LESSONS LEARNED–And ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’
by Mike Martin
Clash Daily Contributor
A father comes home from work and wants to “play box” with his son. Son doesn’t want to play. Father insists. Son angrily strikes father in the gut. Kidney stone is jarred loose and father is hospitalized. Lessons learned – don’t fight when angry, and don’t want to hurt another.
A school student picks a fight with son, beats tar out of him – goes to knee “son” in the groin. Brother of “son” warns him not to do that. Fight continues. Brother again warns not to knee “son” in the groin. Fight continues – student knees “son” in the groin. Takes “son” fifteen seconds to beat the crap out of student and leave him laying on the ground. Brother says – told you not to do that – you’d just make him mad. Lesson learned – sometimes you have to let that anger loose, but don’t lose control.
Son enlists in the service. Learns war is not pretty, war is not “fair”, and losing a fight probably means dying. Lessons learned – don’t lose control, and just don’t lose – period. Trust the soldiers you fight with, as they must trust you – or you lose.
After service you assume that everyone wants what’s best for the country, but have different ideas about how that should be achieved. Taken on faith. The longer you pay attention to politics, the less faith you have, until one day you have no faith left in the current government. All three branches of government ignore their oaths and ignore the constitution. Lesson learned – the only one that you can control or govern is yourself.
“Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time” – Baretta. “Never give a sucker an even break” – P.T. Barnum . Paraphrased in the military – never fight fair – always seek an advantage over the enemy.
Glen Echo Amusement park riots, where the police stopped homeowners from defending property from rioters – overturning vehicles. The Lord watched over me by stationing me elsewhere, because I would have defended my property.
Anti-War protests in Washington, D.C. where protesters laid down in the streets and blocked streets in protest. My feelings were that their right to lay in the road ended where my right to drive on the road began. The Lord saw to it that I was stationed elsewhere so that I was not tempted to drive on those roads.
Ferguson Riots/protests. Again, the Lord saw to it that I was living elsewhere. Had I had a business there, I would have protected it from looters, or would have offered to help a neighbor defend their business. Neither the color of the business owner, nor the color of the looters would matter. Looters should be shot. People starting fires in buildings should be shot. If protesters are warned ahead of time that trouble is expected, looting is expected, riots are expected, then they shouldn’t protest.
I would expect the police to respond with lethal force to not only the above, but also to thrown bricks, rocks, bottles, Molotov cocktails. Collateral damage would then be expected, but lawful protesters would have been warned, and they still chose to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
I do not feel the least little bit sorry for the protesters. My sympathy would lie with the police and with people defending their lives and property. Maybe Furgusonites should have taken it upon themselves to run the out-of-town “protesters” away.
Thank you Lord for yet again keeping me out of harms way. I prey that you will always be there because I need “someone to watch over me.” ( Gershwin, 1st heard by me in Mr. Holland’s Opus ). In Jesus’ name I prey. Amen.
Image: http://dahshonors11english.wikispaces.com/PART+FOUR
