Some thoughts on courage and resistance. by Fremdfirma

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Some thoughts on courage and resistance.

POSTED BY: FREMDFIRMA
UPDATED: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 12:29
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009 11:14 AM

You know, I was thinking about something earlier, and it brought to mind a past incident that was worth a second look.

You know my ire with those willing to be the bullets in the gun of tyranny well enough by now, I'm sure...

Well, while pondering that, I thought about this.

Now, yes, the guy who stood in front of that tank certainly qualifies as heroic, but what of the man driving that tank ?

The man standing in front of it, he already opposed his Govt, standing for what he believed to an extreme most folk are unwilling to take it to.

But ponder for a moment, that nameless tank driver, a man who believed in his Govt enough to wear it's uniform and take it's orders, who in that frozen moment in time, found the courage to take his OWN stand, to say "No, I will not do this." - to stay his hand despite that belief.

Is that not every bit as, if not more courageous ?

For without that nameless tank driver, there would be no heros that day, just one more death in a situation replete with them, nothing but one more corpse, however brave, just another statistic no one pays a mind to.

It isn't the man standing in front of the tank, that breaks the hold of tyranny, it's the man driving it, for without HIM, tyranny has little power.
And if he chooses NOT to act, then it has none at all.

And I wanted to make y'all think about this - for all that standing up for your rights, and being armed in their defense has it's place, that is not, has never been, what really turns the tide.
It's people, always people.

When you find tyranny's gun pointed at YOU, the danger comes not from the mechanics of it, but from the person holding it, a human being, just like you, with beliefs, strengths, flaws and prejudices that lead them down their own path as surely as you follow your own.

Look into that persons eyes and see who they might have been, and reach out to THEM, for if you convince them to put the gun of tyranny down, then it's no more danger to you or anyone else than any other inanimate object.

And THAT, folks, is why I say you're looking in the wrong direction for a solution when all you think of in your resistance is to lock, load and wait for a chance to stand or fall, because you have forgotten your friends across the field, who could be your allies instead of enemies, if you could just convince them to be.

Bullets cannot do that, but people can.

And I want you to think about that, for a little while...

"The plans and schemes of tyrants are broken by many things. They shatter against cliffs of heroic struggle. They rupture on reefs of open resistance. And they are slowly eroded, bit by little bit, on the very beaches where they measure triumph, by countless grains of sand. By the stubborn little decencies of humble little men."
From; In The Heart of Darkness - by David Drake.

-Frem

It cannot be said enough, those who do not learn from history, are doomed to endlessly repeat it

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009 11:26 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Memory is fuzzy on this, but do we know what became of the man in front of the tank?

I DO remember the comments from those protesting for Democracy, that they didn't fear the military would ever come down on them. They said the military was the PEOPLE'S military, and there was no chance they'd ever turn on the people. To them a crack down was such an absurd concept, something many just laughed at and didn't take seriously.

It is not those who use the term "Islamo-Fascism" who are sullying the name of Islam; it is the Islamo-Fascists. - Dennis Prager

A concern of the GOP is that the people aren't informed enough to understand their policies, while a fear of the Dems is that the people ARE.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009 11:53 AM

FREMDFIRMA

Quote:
Memory is fuzzy on this, but do we know what became of the man in front of the tank?

Nothing, a bunch of rumor and speculation, none of which has ever held up to investigation.

The picture itself doesn't cover it all, he actually hopped up there and spoke with the tank crew, briefly - I wonder what they said to each other.

Some folks from the crowd, fearing for his safety came and pulled him away after that, shielding him with the anonymity of a packed crowd, and after that he more or less just vanished.

I am doubtful especially of any rumors that they caught and executed him, the Chinese are not stupid enough to make him a martyr and the only real option they had from their perspective was to simply ignore it.

-F

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009 11:53 AM

WULFENSTAR

http://youtu.be/VUnGTXRxGHg

Dammit Frem, you take all the fun and romanticism out of civil war. Y'know, Braveheart/Patriot and all of that.

But, you are absolutely right.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009 12:07 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Wulfenstar:
Dammit Frem, you take all the fun and romanticism out of civil war. Y'know, Braveheart/Patriot and all of that.

But, you are absolutely right.

What Wulf SaidTM

"Thanks." -Hero, 2009

The laughing Chrisisall

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009 12:29 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

I heard they ran his ass over, and used his innards to grease the treads of their tanks, which went on to squash freedom and democracy, and then the truth was hidden from the world.

Or am I mixing up one tank reference with another ?

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