Answering War

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

I saw the pictured bumper sticker "WAR is NOT the ANSWER" while in the drive thru line of a fast food restaurant.  The statement is a typical one by liberal left Democrats.  How can you argue?  They demand "yes" and "no" answers for complicated questions that go much deeper than what is on the surface.

Is war the answer?  Well, war is not a good thing, and I think everyone except those who stand to profit from war, be it in power or wealth, would rather have a world without war.  The problem is not whether or not the average person wants war.  The problem is that the tyrants of the world want war.

It's sort of like the bully in the schoolyard.  We can reason with him all we want, but if he is truly a bully, a fight is inevitable.  Running away and hiding does not eliminate the reality that a fight is inevitable.  Negotiating with him does not eliminate the inevitability of a fight.  All the appeasement tactics do is delay the fight.  In the end, the bully will either gain tyrannical rule over the schoolyard and beat everyone senseless, or someone at one time will finally stand up to the bully and defeat him.

War is a necessary evil because there are characters in the world who use it to throw around their weight.  So, knowing that war is inevitable, wouldn't common sense dictate that it is best to be armed to the teeth and prepared for it?

Something interesting happens when the bully is beat up.  He thinks twice before picking on the kids in the schoolyard. . . especially if the kids have a champion as good (or better) of a fighter than the bully.  Strength keeps the bully peaceful, not because the bully has decided to stop being a bully, but because the bully fears the consequences of being a bully.

Is war the answer?  No necessarily.  Sometimes, it's necessary.  But, the best way to avoid war, if someone really believes war is not the answer, is to be so militarily strong that the bad guys in the world don't dare to wage war. . . because they fear the potential consequences.

So, while liberal Democrats who believe war is not the answer reduce our firepower, and the size of our military, as Obama has, the weakness being portrayed is welcoming war, and actually encouraging war.  As we show our inability to respond, and it turns out we can't stand up to the bully, the bullies of the world will take advantage of it - as they have been.

Same thing goes for the criminal element.  If we can't fight back, crime worsens.  If we have firepower, such as guns in our homes and on our bodies, the criminal element thinks twice, and the bully is pacified. . . until he (or she) believes he can achieve the upper hand.

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