Havin' a hell of a day emotionally. Part of me wants to just give up. The Lord (whose name sure as Hell ain't "Allah") knows how tired I am; I try not to let on to anyone else.

I could quote Ed Morrissey and not have to work much harder than that to put together an argument that we're wasting our time trying to dump Mad Jack Murtha. He's rotten to The Corps and bad for America in general, and I could squish him like the fat bug that he is and never lose a minute's sleep over it. On the other hand, he's done a good enough job of buying off the voters in his home district with lots of your and my money that he's probably going to be re-elected in spite of all that.

The smart money says the Dhimmicrats will be in control of the House next spring, with a good shot at the Senate as well. Thank you Congressman Foley. You make the best case for euthanasia I've come across in months.

Bill Frist is ready to surrender Afghanistan to the Taliban.  Ace, Allahpundit, and The Commissar are ready to abandon the GOP in protest. I can't say that I blame them.

A big part of me wants to just hide under the porch, maybe forever. But there's another part of me that won't let it. A little something I memorized about 36 years ago:

Code of Conduct

I. I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

II. I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command I will never surrender my men while they still have the means to resist.

III. If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

IV. If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

V. When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am bound to give only name, rank, service number and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

VI. I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

I guess some of that doesn't apply any more, and I'm no longer legally bound, but some things just get in your blood for life.

Blog on, Dogs. I'm still here. George and Mike have spare keys if I don't show up some morning.

Contributed by Bill Faith on October 2, 2006 at 05:46 PM in Bill Faith, Islamism Delenda Est, Politics | Permalink

Comments

Posted by: 1st Cav

As I was reading the 'Code of Conduct' again after all these years, the words just flowed from my memory just as I had remembered them.
When we were fighting in Kontum we sure didn't give up and ended up winning a very lopsided battle against overwheming odds. Even though at times the news of Murtha does seem a bit disheartening, I'll be damned if I will let it get me down. Memories of the 'Silent Majority'that boosted Nixon back into office in similar circumstances comes to mind. For some reason I believe there are still many patriotic Americans left. Let's just hope and pray that's true for the PA 12th District.

"I have not yet begun to fight!"

Posted by: 1st Cav | Oct 2, 2006 7:04:26 PM

Posted by: Jim Bartimus

Hey Bill, don't be surprised if I show up on your doorstep in the near future. I've got some business to attend to in Flat Rock towards the end of October and will be stopping in, so you'd better be around (not square), or I'll be pissed.
I've got to go with 1stCav's quote on this one, and the Code of Conduct. They are not just words, they define who we are.
In the mean time, keep up the good work and have a nice day on me tomorrow. You're due for one.
Faith will prevail and that ain't just another word, it's a concept.

JB/OUT

Posted by: Jim Bartimus | Oct 2, 2006 9:03:59 PM

Posted by: Rurik

Bill,

if you don't show up some morning, then they'll probably have come for Mike and me as well, and most of the other Dogs. and I'm sure that any Dogs still on the loose will be running to the rescue or the revenge.

Register me as yet another one who never received the official paper releasing me from my oath and The Code. And I swore my oath to the United States of America, not to "whatever buffoon manages to corral 51% of Chicago's dead".
If I am ejected from my position by force, I will retreat into the undergrowth and continue to snipe at the enemy - that may be taken as intellectual metaphor or literally, as required. Even if an Old War Dog's limber mind and frozen joints makes the intellectual resistance a bit more appealing.

Posted by: Rurik | Oct 3, 2006 3:24:36 PM

Posted by: Papa Ray

Yea Bill, some days it's a chore to get out of bed and fix the fixings, but your right about one thing, we all might be tired and our ol' bodies worn down and sometimes clean out, but we all remember The Code, especially this:

VI. I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

There are a lot of us that remember that part Bill, don't give up, go out with your rifle ready and your will to survive, and protect your family and this Republic, and kicking till the last.

.

Posted by: Papa Ray | Oct 3, 2006 5:59:28 PM

Posted by: RT

Having not had the proper fortitude in my youth to have joined the military, (had asthma anyway)let me ask you guys something......what does the code of conduct say you should do when half your fellow soldiers either sympathize with the enemy, or want our side to lose this battle so they can get their commander replaced with one that subscribes to their political ideology?

Should you shoot him before he can achieve his goals, even if he claims to be on your side?

Because thats what this post is really about, is it not Bill? Disappointment at your fellow Americans during wartime, eh?

Having not gone through Basic training, I sometimes allow my mind to ponder the forbidden question of whether civilian control of the military is ALWAYS a good idea. I can certainly see where the political elite would want to make sure a heavy dose "loyalty to the civilian leadership" training is instilled into any officer training program, and any trainees that show early signs of questioning that are quickly booted out before they can get into a powerful enough position to act on those impulses. For the same reason grunts have it drilled into their heads to follow the chain of command despite whether they feel their leader is choosing the proper tactics or not.

Somewhere along the path of altering your self-preservation instincts enough to get you to run towards gunfire, have they also conditioned the military brass to never question the ultimate wisdom of the elected poll watching politicians' strategy for victory...or stalemate if victory requires tactics too bloodthirsty in an election year where the fence sitting undecided voters hold the keys to power.

Civilian control over the military has done an excellent job of protecting us from a domestically produced military tyrant in the last 230 years, but how much longer can we afford the luxury when our political leadership has lost the stomach for total war?

I seen today where Turkey's secular military, which is more popular with the Turkish people than the Islamist sympathizing government is, suggested that they would once again throw the whole bunch of political leaders out on their arse, if they continued to fail to address the Islamist threat peculating in Turkey.

And I really dont think I have a big problem with such an undemocratic military doctrine....at least during wartime.

Posted by: RT | Oct 3, 2006 7:36:51 PM

Posted by: NoParty

You know, Bill, it's guys like you that are one of our country's greatest assets. Most of my true friends in life have been Vets and I sure as hell don't see that changing any time soon. My only other friends are the ones that feel the same way. You hit on a good point, we can spot each other a 100 yards away.

I feel exactly like you do sometimes. I think f* it! I give up. I'm going to get back to work and forget about politics and what is happening to our great country. Then, after I let all my steam out, I realize, it's up to us. We do all we can now to try to save this country from the socialists and our other enemies because if we don't get it stopped now, we know what we'll have to do later. One way or another, we can't leave this mess for our grand children to fix.

Keep up the good work!

Posted by: NoParty | Oct 3, 2006 7:47:59 PM

Posted by: Patriot

I have a question for all. I ponder this question EVERY day. At what point, as we watch our country getting hijacked and flown into the ground, do we take matters into our own hands. With the upcoming elections, the mere thought of what it would mean for the liberal socialist enemy appeasing democrats to gain power, is frightening. Laws we have passed, because of necessity during war, would come back to bite us in the ass if those undermining bastards were able to use them to keep themselves in power.

At what point, fellas?

Posted by: Patriot | Oct 3, 2006 8:00:56 PM

Posted by: Bill Faith

As with anything like this, I suppose, there are some who get it and some who just never will. RT, thank you for trying, but apparently some things are just beyond your grasp.

Posted by: Bill Faith | Oct 3, 2006 8:54:45 PM

Posted by: Jason

Found this on a news site in Kansas. Take deep breaths and have a nice day.:

Salina People for Peace are planning a rally this Thursday. Organizer James Sager tells KSAL News that they are gathering at the corner of Crawford and Ohio Streets at noon.
Sager says that the event is part of a nationwide protest that has been dubbed the "World Can't Wait" event. He urges people to leave school and work and join in the event, which will go from noon until dark. Sager says that the purpose is to "bring down the Bush regime." He estimates that at least 150 cities around the country will participate in the "World Can's Wait" day.
He doesn't know how many people are participating locally, but does anticipate a fairly large crowd.

Posted by: Jason | Oct 4, 2006 1:15:53 PM

Posted by: No Party

Bill, "there are some who get it and some who just never will. RT, thank you for trying, but apparently some things are just beyond your grasp."

Can you clarify this, please? I think there may be a misunderstanding.

Posted by: No Party | Oct 4, 2006 3:36:09 PM

Posted by: willowfae

Hey, you know you can call me, or email me or something. I love you. I mean it.

Posted by: willowfae | Oct 6, 2006 10:12:47 PM

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