Rudyard Kipling"
āWhen you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldierā
General Douglas MacArthur"
āWe are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.ā
āIt is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.ā āOld soldiers never die; they just fade away.
āThe soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.ā
āMay God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .ā āThe object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
āNobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
āIt is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Backstabber's guide to Umno polls by Mariam Mokhtar
Monday, September 30, 2013
From Malaysiakini : Mention the word Umno Baru and people will think of the 3Cs - corruption, cheating and cronyism. Thousands
of miles away, Najib Abdul Razak told the UN General Assembly that āthe
greatest threat to Muslims today, is not from the outside world, but
from withinā. His words are poignant and have some gravitas, for they
reflect the conditions at home. Thanks to former prime minister
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the public has become extremely mistrustful of
politicians. Thanks also to Mahathir, the biggest challenge which Najib
will face at the next Umno-Baru elections, is ironically, within his
party. Many factors will affect the battles during the upcoming
Umno-Baru election, including wit and financial considerations. The two
men, president Najib, and deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin, āwonā their
seats unopposed. The three hotly contested vice-presidential
positions are being challenged by six men - Ahmad Zahid Hamidi,
Hishammuddin Hussein, Mohd Shafie Apdal, Isa Abdul Samad, Mukhriz
Mahathir and Ali Rustam. The following is a backstabberās guide to the race. Najib, the Jekyll and Hyde character: Abroad, he preaches moderation and is praised for his over-reaching and inclusive views. At
home, he is timid and panders to the extremists and ultra-nationalist
factions. He appears to undergo a personality change as soon as he steps
onto Malaysian soil. If the characterisation of Najib as Dr
Jekyll and Mr Hyde is too harsh, perhaps, Humpty Dumpty is more apt.
Having reached the pinnacle of his position (the top of the wall),
Najibās fall from grace could not be reversed by all the kingās men or
all the kingās horses. Muhyiddin Yesman: This veteran politician is allegedly taking instructions from Mahathir, to pave the way for his son Mukhriz to be a future PM. Most will remember Muhyiddin for his āMalay first, Malaysian secondā remark. In
his version of unity and reconciliation, Muhyiddin once said that
anyone had a right to form their own Chinese or Indian version of the
Malay extremist group, Perkasa, provided the association was formed with
good intentions. What are Perkasaās good intentions, critics wondered? Anyway, full marks to Muhyiddin, for wanting a harmonious and multiracial society, based on intolerance and bigotry. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi: In the game of ācabinet musical chairsā, Zahid swopped roles with Hishammuddin Hussein as home minister. An
abrasive character, who lacks tact and diplomacy, Zahid is inclined to
tell anyone who disagrees with him, who is displeased about the cheating
in GE13 or who is worried about the political system, to leave the
country. When a Singaporean Muslim opened his heart and his
premises to a Buddhist group, Zahid stripped him of his permanent
residence permit and charged him with insulting Islam. Zahid has
amazing ānew broom sweeps cleanā powers. Within days of assuming his
cabinet post, he found 250,000 Shiite Muslims hiding in the country and
260,000 hardcore criminals terrorising the streets. He is prone to
incoherent rages. Hishammuddin Hussein: Critics
wonder if this self-deluded macho man, who allegedly fashions himself
after the childrenās action figure, Action Man, was given the post of
defence minister because he allegedly likes to be seen in leather
jackets and dark sunglasses, staring through powerful binoculars looking
at boys (with their toys). His fondness for using binoculars
meant that he missed the 510,000 hardcore criminals and Shiite Muslims
that Zahid found with ease. Mohd Shafie Apdal:
The only defining feature of this Sabahan is the infamy he gained as a
result of the allegation that he gave out RM1.5 million to his mistress,
at a time when the BR1M payments of RM500, was deemed sufficient to
keep the rakyat sweet and willing (to be shafted repeatedly by Umno
Baru). The alleged affair had been an open secret and was
exposed when the actressā driver, lodged a police report after he had
been accused of absconding with some of the loot. Isa Abdul Samad: If only the government of Umno Baru could recycle rubbish as well as it recycles its veteran politicians. This
recycled politician was once the target of Mahathirās ire, when the
former PM moaned that Umno Baru should not condone corrupt politicians.
Isa was stripped of his Umno Baru vice-presidency and suspended for six
years, later reduced to three, on appeal. Isa was rewarded for
his years in the wilderness by Najib, who made him the chairperson of
Felda, a gold mine for those who know where to look for the treasure. Mohd Ali Rustam: Another recycled politician who was disqualified in the 2009 Umno Baru elections, after being found guilty of money politics. As
the former chief minister of Malacca, he used the trappings of power to
fund his sonās wedding, claiming that he wanted his adoring rakyat,
around 130,000 of them, to share and partake in his personal happiness. Following
allegations of corruption, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
launched an investigation and said: āWe are going item by item, to see
how much money was spent and who paid for it.ā Presumably, they are still going through the list, because we have heard nothing. Anyone
who has ever wanted an adventurous ride in a cherry-picker (the machine
which Tenaga wiremen use, to lift them to the tops of overhead poles),
can have one at the end of the ride in Aliās RM16 million monorail,
which travels two feet before stopping dead in its tracks. The stranded
passenger will be plucked from the monorail and deposited on land by a
cherry-picker - Malaccaās own version of a thrilling theme park ride. Mukhriz Mahathir: We
will have to wait for his father Mahathirās next press release to learn
about Mukhrizās good works and future aspirations. Whenever Mukhriz
starts talking, people glance at their watches and say they have to rush
for an appointment. Mukhriz may have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he is tainted with the Mahathir brush. His
dad is a bore with a capital B, when he reminds us that Umno-Baru must
inject young blood and elect smart people into the party. It is possible
that Mahathir was referring to Khairy Jamaluddin. Najibās
predictions about the internal threat are coming true. His party has
decided to deploy the police, to protect the ballot papers to be used in
the party election. This speaks volumes about the state of
affairs within Umno Baru. The cheating in the Umno-Baru elections will
make GE13 look like a model of a fair election! MARIAM MOKHTAR
is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army
and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO).
At
home, he is timid and panders to the extremists and ultra-nationalist
factions. He appears to undergo a personality change as soon as he steps
onto Malaysian soil.
Most will remember Muhyiddin for his āMalay first, Malaysian secondā remark. 
An
abrasive character, who lacks tact and diplomacy, Zahid is inclined to
tell anyone who disagrees with him, who is displeased about the cheating
in GE13 or who is worried about the political system, to leave the
country.
Hishammuddin Hussein: Critics
wonder if this self-deluded macho man, who allegedly fashions himself
after the childrenās action figure, Action Man, was given the post of
defence minister because he allegedly likes to be seen in leather
jackets and dark sunglasses, staring through powerful binoculars looking
at boys (with their toys).
Mohd Shafie Apdal:
The only defining feature of this Sabahan is the infamy he gained as a
result of the allegation that he gave out RM1.5 million to his mistress,
at a time when the BR1M payments of RM500, was deemed sufficient to
keep the rakyat sweet and willing (to be shafted repeatedly by Umno
Baru).
This
recycled politician was once the target of Mahathirās ire, when the
former PM moaned that Umno Baru should not condone corrupt politicians.
Isa was stripped of his Umno Baru vice-presidency and suspended for six
years, later reduced to three, on appeal.
Following
allegations of corruption, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
launched an investigation and said: āWe are going item by item, to see
how much money was spent and who paid for it.ā
Mukhriz may have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he is tainted with the Mahathir brush. 
