I can’t watch a boxing match. I feel physically ill when I observe that kind of violence. However, as much as I abhor violence, I understand that violence in defense of life and human rights is sometimes required because we live among violent-prone bullies who will assert their will upon the weak, the unwitting, the cowardly, and the passive. The swift takeover by the Taliban in Afghanistan is but one example of what can happen when good people refuse to fight.
Unsettling emotions surfaced while I watched the situation unfold in Kabul. The Taliban rolled in, the president fled, and the army surrendered without putting up a fight. The investment of our blood and treasure over 20 years went up in smoke without resistance. That angered me. The reality that the Taliban bullies are back in charge, leaving an entire nation vulnerable to their brutality and the oppression of women is infuriating. Beyond my initial anger, I feel deeply disappointed in, sad and worried for the people of Afghanistan. I want everyone who wants out of that nation to be able to leave so the Taliban can rule only likeminded citizens. That’s not going to happen. But what can be done when the people aren’t willing to fight for themselves? Perhaps we overestimated their desire for freedom. Perhaps we superimposed our value of female empowerment onto a culture that devalues the lives of women. Perhaps we were wrong to stay there to try to build a nation where we knew corruption was core to its operations. We picked the wrong fight but that doesn’t mean every fight is wrong.
In our own nation, a battle is brewing over whether or not we will allow 30% of Americans to determine how 70% of us will live. These few Americans are our own Taliban. A few of them are gun-toting extremists who are trying overthrow the government. The others are trying to limit voting rights to strengthen and maintain their power. They’ve already taken over our courts through strategic and blatantly hypocritic means. They clothe themselves in Christianity and the American flag, but they are actually anti-science, anti-humanity, anti-history, and anti-freedom. They behave in opposition to the ideals of Christ and American democratic values. Like the Taliban, they are hoping that we will simply hand over the keys to the kingdom and live under their oppressive rule.
Like many of the Taliban foot soldiers, their army of armed insurrectionist are gullible, buying into the lie that white skin makes them superior, that God will override the laws of nature He Himself created because of their prayers, and that their freedoms are being infringed upon by gay marriage, immigrants, wearing masks during a pandemic, and women who aren’t willing to give birth. They are told to ridicule segments of the society like Muslims, blacks, gays, and especially Jews. With COVID-19, they added Asians to their list of people to target.
Like I said before, I hate violence. But I recognize that the only defense against an enemy who threatens our lives through violent means is a show of our resolve to fight with greater force. For right now, our greatest weapon is the vote.
In California, we have been called to arms in the coming weeks to protect ourselves against a ridiculous Republican led recall election. We have to fight to defend ourselves against Republican Taliban and Trump supporter Larry Elder. Looking at Elder’s remarks and values, it is clear that he is the epitome of anti-humanity, anti-environment and in my view, Anti-Christian and Anti-American values. We have a fight on our hands and we can’t afford to lay down our arms (the vote) like the army in Afghanistan or we will suffer the oppression of Republican rule like in Texas and Florida.
All it will take for California and eventually America to fall in the hands of the American Taliban is to surrender our arms without a fight. And at this moment, our greatest weapon of defense is the vote. If we lose that, then I shutter to think what another civil war will look like. Let’s not allow it to come to that.