Kingdom Of Heaven
You can survive just about anything. You can survive against impossible odds. That is if you know how to use what you have. Your outcome may not be what you first thought it would be, but, if you survive on your own terms, then not all is lost. That is something I for myself have learned through some(I hate to use this word) painful experiences. I think the movie Kingdom Of Heaven illustrates that well. The defenders of then Christian held Jerusalem fought against Saladin's, Muslim Army inflicting such casualties that before certain defeat they were allowed to leave safely. Jerusalem fell to the Muslims, but, the defenders would have perished anyway. They fought and survived on their own terms. I recommend getting the DVD. The two pack. It has Historical notes, saying what is true and made up. As well a History Channel "History Verses Hollywood". Actually seeing the movie was a homework assignment from my 26 day's at Ft. McClellan. We had an orientation on Iraq and the Intelligence Specialist recommended it.
Speaking Of Ft. McClellan...
While I was at Ft. McClellan Alabama during August and September and of course we had Huricane Katrina, it was proposed to send Refugee's from New Orleans to live in the old vacant barracks that sit over on the Civilian Side.* Once, when I was a Drill sergeant I had "pushed troops" for a couple of weeks in one. That was back before the post was shut down. There was a big effort to clean the buildings up by a group of volunteers. During the clean up mold was found in the buildings so that slowed down the housing of the displaced of New Orleans. At the time of my leaving, mid September, cleaning was still in progress. They were expecting a thousand or so people. They didn't hardly get that many. According to two different articles that my dad E-Mailed me there are only about 160 souls living there. FEMA signed a two year contract for the buildings and some from New Orleans that went to California may end up there. The cost of living is cheaper. It's funny. Not enough response with a little over kill.
Bosco is going crazy, something is in the yard....what ever it was she ran it off. Tomorrow is Bear Season you know.
I Never Saw...
You DBT fans can finish that sentence...Almost. I have saw Lynard Skynard. I had never saw Southern Culture on The Skids until Friday night. I was supposed to see them twice. The first time my Ex got real sick, so I stayed at home with her. She urged me to go on, with Horse Slayer**, but, I didn't want to go without her. I should have went anyway. The second time was during Bele Cher*** year before last. I was supposed to meet Twister*x4 up there. Well, the boy was a no show. I didn't feel like hanging around Bele Cher all by my self. We had met there the night before and you can only take so much of the Festival scene anyway. So, Friday night the band was playing and pretty girls were dancing on the stage throwing fried chicken(Bojangles) at everyone. You should have been there.
* Ft. McClellan was closed in a high profile closure in the late 90's. The property was sold to the city of Anniston Alabama for practicaly nothing. Only a small area is now used for the National Guard.
**the boy hit a horse at 0200 with a 71 Barracuda. He's in jail now, but, that's another story.
***a big street festival in Asheville NC.
*x4 he's an old buddy of mine from way back in 3rd Ranger Bn. RLTW Bro's!
I did all of this stuff for you newbies...I know your out there...
Go now, and if you get into a fight...Survive on your own terms!
Appalachian Intellectual
posted by Hill Billy Rave | Sunday, October 16, 2005
6 Comments:
I think differently re the kingdom of heaven, they were planning on fighting to the destruction with out giving up becuase they expected to be mass murdered like the christians did at the end of the first crusade when they took jerusalem from the muslims. faced with death they were ready to die to the last ounce of sharp steel.
they were not going to give up. but, given the opportunity to live and leave in peace, and given the integrity of saladin, they agreed to leave the city of jerusalem for the TRUE kingdom of heaven is the soul of man living a virtuous life. that is why the saladin general gave the horse to the protagonist played by orlando bloom, because he, balain, had shown mercy and integrity to his enemy and 'having sewn what he reaped' he was allowed to live in kind when his squad of men at arms fought bravly against impossible odds. the opponents respected each other. they were gracious and in battle they were feroucious. THAT is a good quality. be gracious to your enemy you never know when you wish you had done a good deed so you too can live faced with a tough situation.
so, impossible odds... as balain said in his knights oath, tell the truth even if it means your certain death, help the weak, etc etc.
respect your enemy for tomorrow he may be your friend. that is my take...
I haven't seen this movie--but it's interest the reinsurgance of interest we're having on the crusades. From what I remember--the crusades really went that big of deal in the Isalm world during the time they happen. They had greater threats from the East. But they became a big deal at the fall of the Ottoman empire and the colonialization of much of the region.
Maybe I'll have to see the movie and read more about the crusades. My favorite quote about the crusades comes from the squire in the movie "The Seventh Seal" (the movie is about a knight returning to Sweden during the Black Death, at the end of the crusades. The squire, drunk, said "the crusades were so stupid that only an idealist could have thought them up."
Redbeardedmead: This warrants a detailed response. I'll give you one, but, hang on, there is something Sage posted that I want to read this morning and I plan on hunting after work. But, I don't disagree with you.
Sage: You should see the movie. I don't know a terrible bunch about the Crusades either. I've heard the same thing, that it wasn't a big deal to the Muslim world at first. I had heard that some (dumb) Frenchman decided to attack mecca and that drew in the other Arab peoples.
I thought that I was going to go hunting after work. I wound up working late. And it was such a pretty day!
Redbeardedmead:
Alright, regarding Kingdom Of Heaven and Survival on your own terms. I stand my ground in my statment, yet agree with yours. I'm not playing both sides of a fence. I base this on statements of charectors in the movie as well as the Three Levels of War and their effects.
In scene 35 during the first night of the seige, Balian say's to his cheif luetinant that that was the first night and there may be 100 more.The reply is Saladin will show no mercy. Wich Balian say's to the effect that they must hold until Saladin is forced to offer terms, that they fight for the people...their saftey.
Later as Saladin rides in front of his Army before the first assault on the city his aid say's "Mercy" wich Saladin reply's: No. I cannot.
As the bloody seige goes on Saladin knows that it is at a great cost to his Army, physacaly and logisticaly.
This made him more willing to offer terms.
Now, The Three Levels of War. Sun Tzu as well as Col. John Boyd said the three levels were Physical, Mental and Moral. Physical, the least powerful, is actual killing and destroying things. There tends to be an over emphasis on this. Mental is psycological effects of actions. Moral, the most powerful, is doing the right thing, a moral cause, the chivalry that you speak of:
"that is why the saladin general gave the horse to the protagonist played by orlando bloom, because he, balain, had shown mercy and integrity to his enemy and 'having sewn what he reaped' he was allowed to live in kind when his squad of men at arms fought bravly against impossible odds. the opponents respected each other. they were gracious and in battle they were feroucious. THAT is a good quality."
It is a good quality. Here, the physical supported the moral. Now, if they had imeadiatly called for terms or poorly defended the city, Saladin would have more than likely shown no mercy. People will respect you if you fight back. People will repect you if when your in powerful position, you do the right thing.
Remember, Saladin had been under pressure to retake Jerusalem. He did so when he had the moral context to go to war. As far as we can tell from the movies dipiction, he did not let the pressure waiver his tactical(Strategic) sense. Saladin was a good man. So was Balian.
Perhaps from my statment it appears that I over emphasised the Physical Level of War. Still, that physical action allowed the the moral to prevail.
I don't think that we disagree. I think that you elaborated on it. And, I'm glad you did.
I'm glad your still around too.
Gee, leave it to a Frenchman to do something stupid like attack Mecca... In the 1860s, the French got mad at Korea, sent a gun boat up the Han River to shell their capital, and the Korean emperor--after consulting a shaman on how to cleanse his nation--gathered up all the Christians in the country, and chopped their heads off (at that time the Christian population was mostly Catholic). Today, in Seoul, there is a Catholic Shrine overlooking a the river at a place called Chop Head Hill. To be so inept in war over the past 150 years, he French could be brutal.
Ah heck. I never knew that. Indeed the French have made some tactical blunders. At the time though they are handling some of the terrorism issues well.
Man, that's interesting to hear.
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