Ulysses Trump Joins Millions of Heroic Hearts to Take Back America

Free Republic ^ | 3/2/2016 | PoconoPundit

[poconopundit]

Come, my friends, tis not too late to seek a newer world...  Some work of noble note, may yet be done, not unbecoming men who strove with Gods. These immortal words from Alfred Lord Tennyson's masterpiece poem, Ulysses, echo today's epic struggle to save our country from corruption and make America great again. Ulysses (or Odysseus in Greek) was, of course, the hero and conqueror of the Trojan War that Homer wrote about in his Iliad tale of Greek mythology. Tennyson's Ulysses poem, however, is not about the Trojan War at all.  Rather it's about Ulysses' life as an old man and "idle King" sitting around and getting bored.  Ulysses is restless and longs for those swash-buckling days of youth when he could roam with a "hungry heart" and drink the "delight of battle" with other warriors like Achilles. The point of Tennyson's poem, I think, is that old warriors never lose their nobleness.  Though Ulysses grew old and grey, the heroic heart of his youth stayed with him.  Sure, time had taken away much of his physical strength, but there still burned inside him a desire to achieve and do "some work of noble note". Old man Ulysses lives today in Donald Trump, a man whose been a warrior his entire adult life.  Trump conquered Troy long, long ago when he became the best big-city real estate developer of his generation.  And he went on to succeed in hotels, apartments, casinos, business books, television, golf courses, and several other ventures.  At one point, his endurance and creative powers were severely tested by a deep recession, but he prevailed, saving his company and moving it to higher and higher levels of achievement. So imagine a guy with this much success — a multi-billionaire who loves golf, family, and all the luxuries of life — jumping into a YUGE political battle at the ripe age of 69.  Imagine the courage it takes to press forward when the full force of the establishment government, national media, and Wall Street is allied against you!  It would make even Ulysses think twice! And yet, as heroic a figure as Trump is, he cannot do the job alone.  If Trump is truly to return America to its everyday citizens, then "we the people" need to step up and help him.  Heroic hearts among us must rise above the ridicule and political correctness to help Trump fight the many tough political battles to come. The good news is that millions of heroic hearts are indeed out there and have spoken!  If Super Tuesday proves anything, it proves that.  But our larger challenge now is to support Trump beyond the secret ballot — to stand behind him openly and be a constant supporter of the revolution Trump is leading. And I think now is also a time of special calling for those of us who are Baby Boomers.  Younger citizens can only imagine what America was like when it was truly great.  We Baby Boomers, though, actually lived at a time when America believed in self-reliance — and the dependent class of "takers" represented a much smaller fraction of voters.  In our black and white TV sets, we saw Americans walk on the moon.  When President Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask what you can do for your country", our hearts swelled with pride.  Our parents instilled Spartan virtues in us like hard work and dedication.  Many of us even had Dads who fought in World War II or the Korean War. So it's time to take out that rusty sword and polish it.  Time to answer Tennyson's call to boldly strive for that "new and better world". Let's "sail beyond the sunset" and return America to the land of heroes, champions, and greatness we remember from our youth.   After all, champions know a thing or two about how "to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

Ulysses - Poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson It little profits that an idle king, By this still hearth, among these barren crags, Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole Unequal laws unto a savage race, That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me. I cannot rest from travel; I will drink Life to the lees. All times I have enjoy'd Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades Vext the dim sea. I am become a name; For always roaming with a hungry heart Much have I seen and known,— cities of men And manners, climates, councils, governments, Myself not least, but honor'd of them all,— And drunk delight of battle with my peers, Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy. I am a part of all that I have met; Yet all experience is an arch wherethro' Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades For ever and for ever when I move. How dull it is to pause, to make an end, To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use! As tho' to breathe were life! Life piled on life Were all too little, and of one to me Little remains; but every hour is saved From that eternal silence, something more, A bringer of new things; and vile it were For some three suns to store and hoard myself, And this gray spirit yearning in desire To follow knowledge like a sinking star, Beyond the utmost bound of human thought. There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail; There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners, Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me,— That ever with a frolic welcome took The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed. Free hearts, free foreheads,— you and I are old; Old age hath yet his honor and his toil. Death closes all; but something ere the end, Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods. The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks; The long day wanes; the slow moon climbs; the deep Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends, 'T is not too late to seek a newer world. Push off, and sitting well in order smite The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths Of all the western stars, until I die. It may be that the gulfs will wash us down; It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, And see the great Achilles, whom we knew. Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho' We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,— One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 — 1892) was Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland during much of Queen Victoria's reign. Tennyson excelled at penning short lyrics, such as Break, Break, Break, The Charge of the Light Brigade, and Crossing the Bar.  Much of his verse was based on classical mythological themes, such as Ulysses. Tennyson's was very sensitive to the musical qualities of words to emphasise his rhythms and meanings is sensitive.  He was a craftsman who polished and revised his manuscripts extensively.
Ulysses and The Sirens In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous yet beautiful creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Ulysses was curious to hear the Sirens' song, and so, on the advice of Circe, he had all of his sailors plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast.  He ordered his men to leave him tied tightly to the mast, no matter how much he would beg.  When he heard their beautiful song, he ordered the sailors to untie him but they bound him tighter.  When they had passed out of earshot, Ulysses demonstrated with his frowns to be released.
Thomas Moran (1837 — 1926) from Bolton, England was an American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School in New York whose work often featured the Rocky Mountains. A talented illustrator and exquisite colorist, Moran was hired as an illustrator at Scribner's Monthly.  During the late 1860s, he was appointed the chief illustrator for the magazine, a position that helped him launch his career as one of the premier painters of the American landscape, particularly the American West.  He created many exquisite paintings of the Grand Canyon.

[poconopundit]

Congratulations to Trump.  He's on his way.  Hope you like my tribute to him and his followers.

[Larry Lucido]

So Ulysses likes Dugout Don. Isn’t that cute.

What does Hercules say? What does Zeus say? What does Arnold Schwarzenegger say?

[New Jersey Realist]

Better your photos than this one that looks very much like the Cruz official photo.

[Liz]

....... our country is made up of “We, the people” not “We, the party”.....

Trump/s Super Tuesday wins surpassed voter turnouts obtained by newcomer Obama.

Obama was lauded by his party; Trump gets shot down by His party.

In uber-liberal Massachusetts, 18,000 Democrats switched parties to vote for Trump.

---

Gopeers oughta consider....what the Trump voters might do, if they make one false move against Trump....

Not to mention what Trump might do.

[traderrob6]

BWAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA.

[KGeorge]

Thanks for making my day, poconopundit. It’s fantastic! And true.

[exnavy]

Add circus caliopee music blaring over the text and you’ve nailed the trump camp.

[HereInTheHeartland]

Come off like hero worship.

[poconopundit]

And you've made my day with your kind words.  Thank you.

[jonrick46]

Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps

down new roads,

armed with nothing but their own vision.

~ Ayn Rand

[1Old Pro]

Trump is now the presumptive nominee, Even the media pundits are now admitting this inevitable conclusion.

All that waits, is Rubio bedwetting after Florida and Cruz making peace and joining the movement.

[KGeorge]

Hope you have a great day!

[BCrago66]

The idiots who hero-worshiped Obama in 08 and 12 had the excuse of youth.

But what’s your excuse for donning the kneepads for another authoritarian statist progressive?

[painter]

A BIG Bump to that!

[poconopundit]

Men have worshipped heroes through the centuries.

And for every Gandhi, Washington, and Neil Armstrong, there are of course, the anti-heroes such as Obama.  You may want to read my FR column: I Agree with What Rubio Said about Obama.

Cruz is certainly heroic.  I admire his courage in fighting Congress.

But I believe Trump is the better choice, in part because his ability to deliver value has been demonstrated over and over again for 40 years.

In fact, he has been collecting votes long before he entered politics -- from the thousands who receive paychecks from him and the people who stayed at his hotels, buy his apartments, play on his golf course, watch his TV programs, buy his books, etc.

May the best man win the Republican nomination.  And I hope that conservatives will rally around the chosen nominee.  I certainly will.

[pgkdan]

Well said! Great post, thanks.

[poconopundit]

Love that quote from Ayn Rand... Thanks.

[afsnco]

Agreed. A lot of Trump supporters sound just like the dimmos. They don’t just support their candidate, they worship him. I’ve tried to engage dimmos to get them to tell me what they hate about their candidate, what they dislike, or even what they’re uncomfortable about. But their hero can literally do no wrong, because to say ANYTHING negative about their guy is the equivalent of blasphemy, once again, because they worship him as a “god.”

Trump himself has alluded to this fervor. A couple times now he’s said that he could murder someone in Times Square and his followers would still be committed to him.

This is unhealthy in a constitutional republic. We need to be able to see our candidates for what they are: Usually deeply flawed, fallen human beings. We need to view all the candidates with a healthy dose of skepticism and cynicism.

For instance, I voted for Cruz yesterday. But I recognize he’s flawed. He surrounded himself with ruthless hired help and it cost him dearly. And this, of course, calls into question his judgment. Who will he select as cabinet members? But still, on balance, I thought he was the best candidate and I held my nose and voted for him.

That means, of course, that I saw far more flaws in the other candidates. Carson is out of his depth. A nice guy, but clueless. Rubio and Kasich are both establishment candidates that I couldn’t even consider. But Trump is by far the most flawed of all, at least in my opinion. It would just be refreshing to see some of the more rabidly pro-Trump freepers stop being so completely committed to someone they barely know, and who held very leftist views until very recently. This, of course, calls into question his true commitment to these newly minted views.

What happens to this deep commitment if he ends up being no friend of the 1st Amendment, the 2nd Amendment, or even worse, becomes the authoritarian tyrant Obama has become? Will they then, finally, admit they were wrong? Or will they keep on ignoring and excusing his every word and deed?

I guess what I’m saying is folks need to take a step back and take a deep breath.

[novemberslady]

Bkmk