Mark Twain's "War Prayer," just because . . .

[Ex Lion Tamer]

O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe.

O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet!

We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.

[ShortnFiery]

1. Yes, Especially let's note this inverse of "Love Thy Neighbor" Part !

Lord,

blast their hopes,

blight their lives,

protract their bitter pilgrimage,

make heavy their steps,

water their way with their tears,

stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! :eyes:

[texpatriot2004]

2. Here's to Twain nm

[acmejack]

3. I saw this for the first time the other day.

I immediately bought the book, fortunately it was much more plentiful (cheaper) than his other one that I had to have after reading a piece here, Mark Twain's Weapons of Satire : Anti-Imperialist Writings on the Philippine-American War. It is a great book, but a little pricey. Read it if you can!

edit: add link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0815602685/002-4965680-1960868?v=glance&n=283155

fwiw, I never received an answer form the Philippine distributor listed in the first review.

[malaise]

4. I love Mark Twain

and think that anyone who needs ammunition to deconstruct the lunacy that parades as fundie christianity should read and reread Letters from Earth. I have my own precious copy but a lot of Twain is available on line.
His War Prayer is a brilliant summary of those letters -complete and utter sarcasm.

Tom Yossarian Joad had a great thread last Friday
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=1823196

Here's a link to a great read with some juicy Twain quotes -Kipling, the ‘White Man’s Burden,’and US Imperialism.
http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/history/2003/nov2003kiplingempire.htm

add link.

[AzDar]

5. He is timeless.... n/t

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. Always a pleasure to recommend this

In case no one else posted a link, here is one to the full text:

http://www.serv.net/~techbear/writings/WarPrayer.html

[holboz]

7. Wow - I want to get this book. Here's another great Twain quote

From the 1901 article "To the Person Sitting in Darkness":

There must be two Americas: one that sets the captive free, and one that takes a once-captive's new freedom away from him, and picks a quarrel with him with nothing to found it on; then kills him to get his land...

I found a collection of other quotes from the book at http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/twain.html

His criticism is as relevant today as it was 100 years ago.

on edit: change subject line

[mhatrw]

8. The entire story (just 2-3 pages) is here.

http://www.warprayer.org/

It's HIGHLY recommended.

[Batgirl]

9. He'll always be relevant because human nature doesn't change

I'm looking forward to exploring the links posted here.

This Twain quote from "Connecticut Yankee"" seems particularly appropriate on this Tuesday:

"You see my kind of loyalty was loyalty to one's country, not to its institutions or its office-holders. The country is the real thing, the substantial thing, the eternal thing; it is the thing to watch over, and care for, and be loyal to; institutions are extraneous, they are its mere clothing, and clothing can wear out, become ragged, cease to be comfortable, cease to protect the body from winter, disease, and death. To be loyal to rags, to shout for rags, to worship rages, to die for rags - that is a loyalty of unreason, it is pure animal; it belongs to monarchy, was invented by monarchy; let monarchy keep it. I was from Connecticut, whose Constitution declares 'that all political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority and instituted for their benefit; and that they have at all times an undeniable and indefeasible right to alter their form of goverment in such a manner a they may think expedient.'
Under that gospel, the citizen who thinks he sees that the commonwealthy's political clothes are worn out, and yet holds his peace and does not agitate for a new suit, is disloyal; he is a traitor. That he may be the only one who thinks he sees this decay, does not excuse him; it is his duty to agitate anyway, and it is the duty of the others to vote him down if they do not see the matter as he does."

edit to fix typo

[never cry wolf]

10. Thanks... k&r..... n/t