There Is No Moral Confusion Here, Mr. Rumsfeld!

Was it Theodore Roosevelt who said, “Walk softly and carry a big stick”?

America certainly has a big stick. A collegue, a former Army Chaplain, recently commented, “Our military is very good at killing and blowing stuff up”. Now, that’s not such a bad thing, having a big stick.

But a big stick, a military big stick, cannot alone stop a radical version of a peaceful religion. A military big stick held by Christians and Jews over Muslims and visa versa.

-- Talk about a family problem! --

Hitting folks with the big stick just makes the people angry and they send their young to stand up against it. Standing up against being hit becomes the objective and God is on their side against the Evil. What we are doing now breeds angry young men and women who want to kill us in the name of Allah.

In today’s world of so much anger and hurt, walking softly is what we need to learn and do. Joining across the world with others in peace to quell the anger.

Mr. Rumsfeld spoke of the "sentiment" of cynicism, moral confusion, and appeasement that struck the western democracies during the rise of Fascism. He argued that if we do not engage in war against the fascists of today, then we were acting the same as democracies did prior to WW2.

There is no cynicism here Mr. Rumsfeld. I am afraid. My children are afraid. My children's friends are afraid. We understand that angry young people who sincerely believe their radical religious cause is correct are..... very, very dangerous.

There is no moral confusion here Mr. Rumsfeld. We know right from wrong. We know it is wrong for angry, young people to kill and blow stuff up. We know it is wrong for their parents and religious leaders to allow this. We know this behavior is intolerable and must stop. Just as we now see that our own military actions are breeding angry, young, religious radicals.

There is no appeasement here Mr. Rumsfeld. The misbehavior must stop. It cannot be tolerated by the peace loving peoples of the world. We must come together, treading lightly with honesty and integrity, supporting peaceful ways for communities to put boundaries and common sense around dangerous, radical, religious behavior. And, of course, there is always the big stick, looming in the background. A big stick that with a bit of common sense and vision can take on many forms in partnership with other peace loving peoples.

It’s always important to carry a big stick when you are putting boundaries around someone who demands that you join their cause or die.

Here is Mr. Rumfeld's speech to the American Legion