Brant Gaede Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Sometimes OL folks may feel a little bit defensive or protective about the forum, as if it were their home stoop, and as if 'newcomers' need close scrutiny lest they befoul the nest. In this case, the 'challenge intruders' instinct may have transferred from Makiaveli to you, and led to the mix-up.I erred in suggesting Robin is a 'newcomer' such as was Makiaveli ... since Robin has been posting since November of last year.Moi? Defensive?--Brant ~MOI?!!@T)(&()+)^$^(_))_)**&%$#%^~!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9thdoctor Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 It's an identification mistake. There is/was another 'newcomer' here, Makiaveli, who met with a scoffing by the welcoming committee, on another thread. He is the guy who mentioned Peikoff's podcasts under questioning of his bona fides ... and mentioned the 70 figure ...And what's so bad about listening to 70+ Peikoff podcasts? Obviously not back to back straight-through, that way madness lies, but one a week? Take today's: until now I could not have told you the proper Objectivist attitude towards blow-up dolls for sex. Now I can. http://www.peikoff.com/2015/08/10/i-am-a-22-year-old-straight-woman-with-an-unsatisfactory-dating-history-i-dont-like-dating-because-it-so-often-feels-like-a-waste-of-time-but-perhaps-im-not-giving-guys-a-fair-chance-what-do-y/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 It's an identification mistake. There is/was another 'newcomer' here, Makiaveli, who met with a scoffing by the welcoming committee, on another thread. He is the guy who mentioned Peikoff's podcasts under questioning of his bona fides ... and mentioned the 70 figure ...And what's so bad about listening to 70+ Peikoff podcasts? Obviously not back to back straight-through, that way madness lies, but one a week? Take today's: until now I could not have told you the proper Objectivist attitude towards blow-up dolls for sex. Now I can. http://www.peikoff.com/2015/08/10/i-am-a-22-year-old-straight-woman-with-an-unsatisfactory-dating-history-i-dont-like-dating-because-it-so-often-feels-like-a-waste-of-time-but-perhaps-im-not-giving-guys-a-fair-chance-what-do-y/Mak took off July 30 after Michael, Mike and I put the screws to him. Lasting only five days, he never gave much info as to who he was or was about except he was embedded in Objectivism in his own, but, I think, essentially orthodox way.--Brant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Troy Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Lol at the blow up doll in the dark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Back on topic: Every war hero knows he's not so much a hero as lucky. What's important is one's own self knowledge and evaluation, not any medal one gets pinned to one's chest. Even if one gets the CMH one knows there were others deserving of it, but likely dead, who never got anything or got less. (The most highly decorated Vietnam soldier deserved three CMH but because he already had one got two DSMs instead.) One accepts the decoration(s) on their behalf and thus it would be unseemly to refuse any even if one thinks one's a coward or not quite deserving, for it is one's duty as a soldier and all the dead and wounded to maintain the existential grace of the honored form.Any purported hero who feels he needs to defend the actions he did behind his medal should keep his mouth shut even if he knows he deserved nothing. It is still his duty to respect the medal as such and all the medals not bestowed that should have been. If he keeps his lips zipped he deserves the medal at least as its custodian for all those others--all those others who deserved one and got one and those who deserved one and didn't get one.War is not about medals. War is about destruction and killing and the horror of it all. It is also about survival and transcendence, if transcendence is possible. Medals are a time of relief. An example is a wounded man in a hospital bed suffering in pain and disability and a general officer pins a Purple Heart to his pillow*. If he's not suffering too much that's a relief for what he's gone through. If it's a formal ceremony in front of the ranks the ceremony is some relief from the underlying horror for all there assembled.--Brant*that wasn't my experience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Any purported hero who feels he needs to defend the actions he did behind his medal should keep his mouth shut even if he knows he deserved nothing. It is still his duty to respect the medal as such and all the medals not bestowed that should have been. If he keeps his lips zipped he deserves the medal at least as its custodian for all those others--all those others who deserved one and got one and those who deserved one and didn't get one.War is not about medals. War is about destruction and killing and the horror of it all. It is also about survival and transcendence, if transcendence is possible.--BrantAnd this folks is brilliant.A...thanks for this, I will absorb it as my post-birthday gift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Troy Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Beautiful Brant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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