Posted on 06/04/2008 5:28:57 PM PDT by pissant
Be Seated.
Men, this stuff we hear about America wanting to stay out of the war, not wanting to fight, is a lot of bullsh*t. Americans love to fight - traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble player; the fastest runner; the big league ball players; the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win - all the time. I wouldn’t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That’s why Americans have never lost, not ever will lose a war, for the very thought of losing is hateful to an American.
You are not all going to die. Only two percent of you here today would die in a major battle. Death must not be feared. Every man is frightened at first in battle. If he says he isn’t, he’s a goddamn liar. Some men are cowards, yes! But they fight just the same, or get the hell shamed out of them watching men who do fight who are just as scared. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared. Some get over their fright in a minute under fire, some take an hour. For some it takes days. But the real man never lets fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to this country and his innate manhood.
(Excerpt) Read more at falconparty.com ...
No, I’m not going to read it either. Buchanan and WWII histroy are a bad mix.
But I definitely recommend this tome, written by a fairly liberal historian, but gives a pretty comprehensive and fair take on Churchill’s life. THere are many others as well that are great.
I thorougly enjoyed reading this, but I don’t know how a 5’7” 120 or so pounds soaking wet would stand up in a fight. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy the hell out of it though. :)
(IF it makes you two gentlemen feel any better, I’m 27)
For those struggling for bandwidth, here’s the audio-only:
http://americanrhetoric.com/mp3clips/newmoviespeeches/moviespeechpatton45943ddrtrr934.mp3
I think the Buchanan thesis is facinating as it’s so out of the box and, if true, both horrible and wonderful.
Horrible because of the unnecessary loss, and wonderful because there is so much misery we can avoid going forward.
Strange it's virtually nonexistent on the web.
“I love to pick up a volume and just read about that time in his words. “
When I was a kid National Geographic had a 45 size record insert of his war speeches in one of their issues. Used to listen to it over and over again. His eloquence with words is excellent.
I would recommend William Manchester’s book “The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932–1940”.
Manchester was a MAJOR liberal, but he WAS a Marine in WWII (”Goodbye Darkness”) and anybody who writes such a good book about Churchill can’t be all bad either.
Nothing personal, but I wouldn’t recommend a book about Churchill from someone like Pat Buchanan. Haven’t read it, but I have read enough excerpts to get his drift. Don’t let that book be the one that shapes your view of Churchill and his life.
Agreed. Great author as well as a great politician and a great man. He had his flaws, some of them quite funny, but I think they only add to his persona.
As Twain coined, and I’m sure Patton himself would have vigorously said to you...
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
Patton was the right man at the right time for the job. By the way I was just camping in the area shown in the picture of Patton by the M-3 tank.
"...What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us.
Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science.
Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour'..."
Winston Churchill - June 18, 1940
Patton was a soldier, not a politician. He was even politically incorrect by 1945 standards. LOL
Great post — bttt!
(waves hello at Pissant)
RLTW
A great speech by a great General. Some people are born to lead, I really believe that. George Patton was one of those people.
Its interesting to read about Patton; I also recommend reading up on Lee and Romel. All three shared common qualities of leadership and innovation. Of course, they all worked for different causes, but in context, they are all brilliant.
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