I struggled over the use of The American Glass… as my title, substituting, A Bad Dream. I finally stuck with my original thought because I am essentially a realist. I do not believe in optimism or pessimism, so the above title is reflective of my grasp of the reality of things in this world. I feel as if Americans our looking into a deep abyss that is drawing us downward. I see a country that is virtually leaderless on all levels.
We are a nation divided by vain promises and gilded distractions, such as climate change, diversity, equity and transgenderism. Economically, we are nationally bankrupt with a staggering debt of $33,000,000,000,000, with no possible relief in sight. Holman Jenkins, Jr. reported in the Wall St. Journal that when Jimmy Carter was president, the government debt was 34% of the GDP. Now it is 122%, not counting another $78 trillion in unfunded Social Security and Medicare obligations.
The bottom line is bright red, as it demonstrates that our politicians have been promising things they could never pay for nor deliver for eight decades. Our interest payments alone of $985 billion exceeds the annual defense budget in a very threatening geopolitical world. The next election offers us nothing but a pair of geriatrics, who both should step aside.
The world needs real leadership, not platitudes about peace. On a global scale, in the wake of the sadistic attacks on the Israeli population, the United States is looking at a second war with the distinct possibility that one or more warfronts may open in the next year.
It is no secret that the leaders of Russia, China, Iran and at least by proxy, North Korea, have been meeting to discuss its various grievances, virtually all of a geopolitical nature. The one thing linking Moscow, Beijing, Teheran and Pyongyang is the return of lands they believe have been historically theirs.
Vladimir Putin longs for the return of the glory of his Soviet Union. He believes that its collapse in 1991 was the greatest defeat in Russian history. Xi Jinping knowns that Mao defeated the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek in 1949, sending its remnants across the South China Sea. For decades, only the regular appearances of the US 7th Fleet has prevented China’s invasion of what is now Taiwan. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has longed for the reunification with its southern half, now South Korea. It was lost to them during the Korean War, from 1951-53 that cost over 33,000 American lives.
While Russia has blatantly upset the world with its military invasions of Georgia in 2007 and Ukraine last year, it has been the latest attack on Israel that has exposed how the practical politics of one era can come back to haunt the world, even a century later.
The Ottoman Empire, which included what is today the thriving state of Israel, was on the losing side of World War I. As a result, it lost its vast territories, outside of Turkey, ending its 400-year reign. Great Britain was given the area to rule as a protectorate. For many years, Zionists have longed for a home of their own in the Holy Land, long regarded as the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
In 1917, David Balfour gave it to them with his Declaration. It can be seen as the starting point for the Arab-Israeli conflict that rages today. The declaration by the then British foreign secretary was included in a letter sent to Lord Walter Rothschild, a leading proponent of the Zionist movement. Zionism advocated self-determination for the Jewish People in their historical homeland. The Jews saw this as their best hope of a land of milk and honey.
But they were not the only minorities who longed for a homeland. This idea had large support among many of the world’s other nationalities from the Balkans and the remnants of the Ottoman world. It had been one of President Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points that he presented at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. He hoped it would serve as a blueprint for the future map of the post-war world.
The parameters of the Jews new homeland corresponded to a part of what we call Palestine today. The Declaration stated that the British government supported the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. The Arabs interpreted this as a breach of Great Britain’s and America’s implicit promise of their rights of self-determination. Since Great Britain had been given control over the area, one could easily argue, the Jews had a valid claim to this land.
Countless Jews started migrating to Palestine. Their numbers increased exponentially during the Nazis attacks on them in the 1930s. Unfortunately, by that time, Arab support was vital to the allies victory during World War II. Britain grew lax in enforcing the Jewish claim during and after the war. They felt compelled to limit the implementation of the declaration. Since then, Israel has been involved in at least five wars with the Arabs to preserve its survival, since its declaration of independence in 1948 at the UN. Thanks to President Harry Truman, the United States was the first country to recognize their independence.
I remember that my first child was born in 1967 when Israel was fighting for its life against Egypt, Jordan, Syria and the Palestinian Liberation Army. Israel knows that it only has to lose one war and it will cease to exist. Is peace possible? While we can pray to God for this, the reality of the situation is that radical groups, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Isis will never relent until the last Jew has been buried or has left Israel.
It is no secret that Iran is behind virtually all of the unrest in the Middle East. This threatens to be a very long war. There is also the distinct possibility that terrorist acts will occur all over the free world from the U. S., Europe, Asia and even Africa.
Personally, I believe that the Western world’s near-universal divorce from God and His moral teachings has left us empty and morally decadent. The culture that once treasured virtues, such as honesty, integrity, sexual restraint and the sanctity and innocence of our children, born and unborn, has been wiped from the public consciousness. We seem to seek only pleasure and distraction.
Millions have turned their backs on God and his all-healing love. Our culture reeks of profanity, blasphemy and a hedonistic attitude toward morality. Religious faith has declined to the point that believing in God is in a steep decline. No wonder that bona fide political profiles in courage are virtually absent from public discourse.
I seriously question, What will this country do when China and North Korea send their forces across the Taiwan Strait and the 38th parallel? That would be four wars on virtually four fronts. It would be in effect a world war, maybe the last war in history. Are we as unprepared for this one as we were for the last two? We have an army where political correctness and social justice are far more important than military readiness and strategic planning. Our military recruiters are so hard pressed that the Navy has resorted to a ridiculous plan of using Drag Queens as the face of their branch to get more volunteers.
Bringing back the draft would create riots more violent than those in New York City in 1863. Colleges and universities, which have been teaching Critical Racial Theory and other Marxists principles, will not lift a finger to defend this country, let alone go to war on foreign soil. The Red and Blue would disappear from our national flag.
What will NATO do? America has been carrying their burden for generations. After the aforementioned fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine had several Russian nuclear weapons that Russia had abandoned. The U.S. made Ukraine release them for a promise that we would protect them as we have vowed to protect all the members of NATO. It seems our leaders always seem to have a short memory. Why should these potential victims believe us?
I may be wrong, but all this makes me think that come such wars, we will not have the people, the national resolve nor the resources to win such a war. Like Vietnam, when the body bags start coming home, academia and the press will vilify all efforts to save these countries, especially in Asia. One can easily assume that Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines are all watching this evolving dynamic with a personal interest.
I am not a prophet but I see the historical relationships that underscore the world situation and the distinct possibility of another human catastrophe. I have read many commentaries, heard them from informed sources on TV and my car radio. In Atlanta, Eric Erickson, on 95.5 FM, has become my new voice of reason since the tragic loss of the master of them all, Rush Limbaugh.
Since then, I had been without a guide to help me navigate the complexities of the political world. Rush had the best analytical mind when it came to world affairs because he did his homework. To me, Erickson is the second coming of Limbaugh…better educated but without the humor. I was not surprised when I read he had been the first to regularly replace Rush at the Golden Mike after his death in 2021. Erickson has made me risk my life with these Georgia cowboys and their college speed demons, just to listen to him more. I really need to buy a small radio for my office.
Is this all just a bad dream? Did I have too much Chinese food? I admit that what I have written could be our worst nightmare. However, given our national conduct on salient issues such as abortion and population control, I would not be surprised at all. This is just an opinion, a food for thought exercise that I hope people will take very seriously. Whatever the outcome, we must not lose sight of the fact that God’s will, will be done and evil will never triumph.
