Profiles in Cowardice

David C. Stolinsky, MD
Nov 16, 2009

John Kennedy published a book titled “Profiles in Courage.” He told the stories of people who acted courageously in the face of danger and turmoil. But if he were alive today, I believe he might write another book, describing what he would see around him. The title: “Profiles in Cowardice.”

Destroy the world (except Mecca).

The director of the new disaster film “2012,” Roland Emmerich, publicly stated that the film depicts the destruction of the Washington Monument, the White House, the Sistine Chapel, Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Christ of the Andes − but not the Kaaba in Mecca. He fears death threats, as well as being seen by his liberal friends as politically incorrect.

Must we now omit even a computerized special effect for fear of reprisals? Is this what Hollywood calls “artistic freedom”? We have trouble handling the truth. Now we can’t even handle fiction. What do you suppose our enemies − and our friends − will conclude from all this? They will conclude that we are weak and unreliable, and that we do not stand by our principles. Nothing could be more effective in producing more enemies and fewer friends.

Unlike many disaster films, people are shown praying. Saint Peter’s Square is filled with thousands, who are crushed when the dome collapses. The square around the Kaaba in Mecca is also filled with thousands, but apparently they survive. Irreligious Westerners may think little of this. But millions of viewers around the world will think that God is punishing Christians, and Americans in particular, while sparing Muslims.

For years, Hollywood has made films showing our leaders as evil schemers, and our troops as deranged killers. Now we see a film implying that God is against us. Thanks a lot, Hollywood, for your support in a difficult time. But don’t be surprised if a hostile government comes to censor you. You are already censoring yourselves. Don’t you know that political correctness is the first step toward totalitarian thought control? Maybe they don’t teach that in film school. But I didn’t learn it in school, either. I learned it just by being an American. Maybe that’s the difference between us.

A sociopath with a toothache.

Discussing the attack on Fort Hood, Geraldo Rivera belittled the possibility of terrorism, even going so far as to suggest that Major Hasan was a sociopath who may have been set off by a “toothache.” This desperate attempt to cling to the liberal worldview goes beyond the ludicrous and approaches the delusional.

Hasan is not a sociopath. Far from being a habitual criminal, he had no criminal record at all. Giving something a scientific name does not mean that we understand it, much less that we know how to deal with it. Giving something an incorrect scientific name proves that we do not understand it, and that we are not even trying to find out how to deal with it.

Hasan went through medical school, a psychiatry residency and a master’s program in public health. He was observed daily by mental-health professionals. They reported no signs of a mental disorder. They did, however, complain about his radical Islamic beliefs and his anti-American rants. But little attention was paid to these complaints.

Whatever Hasan’s problems were, they involved not his psychological functioning but his belief system. That is, his problems involved not his mental health but his spiritual health − something not on the liberal radar.

President Obama warned, “We don’t know all the answers yet, and I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts.” General Casey, Army Chief of Staff, echoed the president’s warning. He went on to declare, “And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse.”

No, General, 13 dead troops on a stateside Army post are a lot worse. Troops sometimes must die to defend our freedom, but never to satisfy the liberal agenda. A soldier would know that, but a bureaucrat might not. We now know which you are.

Man-caused disasters.

The Obama administration has sunk so deeply into political correctness that it insists on referring to terrorist attacks as “man-caused disasters,” and to the war on terror as “overseas contingency operations.” The problem is that in addition to being revoltingly weak, these terms are inaccurate. As the Fort Hood attack showed all too clearly, when we no longer know we are in a war on terror, the operations are no longer overseas.

It is politically dangerous for the president to claim that there is no terrorism, only “man-caused disasters.” Moving the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to a New York courthouse demotes 9/11 from an act of war to an ordinary crime. We are reverting to a 9/10 mindset. If the president curtails surveillance of suspected terrorists, and this results in more attacks, some people might conclude that he is the man who caused the disaster.

The antidote: courage.

Listing these examples of cowardice is making me sick. There are only so many mealy-mouthed excuses for inaction and passivity that I can take before my mind, my heart and even my stomach react. Just as the body throws up rotten food, the spirit throws up rotten ideas.

The Bible says it best: “So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” As John Kennedy put it, “Dante once said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.” And Brad Thor remarked, “Sheep have only two speeds − graze and stampede.” If we spend our time grazing, we are sure to stampede − when it is too late.

As an antidote to disgusting cowardice, I offer these examples of courage. Go to these links. Look at the faces of heroes. Read their stories. And then read about Paul Smith, Jason Dunham, Michael Murphy, Michael Monsoor, Ross McGinnis and Jared Monti. Do you remember Todd Beamer? You should. Courage is not restricted to a combat zone. It may be needed anywhere − an airliner, for example.

But if you say that physical courage is for the young, think of Rick Rescorla. He was no longer young and fit. In fact, he was old, fat and sick. But he got almost all 2700 employees of Morgan Stanley out of the World Trade Center on 9/11, before he went back to be sure they were all safe − and was never seen again. Courage resides in the spirit, not the body.

And lest you think that America has a monopoly of courage today, read about two Brits, Bryan Budd and Johnson Beharry, and an Aussie, Mark Donaldson, whom we are proud to call brothers. If you want to see how courage should be honored, watch the video clip on Donaldson. We honor heroes not so much for their sakes − it embarrasses them. We honor them for our sakes, to remind ourselves of the high price of the freedoms we take for granted.

Physical courage is admirable. But too often, it becomes necessary only because other people lacked moral and intellectual courage, and were unwilling to confront evil before it grew too strong. That is where we find ourselves today. President Obama and his top advisors cannot even use the word “terrorism.”

Our nation and our civilization depend on people with moral, intellectual and physical courage. Do we have enough of them to counterbalance the cowards who do not dare to name the enemy, much less to combat it? Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, all the rest of us can try to demonstrate at least a spark of courage. If nothing else, we can speak up.

Dr. Stolinsky writes on political and social issues. He can be contacted at dstol@prodigy.net.

www.stolinsky.com