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."
The faux outrage of The 1975 By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Friday, July 28, 2023
Malaysiakini : All you have to do is read the interviews he has given and you will
understand where he is coming from, in his art and personal life.
This brings me to Bersatuās Wan Saiful Wan Jan wanting Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil to step down and take responsibility for this ālewd actā.
Excuse
me, isnāt Perikatan Nasional supposed to be the guardians of morality
in this country? Shouldnāt Wan Saiful, who was once Bersatu information
chief, be aware that such a group was performing in Malaysia and its
frontman was a known LGBT activist with a penchant for very public
provocations?
If
anything, Wan Saiful should step down for not organising street
protests because a foreign band was in town, with a frontman who
supports a deviant lifestyle. I mean if you cannot rely on a religious
coalition to police morality, who can you rely on?
Impressionable minds
And
of course, MCA needs to chime in. MCA vice-president Ti Lian Ker asked
Madaniville to have a heart and not cancel the concert.
He said:
"Indeed the act by the performers must be condemned, our laws must be
upheld to protect our young and impressionable, and Healy and The 1975
must be penalised.ā
Yes because our young and impressionable do
not watch porn on their handphones or film themselves on their
handphones. Because our young and impressionable are so sheltered they
do not understand the varieties of human sexuality out there.
Because our young and impressionable do not organise sex and drug
parties which are routinely busted by the coppers, who sometimes hold
such parties themselves. Because our young and impressionable do not
produce unwanted pregnancies and baby dumping. Our young people are not
impressionable, most of them are ignorant and whose fault is that?
Which
is more damaging to young minds struggling with their emerging
sexuality? A raucous concert by a pop band affirming the varieties of
human sexuality or political and religious operatives who through the
legal and cultural process demonise the LGBT community, even though what
separates Asian and Western values in this specific issue, is
hypocrisy?
Speaking of which, Fahmi continues to spout the most
ridiculous soundbites. Take this quote. "There will be no compromise on
any parties who challenge, mock, and defy Malaysia's laws," he said, but
this is complete horse manure.
The
news cycle is dominated by political and religious personalities, who
spew racists or bigoted vitriol and nothing happens to them. There are
enough laws in place which regulate speech in this country, but
strangely there is much compromise when it comes to political and
religious personalities.
Indeed, beyond the usual meet the coppers
news item, these racists and bigots continue spewing their filth
knowing nothing is going to happen to them for defying the laws of this
country.
Indeed the Madani government is so fearful of spooking
the Malays, more often than not the people speaking out against racism
and bigotry are sanctioned or cautioned against touching on sensitive
issues for the Malay community.
Freedom of expression?
And
of course, there is this clunker. As reported, Fahmi said āā¦ the
government is committed to supporting the development of the creative
industries and freedom of expression, he warned artistes to not touch on
the sensitivities of the community, especially those that go against
local cultures and values.ā
This is just really dumb. On one hand,
you say you support the creative industries and freedom of expression
and on the other, you warn people not to go against local cultures and
values. This is Madaniville attempting to have it both ways.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, meanwhile, still does not put much thought into what he says. He said: āSo it is the responsibility of the organiser to assess a performance so that it is compatible with local cultural practices and sensitivities.ā
Do
you know what kind of performances would be compatible with local
cultural practices and sensitivities? We could have all manner of racial
supremacist and religious bigots performing here because racial
supremacy is a major part of local cultural practices and sensitivities.
Everyone
is clutching their pearls, saying that one band should not ruin it for
everybody else when this band was doing exactly what it is they do to
earn their keep and raise their public profile.
Indeed, so spooked are so-called progressives in this country, they fret about how this will impact the state elections.
You
do know that people who want a theocracy are going to vote for a
coalition that is going to give them one and that is like half the
electorate, right?
You do know that gerrymandering and unequal
vote weightage favours the āGreen Waveā? I mean what do people want
here, a Pakatan Harapan which is going to give the PN base exactly what
it wants? I know some folks want solutions but donāt you know the
solutions, the people you vote for, represent your solutions?
The
state security apparatus is investigating the incident. I hope they are
as concerned about the improvised explosive device under lawyer Siti
Kasimās car as they are of this kiss between two men.