A Voice in the Wilderness In Defense of "Mere Conservatism"

Sly as a fox, or just plain chicken?

by: R.J. Moeller

“Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a six-month suspension of activities by his Mahdi Army militia in order to reorganize the force, and it will no longer attack U.S. and coalition troops, aides said Wednesday”

Now there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical as to the reasons for al-Sadr’s apparent change of heart this week, but this has to be seen as a positive sign. The AP is reporting his actions, but it would be near impossible to know his intentions.

Is it just the “surge” working its supposed magic that led al-Sadr and his Mahadi Army to temporarily lay down their arms, or is it strategic planning by a cunning warlord who has long-term aspirations in Iraq? If we’ve learned anything in this war, it is that things are rarely as they seem, and the precautionary step forward is the best foot forward.

How do you say "capitulate" in Korean?

by:RJ Moeller

Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan today announced an agreement was reached with South Korean officials regarding the 19 remaining hostages who’ve been held captive since mid-July. There had been 23 hostages total, but two were released and another two were shot at gun-point because they were too sick to travel with their captors. While the release of the remaining hostages is great news, has South Korea considered the long-term cost of its actions?

Negotiating with terrorists is a recognized no-no, but what makes this capitulation all the more embarrassing for the South Koreans is what they agreed to:

"…the government in Seoul agreed to end all missionary work and keep a promise to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.”

South Korea has less than 200 soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan and had already announced those troops would be gone by December. The missionaries that bravely travel to the Muslim nation each year do so to provide humanitarian relief aid (i.e. building bridges, homes, and roads for the native population) and to share their Christian faith. The Taliban is no longer in control of anything but terror inside Afghanistan.

Yet, Seoul willingly played right into the hands of a rag-tag band of rebels in the mountains of a country half the world away and now serve as free public relations for murderous terrorists who seek to instill fear and timidity throughout the Free World. Much like Spain in 2004, South Korea has decided to put its head in the sand, hoping that the terrorism, intolerance, and strong-arming that typifies radical Islam will simply go away and leave them alone.

My baby sister use to think that if during a game of hide-and-go-seek she couldn’t see me, I couldn’t see her. It sounds to me that she may be fit for leadership in a growing number of craven countries.