It infuriates me, but then again, this is how any losing side feels. There is a war going on. It is not the so-called War on Terror (an unfortunate phrase, that isn’t accurate, but something was needed to satisfy paper-driven bureaucratic weenies). It is not the War in Iraq, or even between Israel and Hezbollah.
It is the War of Mind. A famous and spectacular thinker, shortly after another war (the “War between the states” here in the USA) predicted world wars one and two, calling them the war of chemistry, the war of physics, and predicted the war of mind.
Here it is, and quite frankly, we’re losing. Why? Because we don’t realize that’s the war we’re in, and that the sides are not drawn by country or nation, not even by ideology. This is a war for influence. A war for how things are to be done, and how they are to be perceived. It’s about the old adage that the pen is mightier than the sword.
That adage has been supported by many examples, all of them drawn with the instrument in question. I am here using that very instrument (though in digital form) to say that in the end, the sword is mightier than the pen, because the sword enforces the pen.
The greatest threat facing our nation, and therefore our very way of life (don’t believe for one second the rest of the world would let us live as we do if they could stop us, and believe they were bettering their lives by taking away what they perceive as our wealth), is misrepresentation.
Sides have been taken. Fortunately, there are a few small (but very strong) “pens” on my side. On the other side you have people who want to prove the pen is mightier than the sword simply for the sake of proving it. They have the misguided impression that, once they have taken the side of the underdog, the WRONG underdog, and once they have helped that underdog win against seemingly impossible odds, they will be able to use their pen in their own defense.
This is not what is going to happen. The holders of those pens, which are mighty, are going to be run through by the very swords they helped. For you see, powerful as it is, the pen is not almighty.
It is laudable to attempt to lessen violence and pain, misery and suffering in the world. It is worse than murder to use pens and words to twist the truth in an attempt to make the wrong side win.
These pens-for-hire are being used. They don’t even realize they are being used. Those who I consider my enemies have grown strong and crafty in the years and years of their defeat. They have learned to use a new weapon, and to wield it skillfully. The modern pen is so strong that it has even convinced the sword it is not as mighty. It has convinced the sword it cannot go where the pen will not allow. And it is succeeding.
Can we win this war with the pen? Yes, but only if we embrace it as strongly and with the same resources as our enemy. We find ourselves on the other side of the power struggle. Those of us who believe the sword is mightier have built massive armed forces and can project real power wherever and whenever we choose (don’t kid yourself, if we actually unleashed our eagle, there is not a bear anywhere that could withstand it). Those who can’t build swords to contend with ours have built up their armies - and they are much larger, more powerful, and better equipped than ours. Not necessarily better, but certainly overwhelming.
To win this war with the sword we are going to have to ignore the pen, no matter what color its ink or how fast it writes.
On the other hand, to win this war with the pen we are going to have to develop our own news agencies - agencies willing to investigate the actual truth and expose it, report it whether it is popular or not, and never cover it up. Right now the news that hurts the underdog is covered up. The news that helps the expected winner is covered up or twisted. Until it is exposed and honest, rational thought is shared, we are going to lose and go on losing this war.
I do not believe that limits to the First Amendment are required. I believe that the government has to spend as much money on truth as it does on gunpowder. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in a strong military, and I believe ours is the best on earth. I just believe that too many people invest too much money lying about our efforts, or military, and our intentions. They are not even bothering to play fair. There are no Geneva Conventions covering war waged with pens.
