Steve Re: The Charge of the Light Brigade

Forty per cent of the brigade was wiped out because the orders were misconveyed and confused. The strategic move, intended for a reasonably safe flanking action, needlessly sent many of Britain’s finest young men to their deaths headlong into the Russian’s heavy guns. It was war and men die. But the horror for the family and nation was multiplied for this needless slaughter of their loved ones.

Tennyson’s poem immortalized these men’s deaths. The U.S. is living through its own version of The Charge of the Light Brigade, but with a few alterations. Our slaughter did not take place on foreign soil. Our version has no famous poets or writers to immortalize it– no famous faces on TV decrying its injustice. Worst of all, ours didn’t occur from miscommunicated orders. It is an intentional, ongoing sacrifice of tens of thousands of our finest young men for a political advantage. And the Light Brigade horsemen are still charging to their doom. Curiously, their commanders are not vilified, but honored, and indeed increasing in political power and influence.

The commander-shepherds rant against oppression and preach rights and liberation. The lambs follow eagerly unto their slow, agonizing deaths. The finger of blame is pointed at an unjust, repressive society and ignorant guilt oozes though its pores.

In some manner our society does bear a great deal of guilt, not for its oppressive nature, but for its cowardice and chosen ignorance. Its cowardice is shown by the fact that the HIV/AIDS epidemic could have been deterred. The steps successfully taken in other public health epidemics could have greatly slowed or halted this one. But they cowed to the threatening demands of the leaders of the liberation movement.

 

Society’s ignorance developed from its rejection of God. Without him as a final authority, without him as the source of truth there remains nothing solid to stand on. The spines of political leaders and public health experts turned to jell-O before the playground bullying tactics of the radical liberators. (No GUT’s, eh?)  Pragmatism + logical relativity + situational ethics= agonizing death within the Light Brigade and untold grief for their friends and families, as well as great loss for the nation.

The commanders of the Light Brigade continue their gains of wealth and power and their sheep to slaughter. They press on abetted by countless ‘useful idiots’ joining the choir. And they call it ‘Gay Liberation’.