Good and Evil!

Tuesday – March 22, 2011

Good and Evil!

What defines good and evil? I could give you the dictionary definition or I could ask you what your definition is.

There is no good time for killing. Killing is evil. But killing is part of the human condition. In a perfect world, there would be no killing and no crime. In a perfect world, there would be no need for armies and police. In a perfect world, there would be no tyrants and there would be benevolent princes.

Machiavelli said, in effect, “You either caress a Prince or you kill him.” The world is not perfect. The human condition is one of struggle and one of battle. The battle could be on the battle field or it could be based on ideas. In any case, disputes over territory come with a price. Disputes over ideas come with a price. Most times, it comes with the loss of life.

The first record of war was in 8000BC – Sharpened stone heads were used for axes, spears and arrows. Wood was used for clubs, axe handles and spear shafts. Spears were generally shorter than the warrior and used with one hand. Sling use was limited, only by the training needed to use it effectively. However, slings did outrange all other missile weapons, even bows, throughout the 4th century BC.

Today, our weapons are far more sophisticated than those used in the fourth century BC. Today, our weapons are designed for killing. Today, our preferred method of fighting is done through coalitions. Invasions come quickly, but linger on. Today, the decisions to go to war are disguised under the cloak of the United Nations. The United Nation’s is a deliberative body that takes its time and, as a result, prolongs the grief and suffering of oppressed people.

The decision to go to war is a heavy one. In this country, the President decides with the approval of Congress. In other countries, such as Libya, the ruler decides himself. In countries, such as Libya, the ruler, Moammar Qadaffi, also makes war on his own people. In countries, such as Iraq, Saddam Heussien used to make war on his own people and on his neighbors.

The military is exclusive to their mother countries. They can also be shared by other allies to conduct joint exercises, like the one occurring in Libya today. While the U.S. is making policy themselves they also have to work within the U.N. mandate. President Obama says that Qadaffi must go and that is the U.S. policy, however the U.S. will also work within the U.N. mandate. This is the confusion that, in most cases, causes a war to be prolonged and makes it untenable.

The world is a small environment. Information is passed with the speed of light. Weapons can be fired from hundreds of miles away and hit their designated targets with pin point accuracy. In some cases, these weapons have replaced soldiers on the front line.

The president made his decision to go to war. He didn’t consult Congress and didn’t follow the War Powers Act. Our law says that the president cannot make the sole decision to go to war, with out consulting Congress. The president can make the decision go to war himself, if there is an eminent threat coming our way. The Constitution spells out these rules. George Bush followed the rules and was criticized, because he did. In this case, President Obama violated the law and our rules. Some would say he is no different than the oppressive ruler that we are trying to eliminate. Some are asking who the good one is and who is now the evil one?

Libya is not a threat to the U.S. Libya can be controlled and the leader can be contained. Our foreign policy has been one of containment and that is what needs to be changed. Our policy of propping up an enemy this year and destroying him next year must stop. This is the good and evil of our policy and the men who decide on the policy.

When a U.S. president dithers and does not win the battle, he will loose the war. If Moammar Qadaffi remains as the leader of Libya, our president will look weaker than he already is. Our president is framing this action as a being a part of a coalition and not solely a U.S. action. Are you confused yet? We are making the decisions from the back seat only to turn over command to other countries “soon.” Are you now more confused than you were before?

Don’t get me wrong, I support the action of riding any tyrant, especially Qadaffi. But when our president is wrong in the design of the action and the communication of the actions goals, then I have a problem with it. It appears to me that this president is on a mission to prove himself. This is a dangerous proposition and it affects every American. Some say that George Bush was doing the same. I disagree. George Bush was protecting the country from further attacks when he decided to wage a war on terror. When Reagan bombed Qadaffi, in 1986, it was in retaliation. We also were in a dispute about territorial waters and Libya’s view of where they began and ended.

The end game is here. It is now a matter of making good from the evil. The end game should include supporting a benevolent Prince, and making foreign policy a matter of supporting the people of Libya and not just containing its dictator. If the president can do this, then I will support him. The truth of the matter is, I don’t think he can, because there is still not enough good and far too much evil being done.

I heard something the other day that puts a perspective on good and evil. Out of thousands of years of human history on the planet Earth, ninety five percent (95%) of the total population of mankind has been enslaved and has spent their lives under oppression. The United States can boast that we were free from the start and that we remain that way today. It is the United States that can spread freedom to the world, but we should do it on a consistent basis. You tell me what the good and evil of that is!

Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives

A footnote: Good and evil comes in many forms it is our duty to make sure that our leaders rule with that premise and that they promise to do so!