Has the Western World Become Overly Averse to Use of Force?

One of the recent trends in Western civilization is the simplistic equating any violent act with evil and unacceptable behavior. The tendency is to ignore whether any use of violence was predicated by actions causing a defensive act to become necessary such as fighting a bully on the school yard, something which while discouraged fifty years ago was understood and a semi-official permissive response was often utilized. Today there are zero-tolerance rules and programs which disregard the reasons, situations, explanations or instigations behind any act of violence; they simply mete out the required punishment ignoring any other evidence. Violence has become automatically punished with the prescribed week or two suspensions regardless of any mitigating factors. No longer is defending oneself permissible or even capable of garnering the slightest sympathy as violence must be vanquished from every corner and in every form from our modern and advanced society as otherwise allowing for such a primitive and primal act which begets violence must be eradicated. This preoccupation has metastasized like a cancer within modern Western society to the point that it has changed gender models and even modified how children are permitted to play. Violence has been so distorted and twisted in its applications and definitions that any physical contest now qualifies as a form of violence in the public school systems. This has led to altering many areas of education to the point where physical education and playground exercises have been completely redefined as to what activities are acceptable such that efforts have taken place to emphasize cooperative and productive activities during such times replacing four-square, soccer or football with a joint effort to push a large soft ball from one end of the field to the other end and then congratulating everybody for their equal efforts in accomplishing this formidable task. When normal competitive sports are actually permitted the poor little darlings are shielded from disappointment and the shame of losing by not keeping score and even changing basic rules such that everybody gets equal time and is rewarded equally. There cannot be losers any longer as that implies there are winners and nobody is any better than anybody else and competitions are simply violence in a different form. This is also part of the reasoning behind giving everybody a trophy if anybody gets a trophy.

 

This insanity has also spread to all corners of modern Western civilization even to the point that risks are avoided even in some of the most dangerous activities as we must be assured that nobody will ever be injured or, even more frightening and unthinkable, die as such proves that whatever actions or endeavors the person was involved in had unacceptable risks and possibilities of violent outcomes. This had even been applied to the space program and military endeavors. The public has been led to feel that any death resulting from any endeavor or mission is completely unacceptable and thus all actions and missions must first and foremost guarantee zero casualties. This is part of the reason why the war in the Balkans was deemed a success as was the initial war in Libya, before Benghazi, and the wars in Iraq and later in Afghanistan were considered erroneous and far too dangerous endeavors and quickly became unacceptable to large portions of the American society as well as in Europe where demands became common insisting that the allied forces be removed before any further soldiers died needlessly. Only a war in which nobody from Western nations dies can be permitted which is part of why despite the show of solidarity by hash-tagging #BringBackOurGirls garnered so many retweets from throughout the Western world even including First Lady Michelle Obama, yet no national cry developed to actually send in troops and actively do something which would have likely been very dangerous and required the utilization of acts of violence which Western society can no longer condone. People wonder why much of the Islamic world disrespects the Western culture and holds Western society in disdain and disgust. The reasons are plain to see, the Islamic culture believes strongly in honor and protecting your values and society at any cost and are not adverse to the use of force as a solution to differences and they take the lack of such resolve by Western societies as a sign that their culture is not worthy of respect since those who live in the Western culture refuse to go to any extreme to defend their culture and property. The fact that Western nations insist on talking and place negotiations as superior to resorting to violence and firmly believe that any difference can be resolved through simple negotiations and that resorting to violence is uncouth and virtually unthinkable makes Western culture inferior to Islam as Islam allows for any action to be employed in the defense of Islam from deceit to outright violence.

 

Currently, the United States lack of resolve and beyond willingness to active anxiousness to remove their soldiers from harm’s way and leaving Iraq and Afghanistan almost as quickly as is humanly possible and before the fighting has been resolved has shown the Taliban and other Islamic leaders of both terrorist groups and nations that the Americans have no stomach for the fight. This completely backs the very accusations which Osama bin Laden had accused the Western nations of behaving when he claimed that he was the strong horse and the Americans were the weak horse and people follow the strong horse every time. Osama bin Laden’s description of how he perceived the Western nations in general and the United States in particular is a perfect example of the difference between the two cultures, the Islamic culture willing and ready to fight to protect their way of life and the tenets of their religion versus the Western society which resorts first and foremost to negotiations and seems to be unable of remaining in a fight until a complete resolution has been won.

 

This is a situation which is unlikely to change as the Western nations are raising their children under a code of action where one refuses to fight no matter what the provocation and the correct and approved manner of responding to an attack is to go and tell an authority figure or governing school official and let them mitigate the situation. This will lead later in life for a population which if their country is threatened or suffers from a violent terrorist attack simply filing a report and complaint at the United Nations and then hold meetings and negotiations and should the presumed perpetrator apologize, then the Western society will accept that as the end of the situation. But what happens if the nation which apologizes is simply using the religious principle of Taqiyya and saying what needs to be said to mislead the Western powers into a false sense that the hostilities will not be renewed at a later date. The fact that all the Western powers require is a soulful, even if dishonest, apology and a promise, no matter how thin the lie, that such an attack will never be permitted again has been made so overtly evident when the European Union, United States and numerous European nations all demand that Israel simply shake Mahmoud Abbas’s hand and return to negotiations and make another set of compromises and concessions as this time Abbas really desires peace and has given assurances that things will be different this time. Then when things are not different this time the Western leaders blame Israel because to blame Abbas would result in a dangerous situation which could potentially bring some forms of violence to their shores while blaming and punishing Israel results in a lengthy discussion with the Israelis demanding why the Western nations persist in this deadly game at their expense. The reason is obvious, to do anything other than lay all the blame at Israel’s feet would demand actions and taking risks which means increased possibility for violence, and violence is bad and must never be undertaken, we learned that in elementary school and it was even a sub-major we took in college. Blaming and demeaning Israel is safe, opposing the Islamic world is dangerous, and when given such a choice the craven leadership of the wimpified Western world will always take the path of least resistance even if it means compromising everything their culture supposedly represents or is based upon as long as it allows for avoidance of conflict, especially violent conflict. Western culture is on the path to its extinction unless somewhere they decide to draw a line behind which they will not surrender, though I see little if any possibility that such a line will be drawn in the foreseeable future, and that is indeed a sad state of affairs. What makes this all the more painful to witness is it was this exact pursuit that brought the world the Munich Agreement of September 1938 and all that followed and just as then the Western powers are claiming that their actions are so civilized and intelligent as it keeps them above the fray and preserves the state of peace that exists. They claim peace, peace, peace but there is not peace and what is coming is so antithetical to peace that its calamity and conflagration may leave little but ashes throughout the four corners of the globe when all is said and done, and there will be so precious little left of any culture or civilization as this will be the war Einstein refused to predict its weapons but he did describe the weapons to be used in the war after this one, sticks and stones.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Signs to Look for as News Breaks About Bowe Bergdahl

Sargent Bowe Bergdahl whose release was attained at the formidable cost of freeing five members of Taliban senior leadership who will most definitely reenter their chosen field as fighters for Islam and Allah by whatever means proves necessary. That is the easy to swallow result. What is somewhat more dispiriting is that these were leaders who are very capable at recruiting and training others to assist in their Jihadist dreams. Often releasing five terrorists might result in an increase in terrorist acts proportional to adding five terrorists to the available pool and perhaps slightly more depending on the proficiency and capabilities of the released terrorists, after all, they were captured which might question their actual effectiveness. These were not run of the mill trooper from within the Jihadist Army of Islam; these were commanders, leadership, the planers and organizers. This release will have a multiplied if not exponential effect and will signify a great increase in potential for terrorist attacks as well as increasing the abilities to facilitate offensive military style operations being executed far more efficiently by the Taliban which means greater accessibility for al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and the remote tribal areas of Pakistan. All of this is a given and apparently was considered an acceptable and allowable increase in risks going forward in Afghanistan and the surrounding areas. Somebody more cynical might point out that President Obama and the American military men and women do not need to be all that concerned as they will have packed up their gear and left Afghanistan before the ramifications of this trade take full and forceful effect. Be that as it may, what will be in the Afghan future is something that most in the United States will be willing to ignore once their troops have disengaged and been restationed preferably back home.

 

The big issue back in the United States is exactly who Sargent Bowe Bergdahl really is and what the real situation behind his being captured by, or joining with, the Taliban over five years ago truly was. As often becomes the case where there may be embarrassing truths which could bring difficulties onto the President of the United States, especially when these instances include items which are capable and likely to be handled solely by the military, the truth will never be fully revealed, at least not for as long as anybody aligned with the power structure of the present White House retain any amount of effective influence. This leaves the public to wonder and try to ascertain for themselves by whatever tantalizing bits of information may get leaked or given to the press and also more by those things that were expected to occur but did not happen. The latter will likely be the most revealing source but such requires the ever dangerous jumping to conclusions. Should no hearings be held by the Congress and the military investigation which is inevitable considering the rumors and purported information which leaves so many questions as to the events surrounding Sargent Bergdahl’s capture appear to be overtly secretive and of a very brief nature without any charges filed against Sargent Bergdahl, then the public should be very suspicious. Should Sargent Bergdahl then leave the service soon after the investigation then it would not be beyond reason to believe that there was an agreement that Sargent Bergdahl would simply resign or not reenlist and quietly go off into public life never to speak about the issues surrounding the entire series of events, suspecting the worst would be prudent and very probably valid. Should the departure of Sargent Bergdahl without any trial or disciplinary actions and then a blank wall of silence appear to have been erected completely around the incidents and those who should have answers refuse to comment and act as if there was never any suspicious events around the capture of Sargent Bergdahl, there is a high likelihood that we will have witnessed a grand sweeping under the rug of some very embarrassing truths. What will be more difficult to determine is whether what is being protected are members and protocols within the military or the White House and the actions and motivations of the President. An example of minimalization of an obviously horrific event and its rooting in terror which has been drawn-out to the point of being forgotten and was mischaracterized as “workplace violence” is the still ongoing trial of military psychologist Major Nidal Malik Hasan. How long will the American populace be able and have the desire to press for the truth behind Sargent Bergdahl and the events leading to his capture and the reasons for the exchange for his release. After all, with Justin and Molly and the Kardashians, not to mention Hillary’s latest best seller hitting the stands and topping the New York Times Best Seller list and Oprah interviewing Hillary, there is so much that is far more tantalizing coming down the pike to worry about the sad story of one soldier in Afghanistan, we’re leaving there, aren’t we?

 

Now, if there is an actual Courts Martial trial, be it General or lesser Courts Martial, then we can feel assured that there exists some damning evidence that was so far beyond the system’s capability to ignore and even the White House was unable to bury the whole story. If Courts Martial charges are brought against Sargent Bergdahl, then it is very possible this could be one of the shortest trials in military history. The main reason behind the holding of a trial would be because the military decided that the actions of Sargent Bergdahl were so obscene and over the top and the price paid in lives and efforts initially when trying to locate and “rescue” him immediately after his disappearance, or walking off his post, were deemed necessarily to demand payment by the guilty person or persons. The military would be pursuing something which would conceivably reflect poorly on their Commander in Chief, who maybe could have dithered a little longer on this choice, and the price and seriousness of the ramifications from Sargent Bergdahl’s actions overrode any consideration of the consequences for the President. So, a Courts Martial would be the worst case scenario and would signify extreme misconduct that was beyond the pale and such a trial deemed unavoidable all things considered. Somewhat less suspicious but still signifying that there was sufficient amount of misdeeds or suspicions of such deeds with strong evidence behind them, that would be Sargent Bergdahl leaving his military service within days, possibly hours, after he is released from the hospital and returns to a base within the United States. A lesser indication of suspicions of guilt would be if Sargent Bergdahl was refused reenlistment when his current tour ends. This would be a simple divorce for irreconcilable differences. Only if there is a hearing or a trail and Sargent Bergdahl was found innocent of all charges, and all suspicions were to be explained with the record set straight with Sargent Bergdahl continuing to serve and hopefully in an exemplary manner and with distinction then he should be considered innocent by even the most skeptical among us. As much as this would be the most preferable result, somehow it does not appear it has any possibility of being the results we will witness. In many ways the likeliest result will probably be a quick and clean divorce and Sargent Bergdahl will simply be allowed to quietly depart from service within weeks and under the understanding that he never speak of the events under penalty of charges being levied against him and the full force of the military enforcement system brought to bear against him. The worst case scenario would be if for political reasons and in an attempt to embarrass the President, members of Congress force a very public investigation attempting to make front page headlines at the expense of the reputation of the United States military simply by association. Any highly publicized investigation with the aim of proving bad judgment by the White House would result in further polarizing of the American populace which has already been torn apart enough by so many other highly charged and often manufactured stories over everything from cakes for gay weddings to accusations of racial basis for opposing policies proposed by the White House. In many ways and for the peace within American society I hope the accusations over how Sargent Bergdahl came to be held by the Taliban is resolved with quiet efficiency and still departs a fair measure of justice if and where necessary, be it against Sargent Bergdahl or against his accusers. Somehow I bet this will not be resolved quietly or quickly but we can still hope for fair and justly.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

European Governments Shocked at Rampant Anti-Semitism

Many European officials and leadership claimed to be shocked and alarmed by the massive increase in anti-Semitism as reported in the recent Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in-depth research which surveyed 53,100 adults in over one-hundred nations. Figures showed that a mere 54% responded as having heard of the Holocaust and that just over one out of every four people worldwide expressed definitive anti-Semitic views. Many European Union nations gathered for a meeting to address the results and implications of the report and other indicators of the high levels of anti-Semitism. These nations included Austria, France, Lithuania, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Cyprus, Croatia, Germany, Latvia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Hungary and Ukraine. Notable by its lack of representation was Greece which according to reports has the highest rate of anti-Semitism in Europe with 69% of those surveyed responding in a manner indicating they harbored anti-Semitism. Despite the absence of numerous European nations, this conference could be a sign that something might actually be addressed though we will need to see what follow through takes place.

 

Many who have simply followed the news had seen reported increases in anti-Semitic acts and increased hate speech against Jews. The rise in such occurrences paralleled similar increases in disparaging remarks, denunciations, threats of boycotts and other negative policies, speeches and actions against Israel. When the leadership of the European Union and numerous European governments take oppositional positions against Israel and then are puzzled when their public takes negative views of both Israel and Jews, they may feign surprise but most of the rest of us see the relationship. A perfect example came recently from European Union Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen who questioned the Israeli position on negotiating with terrorists such as Hamas querying, “I don’t see a reason for the peace talks stopping in order to send a message that there’s a difference between Fatah and Hamas.” This statement comes from the Ambassador representing the European Union, an organization which firmly identifies both Hamas and Hamas-Izz al-Din al-Qassem, both the military and governmental branches of Hamas as terrorist organizations. Do not get me wrong, the fact that he realizes that there is little to no difference between Hamas and Fatah in regards as to their being steeped through and through in terrorism is heartwarming as so many in the United States keep insisting on calling Fatah a partner to peace. Fatah members in the so-called West Bank, historically named Judea and Samaria, in the last week has hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at IDF troops, firebombed a school bus loaded with young girls near Hevron on their way to attend a friend’s Bat Mitzvah, in the Galilee attempted to strangle a nineteen year old young lady and when unable to murder her that way then stabbed her to death before fleeing into a neighboring Arab town making their escape, and an assault on a <a href=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/180652#.U3uF5SjANzV>Christian Church in Bethlehem</a> which was reported as, “Some local Muslims either tried to park a car too close the church and/or tried to enter the church during a service honoring St. George, the initial instigation isn’t clear. But when the intruders were asked to leave, one of them stabbed a Christian man who was outside the church serving as a guard. He was hospitalized. Several then started throwing stones at the church. Seven or Eight Christians were injured and some physical damage was done – broken windows…”

 

Perhaps the European Union Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen is dead on correct and Fatah and thus the PLO and Palestinian Authority are no different than Hamas and are just as evil, just as steeped in terror, just as bent on the destruction of Israel, and just as filled with seething hatred which cannot be appeased and a desire to eradicate Israel and murder every Jew within which is beyond mollification; but that does not imply that Israel should now be forced to negotiate with Hamas just because Fatah is just as inundated with terrorists, it should mean that the world needs to see clearly and classify Fatah and Mahmoud Abbas and the rest of his henchmen as the terrorists they truly are. The claims which demand of Israel to choose with whom they will negotiate should be answered with nobody who is only sincere about the destruction of Israel and when any representative of the Palestinian people can be found to actually and honestly be seeking peace and not the destruction of Israel by any means necessary, be it all at once in a great cataclysm or in stages initially through negotiation but eventually through annihilation, then Israel should negotiate but not a moment sooner. Any party which seeks to make peace with Israel must first and foremost be completely devoid of anybody tainted by terrorism, something which almost nobody currently representing the Palestinians can claim. The European Union and their individual member nations would never negotiate with terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hezballah, or the Taliban, but they are quick to demand that Israel sacrifice and make concession for the privilege of negotiating with terrorists who have only ill will and murderous ends in store for Israel and her people. Israel should simply never ever give in to any demands to negotiate with any entity within which terrorists are members and held in high honor and that definitely includes Hamas, Islamic Jihad and most certainly Fatah, PLO and Palestinian Authority. Call us when you find a terrorist free representation for the Palestinians, until then your silence will be appreciated.

 

Beyond the Cusp