Posted on 03/18/2004 7:25:35 PM PST by Lando Lincoln
March 18, 2004
"Those who have not swords may still die upon them." -- Eowyn of Rohan, in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings.
They can do more, much more. And some of them do.
Now and then, your Curmudgeon frets over his contribution to the security of the nation. A 52-year-old man isn't normally expected to take up arms and cross the seas to do battle with evil, regardless of the Left's repeated cries of "chickenhawk!" at those of us who have counseled all-out war but would not have to bear the direct burdens and hazards thereof. He labors daily to build warplanes to be used in America's contests, and that should be sufficient, but the odd moment of doubt intrudes nonetheless.
It would be well if every American were to entertain the odd moment of doubt. Your Curmudgeon suspects that not many of us do.
That's not because we're thoughtless or self-centered. It's because our lives are full to the brim with responsibilities and distractions. When we go looking for ways to extend ourselves to others, we usually look nearby, rather than far away, and that is exactly as it should be.
Many a commentator has suggested, pace L. Neil Smith and his concept of a diffuse defense, that Americans ought to arm themselves generally, in preparation for further attempts on our homeland and our civilian population. Yes, indeed; this is all to the good. But more is possible. Given the tenor of current political exchange, more has become vital, a matter affecting our entire future.
Time was, Americans would wrangle passionately over matters of war and peace up to the very moment when the decision was taken on the floor of Congress. If that decision was to go to war, then, whatever our opinions before, we would close ranks and make war as one people. We would cease to argue the merits of the thing and work for victory, until the war was ended and victory was ours.
Possibly the best example of this sort of patriotism comes from a figure half-revered and half-reviled, the great aviator Charles Lindbergh. Despite his strident opposition to American involvement in World War II, and despite his considerable age when events came to a head, Lindbergh flew about 50 combat missions in that war -- as a civilian.
A house divided, Abraham Lincoln once said, cannot long stand. A people divided, should they go to war in that condition, had better be braced for grief. And ours is most definitely one such.
We who have argued for an aggressive military campaign against Islamic terrorists, including the states that support or harbor them, are currently in the majority. The size of the margin is debatable, but America has gone to war against the advice of a substantial minority once or twice before. What we haven't done is to go to war while that minority actively works to undermine our posture, domestically and internationally, and now and then by working directly for the enemy.
Yes, yes, freedom of speech and all that. One cannot be prosecuted for continuing to argue one's points after the lead has begun to fly. There's no provision in the Constitution for suspending the rights of free expression during wartime, nor should there be. But they who do this are nonetheless working to weaken the nation's resolve, which will stiffen the spines of our enemies. They should be opposed. Indeed, they must be opposed, with the weapons appropriate to us who bear no swords: facts and logic.
Mark Alger has given us an excellent example of the sort of response today's persistent anti-war forces should receive:
I'm the last person to say, "Trust the government," and I have been watching closely. The Administration is not abridging the civil liberties of ANY American citizen or LEGAL immigrant or LAWFUL visitor to the country. None. What. So. Ever. [And I might add, where it has been attempted, such as Poindexter's asshatted Big Brother wet dream, it's been met with a firestorm of legitimate protest in the press and the legislature -- as is appropriate.]
The Administration -- in cooperation with Congress and the courts -- is taking steps to fulfill the primary mission of government: to secure and protect the People and their property from enemies foreign and domestic. It may seem strange to you after so many years of government that was focussed on all sorts of scams and schemes that are none of its freaking business and, frankly, a distraction from that primary mission, but -- really, no kidding -- that's all they're doing.
For once in your life, the government is in the hands of adults who are DOING THEIR JOBS.
[...snip...]
The "children" you speak of are adult men and women who have freely chosen to serve their country, to place their precious lives between YOU, (you ungrateful wretch), and the howling madmen who want to destroy you, your family, your country, your CIVILIZATION. They know the potential cost, they accept it willingly -- proudly, even. They are eager to do what they see as their duty, and they are willing to pay the ultimate price in that cause.
But YOU, who sit comfortable in your rich suburban home, PRESUME to be OFFENDED by their sacrifice.
...[Y]ou disgust me. And I do not CARE if it offends you.
Your Curmudgeon yearns to hear more like this. But even more strongly, he yearns to hear someone from the anti-war side of the debate say something like the following -- to his confreres who agree with him that the war is a bad idea:
We argued our case. Maybe we didn't do the best possible job of it. But that's over and done. Today, America is at war. Her forces are in the field. Her men at arms seek to close with and destroy an enemy who will show them no mercy. They represent all of us, not merely those who were in favor of sending them forth. Now that they're engaged, if we divide the nation by prolonging the debate, we will undermine their positions and reduce their chance to prevail. We will be working against our own country.
The country can't have that. We may think we were right. Events might prove us to be either right or wrong. But a nation that goes divided to war is courting disaster -- for the entire nation, including we who wouldn't have gone had our voices prevailed.
It's time we sat down and shut up. If we say anything more from now to the end of the war, it should be, "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the armed forces, for your courage. Advance, strike, and may God be with you."
This is not what streams forth daily from the anti-war coterie in Congress, in the press, and among private citizens.
We who bear no swords can nevertheless ward the poniards from the backs of those who do. It approaches being a duty that we do so, to the best of our ability and regardless of how we felt about the wisdom of going to war before the decision was taken. Our enemy will show no favor to those who opposed our war against him.
Lando
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