FRITTER OR FOCUS?

There is nothing wrong with a golf game.  And ice water dumps are entertaining and done for a good cause. But America needs to pay attention because she is in danger.

Shall we fritter or focus?

A troublesome paradigm shift has tried to transform America.  Rather than clearly seeing our enemy, we redefine him ("Overseas Contingency Operation") and only recently have begun to even SAY "Islamic terrorist".  We have flattered ourselves to think we can make nice with them and because the enemy is  "twenty-first century"...he will behave.  He will not.

This naivete flows from a false worldview of moral equivalency.

Now we have the beheading of James Foley.  Is that an act of war?

Here's how the 18 US Code 2331 defines an "act of war":

"a violent act to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping".

When James Foley died, instead of responding to a terror act, our country is treating the beheading as a crime scene.  DOJ wants to build a criminal case against the man with the knife.  And we think that will deter ISIS?  After money and time...and even IF the killer is brought to justice...will that solve anything?  It will just build a stage under his martyrdom.  The problem is not the individual terrorist.  The problem is his ideology.

We don't need CSI; we need the military.  Historically, evil bubbles up and has had to be addressed.  Just as at one time when we had not conceived of a "kamikaze"...now we have to fully perceive "jihad" by this ever-enlarging Islamic state who is drunk on blood, beheadings, and crucifixions.

Just seven months ago, the President poo-pooed ISIS' strength and mischaracterized them as "JV".  But our military had been warning otherwise for a year.

This LINK is to a joint interview last week with General Dempsey (Chairman, Joint Chiefs) and our Defense Secretary. They say to expect that OUR OPEN BORDERS  and ISIS' INTENTIONS will intersect in an attack on the homeland.

It is not the place for either man to set policy and it is very unusual for the military to step out of line and get ahead of the President.

But both watchmen on the wall are sounding a warning, saying ISIS has "an apocalyptic end-of-days vision which must be defeated."

Twice last week the President stopped his vacation to address the nation about the terrorist beheading horror, only to be back on the golf course within minutes.  Even his supporters are beginning to say he is strangely detached and too cool for this job that does not seem to hold his interest.

This LINK is strong, but the time has come for both strength and a clear-headed strategy.

James Foley wrote about his Christian faith and the prayers he prayed when he previously was captured in Libya.  This time the Lord answered his prayers by giving him an important voice in this conflict and also the courage to see it through.  Then He delivered James Foley directly into His presence.

Even without a caption, this picture (above) gives us an illustration that all belief systems are not alike or equally relevant.  Think of that the next time you see a car with a "Coexist" bumper sticker.

Our Secretary of State tried to get Israel to "make nice" with Hamas.  Now the shoe is on our foot and we see what we were asking them to do.  In the terrorist's world, ISIS makes Hamas, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah, and even Boko Haram look like Mother Teresa.

There is no reasoning or co-existing with this darkness.