Many
have called me a hero for how I've handled my fight with cancer, and
I've never been even partially comfortable with it. That said, the
following article really pissed me off, and I'm not afraid to step on
the soapbox and tell the world why. I first came across this article
when it was linked in a comment regarding a member of the Navy (I'm
guessing a corpsman serving as a medic attached to a Marine unit)
serving in Afghanistan. He posted a lengthy status update on why his
wife was his hero, what he deemed a true hero. The person who shared
this had little to say but seemed to think this article would speak
in his stead. I very much dislike people who don't have the stones to
stand up in a public forum and speak their mind but rather bandy
about someone else's words to do the dirty work for them. What
follows is the article in question along with my thoughts inserted in
where I felt appropriate.
You
don’t protect my freedom: Our childish insistence on calling
soldiers heroes deadens real democracy
Put
a man in uniform, preferably a white man, give him a gun, and
Americans will worship him. It is a particularly childish trait, of a
childlike culture, that insists on anointing all active military
members and police officers as “heroes.” The rhetorical
sloppiness and intellectual shallowness of affixing such a reverent
label to everyone in the military or law enforcement betrays a
frightening cultural streak of nationalism, chauvinism,
authoritarianism and totalitarianism, but it also makes honest and
serious conversations necessary for the maintenance and enhancement
of a fragile democracy nearly impossible.
I beg to
differ, what makes serious conversations nearly impossible is our own
steadfastness in our convictions that our individual way
of thinking is THE only way of thinking and we refuse to listen
to any other way of thinking. In my opinion nationalism isn’t
a bad thing, as to how the author arrived at all those
other “-isms” is beyond me. If you ask me anyone who
volunteers to place themselves in harms way to protect others is the
very definition of what a hero is, I could care less what any
dictionary says.
It
has become impossible to go a week without reading a story about
police brutality, abuse of power and misuse of authority. Michael
Brown’s murder represents the tip of a body pile, and in just the
past month, several videos have emerged of police assaulting people,
including pregnant women, for reasons justifiable only to the insane.
Perhaps
this author should stop watching the mainstream, 24-7 all-news,
all-day in-your-face diatribe and search out some of the good stories
out there. Sure, you’ll have to look harder than just sitting on
your duff in front of the jumbotron tv in your living room but there
are stories out there that showcase what the good police officers and
soldiers are doing. In this day and age “shock value” is
what gets people riled up and keeps them glued to the tv for the
latest update on the current tragedy. Exhibit A- this article…
It
is equally challenging for anyone reasonable, and not drowning in the
syrup of patriotic sentimentality, to stop saluting, and look at the
servicemen of the American military with criticism and skepticism.
There is a sexual assault epidemic in the military. In 2003, a
Department of Defense study found that one-third of women seeking
medical care in the VA system reported experiencing rape or sexual
violence while in the military. Internal and external studies
demonstrate that since the official study, numbers of sexual assaults
within the military have only increased, especially with male
victims. According to the Pentagon, 38 men are sexually assaulted
every single day in the U.S. military. Given that rape and sexual
assault are, traditionally, the most underreported crimes, the
horrific statistics likely fail to capture the reality of the sexual
dungeon that has become the United States military.
Chelsea
Manning, now serving time in prison as a whistle-blower, uncovered
multiple incidents of fellow soldiers laughing as they murdered
civilians. Keith Gentry, a former Navy man, wrote that when he and
his division were bored they preferred passing the time with the
“entertainment” of YouTube videos capturing air raids of Iraq and
Afghanistan, often making jokes and mocking the victims of American
violence. If the murder of civilians, the rape of “brothers and
sisters” on base, and the relegation of death and torture of
strangers as fodder for amusement qualifies as heroism, the world
needs better villains.
I’ll
cut to the chase here, war is hell and it does unspeakable things to
men and now, women as well. Not to sound chauvinistic here but
women demanded to be allowed into the military and then went further
demanding equal treatment and access to the same jobs that men did.
I’m not saying they are in any way asking for rape, far from it,
but the cold hard truth is that war is messy and we are, every time
we send our military members into a combat zone, asking them to kill
another human being. I won’t say women are incapable of dealing
with that, hell many men aren’t! What I’m saying is this, we live
in a society where we are inundated daily via the media of many of
these same unspeakable acts committed by civilians and in
essence, we’ve become desensitized to it. We also live in a society
where young men and women spend countless hours playing video games
depicting these same unspeakable horrors (death and gore) and we
see it in out “entertainment”. So how is it really that
shocking that our military are acting in the same way when they pass
the time watching YouTube videos of combat footage? Having served in
the military I can assure you there are far more good servicemen
and women than there are bad and in many cases we have a tendency
to take care of things in house, preferring that the victim be kept
anonymous but to a few who act on their behalf.
It
is undeniable that there are police officers who heroically uphold
their motto and mission to “serve and protect,” just as it is
indisputable that there are members of the military who valiantly
sacrifice themselves for the sake of others. Reviewing the research
proving cruelty and mendacity within law enforcement and the
military, and reading the stories of trauma and tragedy caused by
officers and soldiers, does not mean that no cop or troop qualifies
as a hero, but it certainly means that many of them are not heroes.
So
by that statement we should treat them all as if they never do
anything heroic so that we never give accolades to the few who are
undeserving of the moniker “hero”? Hogwash! I’m sure
you’ve all heard or seen it written that a US Serviceman is a
man/woman who writes a check to their country up to and including
their life. Here is the Oath of Enlistment that every soldier,
airman, sailor, marine and coast guardsman swears not only upon
enlisting but each time they reenlist: "I,
(NAME),
do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the
Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and
domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and
that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and
the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to
regulations and the
Uniform
Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” Here’s something
you might find interesting, Those who swear to support and defend the
Constitution are no longer covered by it. They now are subject
to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Isn’t THAT
ironic?
Acknowledging
the spread of sadism across the ranks of military also does not mean
that the U.S. government should neglect veterans, as they often do,
by cutting their healthcare options, delaying or denying treatment,
and reducing psychiatric services. On the contrary, if American
politicians and pundits genuinely believed that American military
members are “heroes,” they would not settle for sloganeering, and
garish tributes. They would insist that veterans receive the best
healthcare possible. Improving and universalizing high quality
healthcare for all Americans, including veterans, is a much better
and truer way to honor the risks soldiers and Marines accept on
orders than unofficially imposing a juvenile and dictatorial rule
over speech in which anything less than absolute and awed adulation
for all things military is treasonous.
I agree
with everything here except that last statement. I don’t know where
the author gets the notion that there is anything treasonous about
speaking out, he is certainly speaking out… In addition to
agreeing with the above statements I’d like to add a few words.
First, never forget that politicians by and large only ever think of
themselves and what personal gain or detriment may come of their
decisions or votes on any particular bill. How often do they tack
on frivolous riders to bills just because they know that
otherwise they’d never pass or to kill a bill they don't like?
Those politicians who are brave enough to stand on principals for
what is right and good don’t seem to have very long careers now do
they? As for the treatment veterans get, once again I’m sorry
to burst the author’s bubble of bravado but he’s only
hearing or reading about the worst case scenarios. There are a number
of extremely amazing facilities out there, most of the ones I’ve
been to in fact fall into this category. Yes, there are some really
bad examples as well but as we have seen by delving deeper into the
facts they are NOT indicative of the system as a whole. They are/were
facilities run by people who had no business assuming leadership
positions. As to universal healthcare I can honestly say,
after visiting half a dozen VA hospitals and clinics and
nearly as many civilian hospitals I can only agree there. Some
of the hospitals I have gone to, because they were closer than the VA
hospital, I will never set foot in again. I feel as though my life
was in far greater peril than had I chanced the hour longer
drive to the VA facility. In the future I’ll take my chances with
the longer drive, at least when I get there they will be able to pull
up my records, in their entirety, in seconds and can contact all the
necessary doctors right away. My first time in a civilian hospital I
was there over 24 hours before I even SAW a doctor and he couldn’t
tell me anything. My first time at a VA hospital I saw several of my
doctors and knew within minutes of arriving what the plan was to take
care of me. The only problem with “Universal Healthcare”
is that it would require more tax money from people who already feel
that they are being “taxed to death” out of some sense of
entitlement. God forbid anyone should tell them what to do, I mean
we’re all FREE!
One
of the reasons that the American public so eagerly and excitedly
complies with the cultural code of lionizing every soldier and cop is
because of the physical risk-taking and bravery many of them display
on the foreign battleground and the American street. Physical
strength and courage is only useful and laudable when invested in a
cause that is noble and moral. The causes of American foreign policy,
especially at the present, rarely qualify for either compliment. The
“troops are heroes” boosters of American life typically toss out
clichés to defend their generalization – “They defend our
freedom,” “They fight so we don’t have to.”
So… Saddam
Hussein was an upstanding leader and didn’t need removed? He was
totally justified in his invasion of Kuwait? It was
his prerogative to gas his own citizens? (more to follow
after the next few lines…)
No
American freedom is currently at stake in Afghanistan. It is
impossible to imagine an argument to the contrary, just as the war in
Iraq was clearly fought for the interests of empire, the profits of
defense contractors, and the edification of neoconservative
theorists. It had nothing to do with the safety or freedom of the
American people. The last time the U.S. military deployed to fight
for the protection of American life was in World War II
I’ll
jump back in here… Saying that all wars are fought for
freedoms is a bit naive. Afghanistan was started to hunt down
terrorists that attacked us on American soil, just in case you forgot
about 9-11. I don’t know exactly why we went to Iraq but take it
from this Airman who served during the first Gulf War, no one on
active duty wanted to leave that country without finishing what we
started! Even those of us stateside were extremely upset that we
didn’t remove Saddam from power. Here's the thing about the United
States Serviceman/woman, when an order is given, we execute it to the
best of our ability. Now, obviously if my superior told me to jump on
a grenade to save himself I'm not obliged to do so, there are
exceptions. Now, given the history of world wars, since you brought
that up, let’s just let our imaginations wander for a moment… Is
it entirely outside the realm of possibility that Saddam could have
taken Kuwait and all it’s riches and then a year or two later
another small country, and then another and another? Sound eerily
familiar? Like, oh… Germany under the Nazis! Now ask yourself what
might have happened had some country had the stones to tell
Hitler NO! and beat him back to within Germany’s borders and
removed him from power at the first sign of invasion. Will Putin stop
with his small conquest or is he just biding his time waiting for
that whole thing to blow over before pushing just a bit further? The
world has become, scratch that- the world has ever been a cruel hard
place to scratch out an existence. Just because we’ve had it good
for a while doesn’t mean that’s how it has been or how it will
be. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
– an
inconvenient fact that reduces clichés about “thanking a soldier”
for free speech to rubble. If a soldier deserves gratitude, so does
the litigator who argued key First Amendment cases in court, the
legislators who voted for the protection of free speech, and
thousands of external agitators who rallied for more speech rights,
less censorship and broader access to media.
Good
sir, far more men and women have fought for, and died for, the right
to free speech than any litigator. I assure you of that. Oh, and your
welcome...
Wars
that are not heroic have no real heroes, except for the people who
oppose those wars.
EXCUSE
ME?!? Ask those with a Medal of Honor, a Distinguished Service Cross
or Navy Cross, the Air Force Cross or Silver Star or a Purple
Heart if those who stand in protest are on the same playing
field… ALL wars have heroes, whether or not the cause of war
was justified in your eyes. NEVER forget that!
Far
from being the heroes of recent wars, American troops are among their
victims. No rational person can blame the soldier, the Marine, the
airman, or the Navy man for the stupid and destructive foreign policy
of the U.S. government, but calling them “heroes,” and settling
for nothing less, makes honest and critical conversations about
American foreign policy less likely to happen. If all troops are
heroes, it doesn’t make much sense to call their mission
unnecessary and unjust. It also makes conversations about the sexual
assault epidemic, or the killing of innocent civilians, impossible.
If all troops are heroes, it doesn’t make any sense to acknowledge
that some are rapists and sadists.
Well if
that isn’t just about the most backward way of thinking I’ve
ever heard or read… Allow me to clear something up here bub,
every member of the armed services knows what they are getting
themselves into. Sure recruiters aren't exactly truthful but by the
time you get through BMT (Basic Military Training) you have learned,
each and every service member, how to fire an assault rifle. If it
comes to it even the laziest desk jockey can be called to
fight. Clearly this author is a pacifist and would
simply “talk” his way out of any conflict, though I
doubt he would be successful with words like that. Instead I
think he would only entice some foreign bully dictator to invade us
all the sooner! Look, you call a hero a hero and you call a rapist a
rapist and you call a sadist a sadist. I would hope any published
author would know the definitions of those words before he began
blathering on about what we should call these people.
Furthermore, the ONLY thing that will bring about honest and critical
conversations is a group of honest individuals who CAN be, but need
not ALWAYS be, critical. People who can listen with an open
mind to the opinions of others and concede when their opinion is
not the popular opinion.
The
same principle of clear-eyed scrutiny applies to law enforcement
agencies. Police departments everywhere need extensive investigation
of their training methods, qualifications for getting on the job, and
psychological evaluation. None of that will happen as long as the
culture calls cops heroes, regardless of their behavior.
Again, I
strongly disagree… Just because we hold them up as heroes does
not mean they are beyond reproach. If ANYTHING it means that we hold
them to a higher standard and place them under closer scrutiny.
Additionally I’ll reiterate my previous point, there are
bad cops and there are good cops. Show me some examples of good cops.
It’s hard to and I’ll tell you why- they don’t go above and
beyond the call of duty for glory or to have the spotlight shone on
them. They don't do good things, like helping a single mother with
three kids get her car to a gas station, put fuel in her tank and but
her groceries because they’re looking for accolades, they do it
because they are good hearted individuals, just like a good many
civilians are. For what it’s worth many police officers are former
military and the military, last I knew, encouraged helping out those
in need…
An
understandable reason for calling all troops heroes, even on the
left, is to honor the sacrifice they make after they die or endure a
life-altering injury in one of America’s foolish acts of
aggression. A more helpful and productive act of citizenship, and
sign of solidarity with the military, is the enlistment in an antiwar
movement that would prevent the government from using its volunteer
Army as a plaything for the financial advancement and political cover
of the state-corporate nexus and the military-industrial complex of
Dwight Eishenhower’s nightmares.
“Foolish
acts of aggression…” Ok, I’ll grant you that we have
engaged in some conflicts that we probably didn’t have any business
being in. But let’s look at it this way- a tool unused becomes dull
and tarnished. That is to say that if generations of
soldiers “practice” war but never actually engage in
it, eventually they won’t be an effective deterrent
or defense. While I’m bringing up deterrence let’s not forget
that each time we go poking our nose into other people’s fights
we’re generally on the side of “good” fighting ruthless
dictators and the like. How do you think the rest of the world sees
that? Sure, those who have the ability to defend themselves may balk
at it, but to some would be dictator it likely will give him cause to
rethink that coup he has been planning. I can recall a conflict in
some West African country on the coast where people were being
grossly mistreated and the government had fallen to shambles. We
simply parked a carrier fleet off the coast within sight but not in
their territorial waters and like blowing out a candle everything
suddenly got quiet and things were worked out. That is because people
the world over know that our “war machine” is deadly and
should we decide to use it, it won’t end well for someone… THAT
is DETERRENCE!
Given
the dubious and dangerous nature of American foreign policy, and the
neglect and abuse veterans often suffer when returning home wounded
or traumatized, Americans, especially those who oppose war, should do
everything they can to discourage young, poor and working-class men
and women from joining the military. Part of the campaign against
enlistment requires removing the glory of the “hero” label from
those who do enlist.
Ok, stop
right there… I'll concede that returning war veterans from
Vietnam weren't treated fairly, but is that their fault, or the fault
of anti-war protestors who very wrongly blamed the tool for what the
operator did. Why do you think Americans are so quick to stand up and
applaud returning soldiers now? Because we learned from our
mistakes. Let me also put something else into perspective for you.
Additionally there are approximately 42 million American
veterans and they were ALL trained how to use assault weapons.
Granted not all are capable of hardcore combat but still, that's
a sizable number of folks no one wants pissed off at them. I
don't know how it is that you came to the conclusion that they've
been neglected or abused... Current military enlistment of both
active and reserve troops is around 2.3 million with less
than a million being reserves. Let’s say you “discourage” young
men and women from enlisting, what then are they to do to earn a
living? How are they to acquire the skills that can only be acquired
through military enlistment? Military life, even that of
non-combatants, gives an individual a sense of camaraderie that
won’t ever be found on a sports team or in a Union working on a
production line. Logistics such as that aside, what then happens when
we have to enter a conflict and we have no troops trained and
ready? Would you have us sitting by idly twiddling our
thumbs whilst people such as you try to talk down some aggressor like
Putin? I’ll take my chances on the giving end go an
assault rifle thanks...
Stanley
Hauerwas, a professor of divinity studies at Duke whom Time called
“America’s best theologian,” has suggested that, given the
radical pacifism of Jesus Christ, American churches should do all
they can to discourage its young congregants from joining the
military. Haurwas’ brand of intellectual courage is necessary, even
among non-Christians, to combat the hysterical sycophancy toward the
military in a culture where even saluting a Marine, while holding a
coffee cup, is tantamount to terrorism.
Time
called this guy America’s Best Theologian eh? Well good for Time… I
didn’t vote for him. You might do well to read through the bible a
bit and see just how many times God sent people into war. You might
also try to convince the muslim extremists, the Iranians and the
North Koreans that they should likewise be pacifistic like Jesus. Go
ahead, we’ll wait… Oh, and good luck! You’re sure as hell
going to need it!
The
men and women who do enlist deserve better than to die in the dirt
and come home in a bag, or spend their lives in wheelchairs, and
their parents should not have to drown in tears and suffer the
heartbreak of burying their children. The catastrophes become less
common when fewer people join the military.
You’re
right, they shouldn’t have to endure those things. But the cold
hard truth is that the world will chew you up and spit you out if you
don’t meet it head on. Millions of Jews didn’t deserve to
die in the holocaust either, nor the countless other victims of
countless ruthless actions against civilians who died and were dumped
in mass graves, the children in Africa who saw their parents
murdered and were kidnapped and forced to fight… I disagree 100%
that the catastrophes become less common when fewer people join the
military and I would in fact be so bold as to counter that those same
catastrophes become more numerous and more horrendous when there are
fewer people trained to stand and defend both themselves and the ones
they love. To defend freedom and liberty, to stand against tyranny
and oppression…
Calling
all cops and troops heroes insults those who actually are heroic –
the soldier who runs into the line of fire to protect his division,
the police officer who works tirelessly to find a missing child
Neither
the soldier or the cop in the previous statement works
alone, they are a part of something greater than themselves. What
then of the soldier who stood up from his place of cover to provide
the soldier covering suppressive fire? I guess to you he’s not
a hero either? What of the countless police officers who
also looked for that child, often in dangerous conditions? I guess
because they weren’t THE ONE who found the kid they’re
likewise not heroes… Who’s cheapening the word now?!?
– by
placing them alongside the cops who shoot unarmed teenagers who have
their hands in the air, or the soldier who rapes his subordinate.
That “unarmed
teenager” didn’t in fact put his hands up, but as
we now know from the forensic evidence attacked the officer while he
was still in his patrol car. You bet your ass he’s a hero! That
same “unarmed”
teenager didn’t surrender when he was caught stealing form a local
convenience store but instead beat the clerk who tried to stop
him. As for the soldier who rapes his subordinate, no act of heroism
justifies or negates such heinous actions and if I had things my way
he’s be dealt with like any Roman Centurion who committed a crime,
by the very troops he led. That sends a message to the next
soldier who is promoted to that position. Those actions will be met
with swift and terrible justice. We could learn a lot from history...
It
also degrades the collective understanding of heroism to the
fantasies of high-budget, cheap-story action movies. The American
conception of heroism seems inextricably linked to violence; not yet
graduated from third-grade games of cops and robbers. Explosions and
smoking guns might make for entertaining television, but they are not
necessary, and more and more in modern society, not even helpful in
determining what makes a hero.
I won’t
debate this, you can’t mix real life with fantasy, fiction with
non-fiction. By this reckoning we should all be wearing hockey masks
and bladed gloves and murdering countless scores of people, simply
because we saw it in a movie.
A
social worker who commits to the care and advocacy of adults with
developmental disabilities – helping them find employment, group
home placement and medical care, and just treating them with love and
kindness – is a hero. A hospice worker in a poor neighborhood,
providing precious comfort and consolation to someone dying on the
ugly edges of American healthcare, is a hero. An inner-city teacher,
working hard to give essential education and meaningful affirmation
to children living in neighborhoods where bullets fly and families
fall apart, is a hero.
I’m
going to have to disagree with this too. None of those people risked
their lives in defense on another life. Sure, they all perhaps went
above and beyond the call of duty and are deserving of recognition,
but that doesn’t make them heroes. What you’re saying in that
statement is the kind of thing that cheapens real heroism. Which side
of this argument are you on here anyway? In the military there
exists a number of medals and awards, letters of commendation
and the like for people who go beyond what is expected of them. Their
actions save money, make processes more efficient etc. but that by no
stretch of the imagination makes them a hero.
Not
all teachers, hospice workers or social workers are heroes, but
emphasizing the heroism of those who do commit to their clients,
patients and students with love and service would cause a shift of
America’s fundamental values. It would place the spotlight on
tender and selfless acts of solidarity and empathy for the poor.
Calling all cops heroes too often leads to pathetic deference to
authority, even when the results are fatal, and insisting all members
of the military are heroes too often reinforces the American values
of militarism and exceptionalism.
I’ve
already debunked the first part of this by pointing out that these
people, based solely on job performance, aren’t in the least
heroes. As to the last part, you try defying the authority of a
policeman or woman and see how that works out. Our society has always
been taught that when you’re in trouble find a policeman or dial
911. We are also taught that when you are stopped by the police you
don’t get smart with your responses. If you know you have done
nothing wrong you have nothing to fear. Let’s be honest, what are
the odds that you will run into one of the few corrupt cops? I was
not aware that “militarism” was an American value? But
exceptionalism? You bet your ass I think we’re exceptional! Where
else in this world can a person like this author spout off such
nonsense and not be thrown in jail or beaten for writing these
things? Even the enlisted servicemen and women who protect his
right to say such ridiculous things won’t harm him. Why? Because in
this, as in many other things, we are exceptional... Additionally
here's how we protect your "freedoms", by keeping
politicians in check. I'm sure more than one federal politician has
had designs of changing or abolishing parts or even the whole of the
Constitution. So what stopped them? Oh right, our armed forces and
veterans. You know, those good old folks who swore to support and
defend it? Yeah, those folks...
The
assignment of heroism, exactly like the literary construct, might
have more to do with the assignment of villainy than the actual
honoring of “heroes.” Every hero needs a villain. If the only
heroes are armed men fighting the country’s wars on drugs and wars
in the Middle East, America’s only villains are criminals and
terrorists. If servants of the poor, sick and oppressed are the
heroes, then the villains are those who oppress, profit from
inequality and poverty, and neglect the sick. If that is the real
battle of heroism versus villainy, everyone is implicated, and
everyone has a far greater role than repeating slogans, tying ribbons
and placing stickers on bumpers.
You got
me there, we could all do better in taking care of those who are
poor, sick and oppressed. How about if you start by trying to
write something helpful about those people here in America
instead of trying to tear down and belittle our bona-fide real
American Heroes. Write about the kids who don’t have decent clothes
or adequate shelter or good, fresh food to eat. Write about the
horrible things companies like Monsanto are doing to our food all in
the name of profit. Try doing like the real heroes do and lead by
example. For what it’s worth, you’re a pretty shitty example of
how things ought to be done…
David
Masciotra is the author of Mellencamp: American Troubadour
(forthcoming, University Press of Kentucky). He writes regularly for
the Daily Beast and Splice Today. For more information visit
www.davidmasciotra.com.
The
preceding was an article written by David along with my responses
interjected in a point by point manner. I thought this was the best,
and easiest way for me to address this. As I’ve said, I have never
been comfortable with the moniker of “hero” where as it concerns
my battle with cancer. But if that is how people see me, I think they
could certainly have a far worse opinion and in truth, it’s not
something worth arguing. In my humble opinion real heroes never
really do get comfortable being called that. It’s part of what
makes them heroes. All i know is that one can not ever call oneself a
hero. Much like a nickname it’s a title that is given by another
and not oneself.
As to
why I wrote this, I was genuinely offended by the words written by
David. I get that some folks aren’t cut out for military life, they
don’t have what it takes to pick up a firearm and defend someone
else or they just don’t think it’s “right” to kill another
person. I guess that’s fine but as far as I’m concerned I
will always support our military 100% and if me or mine ever need
defending, woe be it to the aggressor. That’s a game with no
rules and a game which I have no intention of losing. I’m
fully willing to be the sheepdog, even if the entire flock consists
of people like David…
Molon
labe! (Come and take them…)
