The World Is Going Mad

Mumbai Massacre: Watching 10 terrorists literally control the life of a major city and stun a worldwide television audience reminds us that Islamic radicalicsm is not going away but will only become bolder in the coming days unless it is confronted and defeated. The Islamic militants clearly took pleasure in torturing their victims and promoting their cause. In addition, they have provoked a potential crisis between India and Pakistan at a time the West needs Pakistan to focus on its border with Afghanistan. The attack on Mumbai should remind us that it is nothing short of a miracle that similar actions have not occurred on our shores since 9/11. It is almost against the law to praise President Bush for anything, but someday a wise historian will write that because of President Bush and his policies America was kept safe from such brutality while many other countries suffered mightily during the last seven years. President-elect Obama is getting good marks for the selections to his national security team. But one has to be concerned about his previous statements regarding the closing of Gitmo and his opposition to parts of the Patriot Act. One can only hope that the next President will take heed to the words of Thomas Jefferson--"Eternal viligence is the price of liberty."

Economic Meltdown and Bailouts: Since mid-September Americans have watched in shock as great financial institutions and corporations have collapsed in front of their eyes and in many cases become wards of the state. Now we are watching the leaders of the U.S. auto Big Three come before Congress begging for money and saying that their companies will collapse within a month unless such assistance is forthcoming. For those who played by the rules during the subprime lending crisis and now see their assets diminish almost daily, it is hard to justify bailing out institutions and individuals who through a combination of greed, arrogance and incompetence seeking, and in a number of cases, obtaining hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars. Once again President-elect Obama has been praised for the makeup of his econmic team. The problem is that many of these individuals were directly involved in getting us to where we are either as public officials or financial tycoons.

Reaction to Proposition 8: The approval of Prop 8 in California affirming the definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman was one of the few bright spots for conservatives on election night. Rather than accept the outcome of the voting gracefully some opponents of Prop 8 have resorted to violence against the religious groups, especially the Mormons. Regardless of ones thinking about the theology of the Mormon Church, one has to commend them along with Evangelicals, conservative Catholics and many African Americans for heroically standing up for traditional values in the face of strong opposition. It is amazing watching the press make those promoting virtue sound like the villains while those committing the acts of violence are pictured as victims of bigotry. "In the last days good shall be called evil and evil, good."

The Stampede at Wal-Mart: I would not get up early on a Black Friday to be part of a mob in front of Wal-Mart even if they were giving away free money. Obviously there many in our society who view things differently. The annual ritual of mobs of bargin hunters crashing into retail outlets on the day after Thanksgiving gets more attention than the lighting of the national Christmas Tree. The case of the man who was trampled to death at the Long Island Wal-Mart without anyone coming to his aid reflects a sickness in our society just one step below the terrorist acts in Mumbai. Will the madness ever end? "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences, and eathquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginnings of sorrows."