Does the British government understand the obvious? Or will Prime Minister Blair try to buy off the mullahs -—
So much common sense in one little article...
But then, the Europeans haven’t used too much of their brains in the last 50 years, and perhaps in the last 500 years. Common sense is only for those people with brains and who care to use those brains. Thinking with their emotions or feelings only invites trouble.
“. . . so obvious that only a fool or a professor could think otherwise.”
A gem of a line!
One must be willing to use their power or it means nothing.
Rush put it very well today. No one would have caputured US Marines and Sailors without firing a shot.
ODERINT DUM METUANT
I'd like to relate an example....when discussing the use of diplomacy vs "force" I got in an argument with a friend that diplomacy is used by those either preparing for war, recovering from war or unable to fight a war.
we had a great History class..I was taught and always felt that the persistent use of force will generally win and that Europe, the United States and all other "cultured" countries are a 24 hour loss of electricity from violence and about 2 week loss of food supply from survival mode.
We had this discussion over 2 or 9 beers in college...
I took his plate of chips and he asked for it back, I smacked the back of his hand with a butter knife and took his beer, he got up and asked me "wtf?" ... I said I didn't have to give them back....he told me he was going to "make" me....
I asked, "with force if needed?".. would you be willing to kill me?... what if I took your car keys, your money.... when will you fight?
he told me that he'd call the cops.... I told him that if I fought the cops, they wouldn't "ask" me, they'd force me with sticks and guns if I resisted....What if I'm willing to kill the first few officers that show up and tell you that I'll come back to get you later...?
we finished our beers, laughed and he kinda shrugged and said he "got it"..... he said he didn't like fighting and hadn't realized that school yard bullies like countries are encouraged by weakness and will generally stay away from crazy people and those that like to fight....
we had grown up together and he knew that I actually enjoyed boxing and judo...... and as a 4th grader gotten a beat down by an 8th grader that ended with both of us in the infirmary and standing in front of Mother Superior while a Jesuit with hairy forearms used the wooden paddle with the holes drilled in the end to increase velocity...yikes...
It all boils down to "force" and the willingness to use it.... that's what the neighborhood thugs, Jesuit brothers, Catholic nuns and the Marines taught me....some truths are universal...
Amen.
btt