Today, America fled the battlefield in disgrace, leaving behind hundreds of innocent U.S. citizens.

Even though the president swore he would remain until the last American was rescued, he changed his mind and decided they were expendable.

Today’s disgrace was only the latest, though most profound, in Joe Biden’s dishonorable presidency.

He abandoned the Afghan military in the dead of night without warning less than a month ago, precipitating the collapse of the Afghan government.
He began the evacuation of Kabul without informing our allies.
He hid in his bunker as Kabul fell and, again, for 12 hours after 11 U.S. Marines, one Army soldier, and one Navy Corpsman were killed by a suicide bomber—a bombing Biden’s intel community knew about two days in advance but refused to inform the soldiers on the ground.

To me, a descendant of veterans every American war since the Revolution, this disaster is unfathomable. I am truly grateful that God called home my dad and my uncles, sparing them the humiliation and shame I now feel. How can anyone again sing “I’m proud to be an American,” and mean it?

Responsible, honorable people around the world accurately describe the United States as shameful, cowardly, and untrustworthy. Who could disagree?

Yes, I know there are honorable, trustworthy Americans. Even great Americans. But there were honorable, trustworthy, and great Russians throughout the Soviet era.

The fact is, America has become exactly what those foreigners describe: shameful, cowardly, and untrustworthy. America has lost her moral authority. All moral authority.

Moreover, we lost our virtue, not by ruthlessly conquering some innocent nation, but by callously abandoning our allies and citizens. We managed to import over 100,000 unvetted refugees but left our citizens and allies to die at the hands of terrorists. Most empires lose their virtue in conquest; America lost hers in ignoble and humiliating defeat.

A nation without virtue must survive on brute force, but America no longer has the strength of arms, will, or character to rescue her own people from the clutches of a ragtag enemy. Do you really think we have what it takes to stand up to China, Russia, Iran, or even North Korea?

Not to denigrate the enlisted and junior officers of the Armed Forces, but we just saw with our own eyes our vaunted military abandon U.S. citizens to save its own hide. I realize our surrender was a lack of will on the part of generals, not lack of determination and guts on the part of the troops, but an army with a bad general is a bad army. McClellan’s army was damn good under Grant but useless under McClellan, who was afraid to use it. After Afghanistan, no enemy fears us and no ally trusts us. As a nation, we stand naked and afraid. Our troops deserve leadership that at least matches their own abilty. Right now, they don’t have such leadership, and it’s unlikely they will get decent leadership under Joe Biden and the Democrats. Besides, it takes years to build a strong officer and senior-enlisted corps. Time is not on America’s side.

In the aftermath of this debacle, America has a choice. First, she can attempt to survive through brute force, staving off the day of her final defeat. That might by her a few years at most. Alternatively, she can attempt to reclaim her virtue. But that will be painful and slow.

Reclaiming virtue must always begin with a reckoning. The reckoning must include retributive justice for the injustices we just witnessed. This retribution must be paid upon all parties involved: Joe Biden, of course, and Kamala Harris, most of Congress (both parties), all of the Joint Chiefs, all employees of the State Department, all military officers above the grade of O6. They must lose their jobs, of course, but they must also be tried. Those found guilty must be punished in a manner that serves as a deterrent to those living and yet unborn.

Next comes repentance. To repent is not to apologize or to admit wrongdoing. To repent is to turn around, to change direction, to reverse course. This means America must repent of its moral decay, its expulsion of everything holy and sacred, its addictions to distraction and comfort and leisure.

Finally, we must make reparations to our citizens, to our veterans, and to the world. This will take at least two generations. But we have sinned mightily. Hollywood corrupted the world. Madison Avenue weaponized covetousness. Almost everything American promotes adultery. We have taught generations to dishonor their mothers and fathers, to set aside Sunday for extra labor or licentiousness, to murder the unborn and infirm, to steal through welfare or looting, to resent anyone who has more or better, and lying is okay if we don’t get caught. For 50 years, our leading export has been vice. But, most of all, America has violated the first and greatest commandment: to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Exorcists tell us that the vast majority of demonic oppressions and possessions begin with a sin against the first commandment. Should we, then, be surprised at our downfall?

As a nation, those are our choices. As individuals, our choices are different.

I am not bullish on America, as regular readers know. I think our days are numbered or might have already ticked off. We might be the walking dead, kept upright only by inertia. But we can feel the friction and the pull of gravity, can’t we?

As individuals, we have a choice: this world or the next.

Like America, this world is decaying. This world is temporary. The next is eternal. Getting right with God is about the only rational choice we have.

If enough people detach from this world and reattach to heaven, America might just survive. Turning fully to God is like putting the mask on your own face so you survive to help the kid don his. If you lose your soul, you can’t help your country regain hers.

God
Family
Country

In that order.

Starting now.

Don’t look back.

The country that made you proud is gone. What replaced it is an abomination. But God can put her right if enough of her citizens put themselves right with Him.

Ad majorem Deus gloriam

Note
Featured image Desolate Forest by Martin Wall Art

Hennessy's View

A Nation Without Virtue