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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Why We Fight



Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.
----General Dwight David Eishenhower

Find a veteran today...take their hand...thank them for the service.

13 comments:

6Kings said...

Odd quote for a Veterans Day there, M.

How about this:

Others will debate the controversial issues, national and international, which divide men's minds. But serene, calm, aloof, you stand as the Nation's war guardians, as its lifeguards from the raging tides of international conflict, as its gladiators in the arena of battle. For a century and a half you have defended, guarded and protected its hallowed traditions of liberty and freedom, of right and justice.

-General Douglas MacArthur

Damn Teabaggers said...

Or this one:

Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have made a difference in the world. Marines don't have that problem.

- Ronald Reagan

Angela said...

Actually I think Mark's quote is quite appropriate. Every military man I've ever known, including many in my family, aren't chest thumpers. They are men of peace.

Anonymous said...

Been there, done that. Never actually 'feared for my life' at any time, so I thank those who gave more than I had to. I think the quote makes perfect sense.

dw

Anonymous said...

http://www.amazon.com/Old-Breed-Peleliu-Okinawa-ebook

btw, my son just joined the Marines, and his inducting Sargeant gave him this book.
It's an easy read, but honestly written. It'll stick with you.

dw

6Kings said...

I have read this quote 50 times and still cannot get the mesh between "Why We Fight" and then a quote about how building mechanisms used by soldiers are stealing from the poor. What?!

While I understand that in Utopia, there is no need for preparation for war, reality doesn't work that way. Yes, there is the the Guns vs Butter concept which is valid, how does that play into thanking veterans for their service using "stolen" resources? Nice forked tongue approach.

The title, pic, and final thoughts by M all match but not the quote.

Damn Teabaggers said...

Yeah, that.

Every military man I've ever known, including many in my family, aren't chest thumpers. They are men of peace.

Same here. The thing that has me confused is why Mark is praising them for 'stealing from the poor'.

Damn Teabaggers said...

It also makes me wonder if Mark thinks governments have a duty to act as charity that is equal or greater than its duty to defend its citizenry.

Anonymous said...

You guys are either taking it too deeply, or perhaps not deeply enough. If the possibility existed to live in peace, then I wouldn't have to devote my tax money to the DoD to keep me safe. With that extra money, I could buy a few extra things. My demand provides a job, which provides an income. That income might just feed a hungry person who wants a job. It doesn't have to be appropriated money disbursed by a layer of gov't.

I could continue to reiterate my support for removing that layer of gov't, but that would detract from the ultimate point of Mark's post.

dw

Anonymous said...

I now declare this post open for posting better(?) quotes as caption.

Go!

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance at being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

- John Stuart Mill

Mark Ward said...

It's been interesting to see how many different ways this post was taken. I have to give kudos to all of you for some well thought out comments and, honestly, wonderful observations. It certainly is refreshing after the last few weeks.

I came across this quote recently, via KennedyDem, and I understood why Eisenhower was the man he was and why he fought...hence the title for the post. This was the world he wanted and it made him sick that there had to be so much violence instead of that world. Yet, this is why we fight...in the hope of that world some day...

rld said...

and since you'll never be able to achieve equality, you will get to continue your fight forever.

juris imprudent said...

Now how does this factor in? You've never been shy about criticizing overpaid CEOs - how about these fat-cats? How many undergrads are denied an education because they couldn't afford the tuition that pays these salaries?