Powerful, saddening words from one of the last living soldiers of World War One...

[Playinghardball]

Mat Lazenby @Mat_LB

Powerful, saddening words from one of the last living soldiers of World War One

4:47 AM - 10 Nov 2013

http://theobamadiary.com/

[malletgirl02]

1. I agree

There is a lot of talk around here how politicians children should be drafted, but I have always thought as Mr. Patch said that it should be the politicians who lead us to war should go themselves.

[Scootaloo]

2. He passed in 2009 at the age of 111

After Florence Green, also a UK combat veteran (RAF), passed last year, there are no more WW1 combat veterans known to be left. Several personel, and perhaps there's some dude in the hills of Turkey who's a hundred and twenty-two or something, but... well, there you go.

[sabrina 1]

3. I agree with him. No one should take a country to an unnecessary war unless they

are willing to lead the way.

I remember when Saddam Hussein challenged Bush to a duel to settle the issue of Iraq. I thought it was a great idea. It would have saved so many lives, not to mention the wasted money and the TV ratings would have been off the charts.

Bush did not acknowledge the challenge. Back in history any leader who was refused such an offer would not have lasted too long.

But then Bush/Cheney were always pro-war for everyone else, cowards.

[malletgirl02]

4. Monarchy

I despise the entire concept of monarchy, but one thing they did have right until 600 or so years ago is that the king would lead his country into battle. Actually it wasn't just the king, but all the nobles would go into battle. They risk their lives for the wars they wanted to wage. Also if they wanted to go to war they had to have taxes that specifically went to the war effort, none of this creative accounting that goes on now days. Don't get me wrong, I'm not idealizing that time period, there were many things that were wrong.

[sarisataka]

6. Necessary or unnecessary

politicians should not be exempt.

If they do not want to directly serve or have a child in position to be in the war, they should abstain from voting.

[sabrina 1]

8. Yes, I couldn't agree more. Cowards have no right to send other people's loved ones to do what they

refused to do and will not require their own loved ones to do. I would go further. Those who support these egregious, murderous wars should pay for them. Those who do not, should get a tax cut, those who do should pay a war tax. Watch what happens when they have to put their money where their mouths are. But if your conscience will not allow you to support a war, like Iraq, no way should your tax dollars be used to pay for it.

[Octafish]

5. Amen.

And may goodness continue to keep Mr. Patch.

[Octafish]

7. Instead, the Dulles brothers worked Versailles, setting the table for ''Money trumps peace.''

The very words of George W Bush on Feb. 14, 2007, uttered at a press conference in which not a single of the callow, cowed press corpse saw fit to ask a follow-up.

I remember Cindy Sheehan tried to bring it to our nation's attention.