Posted by
John Caile on Thursday, August 28, 2008 12:18:11 PM
Honor. Respect. Courage. No, I wasn't watching the Democratic
Convention. After forcing myself to endure days of political types
endlessly demanding that government provide cradle-to-grave socialism,
I finally shut the convention off and popped the movie "300" in my DVD
player.
Ah, sweet relief. This admittedly stylized retelling of the 300 Spartan
soldiers who held off a massively stronger Persian army is downright inspiring. Here were men who exemplify the virtues that all of
us, in our heart of hearts, wish we had.
And not just the men. We see women with far more backbone than the wimpy
metro-sexuals of today. One of the memorable lines in the film was
delivered by the wife of Sparta's King Leonides. She reminded a
political type that "Freedom is never free. It comes with a cost, the
highest cost...blood."
Ironically, some of the best lines in the movie were not the work of
some screenwriter - but documented by historical eyewitnesses as the
actual words spoken. One example is this exchange: the Persian emissary
warned that unless they surrendered "our arrows will blot out the sun."
A Spartan warrior coldly replied, "then we will fight in the shade."
And they did.
It is difficult to imagine a typical elected official today expressing
such bravado, especially in the face of certain death. True, there are
a few examples of such men in Congress - not surprisingly they are
usually those who have experienced the reality of war up close and
personal. But they are still exceptions.
Where are the modern day equivalents of the heroic Spartans? Do they
even exist? Oh, they most certainly do. And they are not that hard to
find. Just watch any news video of American soldiers in Afghanistan or
Iraq. Or anywhere in the world.
As a result of my work, I have had the privilege of meeting many of the
young men and women who make up today's armed forces, and I can tell
you, they are more than willing to sacrifice anything, and
everything, to keep us safe in a dangerous world.
So, go ahead and watch the Democrats pandering to every professional
victim group on the planet, promising "free" healthcare, "free"
education, and government mandated light bulbs. Then watch the
Republicans attempt to convince us to vote for them because
they "aren't as bad as the other guys."
But please do take a moment to remind yourself why it is that you and I are free to
elect such idiots in the first place. Why we are free to act like fools
ourselves. Free to sit back in our couches and yell at the TV. Free to
sit in a coffee shop, whining about the bad Wi-Fi reception, or the
price of gas.
You and I are only able to do these things because American men and
women stand guard, day and night, in heat and cold, rain or shine.
Ready to spit in the eye of those who would take our freedoms away.
Ready to "fight in the shade."
The 300 live.