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Missing Flight M370 Reminds Us That the World Is a Dangerous Place

Mar 19, 2014 — by: Dennis Linthicum
Categories: Uncategorized

There are a lot of theories being thrown around regarding the missing Malaysian 777. I’ve even had some supporters call with great, well-researched ideas about what might have happened to the plane and how our national security might be compromised because of it. These are essential concepts for our leaders and ourselves to ponder with clear eyes. In a situation like this, we can’t “hope” our way out of the scary reality we live in – that there is evil in the world and terrorism is always a possibility.


(Photo courtesy of Luccio ERRERA/Wikimedia commons)

I definitely feel for the families involved in this case, and I know it must be hard to hear conjecture and theories on every news channel – but I think that this kind of incident is healthy for us to think about. The truth is, when there’s a missing jumbo jet and the very real possibility of seriously high-tech terrorism, it forces us to think about our priorities. In this kind of situation, it matters who we vote for and what we spend our money on. Suddenly, shrinking the military seems foolish and wasting money on endless grants, bail-outs and healthy eating programs seems even sillier. These are endeavors that prosperous nations in peacetime can afford to pay for in moderation, but we’ve become a bloated bureaucratic pool of vanity projects and special-interest payouts. We’ve gotten so comfortable, with 99-week unemployment and worrying about the health of the planet, that we forget there are people in the world who dislike us very much, and are spending their time thinking about how to make us afraid instead of ways to market a lousy healthcare law to hipsters.

This missing flight should remind all of us to vote intentionally, be prudent and be on alert. Because a broke nation is a weak nation, and if we can’t get our financials in order with some strong conservative votes in the House, we won’t be ready for the next terror attack or unforeseen crisis. Evil never sleeps, and so we, as the shining city on a hill, a force for good in the world, should also be vigilant and prudent with our national treasury and defense.