Here's one by Kipling that could have been written for the lad. Joani Mitchell covers it in her new album:


IF.....



IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Absolutely....a timeless quality to Kipling's poem. Have read that one more than once.

The press coverage may have been overdone but I hope that it is not just a passing phase. Up until this week-end, you could almost be forgiven for thinking that this country was not involved in a war due to the lack of media coverage. The BBC in particular only ever mentioned the war in Afghanistan if a member of the forces lost his life.

Our troops have died in Afghanistan because their body armour and armoured vehicles were not fit for purpose. Others have died because there were not enough helicopters. The Government sends our young men and women to war and it has a duty of care to provide its forces with today's technology.

Harry's desire to serve his country is entirely admirable, as even George Galloway, conceded on the BBC's Question Time on Thursday. I hope that his efforts will bring some renewed respect for our armed forces and that his example will encourage the public to put pressure on the Government to honour the military covenant.

Can I just add that I realise that the amount of coverage may not have met with everyone's approval but I was glued to the screen in the hope of catching a glimpse of my son as haven't seen him since before Christmas. Big cheers and tears in my house when he popped up in an interview!

Glad to hear your son's well Tibbie. The Afghanistan adventure, however, is not something I would celebrate for many reasons. To consider just one, while politicos at home decry drug use in our communities our armed forces tolerate (and I suspect encourage) poppy harvests in Helmand (35,000 hectares),Nangarhar (18,000 hectares), and Badakhshan (8,325 hectares). Thess figures are from 2002 and so are out of date. Indications are that in 2007 Afghanistan had their largect harvest in history.

Tell me again - why are we there?

One of my uncles fought in this oil rich region during the 1914-1918 war. He was awarded the campaign medal and hopefully it is now in the regimental museum.
We never seen to "learn lessons", and here we are again wrecking these same countries, over and over again.
Each life lost, plus the wounded and permanently scarred young individuals make me despair.

Somebody's playing silly buggers with my karma. Aye - that's right - go on keep bonkin me - ye wullnae shut me up or turn me into a lickspittle.

Never scunner, never!

Someones been at mine an aw and i'm hardly in the place!

scunnert wrote:
Somebodys playing silly buggers with my karma. Aye - thats right - go on keep bonkin me - ye wullnae shut me up or turn me into a lickspittle.

I think that rather depends on whose bonkin ye, some folk hae a the luck!

Ah'm gonae start bonkin back Bigman - see how they like it - Aye.

The nerve ae thum tae dae this tae somedy that is ever polite and respectful, and wid never post onythin inflammatory or controversial.

It's a sad day for democracy.

Looks like I've taken some heat aff ye, Scunnert - they're at mine now!!

Like I said, my comment was a general one.

Haha Scunnert. My Karma is holding up-ish, I think one particular post is simply being ignored tho. I'd prefer those who disagree to disagree but silence is disappointing. Och well never mind.

dws, what's all this about bonking? I thought TLJ was running a decent outfit here! ; )

Bigman, but you're a 3! Is that no good?

Thank you to whoever it was who bumped my karma up to 2.

Claire, which post is being ignored?