You Like Knights? You Must Be Racist

People seem to be perplexed when they see I like knights. They at first think I am a fan of Dungeons and Dragons. Morons, I would never play that game. I like knights - noun: a man, serving as a page and squire before being raised to special military rank and pledged to chivalrous conduct for life. Imagine my surprise when a recent conversation with another student at IU led him to saying "Knights were responcible for terrible attrocities. Because of them, we are continuing to fight an ideological war in the Middle East." Wow, as Bill O'Reilly would say "You are a pinhead sir, and I say that with great sincerity."

The politically correct rewritten history does label knights as bloodthirsty, greedy (after all, they only went to Jerusalem to get riches), ignorant, depraved, and usually psychotic individuals who followed the greatest evil in the world, The Catholic Church! Well to those dumbasses I say, no. I will not let you take away a great piece of my heritage (even if it is part of the western civilization which created all evil on earth, spreading to every heathen, I mean peaceful people in the world. Ha! these people crack me up and make me sick at the same time).

I respect knights for several reasons. First, these were high class people who where humble (try finding that today). Although rich land owners, many knights litterally gave all of their money to the poor, living in relative poverty. They left the table a little hungry to avoid gluttony and to help feed those who had no food. They were close to being monks in their religious faith, living a life of constant prayer and devotion. They were true warriors, practicing their craft daily (except on Sunday to keep the Sabbath). Their code was the beginning of what it meant to be a real man. Anyone who enjoys John Wayne and what he embodies (strength, heroism, bravery, compassion for the weak, discipline, a clear idea of good and evil) would enjoy a knight.

A historical example of true selflessness. Niklas (or Nicholas) Zrinski picked 700 knights to fight the attacking Turkish army in Croatia. Niklas evacuated the fort and set it ablaze to make sure the Muslims gained nothing of worth. Zrinski spoke elequently "..Let us go out from this burning place into the open and stand up to our enemies. Who dies - he will be with God. Who dies not - his name will be honoured. I will go first, and what I do, you do. And God is my witness - I will never leave you, my brothers and knights!" They then attacked the 90,000 Turks head on, fighting to the death. The Turks suffered mightily, leaving 25,000 dead not including wounded (18,000 cavalry men, 7,000 elite jannissaries which decimated the jannissary corps). Suleyman (or Suleiman or Soleyman depending on translation) the Magnificent, leader of the Turks died two days later (one of the uncounted wounded). The Turks were forced to retreat and western civilization was saved (and with it Christianity). This act was latter captured by Nikola, the grandson of Niklas, in The Peril of Sziget.