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December 25, 2008
Exclusive: “Peace on Earth; Good Will Towards Man?” – A Christmas Wish With a Reality Check
As we celebrate Christmas, the message of Peace, and the hope for a better world with a yearning that this indeed is the year when Christ’s message will be the heralding of at least momentary acts of kindness, cessation of violence and a coming together of all peoples, we are met by the stark contradiction between what we wish for and what we see.
Used to be a time when Christmas signaled a sort of truce – even Snoopy and the Red Baron slipped away as friends for one evening. But in a world where villages fight villages, religious sects fight other religions, even in the U.S. communities are fighting against the mere mention of Christmas, and of course, nations run by ruthless despots trying to become nuclear bullies, criminal politicians (redundant term) abandoning their people, corporations that are robbing their workers and the taxpayers….the list goes on and on. Peace on earth, goodwill towards man indeed. A noble thought. But if people can’t get along, how can the nations that represent them?
“If you want peace, prepare for war.”
Sun Tzu
The U.S. is safe because we have a leader, at least for the next few weeks, who must have read Sun Tzu. Clearly Vice President Cheney has, and I suspect our POTUS as well.
My Christmas Present for President Bush…..”thank you!”
That said, if I could give President Bush one gift, it would be a card conveying the public’s gratitude. My Christmas present to POTUS 43 … that the American people would vocally recognize and applaud the outstanding job he did protecting the United States since 9/11. Instead of trying to “understand” the enemy by appeasement or apologizing for who we are – as if singing Kumbaya with folks determined to slaughter innocent people would work on the idiotic assumption that some word in the dictionary would alter the hearts and minds of mass murderers – he swore to protect this nation.
George Bush, for whatever else he and his team did right or wrong, there is no doubt whatsoever that he deserves our collective gratitude for reassembling a broken defense and intelligence community (thanks to his predecessor who believed swords needed to be plow shares) and has put our homeland security on the forward moving path. No one doubts there remains a lot to do to enhance the performance of the Department of Homeland Security. But given they had to hit the deck running, and in the face of a highly financed, trained, committed and global foe, all things being equal, DHS is doing a good job. But the fight isn’t over…or is it?
What type of leadership will we actually get on January 20th , what definition of “peace” will President Obama subscribe to, and what image will he project on the world stage?
Peace on Earth….but what kind?
There are lots of definitions for “peace.” There’s the Peace by appeasement (Peace at any price) – that Neville Chamberlain and many peaceniks today consider a viable strategy. Millions died while he tried to keep the peace…what peace? But that mentality didn’t die in 1940. When we look at Israel, giving real estate away for peace, I am reminded of the adage about appeasement: “Appeasement is feeding other people to the crocodile hoping it will be full before it comes to you.”
I always worry about people who think they know what’s best for others, regardless of the circumstances. Take for example Neville Chamberlains address to the British People:
“I can well understand the reasons why the Czech Government have felt unable to accept the terms which have been put before them in the German memorandum. Yet I believe after my talks with Herr Hitler that, if only time were allowed, it ought to be possible for the arrangements for transferring the territory that the Czech Government has agreed to give to Germany to be settled by agreement under conditions which would assure fair treatment to the population concerned. . .”
Hmmm, did anyone bother to ask the families of the late Czechs who objected to Herr Hitler taking over their country what they thought? Or the Poles? Or eventually the ever reliable “nation of surrenderers” France?
When I ask peace at any price people today – and of concern there are a growing number of them, mostly academics living comfortably on “tenure welfare” and the young students, sometimes idealistic other times mere lemmings who follow their radical faculty for a grade or approval or to tick off their parents – would they have supported Chamberlain or Churchill if parallel circumstances occurred today? Oh wait, Darfur, Kosovo, Iraq, Somalia, how could we forget, parallel things are going on today?! Most tell me there is no reason for violence. They arduously support Chamberlain, saying that his approach was right and WWII cost millions of lives to fight.
I wonder if the folks always clamoring for negotiations and peace talks (can anyone tell me a “peace talk” that without a big army behind it, ever led to peace? Paris Peace Talks, Camp David Peace Talks…..) have a magical dictionary? You’d think so, considering the arrogance of the anti war, peacenik, peace studies and peace at any price folks possess….that somehow they will find just the right words…the “open sesame” of peace promotion that will make bad guys become good guys just because of the mellifluous melodious words that they alone possess and could assemble. If only it was so simple! But I’ve never met a terrorist yet who said to me, if only you had said “pretty please” in this way, we’d have stopped building bombs!
Apparently peaceniks have forgotten how many died before WWII was declared by both sides. I guess in their paradigm, one sided wars are ok if you aren’t the aggressor…you keep your moral superiority! From a practical perspective, I wonder about the sincerity of folks who resort to violence while holding antiwar or peace signs. So much for moral authority. But then, we live in a secular progressive environment of moral relativism.
Then there is the Peace by acquiescence – think Jimmy Carter, who so well demonstrated this failed approach as our people were held hostage in Iran while he tried to avoid annoying the captors or being disagreeable. Terribly sporting old chap. But at the end of the day, and the end of his pitiful administration, our people were still prisoners. Apparently being a slow learner, he thought that same brand of “peace” policy would work in the Middle East….someone should have made a death clock starting at the “peace accords” old Jimmy started…how’s that working for the Israelis who were murdered at the hands of Arafat supporters? Advice for Jimmy Carter: go back to Habitat for Humanity…it is about the only place you make a difference. But on the world stage, you don’t get it, can’t sell it and never had it. And all your efforts accomplish is embarrassing your nation, hindering policy and undermining the currently elected president (newsflash Mr. Carter, you aren’t the president anymore!).
“All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
Edmund Burke
Since time immemorial, man has sought to subjugate, conquer and have domination over others. It is our lesser demons. But our higher angels have allowed us to develop “rules of engagement” – governments, militaries and law enforcement – that at least tenuously – foster peaceable if not peaceful coexistence. But this is always predicated upon good being stronger, e.g. able to control, punish or conquer, at least episodically, evil.
For all the anti-Iraq war sentiment, how many of those yammering for “peace” are advocating for the folks in Darfur? Or the genital mutilation or honor killings going on in Africa and the Middle East or the U.S.? When is tolerance culpability? We need to strongly reexamine who we are if we think being on the sidelines is righteous when bad people do bad things to vulnerable people. That is not and was not the message of Christmas. The saying is Peace on Earth; Goodwill to mankind. No peace is possible without good will to others.
Of all the definitions of “peace”…personally I prefer Peace by strength – the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush way!
The U.S. hasn’t been attacked since 9/11. Al Qaeda is being engaged. Parts of Iraq are significantly better than they were under the rule of Saddam. And the U.S. is now a major presence in the Middle East – something that, while perhaps not appealing to some, is necessary to keep an eye on our interests. Like it or not, the projection of our capability is a visible sign of our resolve. We have brought the gauntlet back to the ones who threw it.
But the game isn’t won. There is a fifth column of extremist Muslims in this country. At this time of year it would be nice for them to recognize that their religion was built upon the Jewish and Christian traditions….doubt me? Check out a few hadithas and a Koran.
From a security perspective, “peace” takes on a different and more cautionary tone. We need to be wary of the new leadership about to reside at 1600 Pennsylvania and the army of Obama supporters – mostly antiwar, some arguably anti America or at least pro socialist “one world” folks and the influence that they invariably will exert on Congress and the Administration;. Obama’s honeymoon period keeping Gates on as Secretary of Defense and hiring Hillary the Hammer as Secretary of State (finally, after two administrations, a lady in that role with cajones as well as a brain!) notwithstanding. What type of peace will Obama and his team subscribe to?
Transitions are always dangerous times, but no more so than when potentially opposing ideologies assume leadership and take up where their predecessors leave off. President Bush was a hawk in a world where prey is easily picked off. Did we miss a few opportunities along the way? Sure, but did our military demonstrate it is still a vaunted and powerful force? You bet. And there is no better way to secure peace or at least an absence of viable threat, than when you are the 800 pound gorilla. Be a weakling and you will always be bending over.
President Obama will have to ensure our military is able to stand tall. This is no time to pull a Miss Saigon in Iraq. It is no time to pull a Jimmy Carter with Iran. It is no time to pull a USS Cole on the high seas. (Coming soon article on China in the Gulf – bad news for the US).
President Elect Obama is a political survivor. No new kid on the block could climb so far so fast without being able to check folks into the boards from time to time. Good. We need someone who speaks like a diplomat but can fight by street rules. The question…can Obama?
Strength alone isn’t the answer. We need resolve to promote peace and most importantly to ensure the security of the United States. That is our leaders first and foremost responsibility to protect the interests of the U.S. – economically, militarily, domestically and geoglobally. Without a strong U.S.A., peace on earth is illusory. We are the worlds’ honest broker, policeman, philanthropist and guardian.
The Administration and our U.S. leaders need to accomplish a couple things in the New Year.
First – remain strong. The new administration cannot, even in the midst of our economic woes, cut funding or undermine the military.
Second – start the mantra – US First. It is now the 11th hour to U.S. industrial survival. Bear in mind that, with the pitifully low percentage of our employment base represented by manufacturing, great nations don’t stay great if they don’t make things. We couldn’t conduct WWII with these relative levels of production compared to the 1940s when we were a manufacturing power. It was the tenacity of our military and the overwhelming superiority of our industrial capacity that won the war. It was the deciding factor in the Civil War, too. The North just had greater capacity. But to retain and rebuild industrial capacity requires leveling the playing field. If China and others won’t play fair with their currency manipulation, and protectionist tariffs, it is time we start checking some folks into the boards and institute policies that protect the American worker.
Third – buy a map and study it. It is the global chess board representing energy, commerce, and political vulnerabilities. Let’s get back in the game.
Key places/key players/key allies/key adversaries:
The Gulf
The African Coast near the Gulf
Turkey
The Caspian
The Pacific Rim
Eastern Europe
Israel
Iran
OPEC
Venezuela
Cuba
Russia
China
Korean peninsula
Southern U.S. border
Northern U.S. border
Alaskan borders
To name a few. And we must be engaged economically, philanthropically, politically and militarily across these areas in parallel, not in sequence. If we really want Peace on Earth, then our leaders must have the courage to fight, the willingness to talk and the wisdom to know when to switch strategies. Weakening our military or our global presence whether here or in a region that is both strategically and symbolically critical in world affairs would only leave a vacuum that Russia, China, Iran and Syria would be only too happy to fill. They are already there.
Conclusion
At this sacred time of year we often look inwards into our own spirit and more keenly about the world we live in. Everyone but the village idiot, including Gracie Lou Freebush (Miss Congeniality) wants “World Peace!” But is it illusory? Is “peace” or the “peace movement” really a noble endeavor or pursuit? Or does it offer up weaker nations, weaker people to aggressors who have no compunction to using violence, while our hands don’t get dirty? Is this moral or just? Is it realistic? The global reality of war, strife, starvation, terrorism and nations positioning for power – the headlines of honor killings, homicide bombings, female genocide and ethnic cleansing – are stark contrasts to the warmth and Currier and Ives imagery we yearn for and impose upon this Holiday Season. And they give us pause to ask – is “peace on earth” even remotely possible and how do we define peace? The answer to the latter effectively frames the former question.
Like the simple message of the Birth in the manger over 2,000 years ago, perhaps peace is simply getting along in the daily events of our lives. In the kindness we show to those less fortunate. In the support we give our troops who are willing to fight and die for an ideal called the United States of America. Maybe the saying should be Goodwill towards mankind = Peace on Earth. But it would be naïve to think we can live in the neighborhood of nations without being strong –as a people must - through our military, a healthy economy and a moral compass that commends us to survive and thrive become that shining city on the hill We can be the broker of peace but only when we recognize peace through strength.
January 20th is fast approaching. What type of peace will this administration subscribe to remains to be seen? The world doesn’t stop because it is Christmas. Wars are being fought, U.S. soldiers are away from home. We need to do our part. The new administration will need to be kept on the right path…and it is up to all o f us to make certain that path protects this great nation of ours. Democracy is a participatory sport.
Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas, joyous moments with friends or family, peace of heart and mind, and prayers that we’ll have leaders wise enough to keep our nation strong long after the decorations come down.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Dr. Robin McFee is a physician and medical toxicologist. An expert in WMD preparedness, she is a consultant to government agencies, corporations and the media. Dr. McFee is a member of the Global Terrorism, Political Instability and International Crime Council of ASIS International. She has authored numerous articles on terrorism, health care and preparedness, and coauthored two books: Toxico-Terrorism by McGraw Hill and The Handbook of Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Agents, published by Informa/CRC Press.
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