wishes and start a new topic for your questions
