He who lives by the sword

The three articles posted at the top of this week’s edition tell quite a story beyond the words themselves – actually, several stories.

One is that, ever since the UN was created after World War II, supposedly to put an end to war, the number of wars, and the number of people suffering from the horrors of war, have steadily climbed to the point where, today, war is the main preoccupation of mankind. In fact, the planet seems to be tottering on the edge of a great precipice much too casually referred to as WWIII.

The other story is that the United States, whose father warned in his Farewell Address against the dangers of foreign entanglements, now is the primary instigator of foreign entanglements and military intervention.

It is astounding and frightening that a fairly obscure civil servant, appointed by the President, can hold a press conference and declare war on another nation without even a ripple of objection in Congress or mainstream media. That was the essence of the announcement made last week by Deborah Lee James, Secretary for the US Air Force, when she calmly explained that the US military intends to occupy Syria with ground soldiers and then rule over it.

Actions have consequences, and we know what the consequences are of aggressive wars. (I have no quarrel with defensive wars if that’s what they really are and not just a pretense. A military attack on a nation to bring about a regime change that will be to our liking or benefit is not a defensive war.)

It is true that aggressors are respected out of fear, but it also is true that they are hated by a vast, unseen army of victims who wait for the day of revenge.

Eventually, the aggressor becomes exhausted and vulnerable. When that day arrives, the Gods of the Copybook Headings will speak once again:
He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.

G. Edward Griffin
2015 November 13