Previous William Thomas Sherman Info Page postings, quotes, observations, etc.
It would be remiss of us who deem ourselves champions of freedom to not at least pay some acknowledgement and tribute to Ireland's valiant freedom fighters of the 1798 rebellion, and which uprising in some measure was inspired by the success of the American Revolution; with Wolfe Tone acting there, howsoever briefly, as a worthy counterpart to George Washington. Here then are two videos which will serve as an introduction to that remarkable struggle; while for more see wikipeda
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Someone at the Lee' Legion page responded: "Although I am descended from some folks who were not very nice to the Irish, you are spot on -- thanks for sharing this."
To which I replied: You needn't feel any worse for your lineage as some of the Irish themselves were some of that country's worst enemies then -- and later. (I myself, btw, AM of Irish descent.)
["The Boys of Wexford" -- posted by TheOMaolagan] and ["By memory inspired - Frank Harte & Donal Lunny" -- from the album "1798 - The First Year of Liberty"]
Isn't it something? In the course of the past 30 or so years it was granted him to earn 3 billion dollars from his movie career; when other artists of far greater talent, wit, intelligence, ability, and imaginative vision were not even permitted (thanks to organized crime in partnership with hoodlum spooks) to compete or participate, either as a result of blackballing, gangster tactics, and or flat out murder.
Whose then is the Nazi now?
One thing one learns from a continuing study of geo-political history is that no country, nation, or people is inherently bad. And even to the extent that they are for a time, they, in such instances without exception, are acting ignorantly while being carefully manipulated by conniving others. Further, and if they knew true right, he vast majority of them, if not quite all, and at last would and do do it.
This said, I wanted to make a few remarks regarding Jon Riley and the St. Patrick's battalion that fought in the American war with Mexico 1846-1848. Already two major budget films (1962 and 1997) have been made on this subject, and now a third presently in filming which attempts to portray Riley and his followers as idealistic martyrs. In addition, the government of Mexico itself gave as gift to some town in Ireland, in 2004, a statue commemorating Riley's supposed heroism.
Now if you want to deplore the role of the United States in that war, or praise the valor and justice of the Mexicans, I will agree with you. You will be sharing the view of no less of such as Grant and R.E. Lee. If you want to point out that some of the U.S. military was unfair to then recent immigrants; or unduly harsh in punishing captured San Patricios, you have ostensibly some good and reasonable grounds for doing so. Yet to make a saint of Riley and his comrades is, it seems to me, overtly hasty. It is odd how Riley was so put off by alleged discrimination in the United States, and yet had previously saw no qualm about serving in the British army (when true blooded Irishmen had fought the same); which latter had in recent earlier wars performed acts of literal burning people alive, hanging, and scalping (using the "pitch cap") on rebellious Irish. The fact is Riley, etc. were deserters, and on the face of it the actuating reason some want to celebrate them is not for their heroism as such, but rather their treachery and a concomitant desire to condemn the United States. Had Riley bowed out as a conscientious objector, or deserted from the war (i.e., returning to civilian life) on those grounds, yes we might think him admirable. As it was, however, and consciously or no, to make a hero of him is to make a hero of traitor; who acted so in the midst (as opposed to prior to) of the war, and that is what I see as most wrong. This would seem to be further corroborated by the report that after the war Riley was not especially honored by Mexico or raised to a position of importance by them, and indeed died in poverty and abject neglect there. It is said he and others joined the Mexicans out of devotion to the Catholic Church, and yet he was buried without religious ritual or sanctification. Might it not perhaps then be the case, that Riley, et al. were simply persons duped?
Cyprian also writes, in this case in Treatise VI:
"6. Of all these, however, the principle is the same, which misleads and deceives, and with tricks which darken the truth, leads away a credulous and foolish rabble. They are impure and wandering spirits, who, after having been steeped in earthly vices, have departed from their celestial vigour by the contagion of earth, and do not cease, when ruined themselves, to seek the ruin of others; and when degraded themselves, to infuse into others the error of their own degradation...
"7. These spirits, therefore, are lurking under the statues and consecrated images: these inspire the breasts of their prophets with their afflatus, animate the fibres of the entrails, direct the flights of birds, rule the lots, give efficiency to oracles, are always mixing up falsehood with truth, for they are both deceived and they deceive; they disturb their life, they disquiet their slumbers; their spirits creeping also into their bodies, secretly terrify their minds, distort their limbs, break their health, excite diseases to force them to worship of themselves, so that when glutted with the steam of the altars and the piles of cattle, they may unloose what they had bound, and so appear to have effected a cure. The only remedy from them is when their own mischief ceases; nor have they any other desire than to call men away from God, and to turn them from the understanding of the true religion, to superstition with respect to themselves; and since they themselves are under punishment, (they wish) to seek for themselves companions in punishment whom they may by their misguidance make sharers in their crime..."
And this is a helpful description of spirit people that can be added to one's catalogue or collection of cumulative observations. Now how much such as Tertullian or Cyprian knew as to spirit people, or were or might have been themselves possibly fooled by the latter in some measure, is difficult to quite say. For it is important to remember that certain spirit people can display acts of seeming beneficence (as well acts of cruelty and terror), address you in an intimate and insinuating manner, or make you see and or hear such wonders (e.g., as in the aforesaid "Dolby-Surround Sound") that if you are not a thinking and alert person, you might think they were "God" or from otherwise from Heaven. As I have remarked before, regardless of the show of power or manifestation of real and seeming wonders -- howsoever miraculous, magnificent, or majestic -- judge spirit people as you would anyone else. Indeed, as a cautionary and general rule, treat any and all as if they are a con artist and criminal. And if you or someone objects, "yes, but what if they are from God?" If they are actually from God, they will be honest, accountable, rational, responsible -- that is to say they will be of the truth. But I guarantee you, the odds of your ever dealng with a spirit person of that kind is extremely remote (to say the least), and you are safer and more prudent to assume that they are trying to manipulate you for their own completely selfish ends, and otherwise up to no good.
12...The fear and faith of God ought to make you prepared for everything, although it should be the loss of private estate, although the constant and cruel harassment of your limbs by agonizing disorders, although the deadly and mournful wrench from wife, from children, from departing dear ones; Let not these things be offenses to you, but battles: nor let them weaken nor break the Christian's faith, but rather show forth his strength in the struggle, since all the injury inflicted by present troubles is to be despised in the assurance of future blessings. Unless the battle has preceded, there cannot be a victory: when there shall have been, in the onset of battle, the victory, then also the crown is given to the victors. For the helmsman is recognised in the tempest; in the warfare the soldier is proved. It is a wanton display when there is no danger. Struggle in adversity is the trial of the truth. The tree which is deeply founded in its root is not moved by the onset of winds, and the ship which is compacted of solid timbers is beaten by the waves and is not shattered; and when the threshing-floor brings out the grain, the strong and robust grains despise the winds, while the empty chaff is carried away by the blast that falls upon it...
23...And moreover, also, the Holy Spirit teaches by Solomon, that they who please God are more early taken hence, and are more quickly set free, lest while they are delaying longer in this world they should be polluted with the contagions of the world. “He was taken away,” says he, “lest wickedness should change his understanding. For his soul was pleasing to God; wherefore hasted He to take him away from the midst of wickedness.” [Wisdom 4:11] So also in the Psalms, the soul that is devoted to its God in spiritual faith hastens to the Lord, saying, “How amiable are your dwellings, O God of hosts! My soul longs, and hastes unto the courts of God.”
24...Rather, beloved brethren, with a sound mind, with a firm faith, with a robust virtue, let us be prepared for the whole will of God: laying aside the fear of death, let us think on the immortality which follows. By this let us show ourselves to be what we believe, that we do not grieve over the departure of those dear to us, and that when the day of our summons shall arrive, we come without delay and without resistance to the Lord when He Himself calls us.
25. And this, as it ought always to be done by God's servants, much more ought to be done now— now that the world is collapsing and is oppressed with the tempests of mischievous ills; in order that we who see that terrible things have begun, and know that still more terrible things are imminent, may regard it as the greatest advantage to depart from it as quickly as possible. If in your dwelling the walls were shaking with age, the roofs above you were trembling, and the house, now worn out and wearied, were threatening an immediate destruction to its structure crumbling with age, would you not with all speed depart? If, when you were on a voyage, an angry and raging tempest, by the waves violently aroused, foretold the coming shipwreck, would you not quickly seek the harbour? Lo, the world is changing and passing away, and witnesses to its ruin not now by its age, but by the end of things. And do you not give God thanks, do you not congratulate yourself, that by an earlier departure you are taken away, and delivered from the shipwrecks and disasters that are imminent?
26. We should consider, dearly beloved brethren— we should now and always reflect that we have renounced the world, and are in the meantime living here as guests and strangers. Let us greet the day which assigns each of us to his own home, which snatches us hence, and sets us free from the snares of the world, and restores us to paradise and the kingdom. Who that has been placed in foreign lands would not hasten to return to his own country? Who that is hastening to return to his friends would not eagerly desire a prosperous gale, that he might the sooner embrace those dear to him? We regard paradise as our country -- we already begin to consider the patriarchs as our parents: why do we not hasten and run, that we may behold our country, that we may greet our parents? There a great number of our dear ones is awaiting us, and a dense crowd of parents, brothers, children, is longing for us, already assured of their own safety, and still solicitous for our salvation. To attain to their presence and their embrace, what a gladness both for them and for us in common! What a pleasure is there in the heavenly kingdom, without fear of death; and how lofty and perpetual a happiness with eternity of living! There the glorious company of the apostles -- there the host of the rejoicing prophets -- there the innumerable multitude of martyrs, crowned for the victory of their struggle and passion -- there the triumphant virgins, who subdued the lust of the flesh and of the body by the strength of their continency -- there are merciful men rewarded, who by feeding and helping the poor have done the works of righteousness -- who, keeping the Lord's precepts, have transferred their earthly patrimonies to the heavenly treasuries. To these, beloved brethren, let us hasten with an eager desire; let us crave quickly to be with them, and quickly to come to Christ. May God behold this our eager desire; may the Lord Christ look upon this purpose of our mind and faith, He who will give the larger rewards of His glory to those whose desires in respect of Himself were greater!
~St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage (?-258 A.D.), Treatise VII.
All the censure and condemnation of Christianty could only apply to dishonest and needlessly irrational Christianity, and which is not true Christianity at all. Some, for instance, think it Christian that the world should be offered up in sacrifice to the devil in order to, supposedly, please God. Yet what greater nonsense is there than this? So don't invoke or tell me about or blame Christ and Jesus, as even devils do, when no one will be (fundamenally) honest and no one will be (properly) rational.
No honesty, no Christ.
["Toots & The Maytals - Take Me Home Country Roads ( reggae se"]
Take me home, country roads...
Note. You can't even get this kit anymore, except for left over, collector's stock at high prices on ebay. Yet there is plenty, and I mean plenty, of Star Wars/fantasy junk out there in lieu of.
I'm inclined to suspect that at this point in his movie career, Johnny Depp has finally (and understandably) become so disenchanted with working for these people that they have felt it necessary to retaliate, and as a result sometimes prevent him from going to the bathroom.
