Thursday, January 20, 2022

The Guardian Angel and the Thousand Demons

Growing up Catholic, we learn that each of us has a Guardian Angel who accompanies us everywhere we go, and watches everything we do.

 

The assignment of the Guardian Angels is to prevent us from being harmed physically, such as getting into an accident, also prevent us, when possible, from committing a moral imprudence.

 

As children, we are also told that Satan is in competition with God for our souls. And so, while Guardian Angels prod us to do the right thing, Satan’s demons are always present, prodding us to commit sins.

 

While this is the religious drama we learn about as children, a similar drama plays out in real life, not just with each of us as individuals, but also with all of us whether we are a small group or a large one. And there are plenty of examples that can be cited, such as the following:

 

A small band of petty thieves decides to go big time, and starts invading homes armed with deadly weapons, which they use against anyone that tries to stop them. Or, conversely, a number of like-minded people organizes to help the homeless find shelter.

 

Or it can happen that a large army decides to go flatten a country it considers a dangerous enemy. Or conversely, a country mobilizes an army of volunteers to go to places around the globe where they need help because they were struck by a natural disasters or because they never had the opportunity to develop and reach a self-sustaining level.

 

Of all the countries in the world, the United States of America is one of the very few that can boast it has lived through dramas that cover most of these categories. The unfortunate part, however, is that America went from being the country of President Kennedy’s Peace Corps to the country of destruction by arial bombardment and land invasions.

 

Today, the tug-of-war is ongoing between (1) the warmongers on one side who play the role of Satan’s Devils by constantly pushing America to go bomb someone or invade another, and (2) the peacemakers on the other side who play the role of Guardian Angels by advocating that America spend its resources looking after its own people, especially those in dire need of assistance.

 

We can see examples of all this in two articles that were published recently. One article came under the title: “Biden’s choice with Iran,” and the subtitle: “Nuclear negotiations a distraction from its internal vulnerabilities.” It was written by Robert G. Joseph, and published on January 17, 2022 in The Washington Times.

 

The other article came under the title: “It’s time for the United States to reduce Sanctions Against North Korea,” and the subtitle: “The United States’ maximum pressure strategy against North Korea has only emboldened Kim Jong-Un. It’s time for the Biden administration to consider other options.” The article was written by Doug Bandow, and was published on January 18, 2022 in The National Interest.

 

When you read his article, you’ll realize that Robert Joseph is obviously a rabid warmonger, and that he does not hide his cannibalistic instinct to rip apart those he dislikes by misrepresenting the truth about them and by dehumanizing them. And so, for you to consider, here in condensed form, is what Robert Joseph has blathered, talking about Iran, his favorite bogeyman of the day:

 

“The windfall of cash paid to the dictatorship was used to bring the Assad regime in Syria close to victory, to provide resources to proxies and to suppress the people of Iran. The second windfall that the regime would receive from lifting current sanctions would be employed for the same purposes. If an agreement is reached, the value of any short-term constraints will be far outweighed by making clear that the call to promote democracy and human rights is nothing more than empty rhetoric. Mr. Biden remains committed to restoring an agreement that has failed to achieve closing the pathways for Iran to build a nuclear weapon. This became apparent when Iran has shown that it was preparing for a breakout while still under the agreement. The Biden administration appears enthusiastic, to pay a high price for the restoration of the agreement. It has taken no concrete steps to increase pressure on Iran. Mr. Biden will still hand over the resources that Tehran needs to accelerate its nuclear and missile programs, as well as to pursue its aggression against US Gulf allies”.

 

You do realize what Robert Joseph means by “windfall,” don’t you? He means that if you work all your life, accumulate a small fortune, and a thief robs you of it, but then the system of justice gets that fortune back to you, some jerk out there, perhaps named Robert the disciple of Satan or something, will complain that you just received a windfall you will use to commit anti-satanic evil acts.

 

It is for this reason that people want to hear from thinkers such as Doug Bandow whose humanity makes his dissertations ring true to human beings who are yearning for a return to a more civilized discourse. And so, for you to consider, here in condensed form, is what Doug Bandow has written, talking about North Korea, today’s favorite bogeyman of every warmonger in America:

 

“Sanctions don’t work. The Kim regime continues to produce missiles, nuclear weapons, and a host of other war materiel. Pyongyang justified its activities by pointing to the hypocrisy of Americans producing weapons for themselves while criticizing the North’s activities. Washington penalized several North Korean officials and proposed new UN measures on the DPRK. Pyongyang responded sharply, launching two short-range missiles from rail cars. North Korea also warned that if the US adopts a confrontational stance, the DPRK will take stronger reaction. That could be a nuclear test. Sanctions have not deterred North Korea from devoting a disproportionate share of its resources to the military or developing missiles and nuclear weapons. If anything, Kim has used sanctions to justify new advances. These sanctions keep the DPRK poorer economically but only somewhat weaker militarily. They don’t prevent it from being able to kill millions in a full-scale war. Diplomacy might be doomed to fail. However, reducing sanctions might create new areas for agreement”.

 

Doug Bandow’s message, perhaps whispered into his ear by his Guardian Angel, is clear and simple. It goes something like this: Stop running around poking people in the rib, America, because some day someone bigger than you will want to poke you in the rib. And that’s when you’ll know how stinky you’ve been during all these years.