So this is christmas?

Many years ago john Lennon wrote a song by the same name. In this tune he asked the question "can we have Christmas without any tears"? It was a time of great upheaval. The war in Viet Nam raged on even when the situation did not look good. Young and the old were protesting the involvement. Politicians squabbled about when would it end. People's patriotism questioned causing more divisions within the Nation all lead to this song with the simple question this is Christmas.
Tonight at the beginning of the season of advent a time when all persons should make ready the appearance of the Christ child, we are hearing about more war, violence and destruction. President Obama will make a speech concerning Afghanistan at the mecca of all things military: West Point, New York. In that speech he made the case for increasing the number of soldiers going to this region. It was effective, it was compelling, and it is wrong.
Not because of the war nor the pressure from those who started this madness (under the guise of terrorism which Obama embraces) it is wrong because of the nature of this country: win at all cost. This attitude is what will eventually cripple the efforts of this man of color. War is no friend of any President but especially one that has to clean up after people who will not take the responsibility of their own mess. Waiting until after they leave office and throw boulders and accusations when their watch was filled with half truths and the deaths of many of our young people. This is the climate that a speech widening the war took place.
I am aware and wary of the consequences of September 11, 2001. I have had a son go to do his duty serving a country that still (in spite of the gains and election of Obama) has issues with persons of color and in my opinion has acted disgracefully toward veterans. This seems to be an ongoing misadventure but this is another blog for another day.

However we are speaking as an Empire protecting turf! Commentators as Beck, Hannity, and the fomenting Bill O'Rielly, to a person took Obama to task. His sin: not being Patton enough, imagine that; not forceful enough. It has been said before the United States is at a crossroad: either refocus issues or become the latest victim in a long string of Empires to fall. The issues are not the wars, leadership, the deals we must do in the geopolitical calculus of diplomacy. It is to find ways to climb out from the economic madness we find ourselves in. Unlike WWII when we had men under arms on two fronts, a workforce that literally overwhelmed the world, we are barely able to manufacture items on a competitive nature. The auto industry is over in this Nation the million persons employed will never be again. Now the work force is faster more driven and tech savvy. And we as people are not moving quickly enough to meet the challenges of a new world.
The obsession with wars at the expense of re tooling plants, in the effort to stop them here before they come; or, to make the world safe for democracy, when the opposite is true for Citizens should give us pause. Terrorism is not an issue. It is an event stemming from conflicts where the United States went with interest rather than fair play. Now in this era of advent we are seeing the American century coming to a close: the giant that was this country is teetering on the brink of collapse due to a lack of foresight, and honesty. To change means to reverse course and admit wrongs and say we are sorry. In the church we call it simply repentance the ability to not be over come by evil but overcome evil with good.
Let's hope we have Christmas without anymore tears.