A Parable
Jones gets an anonymous call and is told that his distant neighbor, Smith, (he lives several blocks away) is stock-piling guns and ammo and is planning to attack other households including Jones’. Jones is outraged. He decides, without bothering to demand evidence for the plot, to petition the rest of the neighborhood to put together a posse in order to disarm Smith. Most are unwilling, but a couple decide to join in after they are threatened and bribed.
The posse, composed of Jones’ children and the children of his two willing neighbors (Jones himself has no stomach for violence), attacks Smith and easily overcomes him. The house is searched, but they discover nothing but a few .22’s which Jones’ uncle (Sam) had given him a few years back.
Jones then gets another anonymous call. This time he is told that Smith has been an imperious husband and father and that his wife, children, and step-children need to be rescued. So Jones has the posse kidnap Smith who, in turn, hand him over to the step-children. They, resentful of their step-father (he favored his natural children and regularly beat them), shoot him in the head with a gun provided by the posse.
The other children are outraged and begin attacking both the posse and the step-children. Chaos ensues. The posse is unable to control the situation. Rather than admitting his gross error and helping the mother to bring the situation back under lawful control before exiting (and promising to pay for the damages to the house and compensate the family for their losses), Jones follows the advice of another anonymous call and enlarges his posse, trying by dint of force to bring the wayward children back into line. This situation only gets worse, but the anonymous caller encourages Jones to stay the course. Jones obsequiously obeys.
While the battle to bring the Smith household under control rages on, Jones gets yet another anonymous call. This time he is told that Smith’s neighbor, the Smitz family, is making TNT and is planning to wipe the Gold family, who reside in a small house at the end of Smith’s and Smitz’s block, off the face of the map. The Gold family (whose patriarch, Mr. Gold, sounds suspiciously like the anonymous caller) fans the flame by threatening to burn the whole neighborhood down if Jones does not intervene and disarm the Smitz family. Once again, Jones is cowed and begins to prepare for another attack.
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Question: in what way are supporters of America’s current wars behaving any different than Jones?
Off tangent, but I was wondering Mr. Butler any books and resources you can recommend defending the South’s side of the Civil War, knowing you think its justified
I wouldn’t know how you would defend the whole cause, but I would love to read up on it
I would probably be more sympathetic with pro-states argument, but there’s alot I don’t know…
Comment by Jimmy Li — March 22, 2007 @ 3:20 am
Good thinking! Your first paragraph is basically the one I’ve used as an illustration of the “preventive war” in Iraq.
Comment by ElizaF — March 22, 2007 @ 7:10 am
The difference lies in the justification for the actions. The anonymous caller is an exaggeration and seriousness of the threat is diminished. Of course, these are the points that are the thrust of your argument against the war, so you have successfully expressed your point of view again with your story, but not shown much to those who would argue those points.
Has anyone heard about the defected Iraqi military officer who said we acted in good time, as Sadam was on the verge of making headway with some WMD program (I think it was nuclear)? I did not read this first hand, so my details are sketchy. I’m not trying to argue whether or not we were justified; just wondering if anyone has heard about it or could provide links for more info.
Comment by Scott — March 22, 2007 @ 11:15 am
Jimmy Li -
The best book on the subject is Dabney’s A Defense of Virginia and the South.
Comment by MRB — March 22, 2007 @ 12:38 pm
Explain what the anonymous caller has over Jones. Is it merely the threat of breaking up the status quo, or is the “anonymous” Gold family holding a better hand than that? Your story suggests that Mr. Gold is holding the last ace, but I apparently don’t know what that is. The Golds obviously control Mr. Jones’ actions, but how and why? I’m not inlcined to believe that Jones is simply a poor card player (though that might factor into it, perhaps heavily), but that he’s being coerced, or at least handily manipulated. What is the ace in the whole that allows the Gold family to control the game?
Comment by GV — March 22, 2007 @ 2:05 pm
Thank you Mr. Butler, I’ll be looking out for that book, once my finals are done on Friday.
IN CHRIST,
Jimmy
Comment by Jimmy Li — March 22, 2007 @ 2:09 pm
Mike,
I loved this parable, great work.
Comment by JonathanB — March 22, 2007 @ 5:08 pm
So…how about those posts on Darwinism you promised awhile back?
Comment by Saint and Sinner — March 22, 2007 @ 6:38 pm
yes, but as jones is dealing with smith, jones’ own sons (in a closer neighborhood) are killing each other for drugs, money or other seemed offences…what does he do??? and other sons and daughters are afraid to tell jones because of revenge. they have seen for themselves that, when they do say something, Jones’ cousin Judge lets them go for technicalities or early parole.
s. e. hoffmeister
Comment by steve hoffmeister — March 22, 2007 @ 7:58 pm
Mike or Tim,
This isn’t directly related but a friend and I were talking today and we came to the conclusion that it seems that Gary DeMar of American Vision does not share our criticisms of the current regime. Since we come from such a similar theological background I was wondering what your personal take on this issue is? Are we just misinterpreting him?
Comment by JonathanB — March 22, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
JB — yes, and it only gets worse when you look westward, such as Andrew Sandlin and his amen-corner.
At the risk of beating a dead horse, let me suggest it is something about being a Republican that becomes a distorting interpretive grid. I know; I was one. And when I was, I too leaped for joy at any news that a war was breaking out. (It helps that we’re the big bully; our teeth aren’t going to get broken in.)
This is why it is not enough to simply stop being a Republican: one must repent of having been one. And it may take years to shed the “old man.” (It took me about 15.) The bloodthirstiness is deeply rooted. Augustine commented on this phenomenon in the Confessions.
That’s my theory; I’d like to hear others’.
Comment by Tim H — March 24, 2007 @ 1:24 pm
And no, I’m not talking about every poor sap that pulls the R lever. I’m talking about the True Believers.
Comment by Tim H — March 24, 2007 @ 1:27 pm
I would still love to hear why Mr. Jones is so compelled to follow the direction of the Gold family. I’m beginning to understand just how compelled he is, but I don’t quite understand why and how.
Comment by GV — March 24, 2007 @ 7:13 pm
Going twice…
I would still love to hear why Mr. Jones is so compelled to follow the direction of the Gold family. I’m beginning to understand just how compelled he is, but I don’t quite understand why and how.
Comment by GV — March 29, 2007 @ 6:35 am
Original sin?
Cowardice?
Blackmail?
Vanity?
Greed?
Feel free to chime in with suggestings of your own, GV.
Comment by Tim H — March 29, 2007 @ 9:18 am
I suppose now I know how Lasorda would have felt had Gibson wasted his at bat by electing to bunt in ‘91.
I was able to come up with the obvious on my own; I was hoping you’d provide some real insight into exactly how these play into the dynamics of American/Israeli politics. I was hoping for more insight and less of the obvious.
I’m just trying to put the pieces together on why our policy is so slanted toward the Gold family.
Comment by GV — March 29, 2007 @ 9:42 pm