When I was at CPAC last week, I had an interesting encounter with one young fellow who felt that military force was not necessary and we don’t need to have “boots on the ground” anywhere. As a matter of fact, he came up with a cute little diddy: “boots on the ground, get voted down”.
This young man inspired me to ponder something very critical: as the Islamic State and other militant Islamist groups are attracting young men and women into its ranks, will we honor the primary duty of the federal government? That duty is to “Provide for the Common Defense”. Sadly some believe the federal government’s primary responsibility is to “provide welfare”.
Why is addressing national security and offering solutions demonized in this declining global security environment? I speak from experience that when advocating for “peace through strength,” some castigate you as a warmonger or “neo-con”. And this is not just a moniker thrown about by the progressive leftists.
A quote attributed to Greek philosopher Plato states, “Only the dead have seen the end of war”.
And John Stuart Mill gave us this quote from Principles of Political Economy:
“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war, is much worse. When a people are used as mere human instruments for firing cannon or thrusting bayonets, in the service and for the selfish purposes of a master, such war degrades a people. A war to protect other human beings against tyrannical injustice; a war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, and which is their own war, carried on for an honest purpose by their free choice, — is often the means of their regeneration. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. As long as justice and injustice have not terminated their ever-renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other.”
FINISH THIS ARTICLE HERE:
LTC. Allen West “We must vanquish this enemy – recognizing they only comprehend strength and might. No more insidious rules of engagement; rather, unleash the full brunt of American – and allied – military power. This enemy must not be afforded sanctuary.”
Unleash the full brunt of American and allied military power