By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times
The King James Version of the Bible, Matthew 5:9 states, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
This verse is part of the Sermon on the Mount and speaks of the goodness of those who actively work to bring about peace.
Keep in mind that President Trump is the same person who viciously criticized Presidents Joe Biden and George W. Bush for U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively.
In fact, a recurring theme in his presidential campaign last year was a pledge to keep America out of wars elsewhere in the world, especially the Middle East.
He also predicted as a candidate that he would negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine on his first day in office. That was five months ago and the fighting rages on.
He was quoted recently as saying his proudest moment as commander-in-chief during his first term of office was ordering the death of an Iranian general who planned terror attacks that killed Americans.
Yes, the Iranians have been crying “Death to America” for nearly 50 years and have become the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism. They typically hire and train others to do their fighting, like the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza.
The president’s three-minute emergency telecast to the American people on Saturday night gave him the world stage to boast about ordering U.S. planes to bomb nuclear facilities in Iran, as well as his threats to order more carnage if the Iranians retaliate against U.S. interests in that region, particularly the more than 40,000 U.S. troops stationed in the Gulf area.
As a former soldier, I have mixed emotions about an American president taking military action against Iran at the request of Israel, our strongest ally in that region. How can we now prevent Iranian-backed terrorist attacks in the U.S.?
Frankly, I’m worried that the real cost of that dramatic bombing mission might become planeloads of flag-draped American coffins and crippled warriors from another seemingly endless conflict in that unpredictable part of the world.
Contact Keith at keithkappes@gmail.com.
