As our nation mourns those who were killed in San Bernardino, we should remain steadfast in the hope that eventually, violence in all its manifestations can be purged from our planet.
Since the San Bernardino massacre, Americans have come to realize that stopping radicalized Muslims from bringing their failed culture of violence and madness to America must be a priority.
Americans of all political stripes are realizing that it can't be done unless moderate Muslims take the lead. Their religion must go through a worldwide reformation and by involving ourselves in their civil wars, we simply cause all warring factions to direct their violence at us.
In his Sunday night address from the White House, President Obama finally said it. He said that Muslims must purge violence from their own ranks and they must do so without excuses. He made it clear that the silence of moderate Muslins is passive acceptance and their passiveness is no longer acceptable.
A timeless recognition of the difference between American culture and so many failed cultures can be found in the book Adventures of a Bystander (Harper and Rowe, 1978) written by the late Peter Drucker. Drucker quotes the late Pastor J. E. Rydback of the Lutheran Church of Minneapolis, who voiced the following admonition to his congregation on December 7th 1941, the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
"Let us remember that the forebears of everyone here came to this country to get away from the incessant wars, the insane hatreds, and the sinful pride of other nations. Let us remember that the forebears of everyone here hacked a farm out of the howling wilderness amid blizzards in the winter and sandstorms in the summer, so as to live as free men and women, innocent of the wickedness and folly of national honor and tyranny of government disguised as military glory. Let us remember that the forebears of every one of us came to build a new nation subservient to laws rather than to men. Let us pray that this cup will pass us by and that America will remain the last best hope, and not succumb to being just another entry in the long and vain list of empires."
Let's remember Pastor Rydback's message as we mourn those lost and we seek inner peace and the renewal the hope that Christmas symbolizes.