How Civilizations Die-a book report

How Civilizations Die (And why Islam is dying too) By; David P. Goldman I have been communicating with a man in his 90’s for a number of years. He lives in Dodge City, Kansas. We have never met. Years ago he discovered my books and purchased several from me. We tend to agree on many national issues of concern. He discovered this book and ordered it for me at a cost of over $30 counting postage. I wrote my gratitude. Now I am attempting to write a review. This is a fascinating book. He goes back to the beginning of time, or so it seems, to make his point which is that civilizations die when they lose the desire to procreate, bring children into the world in numbers sufficient to assure the continuation of that particular group, race or culture. The figure experts agree on is 2.1 children per family to maintain that culture. A large portion of the book was devoted to the past. Since my interests are more in line with current events I will not take your time by retelling his account other than to state that he strongly emphasizes that those who are religious are more likely to have larger families. Christianity in all its forms and denominations has been the major factor. Of course, Islam with all of its tenets has also been prolific over the centuries since its inception. What a tragedy that thru all these Centuries religion has been the driving force creating deaths of countless millions in the name of Christ. How could his teachings be so distorted to convince that killing those of a different persuasion is doing God’s work on Earth? Today except for Ireland, killing Christians by other Christians is no longer practiced; today it is the Muslim belief system not only against Christians and Jews but also different Muslim Sects. When a civilization thinks more about their own welfare they reduce the number of children to spend whatever resources they have for their own benefit. In olden times children were required to work the farms. When they moved to cities the children now became a cost rather than a benefit, as far as contributing resources to support the family. In today’s America it has been projected that each urban child costs over $250,000 until the age of 18, projected to increase soon to over $300,000. Add college costs to that and you can see the advantage of having fewer children. Think of the great cars you can drive, the improved life styles, etc. I wonder if the drive in America to legalize same sex marriage might be driven, in part, by this fact. I had a hard time agreeing with his premise that the Muslim population was also shrinking. I went to the Internet for information. You could do the same. Two, in particular were well done. “The Future of the Global Muslim Population” a PEW Research publication and “Is the Muslim population Shrinking” an Ibu Zura publication called a Christian- Muslim Dialogue. It appears that for a number of reasons the rate of growth is decreasing. That is different from decreasing in absolute numbers today. They will not peak until 2030 after which it is projected to start a downward spiral. It was interesting to me that IRAN is the one Muslim country already in decline. In Europe it is projected that 10% of those countries will be Muslim. In America it they will double to about the same number as our Jewish citizens. The 30 years’ war in Europe which killed millions was predominantly religious, Catholic vs Protestant. Europeans have lost that religious fervor which explains the declining population. America and Israel on the other hand are still increasing. In America he credits the Evangelical churches and the influx of immigrants from South and Central America who are predominately Catholic. In Israel it is the Orthodox Jews who have large families. He concludes in the end these two countries will continue to exist while the others fade away. One factor in the projected decline is because more women are being allowed education. Iran’s women under the Shah were allowed to go to school which explains how this happened. Of more importance than all of the above was the condemnation of President Obama and his policies. The author also comments on the deficiencies if George Bush. These comments are contained in Part Three. I will only mention the key points; Bush- Freedom Agenda. He believed that people everywhere would emulate America; instead all elections have brought radicals into power in Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Iran. Obama- He told the United Nations in September 2009 “No one nation can or should try to dominate another nation”. What he was saying was the self-liquidation of American influence- an unprecedented astonishing position for an American leader. Then he staged a quarrel with Israel about settlements, demanded they give up their nuclear weapons, withdraw from the West Bank and return to the borders that existed before the 1967 war. He has shown his disdain for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel since taking office. The only reason America still provides aid is because of the total commitment of Congress, both parties. Obama’s policies appear to be encouraging some of America’s worst enemies. Governments have changed from secular to Islamic. President Obama may well be the anti-Truman. Obama by contrast identifies deeply with Islam. He appears ready to gamble in supporting hostile regimes. It may be the most detrimental foreign policy decision taken by an American president in living memory. The president has conceded on television that his policy may fail to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. A disaster of this magnitude should inspire a reconsideration of first principles. He concludes by stating five principles America should follow; 1-Cut our losses in nation building in the Middle East. 2-Do not allow rogue nations to threaten our security. 3-Deploy ground personnel to neutralize threats through limited intervention. 4-Improve our alliance with India to counter the threat from China. 5- Engage China constructively aiming at a rivalry without hostility. Finally he concludes that America needs to rediscover its own exceptionalism. America is the exemplar and model for what a good country should be. I encourage all to read this book and contemplate its message. Jack B. Walters August 27, 2014

Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooreesi

I’m Ashamed I am ashamed for Americans. I checked this morning and found a grand total of 134,603 Americans have signed the petition demanding the release of Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooreesi from prison in Mexico Our elected officials are all enjoying their month long vacation playing golf, etc. all the while this Marine languishes in prison. I am convinced this is a deliberate action by Mexico to put pressure on us for who knows what purpose. It was an open and shut case that should have been resolved in days not months. I am angry enough to suggest a military raid on that prison to rescue him. No man left behind. I guess that only applies to traitors and deserters. I am ashamed for my countrymen and women. When the WWII generation passes into history what will be left in America to cherish. Jack B. Walters August 23, 2014

Ferguson, Missouri

I have hesitated in writing about this tragic happening in Missouri. Six shots would appear excessive, but Brown was a large man even though young. At least they were frontal wounds not back as previously reported. I don’t believe his friend’s testimony that Brown was holding his hands up. He was after all an accomplice in a robbery just minutes before. Bullet wounds to the top of his head would not be possible were his hands over his head. None of us have the knowledge of the conditions between the police force and the citizens in Ferguson. Perhaps there has been rage building for some time. I am sure this will come to light before this is all over. Having said that, I still cannot condone the continuing demonstrations occurring daily and ending every night in looting and other acts of violence. This is Watts all over again. All the usual vultures are in town including Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. I shouldn’t exclude the Black Panthers. Certainly their only purpose is to calm things down. What I really resent is the comments from Obama and Attorney General Holder. They sent 40 FBI agents to interview residents. At every opportunity these two band together whenever a black is involved. I ask a simple question, “If the victim was white would they be involved”. Jack B. Walters August 18, 2014

A Time to Attack by; Matthew Kroenig

The Looming Iranian Nuclear Threat This is a new book published in 2014 and is totally up to date on the ongoing situation between the United States and Iran. As you may be aware Iran has suffered greatly by sanctions imposed by many major countries led by the U.S. A little history will be helpful at this point. The issue of Iran having nuclear armament has been in the forefront for decades. There has been a worldwide effort to prevent other countries from joining with those who already possess them. On December 8, 1953 President Eisenhower announced a new program for nations who did not possess nuclear technology. It was called “Atoms for Peace”. It was believed that nuclear power used to produce electricity would be a boon to the world. The success of that idea has not yet been realized as hoped for many reasons. That is a subject for another time. Iran was one country enthusiastic to partake and did. They were considered an ally at that time. On July1, 1968 Iran signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Things changed for the worse after the 1979 revolution which toppled the Shaw and put in place a Shia Muslim government which adhered to strict religious doctrines. President George W. Bush didn’t help much when in his 2002 State of the Union address to Congress he stated that IRAN was a part of the Axis of Evil along with N. Korea and IRAQ. N. Korea immediately threw out the International inspectors and IRAQ was conquered shortly thereafter. The Iranian leaders recognized that once nuclear weapons are attained that a new relationship is established, it is no wonder that IRAN tried its best to reach that goal. Under the auspices of the United Nations a group was formed in 2006 called P5+1. It consisted of the five nuclear powers i.e.: United States, Russia, England, France and China plus Germany. Their goal was to keep IRAN from attaining nuclear weapons. Over the years to follow proposals were presented and rejected. Finally in 2010 the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) voted to demand a halt to all enrichment activity and levied severe economic sanctions. The sanctions created havoc with their economy with IRAN finally came to an interim understanding. At the beginning of 2014 a six month agreement was agreed to. Sanctions were reduced, inspectors were allowed access to their facilities and they pledged to stop the enrichment process. At the six month date it was agreed to extend for another six months. This brings us to decision time. After providing all options the author takes the unequivocal stance that time is up. With Iran so close they could achieve their goal within two or three months and after that a whole new situation would come about dangerous to the entire world. His recommendation is for a limited strike only targeting the nuclear facilities. This would require the 30,000 pound bomb developed for this purpose. With some sections buried 295ft. underground it would take two or three accurate placements to destroy. Should IRAN retaliate then our response should be determined by the extent of that response. If necessary then their entire military force could be destroyed. There should be no repeat of boots on the ground. The Navy and Air Force could do the job. As in the IRAQ war we would try to keep Israel from participating and drawing fire on that country. It should be understood that should we not do the job in time that Israel will do whatever they can to retard if not stop the progress. After reading and thinking about current events I would like to add my thoughts. IRAN is the major supplier of rockets not only to Hamas but also Hezbollah. They also supply other arms as well as fighters to assist terrorist groups. I have read there are over 10,000 rockets in Southern Lebanon and Hamas still has 6,000. What if the current conflict between Israel and Hamas is just a distraction to keep everyone occupied on this rather than IRAN obtaining the bomb? I am sure that if Israel goes it alone to retard the development of the bomb that all of these rockets will rain on Israel together with longer range missiles that IRAN possesses. This could be tragic to the people living in Israel which includes one and one half million Muslims. The clock is ticking. Quite frankly I don’t have faith that our current President will act in time. What do you think? I found this book at the Public Library. I urge you to read. Jack B. Walters August 7, 2014

Russia is Guilty

Are there no leaders anywhere in the world today other than Netanyahu? I listened to a leader from Holland. He said they would not stop until they find the perpetrator responsible for downing the airliner. How sad. Who cares which person pushed the button? The only one responsible is Putin. Hello, how complicated is that. From the beginning of the Crimea takeover and the unrest in Eastern Ukraine the rebels have been supported by soldiers and weapons from Russia. This is not rocket science as the old expression states. What was supposedly an uprising by former Russians living in the Ukraine has now become warfare with sophisticated weapons that could only have been provided by Russia. It was reported that the two Ukrainian fighter planes shot down this week were from missile systems located in Russia. Do I propose military action? The answer is no, but economic sanctions to the fullest extent possible should be applied by all NATO nations. What has been done so far has been woefully insufficient. I fully understand that there are consequences both ways but this outrageous conduct cannot be allowed to continue. You would think Europe would demand censoring Russia. Perhaps the citizens are but certainly their leaders aren’t. France continues to build navy ships for Russia. As far as I can ascertain America has continued with business as usual including the production of helicopters for Afghanistan by order of the Pentagon. Israel needs more Iron Dome interceptors. We are supporting Hamas by shutting down flights to Tel Aviv, our Southern border is chaotic, and Congress is dawdling, as they prepare for their much needed vacation the entire month of August. With an attitude of self-interest like that we could never have defeated Germany and Japan in WWII. How much lower can our government leaders take us? Jack B. Walters July 25, 2014

Aircraft Carriers

In the July edition of Time Magazine there was an excellent article about aircraft carriers. There is no doubt that they have been the mainspring of our military since the Second World War. However those days are rapidly coming to an end as more sophisticated missile systems are developed. The article specifically comments on a Chinese weapon system called DF-21D which is truck mounted with a range of 1,000 miles. The maximum range of aircraft is 700 miles which could force our carriers to stay out of range. As time goes on I have no doubt ranges will increase adding to the danger. Not that anyone cares, but I have felt for some time now that the days of the large carrier are ending. Obviously those in authority both military and Congress believe otherwise. Just in the past two years two carriers Ronald Reagan and George Bush have been completed and added to our naval forces. Their cost was about $5 billion each. The crew sizes exceed 5,000. Guess what, there are two ever larger carriers under construction today with a cost estimate of $13.5 billion each. They are the new Gerald R. Ford class which is twice as large. I can’t even imagine the crew required. What a high expenditure on ships growing increasingly vulnerable, again in my uninformed opinion. There was a comment from a retired Navy Captain that compared the Carrier club to the old Battleship Club. “It’s a huge, entrenched interest group-and not just inside the Navy but industry and Congress as well. This is just another example of outrageous expenditures by a country already over $17 trillion in debt and drowning further every day. Jack B. Walters July 24, 2014

Border by; Leon C. Metz- a book report

This book was recommended to me by a close friend who knows of my continuing concern about border issues. This is an outstanding compilation of facts, people and the continuing struggle at the border since the beginning of both countries existence. The author presents many names and provides great detail of events. For me I have to slide over to get the gist of what happened without attempting to know the names of people involved. For anyone with the desire to have a better understanding I highly recommend reading. He does not provide only from the perspective of America but also Mexico. Beginning with America’s war of conquest we took large amounts of land that had been theirs. Desperately poor we were able to purchase the Gadsden strip for a paltry sum in order to provide easier rail service to the coast. I would be writing in Mexico if that had not occurred since Tucson was included. We have taken advantage of their cheap labor when needed and discarded when not. Poor living conditions where prevalent in the early years. Mexican leaders on the other hand have not done their job in proving working conditions and wages forcing the poor to take extraordinary risks to enter America in search of opportunity when none exists in their home country. He doesn’t mention the effect of NAFTA but I will. With tariffs reduced to zero the poor farmers could no longer make income sufficient to support their families, which was the major impulse for the surge beginning in the 90’s. The border throughout our history has been a scene of conflict from marauding Indians to banditos. Water concerns and pollution were constant problems to be resolved. Some were accomplished but much more needs to be done. He did mention many times that employer sanctions if ever put into effect would end illegal immigration in a heartbeat. Although legislation was enacted in the 80’s it has been riddled with loopholes and not effective. Our insatiable need for drugs has made drug running a major operation which the Border Patrol has not been able to stop nor is there any hope that they will. Only reducing the demand or legalization will stop this scourge. I learned a lot by reading, you will also. Jack B. Walters July 24, 2014