From my Ebook, Thoroughly Biased Opinions, an edited collection of my columns published in the Franklin County Citizen. I wrote this column when POTUS George W. Bush was still in office.

Know the Enemy

Many, if not most, Americans probably do not understand how the current battles in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East fit into the historical context of the centuries-old conflict between two great civilizations, one predominantly Christian and the other predominantly Islamic. Statements that we do not wage war against the Islamic religion lacks specificity.

A Little History

From its beginnings, Islam has been a militaristic religion. Mohammed began preaching his visions in 610 A.D. at Mecca, located in modern Saudi Arabia. By the early Eighth Century, Moslems used military conquest to dominate a wide area from the fringes of China to France. A Christian army led by the Frankish King, Charles Martel, halted Islamic expansion into Western Europe at the Battle of Tours in 732. Military conquests over a prolonged period brought Islam into the Balkans in Eastern Europe.

Fundamental features of Christianity and Islam thrust these two world religions into a centuries-old contest for human hearts, minds, and souls. The theological basis for this struggle arises out of two opposing imperatives: (1) Christians believe the Great Commission commands us to bring the entire world to God through Christ versus (2) Moslems believe in Allah’s call to convert the entire world to Islam. If we Christians take the Great Commission as seriously as many Moslems believe in Allah’s call, then these two opposing missions inevitably thrust the two civilizations into a contest or even war for human souls.

Differing Perspectives

Islam, like Christianity, encompasses a broad spectrum of internal beliefs ranging from liberal through conservative to fundamentalist. Each religion has dirty hands from past acts of extreme violence, one against the other. Nevertheless, leaving some religious idiots aside, the main thrust of modern Christianity does not preach conversion by military conquest. In contrast, the Islamofascist movement, e.g., ISIS, within Islam teaches that all non-Moslems should first be expelled from Islamic lands and then the rest of the world must be converted to Islam. Violence, including militarism and terrorism, constitutes an important mechanism for this forced expulsion and conversion.

Islamofascists fervently adhere to this violent approach, and Christians again find themselves caught up in a full-blown religious war that began in 610 A.D. Christians and Islamofascists see reality through diametrically opposed definitions of rationality concerning the mechanism for conversion of the world to Christ or to Allah. As a result of this contrasting reality and differing religious precepts, our enemies cannot be persuaded to change their approach through reasonable discourse.

Waging War

Only the most dedicated Christian pacifists deem surrender to Islamofascists acceptable without employing countermeasures that include military force. In this context, failure to act resolutely by combating Islamofascist violence with appropriate counter violence will result in defeat for the Christian West. Accordingly, for most Christians, the choice lies not between absolute good and absolute evil but between lesser and greater evils.

While we may argue the theological and philosophical merits of defense against Islamofascists through pacifism or nonviolence as opposed to justifiable counter violence,  we should be profoundly clear about the nature of this religious war. No amount of diplomacy, appeasement, touchy-feely personal interactions, UN resolutions, and invocations for nonviolence from our pulpits and the political arena will deter Islamofascists from their ultimate goal: A one-world government or caliphate based upon a medieval interpretation of Islamic law. Religious, economic, and political freedom will not exist under this government. A new dark age will descend upon us.

Comments after 9/11/01 reveal widespread ignorance about the Islamofascist enemy we face. Many public figures and private citizens labeled the perpetrators of these events as cowards. We may believe these Islamofascists acted out of a perverted misunderstanding and application of Islamic teachings and basic principles of humanity. This belief notwithstanding, crashing hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and Pentagon took courage and dedication, even if of a type we don’t countenance.

We simply cannot afford to underestimate our enemies and believe that the threat, rather than the application of, our overwhelming military force will keep Islamofascists from their goal of worldwide domination. We must gird our loins and show an even greater dedication to the struggle than do our opponents. Failure for us will come from within.

A Roman Empire Precedent

The Roman and Carthaginian Empires struggled for supremacy around the Mediterranean Sea. These bitter enemies fought three great conflicts, called the Punic Wars, during the period, 263-146 B.C. Rome ultimately prevailed through armed might, destroyed the city of Carthage, and sold the survivors into slavery. Legend states that Roman soldiers plowed salt into the soil upon which Carthage had been built.

I often use what the Romans did to Carthage to answer people who say violence and war never resolve any conflict. Has Carthage been a threat to anyone since Rome wiped the city off the map? Crucially, do we have the intestinal fortitude the Romans exhibited in their war against Carthage? If not, dark days lie ahead of us.

Avoiding the Abyss

Claims that we fight Islamofascists in Iraq Syria, and Afghanistan to keep the conflict away from the American homeland also lack specificity. We were not in Iraq or Afghanistan when Islamofascists attacked America on 9/11. Whether we stay in or withdraw from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East, Islamofascists will remain obligated under their interpretation of the Qu’ran to wage war against the Christian West: The perverted Islamofascist theology demands that the entire world be converted to Islam by any means.

We may jeopardize our souls by adopting the Roman Empire’s approach of first victory through military force, then peace -- rather than following Christianity’s foundational premise of first peace, then victory. Accordingly, we must prayerfully and carefully define our objective, strategy, and tactics in the war with Islamofascists to avoid being seduced by the false love of violence.

From my Ebook, Thoroughly Biased Opinions, an edited collection of many of my columns published in the Franklin County Citizen while lived in NE GA. I wrote the columns over the period of 1998 - 2009. The Ebook is available on Amazon's Kindle and Apple's iTunes.

Keep in mind, I wrote this column several years ago, long before we moved to Austin.

Assimilation

I follow our nation’s immigration policies with great interest. Discussions on this subject in our media, notably on talk radio and the Internet, often confuse the issues: Unless we are directly descended from native born, indigenous ancestors (American Indians) without “contamination” from other blood lines, all of us come from immigrants. That is, we are an immigrant nation.

Frosolono Family History

Genealogical records document much of the Frosolono history in America; however, family legends contribute to the story.

My great-grandfather, Federico Frosolono (1855-1892) came from Marsiconuova, Italy, near the Calabria region of Italy, and married Rosa Concello, also from that area. Some parts of the “legend” indicate Frederico played the trombone in an Italian Army band. After leaving the Italian Army, Federico joined a worldwide Marxist organization. The growing Frosolono family traveled through Europe while Federico recruited workers to this movement. My grandfather, Michael Concello (Daddy Mike) Frosolono, the youngest of Federico’s three sons, was born in Marseilles, France.

The Marxist organization subsequently assigned Federico to recruit workers in the United States. He brought the family, which consisted of Rosa, Giuseppe (Joe), Antonio (Tony), and Daddy Mike, to the US in 1885. A daughter, Lisette was born in the US. Federico recruited workers along the Eastern seaboard, from outside New York City to Florida, and often took some of his sons with him on these trips in which trains provided the primary mode of transportation. Federico had great success recruiting workers in Montgomery, AL, and was assassinated, by knife, at the age of 37 in that city. Mill owners in Montgomery reputedly hired the assassin.

Federico and his sons often stopped in LaGrange, GA, to spend the night in a railroad hotel. This area reminded them of Marsiconuova. After Federico’s death, Rosa, Joe, and Daddy Mike settled in LaGrange; Joe and Daddy Mike became reasonably successful owners of small businesses. Lisette married and moved to Kenosha, WI. Tony studied the violin in Russia and then lived in Chicago, IL, where he formed and managed several orchestras. He led the orchestra for the first national road tour of the hit musical, Oklahoma!

The Frosolono family was musically inclined. Along with Tony’s mastery of the violin, Federico, Joe, and Daddy Mike played trombones. I inherited a non-significant portion of that musical talent.

Daddy Mike married my grandmother, Bonnie Ruth (Mama Ruth) Birdsong of LaGrange, who laid down certain conditions before agreeing to the marriage: Daddy Mike had to join the First Presbyterian Church, thereby renouncing his Catholic faith. He had to speak English at home and could not teach Italian to the children. Daddy Mike, a colorful character, was a fierce professional flyweight boxer, highly talented master tailor, and superb poker and pool player. During the Great Depression, he supported his family primarily with winnings at poker and pool rather than money earned in his tailor shop.

Joining Society

Rosa, Tony, Joe, and Daddy Mike became naturalized American citizens. Lisette was a citizen through birth. I did not know Rosa, Joe, or Lisette. Tony and Daddy Mike spoke English fluently, although Daddy Mike had a detectable accent. Despite Federico’s Marxist orientation, Tony and Daddy Mike became ardent capitalists. Tony funded his wealthy retirement through stock in the old Sinclair Oil Company.

This degree of assimilation into the predominant society and culture of the United States provides an example modern day immigrants should follow. Some of my Italian friends and colleagues in New York and Cleveland often lamented the fact that I abandoned my Italian heritage. I never think of myself as anything other than American, the result of Mama Ruth’s conditions to Daddy Mike. This personal and familial integration explains why immigrants and illegal aliens who not only refuse to learn English but insist that Spanish become an official national language infuriate me. The recent demonstrations with the provocative waving of so many Mexican flags incensed me.

Enforce the Laws

I favor a guest worker program for immigrants who have high-level skills needed to move this country forward. Allowing “legal” guest workers into this country for the sole purpose of low cost menial labor represents a form of indentured servitude similar to economic slavery. Accordingly, such wages should be no lower than those determined by the Federal minimum wages laws. If we cannot, under these circumstances, secure sufficient US Citizens to perform these tasks, then I would support a temporary guest worker program for jobs, such as farm labor, at the Federal minimum wage. I’m willing to pay the additional costs for my Vidalia onions and other crops picked by US citizens and guest workers paid a standard fair wage.

We need to close all our borders to illegal aliens, and pass and rigorously enforce national laws against individuals and businesses that hire illegal aliens.

I do not favor a wholesale deportation of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the US. We can let “attrition” reduce their numbers. For instance, if illegal immigrants appear in our hospital emergency rooms, our Christian duty demands that they receive the same level of appropriate care as US Citizens and legal immigrants. If, however, green cards and other relevant documentation cannot be provided, these individuals and their families should be deported expeditiously. I recognized the counterclaim that, under these circumstances, illegal immigrants will risk their health and the health of their families through fear of deportation. I advocate a similar situation when children and youth enroll in our school and university systems.

Illegal immigrants by definition came, and remain, here outside the law. As such, neither they nor their employers pay their full share of taxes needed to support our medical, school, and other tax-supported institutions. Accordingly, taxpaying citizens and legal immigrants should not have to bear the financial burden needed to support illegal immigrants.

Legal immigrants add vitality to our culture. Compliance with Holy Scripture demands that we consider and interact with illegal aliens as our neighbors in the Christian sense. I see, however, no demands in Holy Scripture that we must bankrupt this country for the sake of illegal immigrants.

We can best go forward by enforcing the current laws and passing new legislation recognizing the realities of our demographic situation and vitality of legal immigrants. That is, we need legislation to facilitate an increasing number of legal immigrants who have skills that will help this country.

From my Ebook, Thoroughly Biased Opinions, an edited collection of my columns published in the Franklin County Citizen. I wrote this column when POTUS George W. Bush was still in office.

Know the Enemy

Many, if not most, Americans probably do not understand how the current battles in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East fit into the historical context of the centuries-old conflict between two great civilizations, one predominantly Christian and the other predominantly Islamic. President George W. Bush’s statement that we do not wage war against the Islamic religion lacks specificity.

A Little History

From its beginnings, Islam has been a militaristic religion. Mohammed began preaching his visions in 610 A.D. at Mecca, located in modern Saudi Arabia. By the early Eighth Century, Moslems used military conquest to dominate a wide area from the fringes of China to France. A Christian army led by the Frankish King, Charles Martel, halted Islamic expansion into Western Europe at the Battle of Tours in 732. Military conquests over a prolonged period brought Islam into the Balkans in Eastern Europe.

Fundamental features of Christianity and Islam thrust these two world religions into a centuries-old contest for human hearts, minds, and souls. The theological basis for this struggle arises out of two opposing imperatives: (1) Christians believe the Great Commission commands us to bring the entire world to God through Christ versus (2) Moslems believe in Allah’s call to convert the entire world to Islam. If we Christians take the Great Commission as seriously as many Moslems believe in Allah’s call, then these two opposing missions inevitably thrust the two civilizations into a contest or even war for human souls.

Differing Perspectives

Islam, like Christianity, encompasses a broad spectrum of internal beliefs ranging from liberal through conservative to fundamentalist. Each religion has dirty hands from past acts of extreme violence, one against the other. Nevertheless, leaving some religious idiots aside, the main thrust of modern Christianity does not preach conversion by military conquest. In contrast, the Islamofascist movement within Islam teaches that all non-Moslems should first be expelled from Islamic lands and then the rest of the world must be converted to Islam. Violence, including militarism and terrorism, constitutes an important mechanism for this forced expulsion and conversion.

Islamofascists fervently adhere to this violent approach, and Christians again find themselves caught up in a full-blown religious war that began in 610 A.D. Christians and Islamofascists see reality through diametrically opposed definitions of rationality concerning the mechanism for conversion of the world to Christ or to Allah. As a result of this contrasting reality and differing religious precepts, our enemies cannot be persuaded to change their approach through reasonable discourse.

Waging War

Only the most dedicated Christian pacifists deem surrender to Islamofascists acceptable without employing countermeasures that include military force. In this context, failure to act resolutely by combating Islamofascist violence with appropriate counter violence will result in defeat for the Christian West. Accordingly, for most Christians, the choice lies not between absolute good and absolute evil but between lesser and greater evils.

While we may argue the theological and philosophical merits of defense against Islamofascists through pacifism or nonviolence as opposed to justifiable counter violence,  we should be profoundly clear about the nature of this religious war. No amount of diplomacy, appeasement, touchy-feely personal interactions, UN resolutions, and invocations for nonviolence from our pulpits and the political arena will deter Islamofascists from their ultimate goal: A one-world government or caliphate based upon a medieval interpretation of Islamic law. Religious, economic, and political freedom will not exist under this government. A new dark age will descend upon us, even here in Franklin County.

Comments after 9/11/01 reveal widespread ignorance about the Islamofascist enemy we face. Many public figures and private citizens labeled the perpetrators of these events as cowards. We may believe these Islamofascists acted out of a perverted misunderstanding and application of Islamic teachings and basic principles of humanity. This belief notwithstanding, crashing hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and Pentagon took courage and dedication, even if of a type we don’t countenance.

We simply cannot afford to underestimate our enemies and believe that the threat, rather than the application of, our overwhelming military force will keep Islamofascists from their goal of worldwide domination. We must gird our loins and show an even greater dedication to the struggle than do our opponents. Failure for us will come from within.

A Roman Empire Precedent

The Roman and Carthaginian Empires struggled for supremacy around the Mediterranean Sea. These bitter enemies fought three great conflicts, called the Punic Wars, during the period, 263-146 B.C. Rome ultimately prevailed through armed might, destroyed the city of Carthage, and sold the survivors into slavery. Legend states that Roman soldiers plowed salt into the soil upon which Carthage had been built.

I often use what the Romans did to Carthage to answer people who say violence and war never resolve any conflict. Has Carthage been a threat to anyone since Rome wiped the city off the map? Crucially, do we have the intestinal fortitude the Romans exhibited in their war against Carthage? If not, dark days lie ahead of us.

Avoiding the Abyss

President Bush and other members of his administration claim that we fight Islamofascists in Iraq and Afghanistan to keep the conflict away from the American homeland. This claim also lacks specificity. We were not in Iraq or Afghanistan when Islamofascists attacked America on 9/11/01. Whether we stay in or withdraw from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East, Islamofascists will remain obligated under their interpretation of the Qu’ran to wage war against the Christian West: The perverted Islamofascist theology demands that the entire world be converted to Islam by any means.

We may jeopardize our souls by adopting the Roman Empire’s approach of first victory through military force, then peace -- rather than following Christianity’s foundational premise of first peace, then victory. Accordingly, we must prayerfully and carefully define our objective, strategy, and tactics in the war with Islamofascists to avoid being seduced by the false love of violence.

Know the Enemy

Many, if not most, Americans probably do not understand how the current battles in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East fit into the historical context of the centuries-old conflict between two great civilizations, one predominantly Christian and the other predominantly Islamic. President George W. Bush’s statement that we do not wage war against the Islamic religion lacks specificity.

A Little History

From its beginnings, Islam has been a militaristic religion. Mohammed began preaching his visions in 610 A.D. at Mecca, located in modern Saudi Arabia. By the early Eighth Century, Moslems used military conquest to dominate a wide area from the fringes of China to France. A Christian army led by the Frankish King, Charles Martel, halted Islamic expansion into Western Europe at the Battle of Tours in 732. Military conquests over a prolonged period brought Islam into the Balkans in Eastern Europe.

Fundamental features of Christianity and Islam thrust these two world religions into a centuries-old contest for human hearts, minds, and souls. The theological basis for this struggle arises out of two opposing imperatives: (1) Christians believe the Great Commission commands us to bring the entire world to God through Christ versus (2) Moslems believe in Allah’s call to convert the entire world to Islam. If we Christians take the Great Commission as seriously as many Moslems believe in Allah’s call, then these two opposing missions inevitably thrust the two civilizations into a contest or even war for human souls.

Differing Perspectives

Islam, like Christianity, encompasses a broad spectrum of internal beliefs ranging from liberal through conservative to fundamentalist. Each religion has dirty hands from past acts of extreme violence, one against the other. Nevertheless, leaving some religious idiots aside, the main thrust of modern Christianity does not preach conversion by military conquest. In contrast, the Islamofascist movement within Islam teaches that all non-Moslems should first be expelled from Islamic lands and then the rest of the world must be converted to Islam. Violence, including militarism and terrorism, constitutes an important mechanism for this forced expulsion and conversion.

Islamofascists fervently adhere to this violent approach, and Christians again find themselves caught up in a full-blown religious war that began in 610 A.D. Christians and Islamofascists see reality through diametrically opposed definitions of rationality concerning the mechanism for conversion of the world to Christ or to Allah. As a result of this contrasting reality and differing religious precepts, our enemies cannot be persuaded to change their approach through reasonable discourse.

Waging War

Only the most dedicated Christian pacifists deem surrender to Islamofascists acceptable without employing countermeasures that include military force. In this context, failure to act resolutely by combating Islamofascist violence with appropriate counter violence will result in defeat for the Christian West. Accordingly, for most Christians, the choice lies not between absolute good and absolute evil but between lesser and greater evils.

While we may argue the theological and philosophical merits of defense against Islamofascists through pacifism or nonviolence as opposed to justifiable counter violence,  we should be profoundly clear about the nature of this religious war. No amount of diplomacy, appeasement, touchy-feely personal interactions, UN resolutions, and invocations for nonviolence from our pulpits and the political arena will deter Islamofascists from their ultimate goal: A one-world government or caliphate based upon a medieval interpretation of Islamic law. Religious, economic, and political freedom will not exist under this government. A new dark age will descend upon us, even here in Franklin County.

Comments after 9/11/01 reveal widespread ignorance about the Islamofascist enemy we face. Many public figures and private citizens labeled the perpetrators of these events as cowards. We may believe these Islamofascists acted out of a perverted misunderstanding and application of Islamic teachings and basic principles of humanity. This belief notwithstanding, crashing hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and Pentagon took courage and dedication, even if of a type we don’t countenance.

We simply cannot afford to underestimate our enemies and believe that the threat, rather than the application of, our overwhelming military force will keep Islamofascists from their goal of worldwide domination. We must gird our loins and show an even greater dedication to the struggle than do our opponents. Failure for us will come from within.

A Roman Empire Precedent

The Roman and Carthaginian Empires struggled for supremacy around the Mediterranean Sea. These bitter enemies fought three great conflicts, called the Punic Wars, during the period, 263-146 B.C. Rome ultimately prevailed through armed might, destroyed the city of Carthage, and sold the survivors into slavery. Legend states that Roman soldiers plowed salt into the soil upon which Carthage had been built.

I often use what the Romans did to Carthage to answer people who say violence and war never resolve any conflict. Has Carthage been a threat to anyone since Rome wiped the city off the map? Crucially, do we have the intestinal fortitude the Romans exhibited in their war against Carthage? If not, dark days lie ahead of us.

Avoiding the Abyss

President Bush and other members of his administration claim that we fight Islamofascists in Iraq and Afghanistan to keep the conflict away from the American homeland. This claim also lacks specificity. We were not in Iraq or Afghanistan when Islamofascists attacked America on 9/11/01. Whether we stay in or withdraw from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East, Islamofascists will remain obligated under their interpretation of the Qu’ran to wage war against the Christian West: The perverted Islamofascist theology demands that the entire world be converted to Islam by any means.

We may jeopardize our souls by adopting the Roman Empire’s approach of first victory through military force, then peace -- rather than following Christianity’s foundational premise of first peace, then victory. Accordingly, we must prayerfully and carefully define our objective, strategy, and tactics in the war with Islamofascists to avoid being seduced by the false love of violence.