My Sunday Thought for 052718: "Animal" House

"If the media and liberals want to defend MS-13, they're more than welcome to. Frankly, I don't think the term that the president used was strong enough. MS-13 has done heinous acts... It took an animal to stab a man 100 times and decapitate him and rip his heart out. It took an animal to beat a woman they were sex trafficking with a bat 28 times, indenting part of her body. And it took an animal to kidnap, drug and rape a 14-year-old Houston girl."

-- Sara Sanders, White House Press secretary

I usually open each post with a meaningful photo.  Not so, this time.  Even the images which I post for my Holocaust articles do not come up to the level of heinous gruesomeness, pure evil, inflicted by some elements of, well, humanity.  Including these elements as part of humanity would seem generous, and including them as members of the animal kingdom, an affront to nature.  Animals kill because they have to, not for some sense of pleasure.

Civilization grows and, with that growth, more land is needed to accommodate it.  Civilization encroaches on nature and forces confrontations as nature runs out of habitat.  We encroach on their habitat and, therefore, they are forced to encroach on ours.  Criminal elements also have a need and desire for growth, fresh hunting grounds in which to satiate their evil desires.  These elements move freely into society, invited by the laws and protection provided them by the very people they will feed upon.  Evil cannot tread where it isn't freely invited or, without invitation, we feel free to go.

Throughout the world society has developed protocols for dealing with deadly animals which encroach on societal borders in search of food and habitat.  They are usually captured and returned to the habitat from whence they came, caged, or euthanized if they are too dangerous and have killed a human.  The way we must deal with our current blight is no different than the way we deal with any "animal" which threatens us.

It is an unfortunate reality that this is the way civilized humans have to deal with those not willing to conform to laws put in place by civilization for our own protection.  Unfortunately, these particular "animals" are enjoying their new, fertile, hunting grounds, and have made it very clear they have no intention of leaving.  They do not hide.  They do not run.  They do not have to, and herein lies our problem, the problem of our own making - elements of our society protect the rights of criminals to fulfill their immoral, horrific fantasies, at great cost to civilization in lives, money, and security.

The Ripper:  I belong here completely and utterly.  I'm home.  It's you who do not belong here.  You, with your absurd notions of a perfect and harmonious society.  Drivel.  The world has caught up and surpassed me.  Ninety years ago, I was a freak.  Today, I'm an amateur.  You go back.  The future isn't what you thought. It's what I am.  Do you know that you can purchase a rifle?   It's legal.  These people encourage-- 

H.G. Wells:  Stop it!

The Ripper:  It's catching, isn't it?  Violence.

- Jack The Ripper, "Time After Time" (1979)

We have had many psychopaths throughout history.  By in large they act alone.  Psychopaths now seem content to hunt in packs.  They now have a culture of their own, a society of cruelty, torture, death, and pure evil.  If you're wondering if there is a hell on earth, the answer is yes.  They try to hide in groups like ISIS, cloaking they're activities under the guise of "religion" which only serves to compound they're evil with heresy.  The criminal element has evolved, out of preservation and necessity, into a societal culture of evil.  Their culture demands control, and this kind of unquestioning control is best achieved through abject fear.

We live in an "animal house" outwardly protected by animal control officers more chained to the rights of the animals than the safety of the society they are sworn to protect, because we allow laws which form the very chains which prohibit them from protecting us.  As usual we are our own worst enemy.  Instead of eradicating the disease, we allow it, by law, to fester among us.  We allow society to decline, and evil to grow.  Are these sociopaths human?  Yes, but only in the strictest scientific definition.  I would be concerned that they might be simply a reflection of the darkness capable within each of us.  My fear is, very much, the latter, evidenced by the way we allow them to grow and spread as if they're just a nuisance in the garden.  Perhaps they reflect our inner desire to stop tending the garden, to destroy a civilization we no longer have a desire to tolerate and be a part of - ours!

"To be clear, even members of MS-13 are not "animals." Every human being has dignity, even the worst criminals, even murderers. The main danger of the "animal" language is that it begins with criminals, and then is applied to entire classes of people (i.e., migrants, Tutsi, Jews)."

--James Martin, Jesuit priest, author

Do these groups operate with a misguided sense of dignity?  Jesuit priest, James Martin, says no.  Well, let's look at the definition.  Dignity is the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.  It is a composed or serious manner or style, and it is a sense of pride in oneself, self-respect.  It would seem James Martin is correct, by definition, when he says, "Every human being has dignity, even the worst criminals, even murderers."  Righteousness and morality doesn't enter into the definition, and how sad is that?

We can stick our head in the sand and ignore what's going on around us.  We can listen to the bleeding hearts who find excuses for excusing the horrors being perpetrated upon us, or we can voice our displeasure with inept leadership and the perpetually offended in our own country.  For the majority, the ongoing terror is someone else's problem, however.  So, what can we do?  As with my posts concerning the Holocaust, this quote from Rev. Martin Niemoller concerning his internment in a Nazi concentration camp always come to mind:

When the Nazis came for the communists,

I remained silent;

I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,

I remained silent;

I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,

I did not speak out;

I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,

I remained silent;

I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,

there was no one left to speak out.

--  Martin Niemoller (1892-1984), Lutheran pastor, theologian

So, what can we do? If you aren't part of the solution, you are the problem and you might as well make a questionable fashion statement and get a creative full-facial tattoo prior to joining whichever terror group you opt to support. Or, more attractively, you can vote and throw your support behind those in authority trying to keep us safe.

But, then, this is just another "My Sunday Thought" in a long line of my humble offerings to those who seek a path. Am I wrong? In all probability, I'd have to say yes. This is, after all, just one opinion, a thought which momentarily sent a chill through my grey matter, and as quickly, and with some relief, was gone.

What are your thoughts? Feel free to share anything constructive, as a comment or by email.

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with a world renowned Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, to wage his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.