Saturday, April 22, 2006

The Gathering Storm

From the closing paragraphs of the opening chapter of The Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill:
It is my purpose as one who has lived and acted in these days, first to show how easily the tragedy of the Second World War could have been prevented; how the malice of the wicked was reinforced by the weakness of the virtuous; how the structure and habits of democratic states, unless they are welded into larger organisms, lack those elements of persistence and conviction which alone give security to humble masses; how, even in matters of self-preservation, no policy is pursued for even ten or fifteen years at a time. We shall see how the counsels of prudence and restraint may become the prime agents of mortal danger; how the middle course adopted from desires for safety and a quiet life may be found to lead directly to the bull’s-eye of disaster. We shall see how absolute is the need of a broad path of international action pursued by many states in common across the years, irrespective of the ebb and flow of national politics.

Read this part again:
...the counsels of prudence and restraint may become the prime agents of mortal danger; how the middle course adopted from desires for safety and a quiet life may be found to lead directly to the bull’s-eye of disaster.

For too many, the desires for safety and a quiet life are leading to the bull’s-eye of yet another disaster. We lost much time during the Clinton years; wishing to relax with the peace dividend of the post cold-war years, we were unwilling to acknowledge the rise of the murderous Mohammedans. Will we continue to ignore the gathering storm of a nuclear-armed Death Cult which has already declared its solemn vow for our destruction?