The straw man had a brain, he just needed a diploma. The tin man had a heart, he just couldn't hear it tick.
Progressives have vision, but we don't get to use it often.
So in these dark days, as the Bush administration spirals into a self-made hell and threatens to bring the US and maybe even the world with it I'm going to occasionally trot out some of the verses, phrases, ideas and stories that I use to keep going. Because if there is one thing that will keep us together, keep us moving forward, keep us focused on a better future, it is one thing.
Inspiration
I got going on this one after reading nancyboy's diary on how close we are to becomig Nazis.
Unfortunately, the only information I can find on the story is most likely a propagandized version. There are several slightly contradictory versions (one includes the first name of the soldier, other's claim his first name is unknown, others use no name at all), but they all read basically the same and I can find no reliable source that provides any surrounding detail, such as what happened after the events described.
My version of the story:
During the German sdvances of the Battle of the Bulge a US tank destroyer was retreating from the oncoming Panzers. The tank destroyer came upon a soldier who was digging a foxhole. The soldier looked up and asked the tank commander if they were looking for a safe place. The tank commander answered yes. To which the soldier responded "Then you can pull in behind me because I'm the 82nd Airborne, and this is as far as the bastards are going".
That soldier may have been right. From what I have found the 82nd airborne did inflict heavy damage on some of the advancing Nazis. Not without losses, though. The story is attibuted to a soldier in Company F of the 325th Regiment, a part of the 82nd. Co F held their ground, but only 44 of 116 soldiers survived the battle.
That courage is what gives me hope today. We stand today against the threat of modern conservatives who give all appearances of being willing to become modern Nazis. While we are not there yet-as bad as the neocons are they are not openly advocating ethnic cleansing, for example, they still feel constrained somewhat-the threat does loom closer. We have to honor the courage that has previously served our country so well by showing similar courage and fighting for the values of freedom. The man who said those words above may have given his life to eliminate a threat to the freedom of the world. Is it too much to ask for us to say:
"I am a progressive, and this is as far as the bastards are going."