Anyone with at least a somewhat thorough knowledge of history, trained military, swat teams, law enforcement people in general- and I suspect the majority of hunters/shooters already know what I am about to say, so it’s no secret really.
Others outside of these groups are also often aware of it. But first:
Nobody gets elected from any party if public perception is that they are “soft on crime” or “do-nothings” with regard to public safety, gangs, organized crime and such.
More and more, prisons are the go-to local employment options (with, I suppose, Walmart) in rural areas, especially smaller towns where industries, even farming has become a thing of the past (unless “big-box” agriculture corporations come around… and even then…).
“SOMETHING HAS GOT TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS LAWLESSNESS- the country is going to hell” is not an uncommon thought, saying and indeed I began hearing it in the very early 60’s as a kid in rural Wisconsin. Violence. Drugs. Crime. Terrorists. Reality and I accept it as reality, make no mistake about that.
With me so far?
As a hunter, shooter, country and small-town, then suburban, then inner-city dude who still thinks and lives “in both worlds”… and as a guy who has at least “a little” smarts, maybe even understanding… I can tell you with zero research on my part that there are MANY, MANY ways any individual can create a dirty bomb, even a load of them, place and detonate them in most places where stark damage can be done in a matter of, oh, 20 minutes with nobody the wiser until the BOOM happens.
The stuff to do such is varied, accessible and with ZERO desire, motivation to ever do such a sick, sinful, demented, demonic act, even -I- know this- and so do most if not all those amongst the groups I named here.
BUT ya just can’t get elected or at times keep your day-job if you ever say such a thing in public. You must reassure folks you and yours are the solution to the horrors of the present. Kool-aid folks, and I find it amazing such is rarely if ever stated.
Now we CAN decide to create or allow a “police state” if we so desire. World history and to a degree, U.S. history provides plenty of information on how those have worked and the actual cost for the given population of those nations where such was or is being done.
I suppose it depends on how much faith you place in flawed, self-interested humans. Personally, in my view, it also comes down to how much I look to Jesus Christ for grace, either to protect me, mine, ours, the city, state, nation, etc., as well as how I navigate if and when He allows such disasterous things to happen in this fallen, sinful world. Wickedness IS, color it any way you like. Americans, non-Americans, there is plenty to go around.
Please understand, I support sane, caring, well-trained police and military. I do not support every move -any- politician or commander makes in their deployment nor do I in -every- case agree with the decisions they make in use of force, and I mean force of any sort, lethal or otherwise. And yet I am convinced we owe a great deal of respect and prayer for those in authority, more so (in my view) if/when they are people of character than in some blanket sense. ALL cops, ALL politicians, ALL who say they are (and they may indeed be) followers of Jesus? No. Nada.
I can hear someone thinking “What??!” when I quote two verses that on the surface seem contradictory, but in the New Testament we have both: “Honor ALL people” as well as “Respect to whom respect is DUE”… it’s a both/and and hard for us to wrap our minds around which fits whom/when/how. “A time for every purpose under heaven” I think. So it’s a judgment call. Overall I think it’s about loving people, not controling nor commanding. When we demand some folks EARN respect while we give others a pass… I’m saying such duplicity often happens. This is why drawing hard, non-gracious lines is such an issue. God has every right to do so. You and I?
How careful are we with extremes? Fear, anger, worry, maybe even hate? Faith, hope, love? Which of these does God command in His Word?
Ah yes- “command”. I must add that God, being God, according to the scritpures IS love… IS perfect… therefore has right far beyond human beings to command. Overall control as well? Yes, even in pure logic sans faith I’d posit He has every right to control. He, folks, is not you, me us!!!
The extreme views of plenty of people often cause shifts in how leaders (who at times seem very much “for hire”) respond to needs. I have a wife, kids, grandkids, friends and even a few enemies ALL whom I’d rather see safe than not every single day.
But for anyone to say horrible acts are preventable in this nation or any other -sans a ruthless dictatorship, the suspension of all democratic laws, the snuffing out of a free press and indeed, secret police in lock-step with those who stand to lose the most, that is, the moneyed powerful? I quit smoking grass, hash and taking acid in the early 70’s.
As always, thanks for stopping by! -Glenn
glennkaiser.com 