I have lived almost all of my life in
the United States and have watched all sorts of unfortunate events take place.
Just after I entered the world Kennedy was assassinated. In following years I
watched and listened to the misfortunes of the Vietnam War, the Korean War and
many other conflicts around the world.
I have been stunned as terror
continues to strike so many parts of the world. The events of 9/11 caused me a
great deal of alarm as they did most everybody else. Even so, I feel that
events right now are more worrisome than anything I have experienced before.
Our sworn enemies are now
politically unified – at least to a degree that transcends local fanaticism. They
have resources and cross national borders without detection. We like to think
that the Islamic State is centered in Syria. Yesterday a prominent politician confidently
announced that the “snake’s head” residing in Syria should be cut off. The
implication being that the emerging reptilian threat could be contained and
controlled in a local and foreign place.
I disagree. Islamic fundamentalism
has metastasized to the far reaches of the world. Persons of various (East and
West) nationalities are joining their ranks. Some of these recent recruits are
just out for adventure. Others are clearly looking for an ideal to fight for.
Quite frankly it isn’t hard to see their point – the Western world (and most prominently
America) with its immoral materialism is an enemy to be dealt with.
We have an ever-expanding
population of disillusioned youth that believes America is some sort of canker,
much like Jefferson described the urban sores of his time. These individuals
have never experienced or never been taught the many virtues of this nation –
nor have they understood the urgent global need for a true American exceptionalism.
Their idealism, backed by well-funded Islamic extremists, is now a threat within our own borders. It is a threat funded by our own petroleum interests. And it is a threat of greater significance than the terrorism of yesterday’s headlines. It is time that we start thinking seriously about defending ourselves against its threats.
Security measures in airports are
maybe helpful once in a while. More often they are a waste of time. International
posturing against global threats are inevitable but do little to protect us
against unknown conspiracies at home. We continue to place far too much faith
in the band aid protections of recent legislative opportunism.
It is time that we start preparing
ourselves for the many looming threats that continue to accumulate. One act of preparation that I think we should
seriously consider is a reinstitution of universal service – something similar
to the program ex-president Theodor Roosevelt tried to promote during the
international uncertainties of early 20th Century America.
Roosevelt was quite exacerbated by
many pacifist organizations that insisted on disarming America and making our
country an example of non-resistance. Of course we dream of peace and Roosevelt
acknowledged peace as a primary virtue. But he insisted that peace had to be
earned. Peace, he believed, was a product of military preparation. And however uneasy
we may feel with an implied belligerence in his arguments, the 20th
Century has not proven him wrong.
In his short classic, Fear God and Take Your Own Part,
Roosevelt called for military training for all American boys. This training was
to happen as part of a young man’s normal high school curriculum during the
ages of 16 and 18. It didn’t require active duty. But it was meant to prepare
the nation in case a need presented itself. In the end, his pleas were
forgotten in the developments leading up to World War I. But we make a mistake
by ignoring them today. In modified form, his ideas could save us a great deal
of suffering.
In fact a program of universal
service would do a lot of things. Imagine a situation where high school
students all across the land spent several hours every weekday during summer
vacation learning about terrorist threats. Most importantly each student would
learn to pay attention to their surroundings. They would listed to hushed conversations
in a grocery isle. They would watch an abandoned vehicle. They would notice the
contents of suspicious-looking individuals and backpacks at public events.
In short we would have a nation of
observers that would know what to do in case they did come across something suspicious.
They would know whom to call. They would take mental notes so they could
identify suspects. They would pay close attention to license plates and
behaviors. They would know how to use their phones to alert officials.
Other benefits would also accrue.
In a nation of great diversity, we would regain a unity that has been missing
for decades. We would teach minorities of their civic duties. And of many
things they (and most of us) take for granted: I mean that America is a blessed
place that needs to be defended.
President Obama is about to address
the Nation on the existing threat of the Islamic State. Undoubtedly he will
tell us what the government is planning to do. He will probably nod at a shared
responsibility. But in the end he will most-likely tell us that we are in good
hands – his hands and the hands of our trained military. He will assure us that
nations around the world will join together in ridding ourselves of this arising
threat. But pay attention because all of these assurances will no-doubt depend
on the wisdom of others: other governments, other agencies, other citizens.
How nice it would be if, instead,
we could all take part in protecting ourselves. Our young people would have
something inspiring to do. We would come together as a nation. Our confusion
over gun rights and the significance of the Second Amendment in 21st
Century America would all but disappear. And we would watch as neighborhood
after neighborhood succeeded in watching out for themselves and for their own
families.
I think it’s time to dust off an
old argument from a former gentleman who loved America. It’s time to train our
youth on what it means to defend freedom. It’s time to fear God and take an
active part. It’s time to implement a national program of preparation and
training instead of sitting back in panic as we watch the enemy scare us according
to their own plans. We can do much more.
References
My copy of Fear God and Take Your Own Part was published by Gryphon
Corporation in 2012.
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