Sharon's plan is to drive Palestinians across the Jordan

The Sunday Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | 04/28/2002

[cicero's_son]

In general, I feel isolated from other men. Because of that, not unlike LCS, I'm often on the edge of despair.

I know what you mean. To me, this is the great joy of FreeRepublic. Instead of having to begin every conversation of substance from quite literally opposite sets of assumptions, as we must so often do in the "real word," we merry few here tend to see the world in much the same way. It permits us a level of communication, trust, and contact that is hard to achieve elsewhere. We do not, for instance, have to begin every philosophical or political discussion exploring whether our counterpart believes in the Fall or in the "progress of man."

Are you familiar at all with Norse mythology? There was a concept in their religion--and I think that shades of Truth are found in nearly all religions, since they were perversions of the Great Truth itself--called Ragnarok. Others know it as Gotterdamerung. The Death of the Gods. All men must choose their side in that final battle, but the difference is Norse mythology is that the Gods are destined to lose. Thor dies. Odin dies. All of them die. The world ends.

And hence the essence of the northern warrior code. One must choose the side of Good even though it means participating in the Long Defeat. I think that accurately describes the Christian's situation in our world today. The difference is that we have a Redeemer, and we know that the "end" we see coming here is not the true end of all things. We have Revelation in place of Ragnarok, and so we are permitted hope. That is one of Christ's great gifts to us.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

And hence the essence of the northern warrior code. One must choose the side of Good even though it means participating in the Long Defeat. I think that accurately describes the Christian's situation in our world today. The difference is that we have a Redeemer, and we know that the "end" we see coming here is not the true end of all things. We have Revelation in place of Ragnarok, and so we are permitted hope. That is one of Christ's great gifts to us.

I have to agree with this basic viewpoint. It is our duty on this earth to 'Fight the good fight', not because we expect an earthly victory, but because we will be judged on how we have lived our lives. My judgement is that we are living in the last days of the West.

Whittaker Chambers, in Witness, wrote, mistakenly as it turned out, that he had changed from the winning side to the losing side, when he became an anti-communist. He said that those fighting for a doomed just cause can still hope that in some future time, there will be those who will value the virtues for which we fight. But even if this never comes to pass, we must do our best, both for the sake of the life after this life, and because any other course would not be acceptable to our consciences.

[onedoug]

Or the end of the beginning.

[Avoiding_Sulla]

It is our duty on this earth to 'Fight the good fight', not because we expect an earthly victory, but because we will be judged on how we have lived our lives. My judgement is that we are living in the last days of the West.

There are times you sound so despondent, as in your last sentence, that you'd be willing to submit yourself and the rest of us to this fate: "Neca eos omnes. Deus suos agnoset." Do you know of its origins? (13th Century I believe.)

If “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16), then so should we love the world in gratitude of God's word. That we dedicate our lives to living in this world, with our free will, striving for as much justice as we can achieve given our imperfect state.

That means we honor God when we choose to never give up;
asking forgiveness from BOTH men and God alike for our errors;
and dedicate ourselves to fighting the evil who wish to bury past sins to the point that they trick us into recommitting them. (One of the things we are granted with FR.)

It is one reason I've made a point of Sulla and his time. It's also why I've thought you'd understand me perhaps better than most.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

you'd be willing to submit yourself and the rest of us to this fate

Don't recognize the quote, and will not submit. I just do not believe in an unrealistic, in my mind, optimism.

[Avoiding_Sulla]

Don't recognize the quote, and will not submit.

If you don't recognize the quote, how can you know you would not submit? <G>

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

A bit late at night for serious discussion, I am a little weary, but my heart is lighter, one AdamWeisshaupt has been nuked. Not the worst, but well worth getting rid of.

[Avoiding_Sulla]

I am a little weary, but my heart is lighter,

I'm happy for you. I'm sure you lent a major hand in getting the jerk to expose himself. Congratulations.

one AdamWeisshaupt has been nuked.

Oh No. Not one of those cases where all the effort that went into exposing the jerk is lost?

I tend to have mixed feelings over The Nuke -- kinda leaves the lads and lasses you're trying to reach and teach with nothing but the sound of one hand clapping.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Not one of those cases where all the effort that went into exposing the jerk is lost?

My thoughts on this subject are related near the end of the Dear no freeper by that name: Po-ka Khattab thread, where I went to gloat. I am pleased with the result, overall.

[SJackson]

Worth a five month later bump.

[Bon mots]

....and after that the Irish and Italians...

Irish and Italians do not blow up buildings, airliners and buses nor conduct suicide bombings. Neither do Jews. There is only one culture which condones this.

[American in Israel]

He has no idea what the movement of 2 million people entails.

Israel is only 50 miles wide. The population will move itself across the border within two days on foot. The Palestinians are cowards, if they thought a real war was starting they would beat feet so fast the problem would correct itself.

Most people have no idea just how small Israel is, I can drive from sea to the opposite border in about an hour. It was a shock when I got here to see what the fighting was all about. Thousands of miles of arabs want the 10 miles of Jewish land...

[American in Israel]

A terrifying photo? ROTFL, the kids were trashing the tank, throwing rocks at it when it started to move. Terrifying is when the coax gun starts chattering, not when it is crawling over a hill slower than kids run...

Perhaps their Momma's should have taught them that throwing rocks at tanks is not wise, like playing on the double yellow line on the freeway ya think?

Or is it that killers and their children are guilty of nothing if it is only jews that they are killing? Let those same kids do the same thing to an LA cop and the blood would flow, not just the adrenalin. That is, by the way, how you can tell it is a Jewish tank, it is not shooting.