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Dr. C. Norman Farley: President North American Religious Liberty Association – West – Emeritus
Ronald Nance II: BA, History/ Pre-Med
During my junior and senior years in college, I worked the night shift at a large Massachusetts state mental institution to pay my college expenses. I was officially in charge of the violent ward from 11 pm to 7 am and the only one on duty. It was a very choice job because it permitted me to study all night while being able to get adequate sleep following my daytime classes. Bedtime for the inmates was nine pm, being properly medicated to assure the absence of midnight drama before I arrived at eleven pm. Possibly by now you have learned that life does not offer the absence of drama. Additionally, you may have also guessed that I could tell unbelievable tales about life on the violent ward. Stories about how half drugged inmates turned the violent ward unit, on occasion, into an insane asylum. A worker who took my place while I was on vacation was murdered and on other occasions dealing with the violence nearly cost me my life.
I find it ironic that we are now living in a world in which the type of violence I witnessed in the violent ward is an everyday, expected occurrence. Our nation and the world are approaching a critical status. Illegal drug traffic continually crosses our border accompanied by millions of illegal immigrants, the arrival of unvetted and undocumented refugees in our nation whose backgrounds may be forged. Millions of Americans now find it necessary to legally possess mind altering drugs just to remain in a semi-functional state in society. This says nothing about the obsessive factors of gambling, porn, illegally obtained medications or the addictive problem posed by smuggled drugs or alcohol. Equal to all of the above is the iPad and game addiction of the youth which has led to alienation in many families. In fact, many youths are no longer influenced by the family but by their iPad or Facebook friends and school. None of the above issues have even begun to trump the loss of identity in our currently tattooed generation. The growing popularity of Socialism (think Bernie Sanders), the loss of the work ethic, the plight of the disappearing middle class and the rise of big banks that are “too big to fail” these are all considerable issues to moan about. The rote dishonesty and political games accomplished behind the scene by banks and politicians, the mounting debt crisis facing the nation, college graduates burdened with debt, with an average of only 20% that can find employment related to their degree upon graduation. Add to this the social issues (Pro-life / Pro-choice), the struggle over “freedom of speech” (political correctness) or the national alienation over the death of black citizens (Black Lives Matter). Beyond all this lies an issue which we do not actively embrace and do not comprehend but it is the most compelling of all the current issues. This issue is global terrorism and the struggle to maintain “Rule of Law.” We are living in a world of brutal, senseless intentional slaughter of unsuspecting civilians; men, women, children, Muslims, and in some Muslim nations, the eradication of Christians. In short, the world that we live in is, in reality, becoming a violent ward.
I have carefully observed the recent national election conventions as both political parties struggled to present logical answers to some of the numerous issues alluded to above. Both parties embrace “change” as the solution. One party places heavy emphasis on several of the stark and dire realities mentioned above which, when resolved, will, we are told, “Make America great again.”.Their agenda could lead to a loose form of nationalism. The other party presents a nation needing to continue on its current course and functioning fine needing only to develop more love, happiness, and equality. The change needed is to continue to follow the current One World United Nations Policy and transfer money from the rich to those less affluent. The following is a quote from our current President.“[…] all Americans should stop being so selfish, self-centered and surrender themselves to the common good.”[1]Their belief is that, in “time, the U.N. will defeat global terrorism” and that hatred and violence of a few is no match for the love, decency and hard work of people of good will and compassion.” Embracing this one world strategy is, however, a significant change from a government by “We the People.” I recognize that there are sincere citizens on both sides of the isle and that ultimately a stepped up socialism may become a change the American populace could embrace, but we are best advised to carefully consider issues on both sides of the isle before casting our vote. It is not my intent to use this platform to divide but to entice those who are interested in the survival of a nation “[…] of the people, by the people and for the people […]”[2] to engage in research beyond what we hear in the media or loaded convention speeches to answer the question “How to fight the new terrorism.” To achieve this goal, it is necessary to understand a few military and historical principles. On first glance, this may not appear to be relevant; I assure you that it is. When faced with global terrorism, those with a grasp of history where guerilla warfare dominated discovered that it is an extremely effective military tactic. Increase your knowledge by giving study to the 101st airborne 506th Regiment of WWII during the early days of D-Day or the tactics of the North Vietnamese army as examples of Guerilla warfare. A distinguishing feature must be noted; guerilla military tactics are different than terrorist military tactics. Terrorism borrows many ideas from guerilla warfare, but it is dissimilar, and its ultimate goal is radically different. Guerilla warfare is directed typically against military targets, while terrorism is aimed at civilians.
While completing graduate school, I was introduced to military strategy both ancient and modern. I studied the military giants; Sun Tzu, Carl Von Clausewitz and others. What I learned was war is an art; in fact, Clausewitz thought of it as a possible science. If a general violates the rules required for victory on the battlefield, his defeat is likely. Napoleon, after all his many brilliant victories, made several strategic errors at Waterloo. He arrived late to a battle to be fought on foreign soil allowing the allied forces of Europe to choose the battlefield. It had rained, causing his cannons to get stuck in the mud; ultimately, his demise was caused by his failure to follow basic military strategies which he completely understood. What we must grasp is that despite our sophisticated military equipment, the world is now engaged in non-conventional terrorism with an enemy who will never surrender. It is important that the American public gets down to the task of understanding the serious issues we and many other nations are facing. We need to skip the PR enunciated from convention platforms and replace it with the fact that we are living in a world of terrorism. We need wisdom from sources competent in military strategy, a studied knowledge of the Muslim Religion and its global/political implications, and sound political/negotiating expertise. The Muslim way of thinking is Eastern, not Western and after extensive study of the Muslim judicial system, Justice Jackson penned the following. “[…] In any broad sense, Islamic law offers the American lawyer a study in dramatic contrasts […] (in) its scopes and its sanctions the law of the Middle East is the antithesis of Western Law.”[3] Despite our advanced military equipment, our history of coping with terrorism warfare has a poor track record. It appears that while Israel has developed a few meaningful defenses the Western world and its allies are lagging in developing a satisfactory military strategy. How our nation resolves these military issues will likely determine the future status of the “Rule of Law” and the “Bill of Rights” in our nation. Will American citizens forego their freedom for a verbalized but unenforceable safety?
Most students who have studied history have learned about the history of Judah Maccabee and the Maccabee rebellion. It is the ultimate example of the effectiveness of Guerilla warfare. Those of Jewish descent celebrate Hanukkah in honor of Judah Maccabees’ victory over Antiochus IV Epiphanies. A small band of Jews took on a large Syrian army and, over a period of years, defeated them using the military tactics of guerilla warfare which included the element of surprise, ambush, sabotage and night raids. The Jewish community celebrates Hanukkah yearly in honor of Judah Maccabee and his amazing victory. As we have noted guerilla warfare is traditionally aimed towards a military enemy. Terrorism, however, is geared directly towards the populace to inflict suffering, fear, and confusion. Furthermore, terrorism uses the element of surprise so that the government, the police, the military and the populace can rarely discover where the next attack on civilians will take place. Victims are decapitated, mutilated and raped, old and young alike or just blown into pieces.
Here is part of the current track record. “France has suffered 11 terrorist attacks in the last year, with Germany being the recipient of 8 attacks. America has been a recent recipient as well. For everyone keeping score in the last 30 days there have been 157 Islamic attacks in 26 countries with 1,600 killed and 2,539 injured. “In fact, overwhelming obsession with ‘Islamophobia’ is not supported by a body count. That may sound crass, but since 9/11, an additional 139 Americans have been killed in 48 separate acts of deadly Islamic terror or Islam-related honor killings in the United States. Hundreds of mass murder plots have been thwarted or botched. The real story is not “‘Islamophobia but American tolerance.’”[4] These attacks will not stop terrorism. One can listen for hours to the shouts, boos or applause of those emotionally stimulated by the well-paid politicians at a convention center. However, this election will determine the direction we follow in trying to vacate the violent ward we find ourselves locked in. Do we want a Waterloo ending? It is time for the citizenry to get serious and consider what the real solutions are before the whole planet suffers. A good start is the book, “The New Terrorism, How to Fight and Defeat It”, by Van Hipp. I am in no way connected with the author and receive no benefits, but I recommend it as a good place to begin to exercise your thoughtful frontal lobe and not remain stuck in the limbic trap of emotion-packed stump speeches.
[1]Patrick Wood, “Obama: Sustainable Development Can Defeat ‘Chronic Violence’,” accessed 7/24/2016, 2016. https://www.technocracy.news/index.php/2016/07/18/obama-sustainable-development-can-defeat-chronic-violence/.
[2]The Gettysburg Address, The Gettysburg Address (Abraham Lincoln, 1863).
[3]Andrew C. McCarthty, “Robert Jackson on Sharia V. The Constitution,” National Review, accessed 7/24/2016, 2016. http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/429211/robert-jackson-sharia-v-constitution.
[4]Jason Burke, “Why Does France Keep Getting Attacked?,” last modified 07/15/2016, accessed 7/24/2016, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/15/why-does-france-keep-getting-attacked.
Illustration: Wojciech Stattler’s “Machabeusze” (“The Maccabees”), 1844