State Of The World

Many years ago I met someone who fought in WWII. He told me when he was in school he had a “current events” day. This was a day you were supposed to bring an article from the newspaper and give a little report on it. He can remember cutting out a political cartoon for his report. It was a depiction of a silkworm (Japan) taking a bite out of a maple leaf (China). He said, “Japan invaded China”, and sat down. He did not know at that time that cartoon and that invasion would change the world and he would be part of it.
Syria just bombed its own people with a chemical weapon. The official Syrian line is that they bombed a weapons factory and the chemicals are from the factory. There is a lot of evidence that the government’s line is a lie.
“The attack appeared to be the largest and deadliest chemical attack in Syria since August 2013, when more than 1,000 people were killed in the Damascus suburbs by the banned toxin sarin. Under threat of United States retaliation, Mr. Assad agreed to a Russian-American deal to eliminate his country’s chemical weapons program, which until that time it had denied having, and to join an international treaty banning chemical weapons.”
Reminds me of the Japanese talking about removing U.S. sanctions in negotiations all the while plotting to bomb Pearl Harbor. Assad talks about eliminated chemical weapons all the while planning to eliminate them by using them!
War is horrible and evil. But how long do you let evil have his way? This was the same question asked in 1941. Some were isolationists. “That is not our fight, that’s way across the world and is none of our business!”
Well that’s what we did in 1941 and look where it got us? When do you intervene? Do you wait until it is at your door? These are tough questions.
I want you to know I am not a war-monger. I am similar to Moroni in the Book of Mormon. I do not “delight in the shedding of blood.” But my opinion has been that Syria is a haven for terrorism. I’ve had that opinion for years. I don’t advocate killing non-combatants, woman and children, but let’s make Syria a parking lot! Maybe that is harsh and non-Christ-like, but it comes from a military background I guess. I’d like to change the climate in Syria and the middle-east. I’d like to call the Islamic religion a religion of peace, but I can’t. I know that not every Muslim believes the anti-American crap nor the violence to non-believers. I’ve had members tell me that the Bible and the Book of Mormon has its share of violence in them. The difference is that the violence in LDS and Christian scripture is describing events, not advocating infidel war.
As you may or may not know the difference in the story of Ishmael and Isaac stem from scripture. Isaac being chosen from the Bible and Ishmael being chosen from the Koran. This is the dispute. Was Ishmael chosen over his half brother? To me it doesn’t follow Jewish tradition of the time. Ishmael is from a handmaid rather than Isaac from a wife. But I also believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it translated correctly. In this I can agree with Muslim authority who say the Bible went through a lot of men’s hands and that it is corrupted. This is the reason for continued revelation, modern prophets, and the Book of Mormon.
So, the question that has come up in many of my military classes concerning whether we should be involved in any wars. World War II was fairly clear. We needed to defend ourselves. So what about terrorism? What about 9-11? Does that constitute a war? The question that I’ve discussed at length is a no-win scenario.
You’re walking down the street and see a man slapping a woman around on the other side of the street. Do you yell at the guy? Do you cross the street and intervene? Do you call the police and hope they get there in time? There are many answers and none are right for everyone. My answer is I try to stop the violence after the police have been called. I want this to happen as simply and without any violence as possible. But I’ve made the decision to intervene when I started to carry a gun several years ago. Of course every situation is different and I would have to go by the Spirit and what is developing.
That is the age old question. When should the U.S. intervene in another country’s civil war or problem? When is killing your own people considered genocide?
Before we are so down on problems that this country gets involved with we need to consider all these points. Was Viet Nam worth the lives? Probably not. But in hindsight it is easier to figure out a plan of action than in the moment. The U.S. did change East Asia by its influence and presence for all those years. Can the same be said for the middle-east? We’re still involved so it’s hard to say.
Martin Niemoller was a prominent Protestant pastor who was outspoken against Hitler. He spent 7 years in concentration camps. He wrote:
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
When do we act? When do we speak out? When do we commit to defending innocent people who are being oppressed or exterminated? Could anyone had done anything about death camps during WWII?
I know my statement, “Make Syria a parking lot,” is not politically correct. And I don’t want the wholesale killing of anyone, but to do nothing or little is scandalous.
They have already “come for us”. Much terrorist ideology is steeped in “death to America” ideals. The war has been brought to us. What will we do about it?
What does all this have to do with guns and security? Because the powers that be can’t figure out what to do with tyrants, terrorists, and psycho leaders, you and I must defend ourselves in our personal fight against threats to our families. Have a plan. Work your plan.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn