STRATEGY

So aggressive terrorism IS reason to go to war...just as long as you do not characterize it as "war"?

The voices who cautioned that we should never poke a hornet's nest lest we get stung...have been overruled by ISIS' disturbing developments.

Now the nation is leading our leader who has finally determined these guys aren't twenty-first century stingers and they won't listen to reason.

Last Wednesday night we got the plan.  Someone wrote a speech that was patriotic and full of American exceptionalism and strength.  It was just the tone that the polls ordered.

Did the President mean it?  It did conflict with just about everything he has said all along...downgrading, renaming, and mocking ISIS' threat...and even saying we couldn't beat them but we'd just manage them.

There was one encouraging bit of news that we would go into Syria, but the rest of the "strategy" is convoluted.

1.  He said we were at war at
the same time the Secretary of State called it a "conflict" (but has since said "OK, if you want to call it war, it's war") and the National Security Advisor (Susan Rice) called it a "sustained counterterrorism campaign".  Then there's the Vice-President who got all wild-eyed, hollering about the gates of hell.  Could we all get on the same page?

In listening to a montage of audio clips from the media the next day, it was striking that THEY all read from the same script, using exactly the same words, "reluctant warrior".

Some might point out that he may be reluctant, but we ARE bombing.  Yes, the total since it began is now 160something.  That divides out to less than three a day.  Two trucks here, a nest of tents there...hardly serious shock and awe or comprehensive strategy.

2.  Of course HIS war will be different and not evil like George Bush's war.  The difference? There won't be boots on the ground.  Huh? We already HAVE boots there.

Tell me what strategy can bomb without ears and eyes on the ground?  What strategy puts men on the ground WITH permission to defend themselves, but doesn't expect conflict?  What strategy asks others to take the fight while we fight from above?

3.  Besides, what others?  Who will step up to fight for us?

As he looks over his shoulder and calls "Who's with us?"...the
coalition of the willing seem reluctant  to join the reluctant.

Who wants to link arms with a country that draws impotent red lines?  Waffles with Russia?  Indecisively stalls and goes flippy floppy with NATO partners?

4.  Now (so he says) we will arm the Syrian rebels.  His advisors called for that a year ago and he has talked about doing it, but sending MRE's doesn't count.  Talking and doing are different.

It would be nice if we could keep our word and arm the Kurds, too.  They have also been waiting for help for some time.  The Kurds have worn white hats all along and their Peshmerga fighters have proven themselves against the terrorists.

So our unlikely strategy is that while we fly over, the Free Syrian army plus the Iraqi army (who we trained for 10 years, but who never graduated from "stand and fight" school) will take on ISIS.  Australia is IN (gotta love the Aussies), while everyone else shuffles their feet.

5.  We also were told that these guys are not Islamic because no religion kills innocents.

Well, the Koran passages apparently don't view infidels as innocents.

6.  Inexplicably, our idea of justice is bringing killers over here to a courtroom.

Benghazi showed the ridiculousness of that idea.  We can't get to the crime scene to obtain evidence or get to witnesses to be interviewed.  One mad dog brought to justice does not have any effect on the problem...
except to elevate him to martyrdom.

Do we really think a court case will cause the rest to cower?

No, the hornets are out of the nest and they come regardless of strikes against the nest.  Why?  They live and breathe their murderous life purpose.

This LINK gives context to the long-running struggle which festers when "radical Islam" gets a toehold of strength.  As the link points out, Muslims have come close to their goal of world domination several times along history's  timeline...without any provocation from either the Jews or George Bush.

The Bible speaks of "feet who run to do evil" and "feet swift to shed blood".  Is there a better definition of ISIS?  The longer we dally, the longer their numbers multiply.  Top counterterrorism officials testified to Congress just hours before the President spoke on Wednesday.   They put ISIS' numbers @10k, but then THE VERY NEXT DAY another CIA analysis came in at 20-31k.  Apparently the world is full of wanna-be jihadists who long to shed blood for the sheer enjoyment of it.

This whole illustration calls us to choose sides.  How could it be any clearer?  Shall we make room for a strange multicultural affection that puts all "religions" on an even platform?

One side kills for an imaginary god who is pleased with the blood of anyone who will not bend the knee.  The other side lives for the God who is pleased with the blood of His Son, who willingly gave His blood to buy our ticket to heaven.

Americans want an ISIS strategy that will keep them safe.  That's what we pay the President to do and we pray he will do it.

But our real safety comes in an eternal strategy named Jesus.

WHOMPERJAWED

What's up is down and what's down is up.  That's the way of this world.

But aren't we cautioned to not call what is good, evil...or call what is evil, good?

Here are just a few things from the headlines that seem to be awkwardly unaware of such caution.

1.  THE PRIZE
This man snagged an interview with the President for his inaugural broadcast of "Meet the Press" tomorrow.  Know why?

Night-before-last on the news, Brian Williams reports that the President was "CLEAR" when he spoke to the nation about an ISIS response.  I guess if you didn't hear him speak, you could believe that.

All other outlets besides NBC were reporting presidential confusion. That's because his words described our  goal was to "degrade and destroy ISIS"...and later in the same speech said the goal was to get to the point "where it is a manageable problem".

The President's third try to articulate his position was clinical and robotic before he closed by saying (again) they were working on strategy.  He just seems "put out" by having to mess with the overseas stuff that in getting in the way of his peace-time presidency.

2.  THE MISSING.
The AP is reporting LINK that not only has the IRS lost Lois' emails, now they have also lost FIVE other people connected to the scandal.

So we are required to believe that with all the backing up...with all the laws requiring governmental agencies to back up...with all the NASA data-gathering...STILL these specific email accounts went poof.

Lois' email loss strained incredulity; this new news is pure Nixonian.  The only difference was that in Nixon's day, when he ordered his underlings to do illegal things, some of those underlings refused.

3.  THE DEMAGOGUE.
A demagogue is a political leader who seeks support by appealing to prejudices rather than by using a rational argument.  The lady on the left is head of the DNC.  She said this week that the Governor of Wisconsin gave women "the back of his hand" and was "yanking women by the hair and dragging them back".  Say whut?

In 2012, the Governor signed a bill rescinding the equal pay law.  Was that because he likes to demean women?  Oh, please.  He has a logical explanation for his action and it involves the way lawyers are benefiting from the way the law was written.  PolitiFact calls Debbie's claims FALSE in this LINK.

Perhaps you thought she was talking about the President because HE has not narrowed the 13% gap in HIS White House pay scale.  But that can be explained rationally, too.  LINK  Debbie Wasserman Schultz is flopping around looking for any good news anywhere for her party, and has resorted to ginning up two-year-old grievances with awful word pictures.  Today she apologized.

4.  THE TERROR THREAT.
Remember when Bin Laden's hideout was said to have a treasure trove of information?  There were literally a million documents and in the 3+ years since, SEVENTEEN documents have been declassified and released.

Reasonable people could agree that you wouldn't want to give away your game.  But there might be SOME releases that could paint a better picture of what we face.

After Bin Laden, President Obama was saying Al Qaeda was on the run, yet we had embassies being closed all over the world and ISIS was rising.  The House Intelligence Committee reported that the Bin Laden intel generated 400 intelligence reports.  That doesn't sound like Al Qaeda was running away from us at all.

In fact, a larger picture is emerging as we watch AL QAEDA AFFILIATES strengthened around the world.  There is ISIS in Syria/Iraq, Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Boko Haram in Nigeria, Al-Shebab in Somalia, AQAP in Yemen, and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

Perhaps we did declare the war over, but Al Qaeda didn't quit.

5.  MORE MISSING THINGS
Here's a LINK  is to a Sharyl Attkisson video as she explains how the government is not answering any questions about the children they have relocated around the country.

We understand they do not want people to protest.  But how can they put the rights of illegals above the rights of citizens?  Shouldn't the feds be required to at least TELL states when they are shipping people to them?  And when HHS does not cooperate with Congressional requests for information, how can Congress provide oversight into the huge and lucrative contracts being given out (of our pockets)?

6.  AND EVEN MORE MISSING THINGS.
Oh, and they can't find 6,000 foreign students whose visas have expired.  That reminds us that the ringleader of 9/11, Mohamed Atta, was here on an expired student visa.

As exasperating as it is when "bad" is called "good" and mismanaged, we do not expect things to be anything other than whomperjawed on this side of heaven.  We continue to follow Jesus while looking forward to the time He returns to set things right.  THERE'S the place we plant our flag and put our trust.

Can you imagine a world with the absence of sin?  What will a pure heart feel like?  Motives will be scrubbed and intentions will be loving.  The peace in that day will not be a pretend Nobel-prize peace.  All of creation will be restored to Eden's beauty.  Meat-eating animals will get along with grain-eaters as their essential nature is changed.  And we will enjoy great fellowship and joy in the presence of our King.

"BUT OUR CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN - AND WE ALSO AWAIT A SAVIOR FROM THERE, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST."  Philippians 3:20

FAIR BUDGETING

Over the Labor Day weekend, Laura and I took the three grandgirls to Prairie Grove's 63rd annual Clothesline Fair.  It's a treat to walk around the battlefield and enjoy the big trees.

Hanna, Caroline, and Lily were each given a five dollar bill and an admonition about being careful not to spend it too soon.

We parked the car and before we could cross the road into the fair, Lily lit up when she saw PONY RIDES...$5 pony rides.  Her sisters and Mother began to remind her about the $5 rule.  Mimi was shocked and proud that Lily (at four years old) was agreeable to walk on, practicing delayed gratification.

But once in the fair, each booth held something Lily wanted; she's still perfecting the art of "shopping".   It wasn't long until she loved a pair of flip-flops with a lime green ribbon bow.  Lily listened as her Mother repeated the $5 talk...then the lady mercifully GAVE Lily the shoes.

Well, she IS cute.  And they were just $2.  

Later Lily found a $1 bracelet (that broke before the end of the day) and a $3 beautiful purple ring.  Now she only had to keep up with a $1 bill.  It wasn't long until she spent it on a clucking chicken.  (Picture a Dixie cup dressed as a chicken...with a string down the middle and a sponge at the end.  You hold the cup in one hand and jerk the wet sponge down the string.  Voila!  She clucks!)

The older girls were much more careful.  Caroline held out until the very last thing before she picked two tiny stuffed animals, a dolphin and a snake, who were made out of shiny/scaly material.  

Hanna was torn between a Henna tattoo and earrings.  So she spent $3 on the jewelry and went back to a VERY kind Henna man to ask if she could get anything for $2.  He said "Sure, but don't tell anyone."  He generously gave her an intricate dragon that we knew should have cost much more.  

The key to a lasting Henna tattoo is not to touch it until it dries.  One or two booths later Mimi forgot and took Hanna's shoulder.  That involved tears and Mimi expressing great regret and asking for her forgiveness.  Hanna forgave, but later in the day swimming caused it to fade more.  

It's hard to get anything lasting for two dollars unless you count real life lessons.  

By the time we left the fair, Lily was happy to just get her picture made BY a pony.  Please note she's still holding the pink clucking chicken.

The fair was fun for old girls and little girls alike.  We got to experience the generosity of others...the weather cooperated and didn't rain on us, but kept the heat down...no one lost their $5...Mimi got a connection to a lady who makes great American Girl doll clothes...and the girls got a lesson in money management.

The best thing?  The memories, of course.  The grandgirls are talking about next year when they will come on Labor Day and we will go back to the Clothesline Fair.