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Sowing the Wind-Reaping the Whirlwind

Reader comment on item: "Are We Safer?"
in response to reader comment: He who sows wars shall harvest attacks ...

Submitted by M. Tovey (United States), Sep 21, 2011 at 11:18

In a world that has never known more than a few years of the absolute absence of conflict, pondering the realities of human nature becomes second nature, when in fact it should be first nature brought into subjection of a higher moral code. Obviously, this is not the case.

In the macrocosm of the global influences supposedly ascribed to the current affairs of the United States, America does seem to have a significant role in many situations. But to ascribe all the world's ills to the presumption that all of it is caused by the United States is myopic at best; and escapist rhetoric at worst.

America did not create war. But typically, with few exceptions, America does not shrink from it either. In the nobler perception, America would be well off to be neutral in world conflicts, but from its very beginnings, America has been drawn into conflicts and outright war, not because it sought it out, but because the call for nobility also calls for responsibility.

Having said that, one can make the argument that such nobility has been colored by the interventions of the last forty years when reviewing the socio/political causes under which banners America sent in the troops. Not all were directly American causes; however by association with the nations of the post WWII world, the greater cause was invoked requiring America to respond. America should have said no most of the time, yet did not. And there is the great question: why?

The answer to why is not simple, reams and reams of opinion and rhetorical explanations have been expended and no simple answer can be produced. So, to make it out that America is solely responsible for all the word's ills and easy resort to war is simple minded, yet an easy assertion to make with limited understanding.

It is written in the Holy Scriptures that wars come from the lusts of mankind, of envies and the other malicious thoughts of a people not wanting to recognize that the first nature of humanity brought into subjection of a higher moral code is the better course. Many will say that America is a violator of that, but the reality is that others challenge America in such a way that no other course but a show of strength becomes the unpleasant alternative. Only the perpetrators of evils deeds hate it when the police arrive.

Are we safer? It is a rhetorical question, since as noticed above, a world that has never known more than a few years of the absolute absence of conflict cannot expect a measure of safety unless and until it gets a handle on the nature of the beast. And in Brazil, where America was allowed to extend its quest for oil influences, that beast is now ready to show itself again. So the question is now posed: does America become Brazil's defender?

Submitting....

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Reader comments (17) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
1If only we had acted sooner... [88 words]JC VaughanNov 1, 2011 13:32190550
safe and secure.... [116 words]donvanOct 19, 2011 16:43190174
Palestinian State Has Big Supporters [33 words]Mark D.Sep 21, 2011 23:03189483
what safety and unsafety meant over the decades [336 words]mythSep 18, 2011 07:45189386
Are we safer [236 words]sufi imdad ali soomroSep 15, 2011 01:50189336
He who sows wars shall harvest attacks ... [95 words]Frederico PinheiroSep 13, 2011 17:22189316
No [35 words]Ravi Ranjan Singh Bharat PanthiSep 16, 2011 04:03189316
1Rome was safer after Carthage was destroyed [475 words]HomefrontSep 19, 2011 20:57189316
Sowing the Wind-Reaping the Whirlwind [481 words]M. ToveySep 21, 2011 11:18189316
How are you safer? [178 words]AEBSep 11, 2011 21:05189275
1Are we safer [124 words]Samuel StephensSep 11, 2011 11:11189261
Thank you Dr. Pipes! [19 words]Brian RubadukaSep 11, 2011 06:57189251
One Can Make A Case [32 words]Mark DSep 10, 2011 19:42189239
We're Better Off Without 9/11 [64 words]Mark D.Sep 10, 2011 19:30189238
Absolutism vs Certainty as cause of 9'11 'evil' [371 words]Stephen BorkowskiSep 10, 2011 12:21189228
1A few words in appreciation of Daniel Pipes [240 words]lucretiusSep 10, 2011 07:49189222
1Like the '29 Crash [110 words]jdSep 9, 2011 22:09189211

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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