The Enemy you Know is usually better than the One you don’t

#hopeful in India, 24x18 acrylic on canvas

I have a curious mind. As a writer, I delve into various subjects and interview interesting people as I pursue a story or simply to satisfy my curiosity. Friends and relatives caution me about going in the wrong direction; but what I’ve discovered is that I become even more self-assured in the anchor that holds me to reality and truth.

In my moves and travels around the world, I’ve gained a sense of appreciation for all human beings. The majority are simple, good-hearted people who just want to live their lives in peace. By the ongoing turmoil and the natural disasters that occur many have far more struggles than they can handle or even deserve.

Giving life meaning and purpose is important to many. Participating in a good “cause.” Helping a neighbor or friend. Feeling good about yourself at the end of the day. These simple pleasures ranked high on their “satisfaction” list.

In the oncoming weeks, American’s patience will be tested again by the influx of 10,000 Muslim refugees. Less than three years ago, we were asked to welcome 1.8 million immigrants under the age of 31 from Mexico. The so-called “Dream Act” or “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) program. Created to suspend the deportation of this sizable influx of illegal Mexican runaways.

America is a sinking ship. We are nearly 20 trillion dollars in debt to a powerful communist regime that could annihilate us if they so choose. Now we are asked to accept an even greater burden while over 50% of our own citizens are on welfare. American debt keeps rising, our own people are hurting and now we are expected to do the "humanitarian” thing and bring more people aboard.

To politicians, these “potential voters” are desirable cargo. Made me think of those Titanic survivors who clung to their life rafts. Extra people tried to get aboard, but the rafts would sink losing all. There were simply not enough rafts to support any more people. Hordes of people drowned. A few survivors were left to tell the tale.

The discussed refugees are also from countries that have repeatedly sworn not only to hate America, but to destroy her. Diabolical as it is, most nations and  countries are usually destroyed from within. Inviting our enemies to slowly take over our country is not the same as feeding them and sending them first aid supplies and help. Think about it. Saudi Arabia won’t take these refugees into their country, even though they are of the same ethnic background.

"Prayer Circles" oil on acrylic background

History and current affairs around the world have shown us that their intentions are not “peaceful.”  They have affected the freedoms of every country where they have infiltrated. No I am not advising hatred. What I am saying is that we should offer them food, clothing, health assistance and protection, if necessary, but leave them in their homeland.

We should also encourage other Arab nations to invite these refugees into their tents and living rooms. Perhaps if we had left well enough alone in the first place, Isis would not have taken over the Middle East. Sometimes the “enemy you know” is better than the enemy that rises up to take over the void.

"Belly Dancer" 11x14 acrylic on canvas

How Far are you willing to go?

Most people, including you, have an internal guide to keep them from doing something they’ll regret. Some call it “conscience.” But what happens when these safeguards snap? Could you, would you follow a dangerous path or engage in a lawless immoral act?

All over the country sad individuals are exploding into evil extensions of themselves. Rather than denying impulsive or outlandish thoughts, they are giving into unbridled passion and letting it play out without weighing the consequences.

Imagination becomes so real that they get caught up in the excitement of the moment. Sane people control their thoughts. Insanity indulges lawlessness and danger without regard to conscience or societal pressure. There are no red flags or warnings to protect them from wrongdoing. They have completely crossed over from reality to depravity.

Half the population thinks that stricter gun laws or banning guns altogether is the answer. The other half says “guns don’t kill people, people do,” as if the guns are blameless. However, the first thing a runaway government does is to take control of and remove the only means of self-protection the citizenry have. That’s why “the right to bear arms” is in the Constitution.

While the “people” and their elected leaders fight over this principle, the rest of us wait in fear for an answer. Some will decide to buy and carry before the privilege is lost, while others hang back in fear waiting for some crazy to “strike again.”

Artists are engaging in the battle through posters, political cartoons, illustrations and commentary aimed at one side or the other. But these campaigns don’t take into consideration that these “variations on a theme” are in complete opposition to the Constitution. We need to take a closer look at why these gun incidents are happening, who is committing the atrocities and where?

Most of the shootings have occurred in “gun free” zones. The shooter knew that there would be no opposition to his attack and no other guns on the scene, at least until the police arrived. Many of the shooters had a history of mental illness. And some of them were jihadists converted by Isis online.

All of these people managed to obtain guns anyway; some through illegal means and others through regular channels and “quickie” permits with careless background checks.

Most of these shooters were seeking recognition. They got noticed, all right, but it may not have been the kind of attention they were seeking.

Who will stand when the time comes? To the brave go the glory!

What happens when societies crumble, when civilized peoples turn into depravity and violence? In the absence of experience or history to guide them, do  people tend to devolve into unschooled savages?

The author of Lord of the Flies, William Goldberg, seems to think so as do many anthropologists and historians. But it doesn’t take a doctorate or a Ph.D. to come to this conclusion. The average person through his or her own experience and education would probably agree.

I recall a science fiction show many years ago about how modern society had been obliterated through their own excesses. The few who remained had no books or knowledge to chart their course. Information was being withheld. There was no recorded history to make comparisons or to avoid calamity. There was a void of ideas, thinking, and motivation.

The wisdom of the ages had been destroyed. There was no compass of thought or inspirational examples. No past record to shed light on the passage of time and the future ahead. Only one person remained who held the key to rebuilding civilization. Why? Because he remembered; a flicker of light in the darkness set a chain of events moving that powered and re-invigorated the hunger for freedom that exists within each human being.

Now we have Isis that is ravaging brick by brick, stone by stone, the ancient antiquities of Iraq, Mosul and the entire Middle East. Ancient history, holy to many, is being crumbled, desecrated and soon-to-be-forgotten by the ages.

Biblical history is being wiped off the map and replaced with savage violence and destruction. Hatred-wielding thugs are seeking power and carving up the Middle East into bite-sized gulps, devouring the past and filling their bellies with blood and gore. The antiquities of history that gave this region some semblance of stability are being erased.

War mongers are single-minded when it comes to their ravenous power-grabbing intent. Their goal is anything but preserving history. Their enemy is tradition and rational thinking. They seek to change and eliminate the cherished, the courageous, the stalwart and strong that will not bend their knee without a fight.

Those who are unwilling to comply are crushed beneath a mindless authoritarianism. The valiant few struggle to protect the weak. They try to salvage and preserve the treasures of their civilization at all costs for the benefit of future generations where they will be designated heroes and heroines. But they are few and far between.

What about us? Who will arise to save our sinking society – our world? I doubt that they will be politicians who value votes and power far above culture and dignity. Where are the men and women who sense danger and see the signs of its progressing onslaught? Will they be people of faith, doctors, mathematicians, scientists, philosophers or artists? Will they stand up when others stand down?

When our ship of sale is sinking, will we have the courage to stand up and be counted? 

Watch as Isis destroys precious artwork, sculpture and the antiquity of the ages that go back to Biblical and historical times.