Did McCain ad lift 'cross in the dirt' story from Russian novelist?

Senator John McCain (R-AZ), in a Christmas-themed December ad for his presidential campaign, told the following story:

"One night, after being mistreated as a POW, a guard loosened the ropes binding me, easing my pain. On Christmas, that same guard approached me, and without saying a word, he drew a cross in the sand. We stood, wordlessly, looking at the cross, remembering the true light of Christmas. I'll never forget that no matter where you are, no matter how difficult the circumstances, there will always be someone who will pick you up."

"It just sounded so fake and so contrived, so I did a little research about it," said DailyKos contributor rickrocket. The research revealed a similar story by recently departed novelist and McCain favorite Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, recounting his experience in a Soviet gulag in The Gulag Archipelago, released in the United States in 1973. Luke Veronis, in The Sign of the Cross, recounts:

"Along with other prisoners, he worked in the fields day after day, in rain and sun, during summer and winter. His life appeared to be nothing more than backbreaking labor and slow starvation. The intense suffering reduced him to a state of despair.

On one particular day, the hopelessness of his situation became too much for him. He saw no reason to continue his struggle, no reason to keep on living. His life made no difference in the world. So he gave up.

Leaving his shovel on the ground, he slowly walked to a crude bench and sat down. He knew that at any moment a guard would order him to stand up, and when he failed to respond, the guard would beat him to death, probably with his own shovel. He had seen it happen to other prisoners.

As he waited, head down, he felt a presence. Slowly he looked up and saw a skinny old prisoner squat down beside him. The man said nothing. Instead, he used a stick to trace in the dirt the sign of the Cross. The man then got back up and returned to his work.

As Solzhenitsyn stared at the Cross drawn in the dirt his entire perspective changed. He knew he was only one man against the all-powerful Soviet empire. Yet he knew there was something greater than the evil he saw in the prison camp, something greater than the Soviet Union. He knew that hope for all people was represented by that simple Cross. Through the power of the Cross, anything was possible.

Solzhenitsyn slowly rose to his feet, picked up his shovel, and went back to work. Outwardly, nothing had changed. Inside, he had received hope."

SEE THE YOUTUBE AT THE LINK!

Looks like he did in my opinion.


Given McCains posture on torture, I fail to see how being a POW would make him an effective President.

My extraction from his record is that he would be fond of provocations, invasions and occupations.

One of my theories is that Rockefeller and Kissinger want to consumate their New World Order before facing their so well deserved eternal damnation. McCain would be an eager accomplice if they go with a military means.

Obama is shaping up to be a more thoughtful globalist. The pen or the sword? What is their weapon?

The funding for both candidates comes largely from the same source: Wall Street/defence contractors

My feeling is that Obama would genuinely like to help the common person while McCain follows the tradtional Republican methodology of taking from the poor and giving to the rich.

How much would Obama's managers cooperate with him? His 'boss' is the same guy that managed Carter. I won't even try to spell it, lets call him B.


Crap....how can one be optimistic these days?

Try to spend a least a couple of hours a day living in the present.
Find something that is beautiful to your mind and just admire it, be it a picture, a music, a walk out in nature, anything that puts you in the mind set of "Wow, I'm really here and this is cool".

In other words, forget about them for a short time every day. To keep our sanity this is something we must do.

No, this will not make the problems go away, but what it does do is help to conserve and recharge your batteries.

Make the time.

As I have stated before, I have not given up, just the opposite is true. I am ready to move in a meaningful way.
What I do find to be frustrating however is that most Americans still just do not get it.

Some time ago I wrote about one way to harass them that would be meaningful, would/could be sustained, and no one would have to leave their homes.

It was not received well. I think it is because no matter how angry people are, they are still afraid of any repercussions to an action that is outside of the rules that our illustrious leaders have set, though I could very well be wrong.

To make me even more disillusioned, during my little hiatus I wrote to many of the people who run the news sites I read as well as people who attempt to organize petitions/rally's and such. (though there is one who I haven't tried.....I need to get in touch with Cindy Sheehan.)

The only possible way to get them to listen is to harass them relentlessly, to make them fear that their control is threatened.

I will not lie. Those who are worried about this type of action should be worried. We cannot deny the fact that our goal is to overthrow this insanity and history has proven that the criminally insane do not like to be challenged. The problem is, without a real challenge to the power structure, nothing will change. People are just not ready or willing to risk sacrificing what little they have. Thus I say nothing will happen until we hit rock bottom.....once we have nothing to lose......

Anyway's, as usual I went off on a tangent.

There is plenty to be happy about. You are here and it is amazing. Recognize it.

Crimson.