The pain of the past week has been almost unbearable for so many thousands of us, even those of us who don’t live in the hit zone of the San Bernardino terror. The shock waves just keep coming as more information is discovered and released to us.
Those of us who pulled our heads out of the sand decades ago know only too well that we could be the next innocent victims when terrorists strike again. If anyone is missing a personal relationship with God, now might be a good time to consider starting one. It’s your choice, of course, and we don’t know His plans for us, but I’d much rather have Him on my side than not.
The danger of attack can easily come – once again – from disgruntled, home-grown nutcases who know perfectly well what they are doing. But it is beyond reprehensible for any warped, mad-at-the world egomaniac to go after his co-workers, most of whom spend their lives caring for those who cannot care for themselves without assistance. That is probably the most sickening aspect of this latest attack. And why all of us in sprawling San Bernardino County and the rest of California are all so very angry. Yes, angry. Perturbed doesn’t begin to cover it.
However, we can’t let our anger vent itself on our innocent neighbors who also happen to be Muslim. Some of mine have been living in fear for a long time, fear of retaliation because of what hijacking extremists continue to do.
In this latest horror, there was likely more than one motive. When anyone is filled with hate, anything, literally anything, can be the trigger that sets them off, the feeble excuse they were looking for in their unstable but lucid condition. And there is nothing quite so vicious as a woman turned against humanity. When she does not love even her own child more than herself and her delusional leaders, there is no tool more venomous for Satan to use.
As far as a man’s wounded ego – Good grief! Get over it! So a co-worker pricked your pride or whatever. Eat it! So he or she made a comment about the baggy outfit you’d thrown together in a hurry. Or he said you reeked of kimchi, or needed a haircut, even that your mother was a whore. It happens to all of us, especially those who are more introverted than most and tend not to shut people down the first time they mouth off. And if you can’t handle even a mild insult, go sign up for an anger management class before the court system orders you into one. There is plenty of help available if you will swallow your false pride and go get it.
And by the way, your mother is one tough bird!! She’d have to be, to put up with the disrespect she’s been getting for years from someone like you. She can take care of herself, so don’t mess with her. And don’t shame her into her grave by attacking someone who was a far better person than a jerk will ever be.
Congress will react to the terrorism on their own timetable but they can’t continue to misread the temper of our people. We’re dealing with a different enemy now and a different war, even as Vietnam was different from earlier wars. Therefore, a different strategy and different tactics are essential before we can win. Regardless, we can’t allow our allies to bear the brunt of the fighting while we dither around in uncertainty. A spade is a spade, not a shovel, and we must call a spade a spade, regardless of who is offended by terminology that predates current society by far more than a few centuries.