The European Missile Shield

I read this morning that President Obama has decided to cancel missile defense system installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/09/17/united.states.missile.shield/index.html

I am alarmed by our new policy of Peace Through Weakness compared to President Reagan's successful Peace Through Strength. I suppose we could also call our new strategy, Peace Through HOPE, as in HOPE Iran Doesn't Get Nukes & Rockets, HOPE Russia Doesn't Become More Aggressive.

In my personal life, I've never had much use for Hope by itself. Hope is a powerful virtue, but has to be accompanied by action. I can HOPE that my children are going to grow up with the right values. But that doesn't do much good unless I am active in their lives and work to instill the values I want them to have (and work to counteract the influences that could lead to values I abhor).

Benjamin Franklin, who was much more articulate and pithy than I could ever be put it this way, "He that lives upon hope will die fasting."

So while I too HOPE (and pray) that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons or the capability to deliver them to Europe, and while I too HOPE that Russia will not become more warlike, I'd like to have a defense system, JUST IN CASE.