Suggesting Wishful Thinking to Power. Is There Not a Better Way?

People react differently to bad news. On one side, you have the hashtag-pouty facers, for whom it would appear, appearing is the most effective response. Appearing concerned. Appearing outraged.  And above all, timidly suggesting wishful thinking to power. By taking a brave public stance, they seem to believe, perhaps bad people will wake up to their badness and "do the right thing", as they always have throughout all of recorded human history. M'kay.

On the other, you have hands-on approachers, who think that putting their hands on guns and shooting them at the bad guys will not only solve the problem in the short term, but also act to deter future attempts at badness by baddies. I tend to lean to the premise of the latter, if only because the former is such shamefully embarrassing ball-less posturing, it makes me want to punch them in the pouty face until my knuckles bleed.

In the latter camp, I read two articles today. The first by novelist Larry Correia, who produced the snarkily captioned photos that I stole here. It's fine, as far as it goes, but I'd say it was mostly written as an all-too-easy criticism of empty "messagism". At least striking union picketers who marched around with placards would smack you with them if crossed. These wusses on the left would drop their signs in a heartbeat and run shrieking at the sight of men with scimitars willing to show them what real men can and will do to infidels. They are beneath contempt--and notice-- as far as I'm concerned.

The second article is more helpful, giving 6 real world solutions to the slave trade problem, with a reasoned look at their up and downsides. Some involve, like Larry's notion, the use of firearms and relatively modest sums of money--the kind that wouldn't even rate as a rounding error in the tiniest bureaucracy's budget.

Any of the six would yield immediate results (n° 2, I find, would be especially gratifying), and could be done quietly, under the radar, if polite politics required. Although sending out that kind of message for all the world to see would undoubtedly be more efficacious than all of Hollywood and DC pouting together on Twitter from now to kingdom come.

And yet, while taking swift and terminal action is an admirable tactic, it doesn't address the root cause. If you want to take really bold action, try supporting religious groups that are bringing the Gospel to Islam. These are the folks who are daily (and literally) putting their necks on the line to bring light to the darkness.

The Catholic Church is stagnant or losing adherents in much of the West, but has been growing in sub Saharan Africa for decades. Protestant evangelists are making converts by the millions in the Muslim world. These are truly heroic people and their cause can actually "change hearts and minds", unlike the State Department, which likes to use that hackneyed phrase and yet has a pitiful record in that area.

Here's a famous ex-PLO terrorist straight-talker on the subject. Listen and learn: