IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS RIGHT AND REASONABLE, TO WHAT SORT OF "LEADERSHIP" HAVE WE ENTRUSTED OUR COUNTRY?

AL-QAEDA ENTERS FALLUJAH

With the number of American dead and wounded in the Iraq and Afghan wars now numbering over 60,000, America has paid a terrible blood price in these two conflicts. Their cost in dollars has now topped 2 trillion, with 238 billion added in to service the resulting debt.  That cost will continue to rise precipitately to more than 4 trillion, owing to medical treatment for the wounded and replacement of war materiel.

And what, pray tell, has our nation gained from the sacrifice?  What do we say to the families who have lost their sons, daughters, fathers and mothers?  When all is said and done, why were these sacrifices made?  

SYRIAN CHRISTIAN MARTYRS TO AL-QAEDA 

As our valiant troops return to a country seemingly preoccupied with issues as to how our society will order itself and what lifestyles will be acceptable, the enemies they fought, despite presidential assurances to the contrary, now appear to be resurgent  in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  In Afghanistan, the Taliban has bided its time and now appears poised to topple the America- supported corrupt Karzai regime, while in Iraq al-Qaeda is gobbling up territory that once had been liberated by American forces.  And, in Syria al-Qaeda, leading rebel forces, is on the verge of  defeating the Assad regime.

On the home front, an inordinate amount of energy now goes into what are considered the overriding questions of the day, which at one time would have been considered peculiar and even absurd. Shall we institute gender-neutral restrooms?  Should the compulsion of the state be resorted to in insuring that same-sex marriage becomes the law of the land?  Is it correct to compel Americans to participate in a government-run health insurance scheme which is making medical care less affordable and less available, and, for all practical purposes, is a blow against the religious scruples of certain faiths and individuals?  Is it proper for the state to participate in aborting the unwanted children of its citizens?  Shall all references to God be removed in all areas in which the state interacts with the people?  Must we insure that incomes considered inequitable by the state be subsidized by the minority of citizens who work and are productive?  Does our southern border exist solely to be violated by those who desire to illegally enter our country, and must we accommodate those individuals with amnesty once they have settled in?  That these 

OBSESSION ON THE HOME-FRONT

questions result in such division and discord is symptomatic of both the lack of leadership and the grave malady of cerebral paralysis affecting American society today.

That a great nation should indefinitely squander its vitality in the consideration of inane issues while recklessly wasting its blood and treasure in conflicts in which no benefits rebound to its citizens is untenable.  That we have become a laughing stock on the international scene, owing to policies of ignorance and accommodation that reflect the twin poisons of domestic political correctness and multiculturalism, is something that has cost us friends and bolstered our enemies.  Simply put, a great power cannot long sustain its standing and distinction with leadership that seems bound and determined to bring societal decline and chaos crashing down on the heads of  those it is charged to defend.

The disintegration of America seems well underway.  Rather than a people with a common culture, we are fast becoming a melange of competing bantustans, with little or no ability to articulate commonalities.  No matter our finances being in tatters, we drearily proceed down the path of class warfare and envy, with even more division, seemingly oblivious to the eventual downfall that our actions could cause.  As John Adams said, "...democracy soon wastes and murders itself.  There never was a democracy  that did not commit suicide."   And, as we fret and fray, those who seek our demise become even bolder in their denunciations.

Recently, abu-Mohamed al-Joulhani, al-Qaeda's leader in Syria, boasted that not only were his jihadis about to conclude their campaign in Syria that would bring them to power in Damascus,  but that  they were also engaging in directly exporting their terror tactics to America.  And that might not have been an idle boast, as numerous American Muslims have been known to come and go and participate in the Syrian war.  What better time could there be for more terror attacks in America?  With an obvious leadership vacuum and a growing tendency toward societal fragmentation, jihadis likely see a great opportunity to speed the process.   May we be awake to the challenge!

Deo Vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!