Illegal immigrant who had been deported five times and arrested in three states murders Kathryn Steinle, 32-year-old medical-device worker. He was released from jail despite immigration hold because San Francisco is a “sanctuary city.”
‒ News report
International Court of Justice condemns Israeli security fence, but does not condemn the homicidal terrorists the fence was built to keep out.
– News report
Brooklyn man jailed for shooting and wounding intruder in 18-month-old son’s bedroom. Intruder had 19 arrests for criminal trespass, burglary, and attempted assault. Why the intruder was not in jail is unclear. But the father’s gun was unregistered.
– News report
Preposterous: Completely contrary to reason or common sense. From Latin “praeposterus,” with the posterior in front.
– Online dictionary
Pacifists used to come in two varieties. The first holds that all violence is wrong. Overcoming violent criminals often requires force, but strict pacifists reject this as unethical. They are unrealistic, but at least they are honest.
The second variety of pacifist allows exceptions – especially horrible evil may be opposed with force. But these exceptions always lie in the past. Pacifists in the 1930s opposed rearmament, despite the rise of Hitler, pointing out that no Genghis Khan was at the gates. Pacifists in the 1980s opposed rearmament, despite the growth of the Soviet empire, pointing out that no Hitler was on the horizon. Pacifists today oppose rearmament, despite the rise of global terrorism, pointing out that the Soviet empire is no more. That is, the exceptions are never relevant to the current problem – they aren’t really exceptions at all.
Now a third variety of pacifist has appeared – the backside-forward variety. They hold that all violence is wrong, but defensive violence is worse than aggressive violence. Instead of being passive bystanders in humanity’s struggles, these people are active participants – but on the wrong side:
● Israel is condemned for a security fence, and America is condemned for fighting terrorists, but victims of terrorism are ignored.
● When citizens use a weapon to resist a criminal, pacifists protest. Armed attack doesn’t upset them, but armed defense does.
● It’s “gun control” to prevent law-abiding citizens from owning guns, but somehow it’s not “gun control” to jail armed criminals ‒ so they oppose “Use a gun, go to jail” laws.
● Opponents of capital punishment are often supporters of abortion-on-demand up to the ninth month, and of dehydrating and starving the severely disabled to death. Killing convicted murderers is wrong, but killing innocent fetuses and disabled people is admirable.
● After the 1992 Los Angeles riot, newspapers told us to “understand the rage.” But Korean merchants who defended their lives and stores were called “vigilantes.” There was no effort to understand them.
● Democrats prevented the CIA from hiring informants who had records of crimes or civil-rights violations. But how can Boy Scouts infiltrate terrorist cells? Being defended by minor criminals outraged the purists’ sensibilities, but being attacked by major terrorists didn’t worry them.
● The military was cut significantly, though it still troubles pacifists. But the fear that it was also made less effective doesn’t trouble them. And if our military is less effective, who will keep the peace?
● Opponents of a missile-defense system object that our ability to stop incoming missiles will make things worse. Yet they say little when China, Iran, and North Korea develop long-range missiles and nuclear weapons. Weapons of mass destruction don’t scare them, but the idea of blocking the weapons really upsets them.
● Opponents of a missile-defense system say nothing when China tests their own system. If China defends itself, they see no problem. But if we defend ourselves, they object.
● A Los Angeles Times columnist blamed the murder of Kate Steinle on the federal agent whose gun was stolen from his vehicle. But the columnist repeated the murderer’s claim that the gun “went off” accidentally ‒ without mentioning that three shots were fired.
To preposterous pacifists, everyone is to blame except the guilty. Rather than a coherent philosophy of nonviolence, preposterous pacifism is merely apathy and cowardice in fancy clothes.
Preposterous pacifists protect criminals’ rights but forget victims’ rights. They can’t understand why anyone feels the need for self-defense. They rarely work or live in high-crime areas, as do many poor people and minorities. They are ignorant of weapons, and proud of their ignorance. They depend on the police and military to keep them safe – then look down on their protectors, while cutting their funding and hampering them with unrealistic rules.
● “Give peace a chance.” To do what? Allow more thousands of innocents to be slaughtered, while we do nothing? That’s peace?
● “Let’s sit down and talk.” About what? The best knife for beheading people? How to identify body parts after a bomb goes off in a bus?
● “War is not the answer.” Then what’s the question? Surely it’s not, “How was Nazi barbarism stopped?” or “How was slavery ended?” Perhaps the question is, “What’s for lunch?”
● “Stop the cycle of violence.” What cycle? We did nothing after our embassies in Africa were bombed. We did nothing after a hole was blown in the USS Cole and 17 sailors killed. Then came 9/11. What good did our restraint do?
● “Violence never settles anything.” Really? Why isn’t slavery still in existence in America? (Hint: see General U. S. Grant.) Why isn’t Dachau concentration camp still operating? (Hint: see General George Patton.) Why isn’t Bergen-Belsen concentration camp still operating? (Hint: see Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.) Why isn’t Auschwitz death camp still operating? (Hint: see Marshal Georgy Zhukov.) Why isn’t Santo Tomas prison camp still operating? (Hint: see General Douglas MacArthur.) Why isn’t Ted Bundy still murdering young women? (Hint: see “Old Sparky.”)
● “We aren’t perfect.” Nobody is. But this doesn’t justify blaming the victims, and it doesn’t excuse us from our duty. If the biggest kid in the schoolyard doesn’t stop bullies, nobody will.
There are people who want us dead. They don’t envy our free elections, free speech, religious pluralism, or women’s rights – they hate us because of these freedoms. They don’t want to take what we have – they spit on it. They don’t want to hijack our plane – they want to crash it.
The word “peacemaker” has two meanings. The first refers to one who calms hostility. The second refers to the Colt .45 revolver, which is helpful if the first approach fails. Both types of peacemaker are needed to keep peace in the world, but preposterous pacifists refuse to understand this.
Some pacifists sincerely – if naively – try to build a peaceful world.
Other pacifists condemn our troops, but they say nothing about bombers of markets and beheaders of reporters.
They condemn security fences, but they say nothing about the terrorists the fence was built to keep out.
They free a career criminal who then threatens a child, but they imprison the father who defends the child.
They free a career criminal who then murders a young woman, but they blame the one from whom the murderer stole the gun.
These people are simply preposterous. The world is far too dangerous for us to travel with our posteriors leading the way.
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