Once upon a time in this country, as the story goes, the townspeople of Tombstone, Arizona were fed up with rampant lawlessness and turned to a man named Wyatt Earp who brought along his two friends Ed and Bat Masterson to help him keep the peace.
Earp, knowing what he was up against, realized that he had to be deliberate and decisive when confronting tyranny and lawlessness. His deputy Ed Masterson, however, thought that he could keep the peace by using his speaking and diplomatic skills to keep the peace. After Ed was nearly killed by a crazed outlaw with whom he tried to reason, Earp suggested that his friend should consider another line of work. Earp often reminded him that it was a ‘harsh land that doesn’t suffer fools.’ Earp was fond of using the word affable when describing his friend to others. Ignoring Earp’s advice Ed continued to use his affable manner in trying to reason with crazed gunmen until the day it got him killed.
The term often used to describe Barack Obama is that he is a very affable. Many have remarked how likeable he is when speaking before others. Inspiring, hopeful, remarkable are often the lines used to describe his speeches. When his supporters are asked to name some deliberate and decisive legislative accomplishment that he has achieved they often look perplexed. Some believe that it is his likeable and affable manner that will eventually solve all our domestic and foreign problems.
Obama in describing his foreign policy has stated that he will meet with some of the world’s most crazed tyrants and dictators without preconditions. His defenders naively believe that the same affable manner that convinced them to support his candidacy will cause Ahmadinejad and the leaders of Iran to stop funding and training terrorists, stop vowing to annihilate Israel and give up its nuclear arms program. If only these dictators and tyrants can hear Obama’s thoughtful and pleasant remarks they to will come away convinced.
Certainly we should always seek ways to improve our foreign policy, but meeting with dictators and tyrants without demanding that they lay down their nuclear guns and abandon a course of international lawlessness would cost this nation dearly. When it comes to dealing with the rampant lawlessness of these dictators and tyrants, it's deliberate and decisive action, not affability, that will keep then in check. Unfortunately, the world is still a harsh place that doesn’t suffer fools. Maybe the voters will help Obama consider another line of work.
John Henry “Doc” Holliday ©Raging Grace Publishing May 2008
