Strike The Root

There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.

The Honorable Man

by E.J. Totty

The honorable man (or woman) will reflect upon just what the results of his (her) acts will be, long before those acts have become history.

The honorable will refuse to do--or become part of--the dishonorable thing. We owe it to ourselves to reflect upon every aspect of the days past, and the days which verily preceded them, perhaps by time which we may have forgotten, and most of which we are ignorant.

It would be a most grievous error for us to repeat past trespasses, and do so merely because some person in higher office proclaimed that an 'eye for an eye' has now become the order of the day.

There are those whom have a hidden agenda, and none may see it, save the favored. The rest of us are merely prodded towards a goal, unknowing of its fruits.

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, and their children shall become the slaves of ignorance.

Sometimes, it is better to 'turn the other cheek,' than to smite the enemy, for in offering no response to acts of terror, we instead present the ultimate response: Our might is so great, that to use it on so insignificant an enemy, would be beneath our dignity. Let us mourn our losses, and convene our remembrances. Let us remember all that was good of those we loved and lost evil loves nothing better than to mix sorrow with hatred; what you end up with is bitterness, when that happens. Bitterness is not the way to remember a loved one.

Our fight is with evil supreme, known by many names.

What better way to address his acts than to turn the other cheek? There will be plenty of time to take him to task, but now isn't that time. Let us not murder in the name revenge; let us not smite entire populations held hostage by him, merely that he might point out that the innocent have been annihilated in the name of retribution?

What man could make the excuse that to kill the worst among us, that the innocent must die as well?

Would any of us be willing to volunteer to be those innocent victims? If not, then no reason to do so elsewhere on this green earth is valid either.

Let us, instead, pursue this evil one in a measured way. Let us use not use the forces at our disposal to hurt others who are not guilty of anything. Let us do the honorable thing and swallow our pride, step forward with stealth and great determination to do harm only to the one whom has harmed us, and to no one else.

Anything else would do dishonor to our sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, and our most respected principles that have made us what we are.

September 17, 2001