The Boston Marathon terror attack was gruesome and alarming, but, as it consumes the entirety of the next couple of 24-hour news cycles, remember to keep it in perspective. For instance, Iraq also got a dose of it yesterday - a wave of bombings across the country that killed 55 and injured 300. And this comes a week after prime minister al-Maliki's Washington Post column assuring the US that it has a partner in the search for mideast stability. The jihadists yesterday were saying, "Here's what we think of your stinking partnership."
The enemies of righteousness and human advancement aren't stupid. You could make the case that they're mad, but they're not stupid.
On the immediate heels of Secretary Global Test's let's-get-back-to-patty-cake swing through the Pacific rim, the Chinese Ministry of Defense released its annual white paper, in which it places the main blame for Pacific-rim tensions on the increased Western / US presence there.
We navel-gaze and obsess over "diversity" while our highly focused foes proceed with their agendas. One thing I'm going to be interested in following as the Boston story continues to unfold is the international angle. I don't think the fact that that race attracts runners from such a broad array of nations is coincidental. It seems more likely to me that a message along the lines of "The party's just about over, all you global-harmony types" was being conveyed. Let's hope the investigation has sufficient scope to, as they say, connect any dots. Word of blood travels fast among piranhas.
Yeah, that St. Francis, he of the request to the Lord to make him an instrument of his peace, what a bunch of hooie.
ReplyDeleteThere can be no real peace as long as your enemies are still trying to destroy you.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, Generals Washington, Grant, Patton, MacArthur and Westmoreland and Schwartzkopf were instruments of God's peace.
You are plainly a hawk. You need to keep building your coalition of the willing while you relegate those not necessarily with you on preemptive striking to either global harmony types or traitors. All of the above arguably great American generals were defending our country with the exception of the latter two. But I know, I know, they were all defending freedom whether the global harmony types realize it or not.
ReplyDeleteWell, he used to be considered a world moral leader.
ReplyDeleteVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis says he is ‘‘deeply grieved by the news of the loss of life and grave injuries’’ caused by two bomb blasts at the Boston Marathon.
Francis expressed his condolences in a message Tuesday addressed to Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley, a good friend of Francis’ from the pope’s time as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The explosions Monday killed three people, including an 8-year-old boy, and injured more than 140. No one has claimed responsibility.
Francis called on Bostonians to ‘‘be united in a resolve not to be overcome by evil but to combat evil with good’’ and to work together ‘‘to build an ever more just, free and secure society for generations yet to come.’’
President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Cardinal Dolan: "The tragic end to the Boston Marathon April 15 reminds us all that evil exists and that life is fragile. . . The growing culture of violence in our world and even in our country calls for both wise security measures by government officials and an examination by all of us to see what we can personally do to enhance peace and respect for one another in our world."
ReplyDeleteWith a viral Facebook post, comedian Patton Oswalt put it this way: "The vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.
ReplyDelete"So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, "The good outnumber you, and we always will."
The enemy few will not be defeated by massive "shock and awe," or by Colin Powell's concept of applying overwhelming force. Only our few can defeat theirs.
ReplyDeleteRead more at http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/04/15/beware_the_few?page=0,1&wp_login_redirect=0
The Patton Oswalt post has been liked by 272,193, shared by 204,826 with 10,977 as of noon the day following its posting on facebook 19 hours ago and I am so out of it I have never heard of him, which is understandable since I do not watch much television at all, nor do I even have one with me in Florida. Not sure if he is a moral leader but his words have obviously struck some chord with some folks.
ReplyDeleteQuite obviously the sum total of good has outweighed the sum total of bad in human activity over the last umpteen thousand years, or we wouldn't a.) be here, per this Oswald person, or b.) have advanced materially the way we have, with ever more of us living safely and comfortably.
ReplyDeleteStill, at this point in my spiritual growth, I'm inclined, against my residual leanings to the contrary, to think that Calvin was on to something with his Total Depravity assertion.
And therein lies the brilliance of the design devised by our Founding Fathers. They set up a system that accounted for the inherent moral shortcomings in human nature.
Seth McFarland and Rush Limbaugh, no moral leaders here. Family Guy episode on BM terrorism pulled and Rush heard to be in bad taste too, joking about the gummit banning pressure cookers and ball bearings.
ReplyDeleteDecent folks who believe in tolerance and equality are no longer powerless against Limbaugh's efforts to spread intolerance on the radio. StopRush is making a major impact by convincing advertisers on this show to withdraw their ads--and with your help we can do even more. Just a few emails, tweets, or Facebook messages a week to Limbaugh's advertisers can go a long way toward making hatred less profitable. It is our collective voice that makes us strong.
Read more at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/17/1202460/-Limbaugh-Jokes-About-Boston-Bombs
Um, back to the original point, the US is a greatly weakened player on the world stage, thanks to this regime's policy of planned decline.
ReplyDelete