Those of you who follow my page know that I sometimes pick a subject and just do a brain-dump on it, spilling my thoughts and opinions with little concern for the reader, and even less for the target of my disgorgement. That is not to say that I dont value every one of you that read my posts, because I do, very much. What I mean is, I dont devote any time to word-craft or fancy phrasing in these missives. I just write. So it is this evening. In my years I have seen death, hatred, evil and deceit in a greater measure than I have seen their opposites. Perhaps this is why I find myself keenly sensitive to assaults on cherished values and rare virtues like respect and liberty and a yearning desire to see everyone able to live unmolested by those who never learned that the world isnt theirs to destroy. I served in the US Army. Today, I was fortunate to meet in person a gentleman I had talked to on the phone and interviewed on the radio, a man for whom I have the greatest respect. His name is Kris Paronto, and we share some common background - he was a member of the 2nd Ranger battalion in Ft. Lewis, and I spent a little more than a year attached to the 1st Bn Rangers at Hunter Army Airfield, although I served in a distinctly different role. We served about ten years apart, yet today, talking with him and discussing his experiences at Benghazi Libya, I found myself feeling that swell inside my chest (those who have fought know the feeling) that I thought was long departed from my personality. I was immensely gratified to discover it has not. Maybe its just the remaining bits of the intense training, or the altered mental landscape that comes with military discipline, I dont know, but regardless of origin, that indescribable martial burst is ubiquitous among those who have been there. So why bring this up now? Because today I realized that this spark, this internal burn is missing in those who counsel us to appease and tolerate. The leaders who insist we abandon national pride; those who consider military strength to be an anachronism have never experienced the feeling that surged through my veins today. The next time someone prattles on about tolerance and understanding and outreach to those who think its ok to slaughter people because of a damn cartoon, remind them that they really dont have any say in the matter. The future actually does belong to those who insult the Prophet of Islam, because after the insulting is done, there wont be any of the butt-hurt bastards left to complain. Rangers lead the way!
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 04:21:47 +0000