America has become craven, that's why Satan is winning

Our society has changed and we're literally dying because of it.

No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country! (Four Star General, George S. Patton, U.S. Army, 1885-1945)

About three generations ago, our nation was not to be trifled with. The Japanese learned this the hard way after attacking Pearl Harbor. We responded with relentless, overwhelming force. We finished the job by dropping the nuclear bomb, twice.

(But how dare we mention in an essay that the bomb was in any way, shape or form, a good, quick end to a bloody war!)

During the Cold War, we remained steadfast, even obstinate. But we stared down communism, and won.

From a cultural perspective, we have always been hardy. The essence of the American dream is perseverance in the face of all odds. The person who dares, and who perseveres, can become anything they want to be. That's still true, but it's not believed anymore.

Our heroes were legends. Even our actors were heroes. We still respect John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart. Stewart quit Hollywood to join the army. What Hollywood darling would do the same today?

Our values were traditional and conservative. We went to church on Sundays, we talked about God in the public realm, we even changed our national motto to "In God we trust."

Guns were tools for hunting and sport, but they were not weapons to be used for revenge. We did not put our fingers on triggers unless we intended to shoot. We carried them in cases and holsters, or racked, not in waistbands. We held them out of respect, rather than waved them about, limp-wristed and sideways.

Our television was wholesome, our news was unbiased and our music was the envy of the world, even if it drove our parents crazy.

But something happened along the way.

At the same time we were becoming a great nation, the greatest the world has ever seen, we became craven. It's difficult to say when our slide into collective cowardice began, but perhaps it began in the libertine 60's, or the disruptive 70's, or even the spoiling 80's.

There have always been things to fear, but at some point we began to change how we dealt with this fear.

From a historical perspective, we dealt with fear on an independent basis. We insisted children mind their parents. We kept an eye on what they did, unless they were off as part of a group. Even then, kids knew they were accountable. Milk cartons were still just for milk.

A unemployed man was expected to make his job finding another job. If bills were short, we turned to family or our church. We made an extra effort to cover the difference, even if it meant working on a weekend or late at night. Odd jobs were part of life.

We had no fear of terrorists because we were armed and our neighbors were armed. We reported suspicious behavior. We swore on the Bible and told the truth in court.

Not today. Today, we are craven.

We are afraid of pain. We're so afraid of it, the painkiller industry is generating massive profits. Millions of Americans are addicted to opiates. A generation or two ago, this would be a massive scandal, today it is a game we play with our doctors to get the best drugs.

We are afraid of humiliation. We've updated our military regulations to stop drill sergeants from swearing at recruits. Teachers and professors cannot challenge a student who failed their assignment without facing litigation. We have safe spaces, gun free zones, and playgrounds coated with foam.

We're afraid of the truth. We refuse to listen to contrary opinions, we stopped going to church. We get angry when someone tells us we are wrong. If someone dares to say a boy is a boy and a girl a girl, we get ostracized and shunned, accused of some kind of prejudice.

We're afraid of saying no. People demand we "tolerate" and "accept" what they do, even when the rest of us know it's wrong.

We elect politicians out of fear. Vote for her, because she's not him! Vote for him, because he's not her! That's the level of our political discourse.

Our politicians cannot speak their minds. They are so terrified of offending somebody that nobody can get them to speak the truth. In fact, the truth will get you run out of town on a rail.

Mention that illegal immigration is, well, illegal, and you are branded racist. Mention that America is less than great because our middle class has eroded to nothing, and you're unpatriotic. Mention that we need to change the path the country is on, and you're some kind of tyrant in the making.

But come out in public and boast about your socialist credentials, and the kids will go nuts and fill stadiums to hear what you plan to give away.

We're afraid to mention God. Putting a decal of our national motto on a public vehicle will result in angry letters from atheists. How dare a patriotic sentiment be printed on a police cruiser! Mention your faith to the graduating class, get sued.

This is why Satan is winning. Our morals are in rapid decline, our churches are emptying of people. Our charitable coffers are short. Drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, and every sort of vice is on the rise. Men view pornography instead of the newspaper. Children swap pictures of one another instead of baseball cards.

Our enemies have no respect for us. Iran calls America the "mouthpiece of Satan." It's impossible to disagree. Look at how we dress. Kim Kardashian is our real first lady. Her claim to fame: she sometimes wears clothes.

This is why our enemies are winning. We've lost our backbone. Anything goes. We have no respect for God, our history, or the founding fathers. This is why we have a president who believes his "interpretation" of the Constitution allows him to rule by edict.

We have no respect for firearms or the Second Amendment. This is why our nation is covered with a patchwork of confusing, bizarre and ineffective gun laws. We talk about "gun rights," but guns don't have rights. People do. One of those rights is the right to keep and bear arms.

But firearms are just props for movies and music videos. Except when they're used to massacre people. Nobody depicts firearms being used for sport or proper self defense. It's boring to take the time to find the front sight, to aim and squeeze the trigger only once. It's boring to store a firearm or to clean it. What a chore. Nobody wants to see the boring life of a firearm, we only want the five minutes of action on an endless loop.

And we're surprised when one reporter suggests he "almost" got post-traumatic stress disorder from the noise of firing an AR-15 rifle? Perhaps we should ban guns? Perhaps we don't deserve them anymore. It's not that the firearms have become so dangerous, it's that the people have become so craven.

We are the grain heavy for the harvest. The terrorists, the socialists, the atheists, and Satan himself are ready for the reaping. Everything that once made us great has become evil in the eyes of pop culture. What a sick and backwards nation we have become.

America has become craven, and that's why Satan is winning.

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