America is in the throes of a tumultuous battle with a group of religious and political zealots who have declared war on Western Civilization. We refer to this battle as the War on Terror. It would be more apt to describe it as a war against us, our sacred institutions and our beliefs. America would like to put this war in the past, and live under the illusion that the war is over, but Boston is a grim reminder of the truth of our situation.
In the aftermath of Sandyhook, America’s focus turned to controlling guns ostensibly to curb violence. This despite the fact that a city like Chicago, which has very strict gun laws, also has the highest murder rate in America. In Boston, innocent civilians were the targets of terrorists whose aim it was to create death, destruction, carnage and mayhem. This tragic event will hopefully remind Americans that limiting gun ownership among law abiding citizens is a distraction from the greater threats presented to us in this era.
Our enemy is not your law-abiding neighbor who wants to own firearms. We are all painfully aware that evil people have used fertilizer, gasoline, cars, planes, bombs, and now pressure-cookers to take life. Regardless of the weapon, the true source of violence is in the heart, mind and soul of man. Those who hate somebody or something enough to kill and maim should be the targets of our collective wrath.
The gun control debate is not the only debate that should temporarily be put on hold. The other hot topic in Washington before the attacks was immigration reform. I agree we need to improve our immigration system, however, the Boston terror attack raises serious issues as the suspects immigrated to this country. It was reported that the older brother had been previously investigated by the FBI, but they obviously missed something important in the course of their inquiry.
We used to be a melting pot of people who assimilated together to form a great union. Today, however, cultural diversity and political correctness being what they are, allows people to come to this country and live in the shadows, failing to integrate, assimilate and coalesce. That can be problematic, especially in view of the fact that law enforcement professionals believe there are numerous sleeper cells lying in wait in the shadows across America. Terrorists are not our only immigrant problem, one of the most violent gangs in America, MS13, was created by immigrants from El Salvador. Drug cartel violence from Mexico is also spreading across the border.
America could learn something from Israel who has suffered numerous attacks upon their civilian population by terrorists. Perhaps, we can finally relate to the fears so many people around the world live with each and every day.
I believe part of our problem in this country is that we have forgotten how to hate evil and how to react in a decisive manner when we are threatened individually or as a country. What happened in Benghazi still matters. Fort Hood was not workplace violence. And, threats are still emanating against us and our allies from psychopaths in Iran and North Korea. Let’s focus on these matters!
Our endowed rights and obligations were once rooted in the belief that government is not the source of the same, which implied a convergent world view of Divine justice and American justice. Identifying and hating evil was formerly a root of our goodness. As a nation we no longer understand what this really means and requires of us. Violence abounds as a result. The world we live in has changed, because we have changed.
Andy Caldwell is the executive director of COLAB and the host of the Andy Caldwell Radio show daily from 3-5 p.m. on AM1440 and AM1290.