Ottoman Revisited

Up until 1917 and the close of the War to End All Wars, WWI, there was a dying empire whose last grip encircled only modern day Turkey, Israel, Iraq, Armenia, Kuwait and parts of Saudi Arabia.  But at its peak, this empire was a vast one, and was a force to be reckoned with.  In its hey-day, this Empire stretched from the border of modern day Morocco and Algeria, with the Sahara as its southern border, across Africa to the Red Sea including all of Egypt and the entire coastline of the Red Sea on the Arabian Peninsula.  The border went north and incorporated the entire fertile crescent, which includes Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait. The border stretched south again and was most of the coastline of the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf, then back north along the modern day border of Iraq and The Islamic Republic of Iran, up into the Caucasus, engulfing the entire Black Sea, all of Turkey and Greece and the modern day Adriatic States.  Its northernmost border reached into The Ukraine and Slovakia and stopped just shy of the Gates of Vienna.

This empire was none other than The Ottoman Empire, which of course was the remnant of the Muslim Conquests of the days of yore, of which the encroachment went even further and included Spain, Portugal, Italy, Southern France, all of Northern Africa, the entire Arabian Peninsula, Persia (The Islamic Republic of Iran), and ended in the East in Afghanistan.

The turmoil in Egypt is neither new or limited by geography.  Algeria is on the verge of collapse, Yemen has already folded, Syria is on the brink, Tunisia is finished and Jordan is shaky at best.  Hamas has a firm grasp on Lebanon, Iran is officially known as The Islamic Republic of Iran (need I say more?), Palestine is controlled by Hezbollah, Turkey has already turned its back on the West and made its stance clear, that it sides with Islamists (remember the flotilla fiasco?), and Chechnya (The Caucasus) has been under Islamist control for decades.  Does anybody else see where the lines are falling, or is it just me?

This is a restoration of The Ottoman Empire, make no mistake.  Personally, I think it is inevitable and that the US should let it happen.  Yes, let it happen.  This time, though, it will be bigger than just the Ottoman Empire, the size of the coming Islamist Empire will possibly be bigger than even the original Muslim Conquests.  All of Northern Africa is Muslim (as of August 2009, the brand new African Command of the United States Department of Defense was stood up), Somalia is now recognized as the Islamic Republic of Somalia, The Sudan has been witnessing Muslim terrorism for years, Pakistan is lost to Islamism, Afghanistan will never be a non-Islamist state,  Saudi Arabia is only interested in money, and, something no one is pointing out in the least, but is very important to realize, the people of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Urumqi (the largest province of China, which lies in western China and borders the aforementioned countries) are ALL ETHNICALLY TURKIC PEOPLE AND PRACTICING MUSLIMS.  As for India, most of western India is Muslim as well.

Now, I believe that it is time for the US to do two things.  First, bring all of our troops home from the Middle East and Afghanistan and reaffirm our NATO treaties.

At home, our troops should be stationed on BOTH the north and south borders, and we should keep our Navy and Air Force on patrol over the seas and skies.  Simple plan, and watch how fast the arms smuggling and drug trade would almost disappear and the immigration problem vanish.

As for the NATO treaties, we reaffirm our promise to aid the European Continent in its defense, but only if Europe agrees to include Israel (thus forcing their hand to support Israel, because, trust me, they do not want to, nor can they afford to, abandon our military aid), and add all Islamist forces and nations to the treaty.  We then make it loud and clear that military action will only be taken if Europe is invaded by Islamist or Russian forces.  Yes, there already is a large anti-western, Muslim population in both the US and Europe, but there still is hope.

Slowly but surely, believe it or not, Europe is shifting back to a more conservative continent.  Even Denmark, which has always prided itself  on being on the cutting edge of liberalism and political correctness, is enacting tougher immigration laws in direct response to the Muslim influx.  Great Britain, as much as I hate the English, is our best and strongest ally, and it, despite its troubles, is crawling back to the conservative principles of Thatcher and Reagan.  France not too long ago, during the summer of 2008, successfully, and without opposition from neighbors or the US, put down the Muslim riots in Paris.  As for Spain, there is one thing the limp-wristed, overtly metro sexual, effeminate denizens have in common with the rest of Europe, they love their shell of a culture.  Even though the European culture is a shell, it is a shell I think the Europeans will fight for.  The Europeans, I believe, are too wrapped up in their lavish lifestyles, naps, alcohol and art to abandon it.  The timing is interesting, and I think the coming collapse of the EURO, and thus, the European Union, will reinvigorate Western culture in Europe.  I truly think it possible that the failed experiment in Socialism that was the EU will force the nations of Europe to return to the principles of Western civilization, culture and governance.

ObamaCare will not succeed, the spending will come to a stop, the liberals are running scared, Cap and Trade was defeated, the climate bills were defeated, there is a congressional investigation into the FCC because of its new Internet regulations, there is a strong movement of states rights and a return to Constitutionalism and, most important and inspiring, there is a bill in both the House and Senate that carries great support which, if passed, will define, BY LAW, that person hood begins AT CONCEPTION OR FERTILIZATION.  If passed, Congress will be bound by their own action to overturn Roe v. Wade.

As for my belief that the US should let the restoration of the Ottoman Empire happen, my reasoning is thus: Such an event will finally crystallize our enemy, and make it clear that Islamism is an enemy of all non-Muslims and the West as a whole.  It will be impossible to defy who our enemy is once they try to overrun Israel.  And getting back to NATO, the establishment of such an empire would shift at least some the focus of both China and Russia to that empire, and give the US and Europe some breathing room to reestablish its superiority.  Russia and China have both been struggling with Islamism for years.  Again, the timing is very interesting.  The Obama regime is coming to an end, and we must pray our next president is a strong, principled one who believes in Western culture and greatness.  Our next president, along with the European conservative movement may have the opportunity to repeat the great alliance of Thatcher, Reagan and John Paul II, except this time the common enemy will be the reinvented Ottoman Empire.  Let us not joke, Benedict is no weakling.

Getting back to the US, the timing, again, is amazing.  Back in December, the first and only approved apparition of Our Lady in the US was announced!  It took place in Green Bay, Wisconsin and is the only approved American apparition of Our Lady.  Tie this in with the fact that the greatest apparition of Our Lady, the Apparition of Fatima in Portugal, is named after a Muslim woman.  That's right!  Fatima was the name of the daughter of the ruling Caliphate King in Portugal during the Moorish rule.  So, Our Lady truly comes home to America, the Ottoman Empire is rising from its ashes, and Our Lady of Fatima owns a Muslim name.  An accident?  I think not.  The timing is too incredible.  (Plus, the Green Bay Packers are playing in the Super Bowl!)

Lastly, we must ask ourselves one important question.  We must ask ourselves not only as Americans, but also as Catholics, the very important question of "Why?"  Why are we alive to witness this?  Why is this happening in our lifetime?  I believe there is one simple answer, and that is because we, as Catholic Americans are being called to greatness.  Now is our chance, now is our time.  Just as our Fathers of the Faith achieved greatness in centuries past, it is now our turn.  We know that only we know how to truly turn the world back to God and goodness.  We are to be the leaders, in whatever form the leadership opportunities present themselves.  We must be the leaders in the coming decades, because we have the answer.  We must lead in prayer, in family, in politics and, unfortunately, in war.  Some of us will be called simply to procreate and populate Western civilization with strong and faithful offspring, some of us will be called to lead the Church out of its muck and mire, some of us will be called to lead the nation, and some of us will be called to be martyred on the battlefield.  But whatever the calling, make no mistake, we are alive now and all of these events are happening now, and there is a reason for it.

As Shakespeare said in his play The Twelfth Night, "Some men are born great, others achieve greatness, and others, still, have greatness thrust upon them."  I believe my generation falls in the latter two groups.  We are either going to achieve greatness, or it will be thrust upon us, because the time is coming that we may not have a choice.

The Insanity of Our Post-Modern Culture

This past Thursday, Uncle Sam ordered (I do not use that word lightly) me to attend, as if I haven't already done enough for my country, what he so eloquently called Bystander Intervention Training.  This title itself is incredibly confusing, never mind the ensuing briefing I had to suffer.  A logical person would indeed ask him or herself "What the hell is Bystander Intervention Training?," and believe me, I sympathize.  This is a valid question, I asked it of myself.

The title could be construed in a myriad of ways.  Do you learn how to be a bystander?  Do you learn how to intervene with bystanders?  Do you learn how to intervene as a bystander during training?  Do you learn how to standby during intervention, or during intervention training?  The list goes on . . . 

Well, I, your humble liason of military affairs, am here to inform you that Bystander Intervention Training is training that instructs one how to prevent sexual assault if one should find his or herself to be a bystander should a sexual assault arise, or if it appears as though someone is taking advantage of another.  You are probably thinking to yourself, and again, rightfully so, "Jesse, surely you jest!"  Unfortunately, I jest not.

Now, before I dump on the Air Force, let me say they did do one thing right: they segregated the sexes for this briefing.

So, upon this journey in illicit carnality we embarked. 

Many, many ridiculous things were said during this briefing, and unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I cannot recall them all.  There are two things that stick out in my mind in particular, and they both involve women and society.

First, and perhaps worst of all, the person giving the briefing had us perform an exercise that involved all the men in the room closing their eyes and imagining their mother, sister, wife or daughter being sexually assaulted.  There are so many issues with this on so many levels.  First and foremost, average, healthy, mentally sound men don't think about sexual assault or rape.  Period.  They just don't.  Healthy, mentally sound men do not say to themselves as they walk out the door to have a drink at the local watering hole, "Gee, I really hope I don't have to intervene in a sexual assault this evening."  Nor do healthy, mentally sound men who have a grasp on the reality and gravity of rape or sexual assault say to themselves as they walk out the door, "Ooo, a good, old fashioned forced, unlawful, carnal knowledge sounds good tonight.  I think I just might do that."

So, its bad enough that they are forcing these things, these thoughts down our throats.  Mind you, this is mandatory, I get in trouble if I refuse to go.  We have to sit there and pretend that this is part of our everyday lives, that this is something that we encounter or have to deal with on a regular basis.  Don't misunderstand me, I am fully aware that rape or sexual assault occurs more often then it should, but it doesn't occur so often that I need to be forced to make it part of my daily routine, whether it be in thought, potency, or act.  This is just simply ridiculous.

The second part of this awful exercise is not only do they ask us to meditate on rape and sexual assault, but they ask us to envision our mothers, daughters and sisters in a sexual encounter.  Albeit a sexual encounter against their will, a sexual encounter nonetheless.  With the exception of Freudians, mainstream psychology would deem this reprehensible.  Again, normal, healthy, mentally sound men do not think about, nor do they want to or enjoy thinking about or envisioning their sisters, mothers or daughters in a sexual situation, be it rape, assault or consensual.  This is just not a normal thing.

The second thing that really stuck with me was a question that was posed to us, and it was, "Do you think it is acceptable for consenting adults who are intoxicated to engage in sexual activity?"  

Thankfully, the obvious scenario that arose in the mind of every single man in the room, and probably simultaneously at that, was immediately excluded.  The person giving the brief expalined a married couple doesn't count.  Then he said that its not ok for intoxicated, consenting adults to engage in sexual activity.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Marriage set aside, this statement maintains its idiocy.  

Our post-modern society encourages all sorts of sexual behavior.  Thanks to the Sexual Revolution, we have been freed from the chains of the drab and boring and dull sex our ancestors used to engage in.  After all, it was the hippies who were the first to try all these new things, right?  No one ever did what the hippies did, right?

In our society, we can do whatever we want when it comes to sex.  It can be homosexual, it can be heterosexual, it can be in public, it can be in bars, it can be sodomy, it can be oral, it can be in a french maid outfit, it can be in a pink bunny suit, it can be performed while high on cocaine or ecstasy, or it can be done in the middle of a crowded dance floor in a club in South Beach.  The military hands out condoms like candy and reminds us to practice safe sex.  Surely, I belabor the point.  But, but, throw alcohol in the mix, and sex suddenly becomes illicit!?!?!?

You can do all these things, and no one can tell you that its wrong.  If you want to do it, just do it!  Express yourself, its healthy to explore your sexuality.  This is what we constantly hear, right?  But all of a sudden, alcohol is involved and sex is the forbidden fruit!  If I, at the age of 28, wanted my girlfriend to come over and have dinner, then maybe we had a few glasses of wine, we snuggled on the couch, one thing led to another . . . yada yada yada, the military would look down on such reprehensible behavior, because, of course, you can't drink and copulate, right?  But, the eighteen year old who walks into the med clinic looking for condoms because he is going to go to the closest club, to find the closest, scantily clad slut and bring her back to his dorm room and have her spend the night is told "Good, job, you are practicing safe sex!  Go get 'em, tiger!  Knock 'em dead!  Express yourself!"

It cannot be described better than how Shears from Bridge on The River Kwai described the final scene of the book, "Madness . . . madness!"

My last point is this.  One of the angles that the man giving the briefing came at us from was "Do you think that this (sexual assault/rape) is how women should be treated?"  Of course no one thinks that!  But my problem with this is that in no way, shape or form does the military or society attempt to acknowledge, identify, separate or protect womanhood at any time.  They allow them to live with men in close quarters, they allow them to serve along side men, they allow them to perform all the same jobs as men do (with very, very few exceptions) and they even appoint them leadership positions over men.

The last example is a particularly grave case of the failure of women in the military, for, in order to get a bunch of men, and women for that matter, to listen to you, you have to act like a man!

Society and the military refuse to acknowledge the distinction between the sexes, and they do their best to breed this into the culture of the military (despite their attampts, take comfort in the fact that the enlisted corp, believe it or not, doesn't take to kindly to this being forced upon them, even after all these years), except now, this man has the audacity to call upon our natural sense of chivalry which has been all but completely wiped out by the military and society to rally us against rape and sexual assault!

It has always been more acceptable in culture, for some reason unbeknownst to me, for men to be a little sexually promiscuous and not women.  Except today, woman are allowed to be as sexually explicit as the dirtiest old man one can imagine.  So, on any old day, a woman can, to use an example from above, dress in a tiny ball of string that barely covers anything at all, walk into a club, dance like an animal until her clothes fall off, find the closest willing victim and take him back to her apartment to explore her wildest and deepest sexual fantasies (how is that not assault, after all it is purely utilitarian), and in doing this she degrades her own womanhood.  But, we, as men in the military are all of a sudden, and in the example of rape/sexual assault alone, called upon to be the knight in shining armor for a maiden we are told on a daily basis doesn't exist. 

I can save a woman from rape, only to have her tell me she is a liberated woman and curse me for holding the door to the emergency room open so she can get to a doctor after her traumatic experience.

"Madness!"