The Strength of Power

by Wayne Flaherty

My father was 25 years old when the stock market crashed in 1929. He and my mother went from town to town seeking work of any kind. Often, Dad would find a temporary job in the Texas oil fields. With any luck, my mother would also find work cooking for the oil field workers. She often made biscuits in a washtub. Happily, they did make it through the depression by living hand to mouth and working at any job they could find.

One day, they found themselves in the town of Borger, Texas. By the time they arrived, Borger had become so lawless that it had caught the attention of the Texas governor. Determined to clean up Borger, the governor called on the Texas Rangers to restore law and order. At 9.00 AM one morning the Rangers appeared in Borger. Their first act was to post signs all over town. These signs were posted on buildings, fences, barns, and any other place they could get their message to the people of Borger.

  The message posted all over Borger was very simple. It consisted of just two sentences:

·       The Texas Rangers are imposing a 9:00 PM curfew on Borger, Texas.

·       Anyone violating this curfew will be shot.

Needless to say, no one dared be on the streets after curfew. Once the lawless element decided the Rangers meant business, they left town and never returned. Borger went back to being a peaceful little town. Such is the strength of power. In Borger, no one was shot or even injured. There was no need because everyone knew what to expect and obeyed the law because of it.

This same principal applies at all levels of society. A 68 pound weakling does not kick sand in the face of a 200 pound muscle builder. A 3 member gang does not challenge a 15 member gang to a street fight. Police apply this same principle when they make a raid on a drug house. They surround the house with a dozen or more police armed with automatic weapons and bullet proof vests. They want the inhabitants of the drug house to know that if they resist they will incur the wrath of a law enforcement team with vastly superior fire power.

The same rules apply to countries. A country with a vastly superior armed force will seldom have to use that power. As Donald Trump said at one of his news conferences, "No one respects America anymore. As a result they violate our trade agreements and our borders - and we do nothing about it."

Through the strength of power, America can once again gain the respect it deserves. We can close our borders and protect our people. From George Washington to Dwight Eisenhower, we have shown ourselves willing to stand firm against tyrants of every kind. With strength, we can and will defeat ISIS and the terrorists they represent. All we have to do is do it.