“…Home! Home! Pickup and home! Any beacon you can hear. Six minutes! All hands, save yourselves, pick up your mates. Home on any beacon! Sauve qui -“
No, wait, that’s a quote from Starship Troopers. This is what Israel actually did:
The Democrat charged with trying to win back the House majority is telling his candidates that it’s OK to skip the party’s national convention.
…OK, OK, pretty much the same thing.
Moe Lane
Flee!
It seems we are seeing the first passel of rats streaming out of the foundering USS Barack Obama.
<King Arthur> Run away! </King Arthur>
Brave Sir Democrats ran away
Bravely ran away, away
When elections reared their ugly heads
They bravely turned their tails and fled
Yes, brave Sir Democrats turned about
And gallantly they chickened out
Bravely taking to their feet
They beat a very brave retreat
Bravest of the brave, Sir Democrats!
But… if everybody leaves, who’s going to eat the Chilean sea bass? More than that, who’se going to serve it?
The Heinlein quote was my first thought when I saw the headline lmked over on Instapundit. Good to see some love for one of the masters.
Nice quotation of RAH … but I can’t help wondering: what is the beacon, and where is home?
Jay asked “what is the beacon, and where is home?”
The quote from Heinlein’s masterpiece Starship Troopers (one of many imho) was at the end of a clusterf … um … foul-up on
one of the planets the M.I. (read the book!) attacked.
The ‘beacon’ was a radio homing beacon broadcast so that the Troopers could find a ship on which to ‘home in on’ and, therein,
leave the planet.
Just so you should know, while the battle sequences are
edge-of-your-seat excting, the bulk of the book is really
a superb discussion on what it means to be a human being.
Highly recommended!
Shines the name, shines the name of Rodger Young….
History and Moral Philosophy always was my favorite course.
Anyone who gets a C- out of “Appreciation of Television” can’t be all bad.
Ted et al – Apologies for not being more clear; I’m already familiar with Starship Troopers. I was wondering what “beacon” and “home” might mean in this context …
Jay, they don’t mean anything. The message is “save yourselves.” Nothing more, nothing less.
Brasvo, Nate Whilk!
That’s the best-known modern reference to “Sauve qui peut”. but the term (and the practice) goes back hundreds of years.
In the 19th century and before, infantry in battle fought in formed ranks, shoulder to shoulder. Breakdown of the formation was usually fatal, so men were trained (and ferociously disciplined) to hold the line. If the battle went badly, the troops would be ordered to fall back, but in order.
But there could be exceptions. Suppose the enemy broke through part of the line, or turned a flank. Ordered troops are stronger to the front – but extremely vulnerable to flank and rea A tight mass of men remaining in line would be in a trap, exposed to annihilation.
At that point the best move for the threatened troops is to get out at once. Break the line and run for it, and try to rally somewhere in the rear.
“Sauve qui peut” – save yourselves who can. It’s the announcement of disaster and panic. It’s in French, like most classic military jargon.
Here is an example from Kipling’s poem “That Day” (about a poorly disciplined British regiment that breaks in battle):
We was sick o’ bein’ punished, an’ we let ’em know it, too;
An a company-commander up an’ ‘it us with a sword,
An some-one one shouted “‘Ook it!” an’ it come to sove-ki-poo,
An we chucked our rifles from us—O my Gawd!