Dakota Beacon

Political science professor, columnist and former North Dakota Lieutenant Governor Lloyd Omdahl opined recently in the Grand Forks Herald, that our current efforts to instill democracy in the Middle East and parts of South America appear to be futile.  He questioned the viability of those “freedom fighters” in Libya and Egypt, etc., once they no longer have a common enemy.  I would suggest that they will likely unite behind a hostile posture toward the United States as their “common enemy”.  There is every reason to expect this based on the religious fanaticism apparent there. 

The burning of a Koran by a preacher in Florida was trumpeted throughout Afghanistan  by President Karzai, the man we have been propping up in office in that wasteland.- evidently to create some sort of fervor or increase his following in a waning presidency.  He decided to make this an issue and call “the very stones of Kabul to rise and mutiny”.  The result is at least few dead at a United Nations facility and an American soldier killed due to rioting among the followers of the “religion of peace”. We can argue all day about the foolishness of this symbolic act in Florida, but what Terry Jones accomplished was to put a spotlight on the ridiculousness of our continued presence in the Afghan wilderness. 

Perhaps we went there to route out Osama bin Laden.  Perhaps we went there to help contain the Taliban, to help the people there acquire freedom (I did not say “achieve”).  Maybe we were on some kind of charity mission because we felt sorry for them in their depressing condition.  Well, it is clear by now that we should leave.  What are the reasons for remaining?  Is it because we are making progress?  With Karzai calling out the rabble to punish the West for Terry Jones’ act?  With Karzai too weak a leader to stand on his own without us propping him up? With the imminent beheading of an Afghan man for the crime of converting to Christianity?  Really?  I think this is not so much a case of our needing to be patient tutors of democracy as realists who understand that these are people who prefer their caves and slums and the hideousness of Muslim punishments – the beheadings for the crime of apostasy, stoning of rape victims, child abuse and mutilation – to the creation of hope through a constitutional republic.  If we could, in fact, sponsor the generation of such a government, the moment we ceased to attend upon it, it would collapse and revert to the same cesspool it began.  There is an old saying (I didn’t make it up but I won’t apologize for the analogy) that you should never try to teach a pig to sing – it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.  You should never try to teach self-government to a people steeped in Islam because that culture breeds theocracy and personality cults.  Not free elections, or an informed electorate governing with reason.

Besides being encamped in South Korea, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., we are now about to become embroiled in Libya.  Just whose side SHOULD we be on here?  The lunatic who engineered the bombing at Lockerbie or the gang who planned and executed the destruction of the Trade Towers in New York, that early Tuesday morning – killing 3,000 Americans?  Gee, hard to choose.  On the other hand, just staying out of it is easy to choose. 

There is so much wrong with this picture one hardly knows where to start.  We could begin with the financial crisis in which we find ourselves.  Here’s an idea: why not demand that our Congress do its job?  Under the Constitution the President becomes the Commander in Chief upon a declaration of war by Congress and ONLY then. Congress must 1) declare war, 2) appropriate funds (not to exceed two years’ worth) for the armed forces, 3) provide for and maintain a navy, and 4) make rules for the government and regulation of land and naval forces.  I don’t think I heard the President mentioned there. It is up to Congress whether we take military kinetic exercise in the Mideast or anywhere else.  So why not ask Congress to vote to order our troops home from anywhere they are not serving DIRECTLY our nation’s safety?  We could save many billions of dollars in such a move without compromising our integrity.  After all, sometime in the very near future these dependent nations will be left on there own BECAUSE WE ARE GOING BANKRUPT!

South Korea and Germany should be able to arm themselves by now.  If not, we’ve wasted half a century supporting them.  If they cannot, we surely can’t justify another scarce American dollar in their service.  Better that they know right now that the babysitter is out of business.

And while we’re talking money, would it not be better for our troops to be back home and mustered out when the crash comes?  I would hate to be the gun crew on some Afghani mountaintop when we run out of bullets.

It is worth noting that we have not prevented Iran or Pakistan from acquiring nuclear capability.  What else can we not accomplish while over there?  We even seem to have mislaid our national sovereignty, putting our armed forces under the command of foreign powers.

While we’ve been busily stirring the flames of freedom in that desolate backwater, THEIR “missionaries” have been busy over HERE - shooting our soldiers in Texas, attempting bombings at our airports, setting up subversive mosques where terrorist training proceeds apace, committing various atrocities such as honor killings within our borders (where everyone – even Muslim women and little girls – are supposed to be protected) and creating an anti-American, anti-Christian climate through CAIR and the political correctness campaign, which involves things like robbing us of our Easter traditions, Christmas carols and references to God in our schools and other public places.  They have benefited in their endeavors by a U.S. President who covers up the cross when he speaks at Christian colleges and cancels a traditional Christian Day of Prayer in preference to an Islamic Day of Prayer – and apologizes everywhere he goes for the Americans who died trying to protect the nation over which he currently presides.

With all of this, our foreign missions, even UN missions, as well as our other American personnel, are threatened with violence and death in a crude attempt to do away with American freedom on our own shores, long-distance, through blackmail.  There is no other term to define what Karzai and his swarm of vengeful, moth-eaten faithful are doing right now.  And there is just no way that free Americans will be able to tolerate his unwashed mob in the streets of Kabul dictating to us to tear up the Constitution of the United States.  And that is what they do when they hold us hostage over there, demanding that we punish an American citizen for exercising his legitimate right under American law.  We cannot punish Americans for free speech.  That has been settled through disposition of cases of flag burning, not to mention the free speech of haters who want to heckle grieving families of fallen soldiers at their funerals.  Obviously, we can’t punish Terry Jones or the hundreds of folks who will defiantly burn Korans elsewhere in the U.S.  Well, I’m sorry that this creates yet more hazard to Americans abroad, but more reason to bring them home.

I would favor closing our embassies and consulates in hostile nations and bringing American government employees, including military, home and encouraging Americans visiting there privately to leave with them.  I would let one and all know that we would not attempt to rescue a single one of them should they come in harm’s way after a reasonable warning time.  This way our enemies will not hold our very Constitution hostage in the bunkers of some rat-infested desert.  Then we can use our wherewithal to prevent anyone coming into America whose background does not pass the safety test. 

Omdahl suggests we tutor the people of these countries to better equip them for democracy.  Instead of worrying about tutoring medieval hunter-gatherers in the mountains of Afghanistan in the ways of modern democracy and the constitutional republican form of government, we should tend to our own knitting and put America back on track WE SHOULD DEMONSTRATE THAT WE CAN FOLLOW OUR OWN CONSTITUTION AND LAWS. We haven’t been doing too well on that lately.  Omdahl mentions that some South American countries do not hold regular elections or abide by them when they do.  But in America we have abundant evidence of voter fraud in every election!  We have proof positive of intimidation through violence or the threat of it, at the polls.  Our Constitution has been violated again and again by this President alone!  Our Constitution does not permit the acquisition or bailing out of private businesses.  It does not permit the federal government to encroach on states’ and individuals’ rights or impose federal regulations on private businesses or individuals through rogue agencies.  It does not permit Congress or the President or his advisors to dictate to us with regard to healthcare or the disposition of our private resources. Read it!  Most of our leaders in Congress are basically unfamiliar with it or have exhibited their utter contempt for it.  They exempt themselves from laws they make for the rest of us – just exactly like a banana republic. How can WE attempt to teach OTHERS how to live under a constitution?

Some things are most thoroughly savored when they have been earned.  The people of the Middle East have not earned liberty.  They don’t know what it is and they don’t care to find out.  They are afraid of freedom and its attendant responsibilities.  We should teach by example.  Those ready to learn have a great advantage over Sam Adams, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.  THEY can STUDY Sam Adams, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. THESE are our gift to the world.

Sally Morris is a member of Americans for Constitutional Government and the Executive Committee of the Valley Tea Party Conservative Coalition.