The Kingdom of Babylon Part 3

Divided We Fall

Book Two: The Kingdom of Babylon

Part Three

Copyright 2012 Don Wigton

Smashwords Edition

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Table of Contents

Foreword

Part Three: When Dictators Rule

Chapter Twenty Six: Pax Romana

The Doctrine of World Peace

Trouble in Paradise

Give Peace a Chance

Black Hawk Down

Bosnia

Peace Around the World - North Korea

Haiti and Everywhere Else

Rwanda

The New World Order

Peace in the Middle East?

NAFTA and Beyond

Chapter Twenty Seven: The Cost of Peace

Who is the Beast?

Scaling Back the Military

Weaning off the Military

Absolute Rule

Chapter Twenty Eight: Where Do We Go From Here?

The Ten Toes

Can the Republic Endure?

The Power of the Cross

Chapter Twenty Nine: The Contract With America

An Amazing Election

All the President's Men and Women

A New Political World

Newt Gingrich

Balancing the Budget

Protecting People from Lizards, Rodents and Minnows

Protecting People From Lawyers

Protecting People From Mexico

Protecting the Flag

Protecting People From Taxation

Protecting Our Protectors

The Battle Wages On

Was Liberalism Dead?

What Was Missing in the Contract

Freedom Still on the Run

Corruption Running Strong

The Reign of the Professional Politician

Extending Pax Romana

Chapter Thirty: The Doctrine of Tolerance

Gandhi or God?

A Divided Bosnia

The Fate of Christian Intolerance

The Year of Tolerance

They Cry Peace, Peace

Returning to God

Chapter Thirty One: The Final Battle

Oklahoma - Terrorism in Middle America

Hate Speach

Hate Groups

Naming the Antichrist

With His Sights Set on Conservative Christians

Ruby Ridge

Law Enforcement Gone Bad

Waco

Reigning in the Beast

Declaring War on Your Own People

Freemen

A Nation in Terror

Republic of Texas, Vipers and More

Contending Against the Religion of Rome

Chapter Thirty Two: From Russia With Love

Fall of the Eternal City

Fall of the American Republic

Fall of the Family

It Takes a Village

National Education Control

Leveling the Playing Field

Educational Indoctrination

School to Work

Outcome-Based Education

The Evolution of Society

Humanism - A New Religion

Relative Truth

Progressive Education = Failure

Chapter Thirty Three: Uncle Tom

Injustice

Is It Your Problem?

Have You No Conscience?

Cheating the Devil

Equal Before the Lord

A New Form of Slavery

Sin's Accomplices

By Your Fruit They Will Know You

Sent Down the River

The Road Less Traveled

A House Divided

Risking All

Where Do You Stand?

Chapter Thirty Four: How to Re-Elect Tyranny

The Big Tent

The Clinton Smoke Screen

Illegal Fundraising

Post Election Trauma

Liberal Activism

Life - An Unalienable Right

Standing Against the Tide

The Ongoing Battle

First Sin - Then Judgment

Chapter Thirty Five: The Fall from Grace

Trouble Brewing

Defending Pax Romana

Why Can't We Just All Get Along?

Whitewater Heat

Caught in the Sex Trap

That Woman

Just Start a Dirty Little War

What Me Worry?

Discrediting the Enemy

A Strange Death

Tightening the Noose

Who is Telling the Truth?

The Blue Dress

Dealing with a Liar

What Is Is

Impeachment!

A Joke of a Trial

The Damage Has Been Done

Gettin’ Away With Murder

The Road to Tyranny

Pounding the Law to Dust

Chapter Thirty Six: Hero or Nero

Make ‘em Dumb

A Christian Foundation

Denying the Truth

Self-Evident Truth

Beginning of the End: Moral Collapse and the Fall of Free America

The Great American Nero

Selling Out to China

World Court

Elian Gonzalez

A White House Mess

Where is the Virtue?

Chapter Thirty Seven: What Do You Do With a President?

He Was No General

The Declaration of Independence From Indifference

Serve God, Not Man

Chapter Thirty Eight: The Brave New World for a New Age

Looking Within

Awaiting a Savior

Laodicea

To Tat or Not To

The Next Apostate

Chapter Thirty Nine: The Rule of Law

The Recounts

In Search of the Presidential Prize

Stealing an Election

Election Results Certified

Clash of the Giants

The US Supreme Court Has Its Say

Manufacturing Illegitimacy

A New President

A New Liberal Strategy

Chapter Forty: 911

Dropping the Ball

Disaster Strikes

Today Our Nation Saw Evil

The War on Terror

The Heroes of 911

Steps Towards War

America at War

Cleaning House

Chapter Forty One: Curtain Call - The Revelation of an Antichrist

A National Prophecy

Will they repent?

A National Turning Point

The Nine Harbingers

The Reign of Bush

The Economy of Babylon

The Government of Babylon

The Religion of Babylon

Final Judgment

About the Author

References and Suggested Readings

Foreword

Bewilderment filled their hearts. The commonwealth had long since left the values that had built her into the principle power in the world. Though those with insight heralded the return to traditional family values, few would listen. Adultery was rampant, homosexuality common and street violence a way of life.

The welfare state had burgeoned till it was out of control. In the hopes of keeping the discontented masses in the impoverished slums content, sporting extravaganzas filled the arenas in each major city with every imaginable amusement. The entertainment industry, once the expression of the finest art, had degenerated into the display of the most disgusting sexual acts that could come out of the imaginations of her writers.

Moral tension was high. Throughout the country debate was stirred concerning how society should act, and if there was a God that they were accountable to. The greatest minds of the domain pondered this question, and there were a multitude of answers with no resolutions.

While the poor fought in the street, the middle class enjoyed the advantages of the long peace. Wealth was easily had by many, and opulence and indulgence in every sort of stimulating activity was their central pursuit. The proposition of peace and prosperity was the theme of the age.

Hardly had anyone considered the possibility of foreign invasion. The armed forces of the kingdom were unmatched in the entire world. The peace that their strength brought, gave the world prosperity such had never before been imagined. They had become the wealthiest citizens in the history of the world.

They were a nation of people who were obsessed with their personal rights and liberties. Societal law was king. This law granted them a pluralistic community, where every culture in the world lived together in peace. Religious freedom was the dominant theme, as the people employed any god they desired in any way they could dream up. And they had many to choose from, for every religion in the world had gathered within their borders.

The kingdom's long-standing democratic institutions were intact, but the freedoms that they implied were long gone. Politicians had forgotten why they were elected. Financial gain and political power now dominated their minds. Statesmen gathered around issues that were popular to their constituents, but no longer was the will of the people directing the actions of the state. Their leaders had given themselves over to self-indulgence.

As the centuries passed, the long-standing peace faded. The populace that had learned the art of violence became the victim of the savagery themselves. Class struggles had eventually weakened the land beyond repair. The poor had managed to subjugate the rich, as the wealth of the domain was redistributed into their welcoming hands. In the midst of struggle, these victors of class contention overlooked the very internal forces that would lead to the nation's undoing. It wasn't long before the world's cities were burning under the cruel hand of the very people who had feigned political leverage.

Fingers pointed to the cause of the dilemma. Most aimed at the followers of Christ. If we hadn't become a Christian nation, many reasoned, we would never have got into the jam that we now have found ourselves in. Christianity has made us weak.

Out of the controversy arose a man who settled the matter. His name was Saint Augustine, and the kingdom he was speaking to was 5th century Rome. Because Augustine lived in a society inundated with gray, he determined that he would put his gray matter into action. As it turned out, Augustine has since been recognized as the greatest mind Rome ever produced. Yet soon their civilization would be no more. They were committed to living in the gray.

While hands shook in accusation of the Christian, Augustine stepped in with his great mind to silence all who opposed him. After he had written his greatest work, the City of God, the critics of Christianity were silenced for a thousand years. It was his astute mind that assured Christianity would be the principal religion in the West for many centuries to come.

It hasn't been until the 20th century that Christianity has suffered any serious challenge that has threatened it with universal annihilation. Times have changed. Christians have forgotten that there is nothing new under the sun. They have bent their ear to everything novel that passes by their senses. Christians have turned to the gray. They are living in the middle. Though the greatest minds in the history of the world have been believers who have submitted their minds to Christ, Christendom has stopped thinking.

As a result, the attackers of Christianity have asserted that Christianity is an ignorant religion. These haters of Christ have proclaimed themselves as the true minds of the age, while the Church wanders after pursuing its sensual pleasures. Truth has been lost in the senseless reckoning of non-truth within a culture that has determined that nothing is worth considering beyond its self image.

But answers are as old a Rome. For in the writings of Saint Augustine lie the explanation from God's Word that delineates the very culprits of the agony of our new age. Through the centuries, the pages of the Bible speak the same truth that they communicated to the ancient bewildered society of Rome. Augustine utilized the words of God to silence the oppressors of Christ, and these same words are as pertinent today as they ever have been.

The book you are about to read is about using your head. It is a call to the modern world's cerebral mass that has been slumbering in the stupor of its own complacency. It is a summons to wake up and begin thinking again. It is the shout of truth echoing in a truthless world. It is the argument of Saint Augustine being told once again to the same wayward society from which all modern apostasy began.

Augustine spoke of a house divided. He spoke of two cities, which have stood diametrically opposed to each other since the beginning of time. It is as these two cities express themselves in the world that the division of man is manifested.

There is no middle ground between the two cities. There is no gray area to divide opposites. The answers for today are not encompassed in Should or could I, I hope so or I hope not, Maybe or maybe not. Rather, the only solution that makes sense lies in the propositions of Left and right, Up or down, In or out, Good or bad, Right or Wrong.

In this book we will examine how the two opposites of the world have manifested themselves in history. We will apply this knowledge to our contemporary society and its worship life. In so doing, we will turn to reiterate to the world what Augustine had shown us fifteen hundred years ago. We will identify the source of our problems. We will be directed to our only hope.

We will consider the house divided; the division in society that is inevitable when two points of view are prevailing. We will discover that the separation between opposites is absolutely essential in discerning truth from error. We will see why the doctrine of tolerance within the framework of non-accountability is exactly that which severs liberty and freedom from man.

We will examine the great kingdoms of the world to see how Augustine's two cities have manifested themselves through history. We shall uncover the consequences that have developed in the kingdoms of men as a result of the influence of each point of view. We will unearth the reality which acknowledges that the future of a kingdom is directly reliant upon the city which directs its course.

We will consider the philosophies that underpin the two cities. We shall behold that these ideologies determine how men view themselves and direct how they see the world that they live in. We will resolve that men become exactly who they think they are. Finally, we will come to an understanding of the precepts of the two great religions of the world. Each of the two cities is masterminded by its own faith. Because there is only one faith that is true, we shall rustle the Queen of Apostasy out of her nest, to expose her and demonstrate where she has made her bed.

* * *

As we wait for Christ's return, we perceive the coming darkness that proceeds the dawn of a new age. As we look about at the gloomy disorder that lurks about us, we are observing the translucent images of our past transformed into subtle grays. We know that when the sun can no longer be seen on the horizon, that evening is near. When twilight descends with its shaded impressions, we know that it will soon be night. So it will be in the last days of man.

Yet among the bearers of truth, there are no grays: For some reject the sensual thinking of their generation, to utilize their gray matter which restores the reasonable to the absurd. They realize that there is no matter that is gray.

Those who truly know how to think understand that truth cannot be found in compromise with its opposite. They discern that truth is specific rather than relative, objective rather than subjective. They realize that the matter is distinctly Black-and-White. It is when this occurs that we can discover the true unity of mind that can save a nation from herself.

Part Three: When Dictators Rule

Chapter Twenty Six: Pax Romana

The Doctrine of World Peace

The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at him, saying, Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others! (Ps 52:6-7 niv)

The deceptive tyranny of Caesar Augustus ushered in the most glorious era Rome was to ever know. Bustling cities began to mushroom in size and number. In spite of the fact that the wealth in Rome was distributed unevenly, there could be no doubt that the empire was entering into the age of luxury. Based on a large slave economy, the two centuries that followed were eras of unprecedented peace and prosperity.

This time in history was known as the Pax Romana (Roman Peace). Gone were the pirates that once roamed the Mediterranean Sea. The impregnable Roman Navy had cleared the waters of any menaces to create one great free trade area. The vast network of Roman roads connected the empire as it had never had been before. Because of this, business prospered as the wheels of commerce bustled throughout the realm delivering goods and services.

Augustine knew well of the peace that Rome brought to the world. This peace, though, he realized was not a peace that came from the Eternal City, but rather the unholy city of man. It was a peace come from the Babylonian variety.

* * *

The modern doctrine of world peace has its roots sunk deep in Babylon. It has as its premise the doctrine of pacifism that has come to us from a long pagan history. Pacifism is a doctrine that can be found in the Chinese Taoist doctrine of wuwei, or non action. In ancient India, pacifism was embraced by the ancient doctrine of ahimsa. Because they derived their ideas from Hinduism, both the Buddhists and the Jains adopted the doctrine of ahimsa.

Among the Babylonians, the idea of pacifism focuses around the notion of an apparent respect for life and, therefore, a repugnance towards killing. This would include killing people, and also members of the animal kingdom, which demonstrates ahimsa's pantheistic origins. In its earliest form, ahisma was seen only to affect the individual's karma, and thus determine the nature of his or her future reincarnations. Because of the existence of the warrior caste (kshatriya) among the Hindus, who were dedicated to the military life and ruling by coercion, ahisma never became a factor in Indian political movements until the emergence of Mahatma Gandhi who, through passively resisting the English, won independence for India. Gandhi's pacifism was popularized in America through the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr., and has become the national ethic of the modern world ever since.

In the ancient west, the Greek Stoics conformed to a pacifistic doctrine. As the Greeks and Romans adopted the Mystery cults, a vision for the future golden age of universal peace began to emerge. Interestingly enough, this age of peace was founded upon the dreams of the emperors who presided over the world kingdoms envisioned in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. In the 6th century BC, the Achaemenid Rulers of Persia dreamed of a universal empire of peace. Alexander the Great and his Hellenistic successors inherited the vision. But it wasn't until Rome brought in the golden age of Pax Romana, that the dream of world peace became a reality. Consequently, it was with the advent of Caesar Augustus that Babylon was to realize its splendid hour in the Western world. It was propagated by the iron hand of Rome.

Trouble in Paradise

The LORD said, If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. (Genesis 11:6-8 niv)

As long as mankind is in rebellion to God, it is not desirable that they gather together in universal peace. In this age, as man continues to reject the truth of God, it is good that cultural and language barriers remain to separate them from each other. It is these separations that keep the lid on apostasy. Peace without God is nothing other than sedition.

When the kingdoms of men become one, trouble begins. When the nation gathers under one head, you can be certain that an uprising against God is near. Pluralism is nothing other than the breeding ground of Babylon.

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD. The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. (Genesis 10:8-12 niv)

Indeed, the work of Nimrod was to re-gather the nations, which God had dispersed at the tower of Babel. It was Nimrod who assembled them together in cities to worship false gods. It was Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord, who built an empire that continued thought the centuries under the helm of the Assyrian kings who followed him. Nimrod was the inventor of war, and it would be through conquest and oppression that the Assyrian culture would gather the people of the world back together into one fold.

From Babylon, to Persia, to Greece, to Rome, we see that the kingdoms foreseen in Nebuchadnezzar's dream have gained mastery over the nations through war. (Dan 2) It is through war that they made the many one, to dwell in peace under their realm rather than protected in God's hands. The kingdoms of this world are an attempt to unify through war that which God dispersed. Peace through strength is the motto of the city of man. It is an act that was born in defiance to God.

When terror comes, they will seek peace, but there will be none. (Ezekiel 7:25 niv)

It will be answered, Augustine wrote, "that the Roman Empire, in the interests of peaceful collaboration, imposes on nations it has conquered the yoke of both law and language, and thus has an adequate, or even overflowing, abundance of interpreters. True enough. But at what cost! There is one war after another, havoc everywhere, tremendous slaughterings of men.

All this for peace. Yet, when the wars are waged, there are new calamities brewing. To begin with, there has never been, nor, is there today, any absence of foreign powers to provoke war.

This is the way it was in Augustine's time under the umbrella of Rome. This is how it is today for the world under the covering of the United States of America.

And so, Augustine wrote, At Rome, the republic had given way to the empire, and the Emperor Caesar Augustus had established a world-wide peace.

Give Peace a Chance

Throughout her history, America has fought her wars for the sake of conquest or to stem the tide of a violent aggressor. The Revolutionary war and the War of 1812 were waged to beat back the British. The Spanish-American and Indian wars were triumphs of westward expansion. The civil war was waged to keep the Union intact and to free the slaves. Then we saw WWI and WWII develop to stem the aggression of dictatorial menaces from Germany. The Korean and Vietnam Wars were waged to hold back the despotism of communism.

But with the advent of the '60s, within the context of the political corruption that veiled any thought of altruism in the Vietnam conflict, the cry of peace began to saturate the nation's air. John and Yoko boldly asserted, All we are saying, is give peace a chance.

Ironically, it was President Reagan, with his message of peace through strength, that got modern Pax Romana off the ground. The subsequent military buildup eventually saw Reagan's words come true as the Cold war came to a screeching halt, America began to suddenly come to the conclusion that there were no formidable enemies to confront.

Through the efforts of Presidents Reagan and Bush Senior, with their massive military buildup, America's own Carthage simply dried up economically, to no longer be able to present itself as and arch-rival. With the potency of the Soviet Union out of the way, suddenly the idea of world peace was not seen as being such a distant reality. Rumors of peace began to permeate every section of the world as the modern Pax Roman began to emerge from dream to possibility.

Through You we push back our enemies; through Your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but You give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. (Ps 44:5-7 niv)

It was during the Gulf War that America was able to demonstrate her new-found military prowess to anyone who might consider opposing her strength. On August 2, 1990, Iraq President Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of the small Arab state of Kuwait. This act of insolence united almost the entire world community in opposition to this military dictator.

In early August, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia invited American troops unto his soil in order to protect his people against any further aggression from the Iraq army. This occupancy called Operation Desert Shield soon found a new name as President Bush ordered a military buildup for the direct purpose of driving Hussein out of Kuwait.

A tremendous debate developed in a Congress that was overwhelmed by the Vietnam syndrome. This phrase used by those who were opposed to committing U.S. forces abroad, unless it was clearly essential to American national interests. Though the United States was not directly threatened, Bush was able to commence Operation Desert Storm as Congress promptly followed his lead. Not only did this directly alter the stance of the one passive Congress, but it marked a spectacular point of cooperation between Washington and Moscow. This allowed the UN Security Council to pass a resolution condemning the Kuwait invasion to bring the nations together in opposition to this one despot.

The Gulf War was a spectacle of American military technology. Now the world was going to get a glimpse of what the American military buildup was all about. Under the leadership of U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf, the UN forces drew from 1,800 planes and advanced weaponry systems developed by the United States to produce the most phenomenal aerial attack in aviation history. After five weeks of relentless air attack, the Iraqi ground troops were completely demoralized as wholesale desertions filled their ranks and communications with Baghdad were cut off. The ground war only lasted 100 hours as the remaining forces were quickly dispensed of.

In this, one of the most lopsided military victories in world history, only 148 Americans were killed in action, 407 wounded, and 121 killed in non-hostile activities. This compared with 100,000 Iraqi soldiers dead, 300,000 wounded, 150,000 deserted and 60,000 taken prisoner. Indeed, by this display of absolute dominance, George Bush became the target of the insane Iraqi hostility forever.

It was early on in the Clinton Administration that Saddam Hussein tested the military resolve of America's new president. On January 23, 1993 in the third incident in as many days, three U.S. Navy warplanes were fired on in a no-fly zone. The U.S. responded by bombing the Iraqi position that initiated the disturbance.

To assure the world that the new administration would be just as firm in displaying America's military superiority to anyone who might resist, White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers assured, If Iraq takes aggressive action, we will continue to respond. That's been the United States policy and that will continue to be the policy under President Clinton.

Later that year, President Clinton had another opportunity to display America's military resolve. While Bush visited Kuwait in April, 1993, it was uncovered that Iraq had devised an assassination plot on the former president. Bush assistant Andrew Maner said though Bush never felt threatened. . . he heard about (the plot). He was briefed on it. . . He believes it.

The plan was to use a car bomb or a suicide bomber wearing a belt laden with explosives. It is an extremely serious matter and one we think needs to investigated thoroughly, notified State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. Fourteen of the alleged plotters were soon arrested by the Kuwaiti government.

To convince Hussein of the consequences that would have to be paid by those who offended the Emperor of Rome, on June 27, U.S. forces launched Tomahawk missiles against an Iraqi intelligence headquarters. Though Iraqi Ambassador the UN, Nizar Hamdoun, condemned, The attack was completely unwarranted and unjustified; President Clinton proclaimed that this firm and commensurate response (to the assassination plot) was essential to protect our sovereignty.

The strike was effective. Twenty three missiles fired from the Persian Gulf slammed into the complex and residential housing outside the complex in downtown Baghdad. Military officials claimed the wing containing the offices of the agency's leaders was near complete destruction. Hamdoun lamented, There were numerous civilian casualties. We're still counting the wounded.

Declaring the attack a complete success, administration officials reveled that Baghdad's ability to direct terrorist attacks world wide had suffered a major setback. While expressing regret that some civilians had been killed in the retaliation, President Clinton certified, We sent the message we needed to send.

Yet on October 8, 1994, it was announced the Iraq was making a surprise move on their neighbors once again. Ten thousand of Iraq's elite Hammurabi Division were about 30 miles from the Kuwait border bringing the total to as much as 50,000.

In the midst of this, President Clinton reiterated the resolve of America to keep the peace of the world. It would be a grave mistake for Saddam Hussein to believe for any reason that the United States would have weakened its resolve on the same issues that involved us in that conflict just a few years ago.

With that in mind 4,000 United States army troops and two Patriot anti-missile batteries were immediately deployed to Kuwait. Then, on October 9, President Clinton got real serious, raising the annie to 69,000 more troops, with 1,500 kept on standby. The president warned Hussein that any attack on Kuwait would be soundly defeated. Defense Secretary William Perry assured, All in all, this is a formidable military force.

Two days later, after the Pentagon announced it was sending 100 more warplanes to the Gulf to raise the total number to 650, the Iraqis troops began to withdraw. As the country declared an end to its 5-day buildup, President Clinton asserted the American resolve: We will not allow Saddam Hussein to defy the will of the United States and the international community.

But Hussein had a few tricks up his sleeve and made a deal with Yelstin that he would recognize Kuwait's borders if the U.N. would lift the international sanctions that were imposed upon Iraq within six months. But the message of Rome was clear and there were no deals to be made. In the UN Russia reluctantly went along with the Security Council vote demanding Iraq's withdrawal. The sanctions would remain until Hussein complied with the will of the international community.

The message is clear, declared President Clinton on October 16. Iraq must complete its withdrawal. It must not threaten its neighbors in the future.

Next time, we'll probably not wait, warned Warren Christopher. We will take action, strong action against him.

So it has been demonstrated, even with the change of administration, modern Rome's commitment to Pax Romana in the Middle East had not diminished. While Secretary of State Warren Christopher reaffirmed their iron-clad commitment to the defense of the Gulf, the United States and the Persian Gulf oil states pledged to maintain trade restrictions on wayward Iraq as they backed peacekeeping efforts in the region.

He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.' (Daniel 7:23 niv)

Peace through strength is an expression of an accomplishment through one's own power rather than God's. The whole purpose of the methodology of Pax Romana in ancient Rome was for the purpose of establishing authoritarian rule. It was tyrannical rule that underpinned the entire peace strategy of the ancient Roman Empire.

Augustine noted that men from the unholy city cannot find the perfect peace of God. Yet all men desire peace. So, be it by the power of God, or their own might, men will seek to be at peace, for that is where they find their stability in life. The people of the city of man try to get their peace through the activity of war.

At any rate, revealed Augustine, even when wicked men go to war they want peace for their society and would like, if possible, to make men members of that society, so that everything might be of service to one head. Of course, the only means such a conqueror knows is to have all men so fear or love him that they will accept the peace which he imposes. For, so does pride perversely copy God. Sinful man hates the peace of God which is just and prefers his own peace which is unjust. However, he is powerless not to love peace of some sort.

"There is no peace, says the LORD, for the wicked." (Isaiah 48:22 niv)

Without the peace of God, there is only one way to attain peace. This is accomplished through an authoritarian rule that forces the will of the few upon the many. This is how world peace is being enacted in the world today. . . by force.

Black Hawk Down

The real beginnings of the display of military for the purpose of peace came in the waning days of President George Bush Senior as he committed American troops to Somalia on a humanitarian mission. The United Nations had estimated that 330,000 people died in the clan-based civil war, famine and disease in that depressed country during the year of 1992. So, on December 9, 1992, American troops moved in to provide a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian relief. Marine Lt. General Robert B. Johnston commented in the following May, 1993, I think it's safe to say that thousands of Somalis would have died if we had not come in, no doubt in my mind.

Indeed, by May 4, 1993, the mission was considered a complete success as the 23-nation effort fulfilled its duty of guarding food shipments and curbing lawlessness. I think we made a tremendous difference, reflected Major Ken Roberts, We've done what we set out to do. Now the Somali people have to come together and rebuild.

But it was noticed that the continued menace of bandits remained a threat to continued peace. For this reason, America recognized the need for involvement for years to come. With this continued danger of violence looming, General Cevic Bir of Turkey asserted the U.N. military's (under the leadership of the American vision) commitment to assert itself as the world's peacekeeping force. Let there be no doubt, he avouched, we are ready . . . to enforce the peace as necessary.

To guarantee that this peace was instituted, later on August 24, 1993, the United States sent the Delta Force, an elite force of 400 U.S. Army counter-terrorist soldiers who were trained to strike sensitive targets with unconventional means to weaken the strength of the warlord, Mohamed Farrah Aidid. This was a result of the continued pursuit of the elusive Aidid whose militia had killed 24 Pakistani UN peacekeepers. Met by angry crowds who built burning barricades in the streets and who stoned U.N. peacekeepers, this elite force pursued relentlessly its directive to restore order to the seaside capitol of Somalia.

Indeed, on the 27th of that same month, Defense Secretary Les Aspin admitted there would be no easy way out of this mission that began as a relief operation, only to be modified by the Clinton administration as an ambitious effort to rebuild that devastated country and bring peace. The danger now, Aspin declared, is that unless we return security to South Mogadishu, political chaos will follow the withdrawal.

In spite of the Administration's fervor to see Pax Roman ardently enforced, doubts about America's role as the world's peacekeeper began to emerge on Congress. The House of Representatives, in signaling increased opposition to Administration policy, voted 406-26 to join the Senate to press President Clinton for a quick withdrawal from Somalia. Politics have not changed much since the times of ancient Rome. Still, it seems that it is only the authority of a single leader who can exert the potency necessary to make his country ruler of the world.

On October 3, though, the U.S. military suffered the worst single casualty involving of Americans in the history of the mission. As later immortalized in the movie Black Hawk Down, at least five American soldiers were slain when a Somali militia shot down two American helicopters. In spite of the setback, President Clinton remained adamant in his support of Pax Romana in Somalia. The brave Americans, he advanced. were engaged in a vital humanitarian mission, to prevent the recurrence of mass deaths that resulted from the anarchy and starvation in Somalia.

Then, the next day, in the fiercest fighting since the mission began, 12 Americans were killed and 78 wounded while others were captured. Even as the State Department spokesman, Mike McCurry, again asserted that the Administration was remaining firmly committed to the operation, Bill Thomas of the House insisted that the President, as commander-in-chief of our armed forces needs to immediately explain to Congress and the American people why and what the United States is doing in Somalia. If he cannot do that, I think he should bring our troops home.

In spite of the criticism, President Clinton responded to the fighting by ordering even more troops to the troubled land. Hundreds of American soldiers armed with special weapons and aircraft began heading to Somalia as the phone lines of the nation's Congressmen were flooded with outrage over the prospect of a new hostage crisis. The television pictures of a Somali crowd dragging the body of a dead U.S. serviceman through the streets of Mogadishu didn't help President Clinton's reputation either. Nonetheless, even Republican leader Bob Dole had to admit, We can't' get out with hostages there.

Responding to the criticism, on 10/6/93, President Clinton finally conceded that it was about time to think about pulling out. We are anxious to conclude our role there honorably, he added to affirm his steadfast commitment to Pax Romana, but we do not want to see a reversion to the absolute chaos and the terrible misery which existed before. He pledged though, to pull out all Americans by March 31, 1994.

But the long-awaited peace was soon to come. On October 11, Aidid offered a cease-fire as contacts were being prepared by President Clinton's envoy, Robert Oakley to find a long-term solution to the unrest in Somalia. Proclaiming the triumph of Roman Peace, Jonathan Howe heralded, We welcome all overtures of peace and stability in Mogadishu, as we have seen them in the rest of the country.

Bosnia

But even as it was exercising its military strength for the cause of peace in Somalia, the United States found its attention draw to Europe. Since the end of the Cold War, civil war had been tearing the country of Bosnia asunder. The city of Sarajevo, just years before the sight of a marvelous Winter Olympics, was turned into rubble. The very stadium where American figure skater, Scott Hamilton, went for the gold was left in absolute ruins. After a year of ethnic warfare between the Orthodox Christian Serbs predominantly Catholic Croats and the Bosnian Muslim government an estimated 100,000 people were either dead or missing.

So tragic was the slaughter in Bosnia, that Holocaust historians began to compare the ordeal to the slaughter implemented in Nazi Germany. I was there last year, recalled Elie Wiesel in late October '93. I saw those children in Sarajevo, and I saw those mothers who couldn't feed their children. Is there anything more tragic, anything more cruel, anything more unjust in the world than when mothers cannot feed their children?

Throughout America, the consensus was that only the United States possessed the authority to resolve the problem. I kind of feel that when you have privileges as a nation, like we have, we have responsibility, commented Dr. Bill Henry of Little Rock.

The U.S. is probably the only one that can do it, asserted Jim McCormack, a Viet Nam veteran. Something's got to be done. If someone doesn't make a move there won't be any more Bosnia.

At first, on the last day of February, 1993, in its first direct military involvement in the war-torn country, the U.S. dropped tons of aid to the victims of the fighting. Well, we made history now, commented Tech. Sgt. Charles Schwab. I sure hope these bundles get to some people who need them.

All the while the U.S. troops quietly trained for a possible Bosnia operation. If we are called upon, assured Brig. Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, we would be ready.

In mid-April, the U.N. Security Council, while proposing a peace arrangement, assured the Serbs there would be extreme economic sanctions to face. In short, all of the nations of the world would not be allowed to ship goods into the country until peace was guaranteed.

However, U.S. experts admitted that economic pressure would not be enough. Insisting that the United States should act on its own authority with force to bring about Pax Romana, American representative at the United Nations, Madeleine Albright persisted on April 22, We should not turn our backs on our international responsibilities. Indeed, in spite of the sanctions, by April 27th, it was apparent to all that they were not moving the rebel Serbs.

Thumbing their noses at the U.N. directives, the Serbs pounded one Bosnian Muslim enclave with gunfire and challenged U.N. peacekeepers in another. The time has come for decisive measures to stifle the conflict, assured Russian President Boris Yelstin.

Considering the possibility of air strikes, President Clinton followed by putting his hat in the ring. I will decide what I think the right thing to do is, he assured, and then see if I can persuade Congress and the allies to go along. . . I still think the United States has to strengthen its response.

And so it was reported on May 2, 1993, that the U.S. was readying its air power. Secretary of State Warren Christopher commented, The president decided on the direction he believes the United States and the international community should now take in this situation. There is no doubt who was in charge of bringing Pax Romana to the late 20th Century.

And as Christopher was warning that The clock is ticking, the world was hopeful that up-and-coming negotiations would prove successful in bringing about this long-awaited peace. Lord Owen, co-author of the current peace plan hopefully shared, Peace, which has so long eluded the former Yugoslavia, is now, I think, within our grasp, if only everyone has the courage to seize it. Therefore, on May 9, 1994, a London Newspaper, The Sunday Times, announced that U.S. air strikes on Bosnian targets would begin within 10 days. In spite of this optimism, the White House declared its Bosnia policy in a holding pattern.

But the threat of military action must have stirred the fear of the Serbs, Croats and Muslims in Bosnia. At 6 PM on Wednesday, May 12, 1993, they signed U.N.-backed cease fire. But nonetheless, the fighting waged on, threatening to undermine the peace accord even as it was being ratified.

Meetings between opposing forces to bring permanent peace, were marked with insults, accusations, and walkouts. In spite of the setbacks, a resolution adopted by the legislators from the Yugoslav Federation stated, We support the peace plan for Bosnia as the only solution offered by the international community for the cessation of hostilities. We call on the Serbian people in Bosnia to accept the peace plan and continue their struggle for national independence through negotiations. It was of little doubt that the world is looking for the restoration of Roman Peace.

Fearing that these hostilities might bleed over to neighboring countries, President Clinton began to consider the possibility of sending U.S. soldiers to Macedonia. When urged by listeners in Elk Grove, Ill., the president responded that he would have to go beyond just the use of sanctions saying, They're working, but not quickly enough. This message was a brash rebuttal of the inability of America's allies to support air strikes on Serbian artillery sites.

In spite of the intense proddings to accept the U.N. sponsored peace plan that would have divided the country between warring factions, on May 19, the Bosnian Serb Assembly rejected it. But the leadership assured the world that they were not immediately interested in violating the dictates of Pax Romana. Serb leader Radovan Karadzic proclaimed, The Vance-Owen plan is dead. Long live the peace process. The Serb people have not voted for war. We are calling on all politicians. . . to come up with new ideas, new peace initiatives.

Well, Washington responded by coming up with a peace formula which called for safe havens to be set up to protect Bosnian Muslims and for monitors to be instated along Bosnia's border with Serbia. But Bosnia's president, Alija Izetbegoviv declared, This new plan is absolutely unacceptable for us. . . We are not going to waste any more time. . . in futile negotiations. So, on the last day of the month, Muslim government troops dug in near Sarajevo after they had forced back Serb attackers in what was described as a desperate push. The war waged on.

In the middle of June, President Clinton again vowed to continue to protect UN peacekeeping troops, warning that the United States would take action if any of them were attacked. U.S. air strikes that were engaged against a Somali warlord were appropriate in response to what happened which is that Pakistani peacekeepers were ambushed and murdered. In addition to this act of American aggression, President Clinton moved in 300 ground troops into Macedonia as a warning to keep their hostilities from spilling beyond the boarders of Bosnia. Later in July, 200 more American soldiers were deployed to the same area as a greater flex of U.S. military potency.

In the world Economic Summit in Japan, Western leaders asserted the vision of give peace a chance, by issuing an admonition that stronger measures would be employed if the hostilities were to continue. In that forum, these world leaders, including President Clinton, issued a document on July 7, 1993 that concluded with their commitment to the establishment of Pax Romana: In an interdependent world, partnership is the key to building global peace and prosperity. We commit ourselves to a new effort to help shape a more secure and humane world, and urge others to join us.

On July 31, Bosnia's outgunned Muslim government finally abandoned its resistance to hold the country together and agreed to the concept of dividing the former Yugoslav republic into three ethnic states. A preliminary accord was drafted with a framework of division which many hoped would point to the end of a conflict that had by now claimed somewhere from 140,000-200,000 lives. In assessing that the U.N. had drawn closer to the idea of utilizing NATO air power for more than just the protection of peacekeepers, State Department spokesman assured, there is certainly a difference of views but a common sense of purpose as it relates to the deteriorating situation in Sarajevo. The possibility of aggressive air strikes now loomed in the air.

But continued NATO reluctance to allow aggression finally wore on the patience of the United States. On the first day of August, 1993, America called its NATO allies together to an emergency session to warn that it was prepared to go alone if necessary to establish peace. The United States is determined to act, affirmed Mike McCurry.

Warren Christopher added, We certainly believe it is possible we act within the NATO framework. But at the same time, we have made it clear we are determined to act.

Indeed, as he demanded to end the misery, President Clinton pledged on August 3, that the United States would intervene before Sarajevo had to face another winter of grave difficulties.

I don't think there is a firm time line, but the clock is ticking, alerted White House spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers. On August 29, President Clinton informed the U.N. that it would provide as much as 25,000 soldiers to enforce any peace agreement that may emerge from the round of talks that were opening in Geneva the very next day.

In spite of the fact that a Bosnia Mission would turn out to be very complex, Gen. Collin Powell assured the nation that it would be worth the effort. . . . it's something, he said, that may well have to be done in the interest of bringing peace to that troubled land, even if it's not a prefect peace, even if it's not a peace that gives us a great deal of satisfaction. Enforcing Pax Romana in the world would require sacrifice.

But the circumstances that had developed in blood stained Somalia made the President more cautious about sending peacekeepers overseas. His assertion that any U.S. troops sent into Bosnia, under the control of NATO, would have to have an American commander. It is a much more coherent military operation, he said. And I would have a far higher level of confidence about not only the safety of our troops but our ability to deal with that as a NATO operation. There is no indecision here about who would be in charge of bringing about Roman Peace!

It was in January 1994, that President Clinton finally determined to take the peace format by the horns. With the pomp and circumstance of the emperor of Rome he began his ideological conquest of Europe. As Nero purportedly played his fiddle while Rome burned, President Clinton honked on his saxophone in the nightclubs of Europe.

In what was characterized as his longest foreign journey in his young presidency, President Clinton embarked on January 8, on his peace mission to Europe to build a platform for Pax Romana. Indeed, this was affirmed by Vice President Gore who described the President's trip as one that can help make our nation and our world more secure in every way.

While President Clinton toured the area, NATO offered the Partnership for Peace plan to their former Soviet and Warsaw Pact foes. In an unprecedented move, it was established that links would be built to increase exchanges of military information, pooling of forces in joint exercises or humanitarian operations, and consultations on how to handle crisis. While hailing NATO's approval of cooperating with their former enemies the president declared, It is time to begin welcoming these newcomers to our neighborhood.

On January 11, President Clinton wandered about Prague, checking out the nightlife. While he was in the famous, smoky Reduta Jazz club he managed to pick up a gig. On the request of the Czech president, while borrowing a saxophone, he jammed out two of his favorites, Summertime and My Funny Valentine.

Meanwhile, President Clinton was able to win the support of Czech President Vaclav Havel for his plans to tighten Eastern Europe's ties with NATO. Though the plan did not grant immediate full membership, as Havel proclaimed he was ready to implement it immediately in concrete terms, it became evident that this was to be a big step towards initiating peace between factions that once stood on opposite sides of the Red line.

* * *

And bringing together NATO, President Clinton flexed American muscle among allies to carry out the threats of air power against Bosnia. I made it clear, he said, that for our part we were prepared to follow through.

After stopping briefly in Kiev, Ukraine to nail down an agreement to eliminate the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world by the end of the century, President Clinton proceeded on his urgent task to Moscow. Planning to showcase U.S. support for political and economic reform in the former Soviet Union President Clinton met with Yelstin to proclaim peace and safety. Positively, the president assured Yelstin, I believe that together, we can work to lead a new security for Europe based on democratic values, free economies, and the respect of nations for one another.

Though it was billed as a tough diplomatic test, President Clinton managed to score high marks for peace as the two leaders sat down to seal the hard-won agreement to dismantle all 1,800 nuclear warheads in Ukraine. We have got together this day to put the last dot to the last problem of the Cold War, Yelstin blazoned.

Then President Clinton promised the Muscovites lining up for bread, We'll work together. All these folks working hard need to know that in the end they will be rewarded. The carrot before them was peace, security and safety. On January 15, 1994, President Clinton and Yelstin signed an agreement to stop aiming nuclear weapons at each other or other countries.

* * *

But the most pressing problem to the proposed peace among men was the continued Bosnian dilemma. As he met with NATO, President Clinton assured that if they threatened military action, We have to mean it. . . If the situation does not improve, the alliance must be prepared to act.

On February 7, the moment of truth arrived as a mortar attack left 66 dead after it had it landed in a crowd of shoppers. In response, the president ordered U.S. planes to move in to evacuate victims while urging the United Nations to investigate the incident. Secretary of State, Christopher, met with President Clinton to discuss a more vigorous role with the possibility of air strikes. This unforgivable incident clearly demonstrates the need to find a negotiated settlement to the conflict in former Yugoslavia, said Christopher. The tone had changed as the Clinton administration determined to issue an ultimatum. Fifty-one senators lead by Bob Dole urged the president, In our view, if the United States takes the first decisive step, our allies will follow.

In that light, President Clinton began to explain to the country the stakes that were involved in the Bosnia affair. We have an interest in showing that NATO, history's greatest military alliance, remains a credible force for peace in post-Cold-War Europe. And so, in the wake of America's lead, NATO offered the threat to bomb the Serbs if they continued to refuse to comply.

Well, the President certainly was able to witness the effectiveness of modern Rome's peace-through-strength policy. Perhaps the leaders of Bosnia were thinking of the military spectacle that was displayed in the Gulf War when President Clinton laid down his ultimatum. No doubt they were reminded of the overwhelming dominance of American air power and the thundering hoofs of its ground troops as they threw down their weapons on February 12, 1994.

No doubt sensing his authority as the military commander of the world, President Clinton assured them that any backsliding from the truce would result in serious consequences. Any shelling of Sarajevo of the appearance of heavy weapons in the exclusion zone will bring a certain and swift response from the U.N. and NATO, he assured. The reason for flexing America's military might and influence over its allies was clear. The challenge for all who have been touched by the fighting in Bosnia. . . is to build on this week's progress and create a lasting and workable peace for all the people of Bosnia.

Then, as Christopher asserted, We want to try to build on the momentum, the Clinton administration, on February 25, flexed Rome's mighty muscle and announced that the peace talks would be shifted to the United States. There was no doubt that the authority of Pax Romana rested in the hands of America's military prowess.

This was demonstrated with the utmost decisiveness on February 28th, when missiles from U.S. fighter jets downed four Serb warplanes as a result of a cease-fire violation. This marked the first time in NATO's 44 year-old history that it had struck militarily. Confident in the message of peace through strength, Vice President Al Gore made it clear that NATO was serious in its warnings saying, Far from damaging the prospects for peace, it may actually improve the prospects for peace. There was no doubt by this time that America's allies and adversaries were convinced that the United States was entirely earnest in its demands that the world submit to the authority of its military might.

Therefore, on March 18, the Muslims and Croats took a large step towards peace by signing agreements to create a Bosnian federation. They say that The pen is mightier than the sword. But in this case it was the sword of Rome which moved the arms of these dissidents to compliance.

So, by April 6, the talk in Bosnia was peace after almost a month of truce around Sarajevo. Now rather than raising their arm in rebellion against the authority of Rome, the Serbs were proposing talks of a broad armistice with the Muslim-led government. Another area of the world had learned about the potency of Rome's legions.

On April 10, though, two U.S. fighter jets bombed targets near a besieged Muslim enclave of Gorazde after Serb forces overran government defenses to reach the outskirts of the city. This area which was designated as one of six U.N. safe areas for Bosnian Muslims was soon to be literally burning. With regard to this first NATO attack on ground forces in its 44-year-old history, President Clinton explained to reporters, We said we would act if we were requested to do so. We have now done so and will be willing to do so again if we are requested.

The very next day the Untied States made good its word as its fighters dropped bombs on a tank that was firing directly into the town and several personnel carriers. Bosnian Serb leaders threatened that if the air strikes continued, the Serbs could shoot down the planes. But, there can be no doubt that America was committed to the enforcement of Pax Romana and would do what is necessary to administer it.

But this was one world situation, where obstinacy was to fly in the face of the peace interests of Rome. On April 14, there was a war of the wills that followed the NATO raids on Serb forces. As the Serbs detained 24 peacekeepers, fears began to be raised they might attempt to avoid further raids by holding U.N. people as literal hostages.

Angry at the NATO strikes at their positions near the town of Gorazde the Serbs declared they were cutting off all relations with the U.N. There will be no peace in Bosnia until the Western Gods of war leave the region, assured Bosnian Serb commander Gen. Ratko Mladic.

But President Clinton was fast to respond, I think the Serbs would be making a mistake to start treating the United Nations and NATO forces as adverse combatants. In the nineties, those who come against the executors of Roman Peace could wind out on the loosing side of the hand.

On April 16, a British warplane was shot down while on a NATO mission over the Muslim town of Gorazde. This was a region that had been declared by the U. N. as a safe area -- a refuge for the battle-weary. However, the town represented the last major target standing in the way of Serb control of the strategic Drina Valley. The population had been surrounded since the beginning of the war in April 1992.

The pilot was in the process of identifying Serb tanks that were now shelling the haven. If they continue like this, there will be a slaughter here, related Dr. Safet Cibo on ham radio.

Relentlessly, as the world looked on, the Serbs pressed onward towards the safe haven. By April 17, the Clinton administration conceded the aggressors had captured every strategic point as the U.N. observers pulled back into the city. Yet, the president, fearful that it might result in a permanent collapse of the U.S.-lead peace initiative, determined he did not have the appetite to resume air strikes. Indeed, the Serbs were calling NATO's bluff and daring them to intercede.

Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic became critical of the inactivity of the enforcers of Pax Romana. While predicting a blood bath he maintained, "U.N. decision-makers are directly responsible for people who are dead