Posted by
peripheral on Monday, June 28, 2010 6:27:12 AM
From My Perspective - - -
If left unnoticed and unattended, Termites can quickly undermine the
integrity of a structure. The intriguing fact is that Termites are very
small but can cause considerable damage as they work in a united way as
an army with a mission to accomplish. The only remedy for Termite
damage is to (a) immediately attack and treat the area of termite
activity, and (b) almost as immediate, replace what has been damaged by
the Termites. Where there is an area of Termite activity, one would be
very wise to pay the Treatment costs rather than the modification and
reconstruction costs. Could it be that the Termites have begun to gnaw
on The Big Stick of American Diplomacy?
Big Stick ideology, Big Stick diplomacy, or Big Stick policy was the
slogan describing President Theodore Roosevelt’s corollary to the
Monroe Doctrine. The term originated from the phrase: "Speak softly and
carry a big stick." The idea is to negotiate peacefully, while
simultaneously threatening with the big stick, or the military. By
application, it means to always negotiate from strength and not from
weakness or a Caspar Milquetoast posture. In his style of governing,
Theodore Roosevelt described his style of foreign policy as "the
exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently
far in advance of any likely crisis”! It is contrary to the Caspar
Milquetoast style of life and governing (a milquetoast is a weak,
ineffectual or bland person. It is derived from the character Casper
Milquetoast from the 1924 comic strip The Timid Soul). For those of you
too young to remember, “Caspar Milquetoast was a comic strip character
created by H. T. Webster for his cartoon series, The Timid Soul. It
featured Caspar Milquetoast, a wimpy character. Webster described
Caspar Milquetoast as "the man who speaks softly and gets hit with a
big stick". The character's name is a deliberate misspelling of the
name of a bland and fairly inoffensive food, milk toast. Milk toast,
light and easy to digest, is an appropriate food for someone with a
weak or "nervous" stomach. When the term is used to describe a person,
it typically indicates someone of an unusually meek or submissive
nature, who may appear overly sensitive, timid, indecisive or cowardly.”
The classic example that could be cited is the Historical Meeting of
Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of England with Adolph Hitler,
Fuhrer of Germany. The issue was to seek restraint on the part of
Germany with its ambitions in Eastern Europe, most notably,
Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain thought he had received an honorable
agreement with Hitler by the signing of the Anglo-German Agreements.
German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop remonstrated with Hitler
for signing it, the Führer replied, "Oh, don't take it so seriously.
That piece of paper is of no further significance whatever." England
thought otherwise. The Prime Minister would state: “My good friends,
this is the second time there has come back from Germany to Downing
Street peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time. We thank
you from the bottom of our hearts. Now I recommend you go home, and
sleep quietly in your beds…” The King of England, King George VI,
issued a statement to his people: "After the magnificent efforts of the
Prime Minister in the cause of peace, it is my fervent hope that a new
era of friendship and prosperity may be dawning among the peoples of
the world." That wasn’t to be! World War II would soon begin. Great
atrocities would occur and millions of people would die in both Europe
and Asia.
It becomes vital for us to know and embrace the true source of peace.
It will not be achieved as elected officials bow to foreign leaders who
would like to see our demise as a nation and power. Our peace is based
upon a relationship with Jesus Christ. He has stated – John 14:27 (NLT)
– “I am leaving you with a gift -- peace of mind and heart. And the
peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled
or afraid.” In Psalm 91:1-2 are these words: “He who dwells in the
shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I
will say to the Lord, (You are) my refuge and my fortress, my God, in
whom I trust." The Chorus to an old Hymn contains these words: “Under
His wings, under His wings, Who from His love can sever? Under His
wings my soul shall abide, Safely abide forever.” Positionally – that’s
where you can be – under the protecting, sheltering, comforting,
peace-providing wings – where the Lord will be for you a refuge and a
fortress. Consider these things with me!