Victory in Afghanistan

I think it is time to declare victory in Afghanistan and come home. This is not a veiled endorsement of Ron Paul for President; this is a reality check. This is a recognition that we cannot fight evil in every region of the globe. This is a lesson in priorities; national security begins at home and works outward, not the other way around. While I agree with the globalists that our national interests do extend beyond our borders, I also believe that the health of the homeland comes first. If we must make choices, I suggest we get our own house in order before we work on someone else's. So I suggest we declare victory and come home.

We need to declare victory over pride. We are losing the war in Afghanistan. It hurts our national pride to lose a war: think Vietnam. The conflict in Afghanistan has been going on for centuries and it will continue until Jesus returns. They thrive on tribal conflict; hatred is part of their character. This is not an endorsement; it is a statement of fact. No amount of American shed blood will douse the flames of this inferno. Read Mitchner's Caravan; it will open your eyes.

We need to delcare victory over hubris. We cannot be the world's police force. As much as we would like to end evil in this age, it cannot be done. Jesus said it would not end until his return. There is a battle raging in a realm that F-16's and M-16's cannot touch. There is an ugly corrolary to this that we seldom think about. We have never fought evil everywhere; we have always chosen our battles: think Rawanda or Darfur. The calculation behind where we choose to fight may itself be steeped in evil.

We need to declare victory over delusions of grandeur. We are no longer a super power. I do not mean that we are not the most powerful force on the planet. Even in our weakened state we can still claim to be king of the hill (as if that matters off the playground.) But we used to think if we tore open our shirt, a big red "S" could be revealed. We thought we could stop all the bullets without injury. This new kind of warfare, terrorism, is the Kryptonite to our superpower. When 19 radicals with box cutters can bring us to our knees, we need to rethink what it means to defend ourselves.

We need to declare victory over deficit spending. We cannot continue mortgaging our children's future. Our budget says the pipe dream of making the whole world safe for democracy is foolish. Does no one see the irony in borrowing from China to fight a war against tyranny, while China is one of the most tyrannical states in the world? In the face of our crumbling highways, toppling bridges, antiquated power grid, bankrupt schools and twenty percent unemployment, borrowing trillions to help uncooperative Afghans seems ludricous.

It is laudable that we want to save other people from vicious tyrants. The Apostle Paul does say that God ordained civil rule to punish evil doers. But what we are doing now makes neither civic nor biblical good sense. If believers want to change the world, the instructions to accomplish that task are in the Instruction Manual. We need to make disciples of the nations. The only peace on earth we can hope for is that which comes from the King of Peace ruling the hearts of his people. Wherever that happens, victory is assured.