Posted on 01/30/2013 7:48:09 AM PST by EXCH54FE
If you are a reader of comments here at American Thinker then you have probably noticed an increasing use of the term molon labe. For those of you unfamiliar with the term and too busy (or too lazy) to look it up, I've done it for you.
It is a Greek expression first attributed to King Leonidas of Sparta when the Persian invader Xerxes I, prior to the Battle of Thermopylae, demanded that the Spartans lay down their arms and submit to him. Its essential meaning was, "Up yours, pal: come do your worst." In so many words, it is the Greek equivalent of the response of Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe* of the 101st Airborne Division, who when surrounded at Bastogne, Belgium during WWII, reportedly said, "Nuts!" to a German demand for surrender. Screaming Eagle lore has it that the defiant general's actual response to the German general was in language unreportable in those more discreet days, "Eff you, Kraut!" Whatever, the unflinching meaning of both statements is abundantly clear:
"Come on, hoss; take your best shot."
According to multiple web sources, molon labe now translates to an unwavering, "Come and take it," as in Charleton Heston's defiant challenge at the 2000 NRA convention, "From my cold dead hands." Considering that the expression, in one form or another, has been quite forcefully and purposefully addressed to would-be tyrants by very strong and admirable men, from Leonidas to Heston, many of us find a sense of oneness with men of such resolve, embracing their defiance and applying it to our own determination to defend our constitutional right to keep and bear protective weaponry free from federal constraints.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
It’s catchier the way Heston says it. Just sayin ... :)
Molon Labe = “Come and take Them”
Texan for Molon Labe = “Come and Take It”
15 What is that thing?
… Another widely known Spartan symbol, adopted in the 420s BC, was the letter lambda (Λ), standing for Laconia or Lacedaemon, which was painted on the Spartans' shields.[36] Shields were of great importance in the Spartan army that losing a sword and a spear was an exception, but to lose a shield was a sign of disgrace. Not only does it protects the user, but it also protects the whole phalanx formation. To come home without the shield was the mark of a deserter, rhipsaspia or "dropping the shield", was a synonym for desertion in the field. Mothers bidding farewell to their sons would encourage them to come back with their shields, often saying goodbyes like "Son, either with this or on this" (Ἢ τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς).[37][38] …
Unfortunately ...
… The Greek letter lambda was selected as a symbol by the Gay Activists Alliance of New York in 1970.[5] In December 1974, the lambda was officially declared the international symbol for gay and lesbian rights by the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland.[5] The lambda signifies unity under oppression.[5] The gay rights organization Lambda Legal and the American Lambda Literary Award derive their names from this symbol. The lambda was associated with the Spartans because they were also known as the Lacedaemonians.[6] …
It is the design of the Spartan shield. The Greek letter “L” for Lacedemonia, which was Sparta in Ancient Greece.
Excellent! Thanks.
ping for later.
Other than once in a while (Elian, Waco, Ruby Ridge...) they don’t have to come get anything they want. You mail it in every April.
If you didn’t, they’d be too feeble to pay anyone to come and get your guns.
Flag of the Texicans at Gonzoles, 1835.
Rub them at a bonfire of burning tax returns, that will warm them up.
Oh yes, I know. Just mean it got me to thinking about other languages. Probably could’ve worded that better. :o) Thank you for more information
Actually according to my great Greek friend...Ioannis...Molon Labe is Roman....Molon Lave is Greek.
Cool, glad you liked it :o) I found these 2 links on the same website. I would like to order some of their bracelets. I don’t know if there is a better, more reliable, or lower priced website. The first link is for the bracelets and the second has shoulder patches. If you click on the image for the shoulder patches it shows you the different colors.
http://milspecmonkey.com/store/bracelets/molon-labe-bracelet
http://milspecmonkey.com/store/patches/word-based/molon-labe-tab
It is the Lambda symbol which adorned the shields of the Spartans...particularly at Thermopylae.
This particular version is the symbol for the group "Generation Identitaire". The youth of France has taken umbrage at their heritage being usurped by outsiders and have taken a stand. There was a video they put on YouTube but...as is the norm for YouTube...it has been pulled.
So yes....molon labe.
Christians fought in the Battle of Thermopylae? That's unusual.
Molon Labe says it all...States our position and expresses defiance...All at once...
Anyone who prefers a more modern symbolic expression, rooted in our own struggle for Independence from England may prefer “4.19.75”...The date of the battles of Lexington and Concord...
Also started over guns and an attempt at confiscation...Led to the Seige of Boston...
I like “4.19.75” as well...And very distinctly American!
Okay, so here’s my next question to all of us. It’s clearly and obivious in order for successive victory. How will we communicate with each other? From city to city, from State to State. When the SHTF, what now? We will not be able to just call one another and the internet will quickly be shut down.
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