During the leadup to this year’s Christmas, I had the opportunity to speak with folks from one end of the country to the other. I was struck by the somber mood expressed by so many during a season usually marked by joy and hope. It was not surprising.
There have been numerous times when Christmas was marked by hardship and war, but 2023’s challenges may be among the worst.
American history is replete with examples. Washington’s astounding victory against the British in Trenton during the Revolution came at a time when the revolt against Britain seemed on the doorstep of failure. Often portrayed in popular films is the plight of U.S. troops surrounded by the German army at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in World War 2. They were rescued in the nick of time by Patton’s troops.
The plight of 2023, for numerous reasons, seems unusually ominous and desperate across the planet.
Consider first the nightmarish conditions in the Middle East, the very region in which Christ delivered his messages of peace, love, and respect for each soul. Every shred of humanity seems to have been rejected by Hamas, whose actions against innocent civilians violate both the laws of war and the most elemental concepts of decency. That, of course, is bad enough. But the shocking lack of response by nations of the world and international organizations makes a terrible situation even worse. Individual Governments and the United Nations, rather than uniting to universally condemn the barbarism on open display, instead find every excuse to criticize the victims’ nation and ignore the corruption and while ignoring Hamas’ savagery.
A similar intentional blindness afflicts many regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There is nothing complicated about this situation. Vladmir Putin, lusting to restore the evil entity known as the Soviet Union, without cause or provocation, sent his military into Ukraine in what has been the most naked act of aggression in Europe since the Second World War. Again, the appropriate planetary response should be unlimited support for the Ukrainian people. But in far too many cases, a blind eye is turned to the war, and many call for negotiations instead of a worldwide response to punish the aggressors and completely expel them.
Also ignored are the fundamental legalities of promises and treaties made to the Ukrainian people and nation. In 1991, over 1,700 Soviet nuclear weapons were left on its territory. In 1994 an agreement was reached. In exchange for security assurances from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, Ukraine surrendered the atomic arms in return for security guarantees. Despite the existence of that agreement, Russia has stolen the Crimea from Ukraine and is now actively seeking to take over the whole of the nation.
In what may be the gravest threat to America in the nation’s history is China’s astounding arms buildup and unbridled aggression. In the face of that threat, President Biden appears, in turn, feckless or swayed by his and his family’s financial dealings with the Communist Chinese Party.
His Administration has chosen to ignore, indeed, to encourage a withdrawal of almost all border controls. That bizarre decision has led to the near-bankruptcy of cities and state across the country, as well as laying the groundwork for decades of social issues.
The national mood is dampened further by Biden’s insistence on dividing the population, labelling all that disagreed with him as evil. His party’s insistence on using the judicial system as a partisan cudgel to harass and weaken opposition is unprecedented.
While there are good reasons for the current misgivings, America has the ability to face its challenges in the coming year.
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