Over this past I weekend I spent a good deal of time absorbed in the news of the goings on in Paris. And as I watched events unfold I experienced essentially the same emotions I did more than a decade and a half ago on 9-11. Only this time there was something more. Helplessness. Europe is the cradle of our own civilization, and yes I realize that’s not a politically correct thing to say, but the fact is if you are an American, regardless of your ethnicity, you owe the European cultures a tremendous debt. But our government is defaulting on that cultural debt. While France makes just war on their [and our] enemies, our leadership offers toothless platitudes, and I have zero confidence in the administration’s willingness to protect us when we are eventually attacked again. Our president and the federal government he leads is impotent, and I’ll admit I’m angry and terrified.
I wouldn’t be fearful by the way if I could just bring myself to hope that the President would stand up to our enemies, call evil by its name, and be willing to join France in kicking issis in the teeth, but instead he makes rounds in the world reasserting that he will not join the fight on the ground and ridiculing those who correctly perceive the threat. Meanwhile he works to raise the profile of irrelevant issues like climate change. He’s like the embarrassing uncle at a wake who moves from guest to guest pulling coins out of people’s ears in an effort to lighten the mood.
I do not care about climate change Mr. President! And I know you hate this part of your job, but protect my family! We don’t all have secret service details. It is, at the end of the day, the only part of your job I really care about. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like your domestic politics… at all. But if you would just protect your country, I could give you a “but at least…” for instance, I hate Obamacare, [but at least] he stood up to issis. Instead I feel like, I’m in a national nightmare in which everyone is standing around waiting for the other shoe to drop, while the rest of us are running in slow motion yelling at top of or lungs for everyone to look out while the executive doggedly turns its back and closes its eyes.
So what do we do about all of this? Lord, I wish I knew. Pray, do good to our neighbors at every opportunity and for god’s sake vote for leaders who will actually do their jobs and protect the citizenry. And don’t forget to pray.