and paladins are born of diversity, not from being bailed out. On Sep 27, 12:54 pm, Gaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > And this, Sarge, is why I believe we are in the situation we find > ourselves today... > > This Country needs more Paladins. > > On Sep 26, 3:02 pm, Gaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > >http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OGVlY2RhOGM0MWE5MjNmMGM2ZjY0Nzcx... > > > By Bill Whittle > > > When I first got to college, back in the last few weeks of the > > Seventies, I finally got a chance to see an ordinary game of Dungeons > > and Dragons. My immediate inclination was to play as a Paladin: the > > pinnacle of Lawful Good, a character required to dash in and fight > > overwhelmingly powerful evil forces anywhere and at whatever odds. > > These contests were short, depressing and hilarious, but all D&D > > really came down to in the end was slaying small monsters, taking > > their gold, buying slightly better gear and then slaying slightly > > larger monsters. Why not just save some time and become a Vorpal Sword > > distributor? Then you get the weapons and the gold, and people bring > > them both to you. And so a larval conservative was born. And I never > > played again. > > > That was the attitude I took into The Lord of the Rings when the first > > of the trilogy appeared in 2001, just a few months after the Two > > Towers actually did fall and the idea of good and evil suddenly became > > — to me and no doubt to you too — a great deal less ironic and a great > > deal more real. > > > And there, in the darkness, staring up at that screen, I marveled at > > this monumental font of deep and eternal ideas: the aversion to facing > > danger, even when it is right in front of us; the value of old and > > true allies; the corrosive force of addiction; responsibility > > forsaken, then reclaimed… and through it all the fear that we may be > > lesser sons of greater fathers, and that we may no longer have the > > courage or the will to defend the City entrusted to our care. > > > This, and more, what was what John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was trying to > > teach me, down that dark river of the future — and he ought to know. > > The Lord of the Rings was written between 1937 through 1949… years of > > dark waters, indeed. > > > A few years before Tolkien put pen to paper, an event took place that > > a man of his education would have undoubtedly been aware. On February > > 9th, 1933, the ruling elite of the world’s great Civilization held a > > debate in the Oxford Union. With thunderclouds growing dark across the > > English Channel, at a time when resolute action could still have > > averted the worst catastrophe the world has ever known, these elites > > resolved that “This House will in no circumstances fight for its King > > and Country.” > > > The Resolution passed by a vote of 275 to 153. Needless to say, this > > vote did not avert the fight. It guaranteed it. > > > How much of the weight of that, I wonder, sat along side him as he > > penned page after page about the decline of the Men of the West. For > > taken in its entirety, The Lord of the Rings is about the collective > > regeneration of the will and courage of a previous age, and ends with > > the hope that the greatest days of the City lie yet ahead. > > > I live a few miles from Santa Monica High School, in California. > > There, young men and women are taught that America is “a terrorist > > nation,” “one of the worst regimes in history,” that it’s twice- > > elected leader is “the son of the devil,” and dictator of this > > “fascist” country. Further, “patriotism” is taught by dragging an > > American flag across the classroom floor, because the nation’s truest > > patriots, as we should know by now, are those who are most able to > > despise it. > > > This is only high school, remember: in college things get much, much > > worse. > > > Two generations, now, are being raised on this poison, and the reason > > for that is this: the enemies of this city cannot come out and simply > > say, “Do not defend the city.” Even the smartest among us can see that > > is simple treason. But they can say, “The City is not worth > > defending.” So they say that, and they say that all the time and in as > > many different ways as they are able. > > > If you step far enough back to look at the whole of human history, you > > will begin to see a very plain rhythm: a heartbeat of civilization. > > Steep climbs out of disease and ignorance into the light of medicine > > and learning — and then a sudden collapse back into darkness. And it > > is in that darkness that most humans have lived their lives: poor, > > nasty, brutish, and short. > > > The pattern is always the same: at the height of a civilization’s > > powers something catastrophic seems to occur — a loss of will, a > > failure of nerve, and above all an unwillingness to identify with the > > values and customs that have produced such wonders. > > > The Russians say a fish rots from the head down. They ought to know. > > It may not be factually true that Nero fiddled while Rome burned, the > > saying has passed into common usage because the image as the ring of > > truth to it: time and time again, the good and decent common people > > have manned the walls of the city, and have been ready to give their > > lives in its defense, only to discover too late that some silk-robed > > son of a bitch has snuck out of the palace at midnight and thrown open > > the gates to the barbarians outside. > > > And how is this done, this “throwing open of the gates?” How are > > defenders taken off the walls? > > > Well, most of what I learned about Vietnam I learned from men like > > Oliver Stone. This self-loathing narcissist has repeatedly tried to > > inculcate in me a sense of despair and outrage at my own government, > > my own culture, my own people and ultimately myself. He tried to > > convince me — and he is a skillfull man — that my own government > > murdered my own President for political gain. I am told daily in those > > darkened temples that rogue CIA elements run a puppet government, that > > the real threat to the nation comes from the generals that defend it, > > or from the businessmen that provide the prosperity we take for > > granted. > > > I sit with others in darkened rooms, watching films like Redacted, > > Stop-Loss, and In the Valley of Elah, and see our brave young soldiers > > depicted as murderers, rapists, broken psychotics or ignorant dupes – > > visions foisted upon me by bitter and isolated millionaires such as > > Brian de Palma and Paul Haggis and all the rest. > > > I’ve been told this story in some form or another, every day of every > > week of the past 30 years of my life. It wasn’t always so. > > > But it is certainly so today. And standing against all this hypnotic > > power — the power of the mythmakers in Hollywood, the power of the > > information peddlers in the media, the corrosive power of America- > > hating professors on every campus in America… against all that we find > > an old warrior — a paladin if ever there was one — an old, beat-up > > warhorse standing up in defense of his city one last time. And beside > > him: a wonder. A common person… just a regular mom who goes to work, > > does a difficult job with intelligence and energy and grace and every- > > day competence and then puts it away to go home and have dinner with > > the family. > > > Against all of that stand these two. > > > No wonder they must be destroyed. Because — Sarah Palin especially — > > presents a mortal threat to these people who have determined over > > cocktails who the next President should be and who now clearly mean to > > grind into metal shards the transaxle of their credibility in order to > > get the result they must have. Truly, they are before our eyes > > destroying the machine they have built in order to get their victory. > > What the hell is so threatening to be worth that? > > > Only this: the living proof that they are not needed. Not needed to > > govern, not needed to influence and guide, not needed to lecture us on > > our intellectual and moral failings which are visible only from the > > heights of Manhattan skyscrapers or the palaces up on Mulholland > > Drive. Not needed. We can do it — and do it better — without all of > > them. > > > When all is said and done, Civilizations do not fall because of the > > barbarians at the gates. Nor does a great city fall from the death > > wish of bored and morally bankrupt stewards presumably sworn to its > > defense. Civilizations fall only because each citizen of the city > > comes to accept that nothing can be done to rally and rebuild broken > > walls; that ground lost may never be recovered; and that greatness > > lived in our grandparents but not our grandchildren. Yes, our betters > > tell us these things daily. But that doesn’t mean we have to believe > > it. > > > Ask the common people of all politics and persuasions aboard Flight 93 > > whether greatness and courage has deserted America. Through this > > magical crystal ball — the one we are using right now — we common > > people can speak to one another. And by reminding ourselves and those > > around us of who we are, where we came from, what we have achieved > > together and of the marvels we have yet to achieve, we may laugh in > > the face of despair and mock those people that think a man with an MBA > > from Harvard knows more about running a gas station than the man that > > actually runs the gas station. > > > It is the small-town virtues of self-reliance, hard work, personal > > responsibility, and common-sense ingenuity — and not those of the > > preening cosmopolitans that gape at them in mixed contempt and > > bafflement — that have made us the inheritors of the most magnificent, > > noble, decent and free society ever to appear on this earth. This > > Western Civilization… this American City… has earned the right to > > greet each sunrise with a blast of silver trumpets that can bring down > > mountains. > > > And what, really, is a Legion of Narcissists and a Confederacy of > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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