Posted on 08/17/2008 8:35:32 PM PDT by Pinkbell
This appears to be a large topic of discussion over at Democratic Underground and Daily Kos. The diary at Daily Kos has over 800 posts, and three diaries have been spawned from it. They are discussing the Daily Kos diary at Democratic Underground as well. If you check out the link, you can read the diary with Solzhenitsyn's story. The stories are similar, but they aren't identical. The liberals are speculating that McCain either knowingly stole the story, or he is in the early stages of dementia and mistook Solzhenitsyn's experience as his own.
I give McCain the benefit of the doubt. It's certainly possible that both men had similar experiences. Afterall, Christianity transcends nations and people.
On one particular day, the hopelessness of his situation became too much for him. He saw no reason to continue his struggle, no reason to keep on living. His life made no difference in the world. So he gave up.
Leaving his shovel on the ground, he slowly walked to a crude bench and sat down. He knew that at any moment a guard would order him to stand up, and when he failed to respond, the guard would beat him to death, probably with his own shovel. He had seen it happen to other prisoners.
As he waited, head down, he felt a presence. Slowly he looked up and saw a skinny old prisoner squat down beside him. The man said nothing. Instead, he used a stick to trace in the dirt the sign of the Cross. The man then got back up and returned to his work.
As Solzhenitsyn stared at the Cross drawn in the dirt his entire perspective changed. He knew he was only one man against the all-powerful Soviet empire. Yet he knew there was something greater than the evil he saw in the prison camp, something greater than the Soviet Union. He knew that hope for all people was represented by that simple Cross. Through the power of the Cross, anything was possible.
Solzhenitsyn slowly rose to his feet, picked up his shovel, and went back to work. Outwardly, nothing had changed. Inside, he had received hope.
[From Luke Veronis, "The Sign of the Cross"; Communion, issue 8, Pascha 1997.]
We need one smite and a side order of slap into the next county.
Thanks, but my question was if there were witnesses to back McCain’s story?
What will DU do when Larry Sinclair outs Obambi in Denver, the Dems implode, Hillery and her white women vs obambi and his/hers afrohippies?
Maybe Al G. will come riding to the rescue.
I have heard the story many times. Thinking back I believe that I first heard it in the 1980’s. I’m going to make some calls and see if I can pin it down.
No one has ever drawn a cross in the sand. Ever! It’s physically impossible.
/sarc
Until someone can come up with something worse on McCain than Obama’s opposition to the born Alive Infant Protection Act, I think I will stick with McCain.
Another thing....when Obama was asked a question about abortion, he replied “that’s above my pay grade.” And this after saying that as president he supported a radical pro-choice amendment to the constitution????
I am hoping that come November we can all KEEP the abortion question above this clown’s paygrade!
Do you Obamabots have any proof or is the idea to spread your lies as far and wide as you can in the hope that something, anything, sticks?
I heard it a long time ago and it may be before the 80’s and in the 70’s when the POWs were returned to the States.
Now, the accusers have a long history of knowingly lying to advance their partisan political agenda. Rathergate, Downing Street Memo, 0911 “truthers” Abu Garabie, Army cut off in Iraq, Koran flushed at Gitmo etc etc etc.
So we have know liars making an accusation based on no proof at all other then their accusations. So in such a situation the character of the two sides is our only objective judgment point.
On that base, McCain wins hands down.
Don't listen to DU opinions on God. The vast majority of them over there are much better attune with the guy they will be spending eternity with...Satan.
I think it’s important to know what our political rivals are saying and counter it. It’s obvious McCain crushed Obama Saturday night. They are attempting to take this heartwarming story to discredit McCain, to show he’s either a liar or too senile to be President. It’s not fair, as they have no real proof McCain is lying.
Is there an implication I’m a troll? My posting history should show I’m conservative. I supported Duncan Hunter until he dropped out of the race.
Their biggest complaint is McCain never spoke of this guard back in 1973 or so when he was released.
They never even fathom that for McCain to speak of this guard being a Christian and helping him from time to time would have been a death sentence for the guard in Communist North Vietnam.
They just don’t get it do they?
I’ll say right now: McCain had this experience in the 1960’s, in Hanoi.
Most likely, he spoke of it, after his release. In the 1960’s.
Famous guy like that. People listen.
I think Solzhenitsyn, an unknown, snarked the story from the much more famous McCain!! Shame on him. ;)
But that’s really above my pay grade.
When did those fish symbols start appearing on cars? I remember that this was included in a sermon in our Church on how and when to identify yourself as a Christian. The sermon was somewhat critical of the decals.
Actually, it isn't. Solgenitzen has a fellow prisoner draw a cross in the dirt and that makes Solgenitzen feel better. McCain has a guard losen his ropes each day during his shift, and then one day draw a cross in the dirt to tell him that he (the guard) is a fellow Christian. I is is a completely different story. The only thing that is similar is that cross in the dirt.
For Centuries Christians have figured out ways to identify each other when persecuted.
The problem with the DU clowns is they have led sheltered lives and cannot fathom people being put to death for their religious beliefs.
I don’t doubt McCain never talked of the guard for the very same reason; the guard would have been identified, taken out and shot.
Trolls come in all sorts of clever and very useful disguises, you’d be surprised. I’m still waiting for a reply to my initial question.
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