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Friday-- March 22, 2002—Ground Zero Plus 192

The Secret Of Winning World War IV
by
Cliff McKenzie
Editor, New York City Combat Correspondent News 
 

        GROUND ZERO, New York City, Mar. 22--I hadn't thought much about World War IV until I was reading an article a friend of mine sent describing it in detail.   Somehow, I even missed being aware of World War III, but now I know it existed.
         According to this author, World War III ended when the Berlin Wall was taken down, smashed to pieces after nearly a half-century of living in a nuclear threat imposed between Russia and the United States.  The tearing down of the wall marked the end of World War III, the so-called Cold War.  
     Erected August 13, 1961, the Berlin Wall stretched over 96 miles and was an average of 11.8 feet high.  It represented far more than concrete and barbed wire separating two ideologies--it symbolized two powerful warriors trying to show each other which one was the toughest--each terrorizing not only themselves, but the world which feared a nuclear battle that would ultimately maim or destroy the entire globe.    .  
       November 9, 1989 at 6:55 p.m., hallmarks the time when Communism fell and East Berliners were allowed free travel through the checkpoints.   As the wall fell, the world sighed in relief.  The great nuclear war time bomb, they thought, was diffused.   It was assumed that Peace replaced Terrorism.
      For the next twelve years the globe seemed  free of a World War.   In its place appeared regional wars, violent battles in small nations where local leaders and warring factions brutalized one another.  But there was no global threat, and as a result, we unloosened our battle gear, began the process of disarmament and military reductions, and turned our attention to the building of a flourishing economy.  
     At 8:56a.m. on September 11, 2001, World War IV was launched when a handful of Terrorists smashed planes into the World Trade Center, and soon afterward, the Pentagon and the ill-fated Flight 93 which was enroute to the White House but thwarted by the battle cry issued by Todd Beamer--"Let's roll!"--as he and the other passengers rushed the Terrorists and brought the plane down in a field in Pennsylvania.
     Unlike a regional war, a world war impacts an entire globe.  It threatens the security of citizens in every country and endangers the welfare of the world at large.   Terrorism has slapped the world's face.   It has risen out of the bowels of human resentment against those who deny its power, hidden behind religious or cult trappings, and indiscriminately targeted anyone who doesn't agree with its policies.
     As with the Cold War, it thrives on creating constant Fear, Intimidation and Complacency within all societies.   Its shadow casts ominous gloom upon us all, for it can strike anywhere at any time against anyone for any reason it chooses.
     World War IV cannot be won by using conventional weapons, just as World War III wasn't won with the blood and guts of millions.
     Communism fell to its knees because the Sentinels of Vigilance stood face to face with totalitarianism and didn't flinch.    It was what is called a Mexican stand off, where two warriors glare at each other until one tires and surrenders.  It was a test not of weapons, but of ideology--what's best for all the children.
     One can easily make the victors of World War III the Children of Vigilance.  In the long run, the children were those who suffered.  Mothers and fathers began to see the world of Freedom for what it was--a much safer and more secure place where the opportunities for their offspring were limitless versus restricted by oppressive governments which dictated the roles of its citizens.
     The end of the Vietnam War came not from bombs and bullets, but from an uprising inside the United States when the parents of children shouted vehemently that they would no longer support the killing and destruction of their siblings.
     History endorses this "right of parents" to end wars.   In a famous play mocking the insanity of war, a playwright wrote about how all the women of the Trojan Warriors assembled in the Acropolis and refused to have sex with their husbands until they stopped fighting, stopped dying for causes that had no impact on the security of the future generations.
     Ultimately, all wars end in whimpers not bangs.    Even World War II, when the atomic bomb killed tens of thousands, resulted in the populace of Japan saying, "that's enough.  No more killing!  Let our children grow in peace, not war.  Let them not live in fear, intimidation, complacency."
     World War IV will not be won by killing Terrorists.  It will be won when the world rises up against Terrorism.
     This will not occur with the citizens of the world grabbing rifles and pitchforks and going on search and destroy missions to hunt and eliminate the Terrorists, for each time one is killed, two or more others appear in his or place.   Terrorism is not about people, it is about ideology--about striking Fear into the hearts of citizens, of children, of parents.
      Vigilance is the only sword that will strike down Terrorism.
      The Shields of Vigilance--Courage, Conviction and Action are the weapons that must be used to thwart the bullets and bombs of Terrorism's Fear, Intimidation and Complacency.
      The armor a society has available to shield itself from Terrorism is the Pledge of Vigilance.  By taking the Pledge, and living by its creed, parents make a commitment to stand up to Terrorism, to not fear it, to not be intimidated by it, to take action to protect themselves and their families from it rather than abdicating the role to governments or military institutions.
      All global wars have ultimately been won by the uprising of the Parents of Vigilance.  When a group of parents have had enough, when they have seen the death and destruction of the innocent wasted by beliefs that hold no value to the precious nature of an innocent child, they revolt.   They stand as one body against the so-called tyrant, and, their power is endless, while their enemy's is limited.
      The Vietnam War ended because the Parents of Vigilance rose up and shouted that their children would no longer die for that cause.  The rumblings of the womb brought the end to that war.
      Similarly they will be the end point to the War On Terrorism.   Only when the parents of the world unite in a Force of Vigilance against Terrorism will the Osama bin Laden's of the world shrink into nothingness.
      When parents refuse to be afraid of Terrorism, when fear no longer is Terrorism's greatest weapon, that will be the beginning of the end of World War IV.
      Achieving this goal begins with the first step.
      It means taking the Pledge of Vigilance, whether you're a parent or a citizen, or simply a loved one of any child.
     One takes the Pledge not to protect himself or herself, but to protect the children of the world from the Terror that exists not only outside, but inside.
     When one sees himself or herself as a Sentinel of Vigilance, ordained by the nature of human compassion to stand up for what is right in the face of wrong, then and only then does one realize the power of one's Voice in a mass of Complacency.
      The delusion that one Pledge cannot make a difference is exactly what the Terrorists seek to instill in all.    But as individuals we realize it is the "Voice of the children" sung through the adults that will bring Terrorism to its knees, then and only then will World War IV be won.
      Winning isn't about winning.  Winning is about competing with Vigilance.   Winning is having the Courage to stand up and be counted.
      If you want to fight Terrorism, then take the Pledge of Vigilance.   Take it not for yourself, but for the safety and security of a child you care about, you love.  Let that child know you are its Sentinel of Vigilance.   For when you rise up, Terrorism will crumble.

 Go To Mar. 21--Vigilance & The Four Freedoms