A Different Christmas Poem

I got this via Email - Please share

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the garden to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the

sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

What are you doing?" I asked without fear,

"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!

Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light

Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,

I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Grandfather died in France ' on a day in December,"

Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gran always remembers."

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of Burma

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue... a Union flag.

I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a trench with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

" So go back inside," he said, "harbour no fright,

Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,

"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,

For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun - Katharine Hepburn

Around a month ago a Swiss research company published a report on how console Games cause players to commit virtual crime. The basics of the report compared popular games against Human Rights Laws including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and its predecessor 1907 Hague laws.


It focuses on First Person Shooters (FPS) from various historical conflicts demonstrating that story lines do not show the players a correct way to fight a war.

It decided to include World War 2 and modern scenarios together then beat them with the same yard stick as it states that most players do not have in-depth awareness of the laws so they could compare them with broad strokes (they would be applying the 1949 and 1907 acts where appropriate though). It did differentiate between player and Computer Controlled Players (CPU) however it did count CPU imagery as it demonstrated the law incorrectly

However reading the report you can see the how heavily is forced in to making sweeping statements on the usual issue of “CONSOLE GAMES ARE BAD”. Click on the Link to read it,

http://trial-ch.org/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Evenements_et_manifestations/Playing_by_the_Rule.pdf

I’ve played these games and want my side aired on the thin “violations”

Battlefield: Bad Company
Violations

1) Destruction of Civilian Property.
The law states that in a war zone civilian property should not be directly targeted however may be inevitable. However in Bad Company there are no civilians. Each hamlet is a stronghold that you need to clear and thus making it a military target. The report makes out your running through houses and blowing down Granny Clampet’s living room as she watches countdown with a grenade launcher and then stepping over the cat to shoot a mercenary. No you don’t. Houses are empty, no furniture. Presumably cleared by the enemy and thus breaking another law.

2) No assessment of proportionality.
True. But would a game be exciting when the level starts off with a risk assessment. Let’s just pretend that we had that meeting and it was deemed an appropriate response.

3) The stealing of Gold from Civilian Houses
Looting is prohibited in modern law however what the report fails to pick up is that the gold isn’t civilian it’s actually the enemies. Yes that breaks the law too but the report hints that you are robbing Ma Dingle of her pearls once you have blown a hole in her wall.

The premise of the game is that your team have gone rogue from the army (so probably not following any rules as your now wanted) and you are now trying to get rich from stealing gold paid to the mercenaries as wages, who have taken over an eastern European state. This gold is scattered not just in houses but on woods and islands.

Brother in Arms: Hells Highway
Violations

1) A woman is captured and turns up later to be hanged and you attack a church which is in use as a military target.
Yes these do happen in the game and is a violation. But what it fails to mention is that it’s not by you but the CPU player in the back ground. Yes that is a horrible crime to execute civilians. However the report failed to mention is historical context when applying historical laws. This is my problem – you can’t pick out historical law violations without applying the context.

The CPU player is in fact the SS, which were not famous for there rules of engagement and Geneva abiding. Are we to pretend these things never happened? Surely reminding of us of why we fought for the liberation of Europe is a good thing?

Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare
Violations

1) Helicopter attack does not take into account of civilians.
Well there one reason for that – there are none. Like Battlefield it does not place civilians in the way of danger during the attack.

2) Civilian Property in towns destroyed
Again like battlefield the down is deserted (I assume cleared by enemy forces). However in call of duty you cannot destroy building and only go in ones that are objectives. Eg a TV Station

3) Introduction Movie includes killing of civilians
This is slightly interactive in the sense that you can move your head however contextually it does set out what is happening in a coup.

4) Killing of interrogated informant.

Yes these are definitely illegal but the report fails to mention that this section is not interactive but a movie sequence. The reason why the report focused on human rights violations in games and not movies was that they were more interactive. The scene itself does not require you to interact at all merely watch. So really they were scraping the barrel at this point.

True Crime Streets of LA
Violations

1) Brutal Police interrogation
Again this isn’t an interactive part just a movie your see

So really that’s all I have to say on the subject. Yes they do portray what technically be deemed as virtual crimes however the report leaves out massive detail and fails to realise contextual background theatrics. Whether the games industry takes note is really up to them but I’m guessing its already in the bin. Keith Vas however is probably wetting his pants.

Additional

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8373794.stm

One of our dinosaurs is missing ?

How do you lose a 1.5m tall mechanised Dino ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8400962.stm

Answers on a Postcard to the Mexico Police department although they have drafted Disney in as advisors