Friday, June 5, 2009

Traffic Jam On The Information Highway

I have found that attempting to keep up with world events unfolding before our eyes is a weighty and almost impossible task. Like a snowflake that hits the top of a mountain and begins a rolling descent, news and information has become an avalanche and the speed with which it is coming is growing faster and more furious.

Because of today's technology, it only takes minutes for us to hear or read about an airliner going down, a despot threatening destruction, or the latest misstep by our current President. The problem, though, is there appears to be a traffic jam on the information highway and that the liberal media decides for us what we will be fed, usually with a biased slant or lack of complete information making it difficult for us to determine the truth. In order for us to discern what is actually taking place, we are forced to seek a balance between either the news feeds on television, research it ourselves on the internet, or glean the facts from conservative talk radio. Only then are we able to put things into perspective and draw the proper conclusion.

A prime example of this was the recent murder of a Army recruiter in Arkansas and the wounding of another. I was stunned that it had not made front-page news until the event was forced to the forefront by conservative talk radio. I even asked my husband if he had heard about it and his reply was only in a brief news account. It came to light last night on Bill O'Reilly that the State Department took three days to make a statement condemning it. I was puzzled by the lack of reporting and our government's flippant reaction. That is until it dawned on me that doing so would have tainted Obama's Middle East trip because the shooter was an American who had been converted to Islam, had been trained in the Middle East in the art of terrorism, and had plans to strike in other locations around the United States. Because Obama was going to give his much-touted speech in Egypt during his visit to Mecca (which just happened to be the day following this recruiter's murder), I believe the story was squelched and the fawning liberal media obeyed their leader's request. What a gross injustice was done to this young man who was serving his country, and to his family and loved ones who supported him.

Information is beginning to slowly leak out about this misguided killer, but not with the speed that it deserves. It appears that the Homeland Security knew this man had traveled to the Middle East and suspected he was up to no good. However, it is no surprise to me that they failed or refused to detain him before he was able to take a innocent life. All one has to do is hear or read Obama's speech in Egypt to understand that the United States no longer regards these men as a threat, that terrorism no longer exists, rather, it all boils down to a few "extremists" who are causing all the problems.

Obama spoke before this gathering of Egyptian Muslims and to a billion Muslims around the world and failed to remind them that this action was perpetrated by one of their own who adhered to the true meaning of "fatwah" and "jihad". Instead, Obama pandered to the Muslim world, citing their Koran and misinterpreting the Bible, in order to appease them and give them the impression that he was one of their own with their best interests at heart. He had the opportunity to use the Army recruiter's murder as an instrument to point out the glaring problems of their Islamic faith. Instead, he chose to elevate himself above this young man and ignore the injustice that was done.

Perhaps the most disturbing development regarding this tragedy was reported last night on Fox News. The State Department has ordered the FBI to stand down and stop investigating the connections the Army recruiter's murderer has with terrorist cell groups. There was once a time when investigative reporters would have seized upon an opportunity to reveal shady or questionable dealings or decisions made by our government. Upon performing a Google search for articles on this, I was dismayed to find no articles from AP, Reuters, or other well-known media outlets until three days after the fact. All first page hits were from blogger sites and conservative news feeds, and one accusing NPR of avoiding the story. Only time will tell if there are any honest reporters still dedicated to unearthing injustice, conspiracies, or out-right lies that are seeming to flow daily out of the White House. If there are no longer men and women like this, it will be up to us to try and sort out the sordid details in a murky sea of information.

There is one person who deserves to be given every resource we have available that will stop the growing flood of home-grown terrorists. His name is William Long. He was 23 years old. He leaves behind a grieving family who probably daily question the reasoning behind the senseless murder of their son and the government's lack of compassion and assurance that they are using every resource to make sure it never happens again. My heart bleeds for them and for their loss.

I hope I have effectively convinced everyone that we must assume the role of a "watchman on the wall". We can no longer rely on the media to keep us apprised of things that may directly affect us or others around the world. "Truth in print" has become a by-word by the liberal left. In these perilous times, it is required of us that we "keep watch" and lean heavily on Christ's promise to return and fix all that is wrong with the world. I hope it is soon.