For the soldier, enlisted in his nations defense and trained to kill by that same governing body that on the home front tells the rest of us killing is wrong- and yet will still kill anyone that transgresses our laws in a sufficiently devious or terrible way- the soldier is trained to kill, not just to kill but to be completely proficient and to be able to do so without hesitation.Why? Because the myriad herds of of people, the majority of our populace, live their daily lives like sheep. Completely oblivious to the dangers of the real world. That is not to say that most people are stupid, not at all. But, they are ignorant. The majority of our society have lived in their own safe bubble of perceived reality.

Most people never experience the truth of the rest of the world. The pain, suffering and death. Ignorant that true Evil exists on a dauntingly massive scale.

Is it okay for them to live in ignorance? isn’t that the point of the American Dream? Do we not want our children to grow up in an environment where they feel safe and can be happy without having to worry about such things? Of course, and this is why we have policemen. Firefighters, Soldiers and Marines. this is why our nation wages war and fights crime.

But remember, that ultimately the government cannot fight all of your battles for you. There may come a time when you really truly need help and the only person that can come to your aid is you.
So you owe it to yourself, those around you, your children and their children- NOT to live in complete ignorance.
Not to live as blind sheep who have no choice but to bow before the butcher at the slaughter house.

There are people in the world that don’t share our same convictions about the virtue of life. That do not value what we value. Who would, without a moments hesitation kill you, and anyone you love, for no reason at all.

This, this harsh truth is the reality of the world.

And so, in the case of the soldier, we train those few who are willing to put aside their lives, their own freedoms and self serving needs aside. Off we send these young men and women, many many at the risk of loss of their own lives. Yet, they still volunteer.

We send them to kill those who would kill us. We Kill them before they kill you. We send our youth to protect our wives, our children, our elderly. Our hale and our infirm. Our fat and our thin, our wealthy and our poor.
Our way of life.

Who has the right to decide that their way of life is more important, more correct than another?
Is it ours? I say absolutely. Absolutely, in the context that ALL men have the right to life, liberty, security, freedom and happiness.

Thus we bear the burden of responsibility to protect that which is ours from the ravening wolves who would for spite, or money, or power or lust, or any reason you could imagine, and yes, even for no reason at all- deprive us.

Of this I am sure, NO ONE has the right to threaten my family, be it slavery, or death or false imprisonment. It is our God given right -or our natural state, for those not into God- that all me should be free. Free to choose. Free to go their own way and live life as they would. to believe what they want to believe, and to act as they like.

Unless and until of course, such actions, beliefs and behaviors threaten to harm or cause injustice to befall others.

This inalienable right can be called a cause. And it is why, occasionally, we must allow ourselves to break the boundaries of what normal everyday live would have you believe is wrong.
To take it upon ourselves to stop Evil cold. Because, as I have said, there is true Evil in the world; And it cares for nothing save it’s own gluttonous desires and lusts.

It feels no guilt or remorse for your pain or suffering. Evil has many faces, each more seductive and innocent than the last. Each more terrible and frightening than you can imagine.

We must never allow ourselves to wear the face of Evil. to allow that mask to become our own.

There was once a wise, powerful and inspiring warrior. A leader of great faith.
After facing down a massive and powerful enemy that had set out to destroy him, his people and every thing they knew or loved completely and utterly unto extinction.

This man as able to turn the battle through the faith of the people and the cause for which they fought.

Having essentially cornered his foe, the balance of power now in his hands he could easily have began the task of returning the merciless slaughter inflicted upon him.

This man, named Alma, refrained. He addressed the opposition leader saying :

“…we do not desire to be men of blood. Ye know that ye are in our hands, yet we do not desire to slay you…

Behold, we have not come out to battle against you that we might shed your blood for power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage.

But this is the very cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because of our religion.And now… …I command you, in the name of that all-powerful God… …by our faith, by our religion… …and by the sacred support which we owe to our wives and our children, by that liberty which binds us to our lands and our country; …and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness; and by all that is most dear unto us—

I command you by all the desires which ye have for life, that ye deliver up your weapons of war unto us, and we will seek not your blood, but we will spare your lives, if ye will go your way and come not again to war against us.” Alma 44

The moral of the previous statement, whether you believe in the religious aspects of the story or not, remains universal.

The enemy had come to wreak havoc and shed blood. The defenders had no desire to do so themselves, but stepped up to protect themselves and to deliver justice to they who would do the works of Evil. Crime must be answered.

Part three will follow.