When history looks back upon this time in the U.S.A.--if, indeed, we survive long enough to have a history to look back upon--I think it will see a president who fought mightily to protect our country while others in government kept his hands tied and his legs shackled.
After today's senatorial defiance of the president's call for stronger interrogation tactics, I am beginning to fear our own leaders more than the Islamo-fascists. The senators are well positioned to do serious damage to our country and our military, and they seem eager and committed to do so. Whether they are motivated by political design or complete stupidity is beside the point. Their determined ignorance of our enemy's nature is certain to get a lot more Americans killed.
Even former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the prior Secretary of State Colin Powell, a great American hero and icon, has weighed in against his former boss. " The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism," Powell wrote in his letter. Powell said Bush's bill, by tinkering with Geneva Conventions treatments allowed, "would add to those doubts. Furthermore, it would put our own troops at risk."
Don't look now, General, but our own troops are already at extremely high risk. No matter how solicitously we treat enemy prisoners, our troops will still have their heads lopped off if they are captured. I found all of Powell's statements utterly ridiculous.
"Moral basis of our fight"? What is he talking about? We're fighting people who pop out captive's eyeballs, just for fun, before killing them. Somehow, Britney Spears over the loudspeaker at Gitmo just doesn't compare. "The world is beginning to doubt," oh yes, there's a news flash. The U.S. acts and sacrifices, "the world" doubts. It's been that way for a long time, and it's why "the world" now has the luxury of armchair quarterbacking America's every move. "The world," as usual, is having all its heavy lifting done by the U.S.A.
This country needs more than righteous anger, although that doesn't hurt. The U.S.A. needs prayers, because I think we, as a nation, have totally lost our way. It is impossible to win this or any war by kissing the enemy's butt. Or "The world's" butt.
The patron saint of the United States is Mary, mother of God. She has hundreds of titles, collected over the centuries, but as our patron she is known primarily as the Immaculate Conception (pictured). In Catholic theology, this title refers to Mary being born without sin.
She has two other names as our patron. I'm a cradle Catholic, fairly savvy with Mary intel, but this second title was a new one on me: Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery. I didn't quite know what to make of it until I read the link, which describes the first U.S. shrine dedicated to Mary. It certainly breathes fresh life into the bromide about learning something new everyday.
The third title is my favorite: Our Lady of Victory. In view of this ongoing war, the strength we need to win it, and the internal odds against us, I'm one American who takes comfort in the fact that Our Lady of Victory--our patron saint, Our Lord's mother--is on our side. Three badly needed "Hail Marys" for the U.S.A., coming right up.
