A Salute To Our Troops
It is unfortunate that some people in this country do not understand that there are many people around the world, particularly Islamic fundamentalists, who will stop at nothing to kill you, and me. Make no mistake about it: these people can not be reasoned with, we can not appeal to them on the basis of our Western limp-wristed multiculturalistic values. They want to kill us. They want to destroy us. They want to impose Sharia law everywhere. This is a struggle to the death, period. Dear reader, if you do not understand this, or agree with it, I invite you to crawl out from under the rock you have been living under, smell the coffee and wake up!
I thank God that He provides courageous soldiers who stand up against those who would destroy us and protect us, day and night. As Winston Churchill once said: ““We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” In light of recent events, here is a great video from an organization I’m proud to be a life-long member of the National Rifle Association.
Well said, Pr. McCain! Thank you for being truly correct, which takes courage, instead of being “politically correct”, which requires only cowardice and a lack of convictions.
As a Lutheran Pastor and a Veteran of the Vietnam conflict and other areas of active service, with 21 years in the Australian Army, I support the deployment of troops into the field to perform their God given vocation of being the people that most don’t want to be and performing the tasks that many don’t want to perform. But they fight so that the rest of the population may have the freedom to perform their God given vocations. Many people are scared about the jihad, and yet they see moderate Muslims living next door who assimilate quite well into society. Many people, including Christians are getting mixed messages from journalists and periodicals who are of extreme left or right persuasions – in short they are confused. I believe by publishing extreme statements such as “crawl out from under a rock” is demeaning and patronizing to those who want more accurate information and also tends to incite those with extreme tendencies to take up arms a go down to the closest Mosque and start shooting people. More moderate language from the Clergy please, after all we are servants of the Gospel of the Good News of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Extreme statements, Merv? Sir, kindly consider that this is not an “extreme” statement, at all. If my goal was to incite indiscriminate violence against others, I could have used extreme rhetoric, such as we hear all the time from the Islamic jihadists now parading through streets from England to Pakistan. I appreciate your comments, but your assertion that I am guilty of using “extreme” rhetoric is unfounded. As for more “accurate information” about the goal of radical Islamic groups….I think it is easily available all around, to those who are willing to pay attention, but some are not and it is to them that my remark about “climbing out from under a rock” applies.
Pastor McCain, Merv, actually appears to be echoing your language, that many people (non-Muslims) are “confused” on the nature of radical Islam, thanks, in part, to journalists and others. Makes sense to me. Some of them need to be hit upside their heads with rocks, I think. We’re facing an “extreme” situation here. No one is advocating marching down to the closest mosque.
You’re gratitude and sentiments are greatly appreciated, but we’re just doing our job. It is an honor just to be able to serve and perform our duty.
In many ways, it is we who are indebted to you–all of you–who provide us with tireless material, political, emotional, and spiritual support; you who continue to toil and struggle to preserve this nation as a place of freedom, peace, and justice; you who thank us on the street and in the airports as we travel from place to place.
Above all, we are indebted to the military families who brave all manner of hardship and anxiety and so often go unnoticed when gratitude is being passed around. Behind every “hero” is a family support structure who equally endures every seperation, every tear, and every danger and so rarely gets any recognition in return.
I have no doubt that, with the people’s on-going and undying support, our all volunteer fighting force will remain the most proficient, professional, and effective military on the planet; even as it adapts to new threats and new circumstances on the long road ahead.
-SSG Mike Baker
Operation Iraqi Freedom
We’ll end the comments on Sgt. Baker’s note.