IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray
# 225
March 1,2016
“Whose War?”
In these perilous times, reflecting on history, many of us conclude that far too little of it comes to our students. Like warning signs, the events of our history often can predict what may be just around the corner. Would that we heeded such important messages.
Uniformed, easily identified soldiers scatter across continents among many wars in world history. Whenever possible, since the 1949 revision of The Geneva Conventions, civilian populations gained protection in time of war.
The First Geneva Convention was instituted in 1864 provided for the
amelioration of the wounded and sick in Armed Forces” in the field. The Second Geneva Convention for “The Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea.” The Third Geneva Convention for “relative to the treatment of prisoners of war” in 1949 (first adopted in 1929). The Fourth, critical to today’s conflicts, is “relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War” (First adopted in 1949, it is based on parts of the 1907 Hague Convention of 1907.)
Civilians…. We are to afford them protection. Signatory nations number nearly 200 — all pledged to comply. In today’s headlines, more and more stories arise of innocent civilians murdered, slaughtered, pushed out of their homelands — many banished unless they convert to Islam. Sound familiar?
For centuries, wars were fought among and between nations. ISIS claims to be a nation state, but other than their black flag, they operate in street clothing — often within targeted countries. This one tactic makes them lethal in what we would like to call “polite society.”
Once upon a time, Hollywood studios ran under the firm hands of men whose families came to the United States seeking freedom. Founding a new industry, their love of that freedom fueled their zeal to produce films that supported American ideals and infuse deeper patriotism in their audiences.
Oh, there are a few films today that fit that description. “American Sniper” and “Thirteen Hours” come to mind. But, most of the films portray America and Americans as villains. I am appalled to see Ian Fleming’s James Bond films slide into a chasm where the classic villain is replaced with a warped view of capitalism. Business is the villain. Yet, no other form of government has assured freedom to more people than capitalism.
It is hard to patronize films that laud casual sex, drug use, and gratuitous violence. Finding a good film is akin to finding a needle in a haystack — and since I’ve dropped more than one needle on a simple floor never to find it, that fits perfectly into my assessment.
Herald back to 1942. Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, and Dame May Whitty led a cast one of my very favorite films. Read now www. reelclassics.com’s entry.
One of the most moving scenes in MRS. MINIVER is its finale– the speech made by the vicar (Henry Wilcoxon) to the local community assembled in their war -ravaged church, the walls held up by braces and the summer sky clearly visible through the rafters overhead. This scene had such an impact on American president Franklin D. Roosevelt that, at his request, the text was broadcast over the Voice of America in Europe and was printed on millions of leaflets dropped over German-occupied territory. The Wilcoxon speech is frequently cited in books about Hollywood’s World War II films as exemplary of the kind of filmmaking that helped mobilize the United States to war in defense of its English allies.
The Vicar:
“We, in this quiet corner of England, have suffered the loss of friends very dear to us– some close to this church: George West, choir boy; James Bellard, station master and bell ringer and a proud winner, only one hour before his death, of the Belding Cup for his beautiful Miniver rose; and our hearts go out in sympathy to the two families who share the cruel loss of a young girl who was married at this altar only two weeks ago.
“The homes of many of us have been destroyed, and the lives of young and old have been taken. There is scarcely a household that hasn’t been struck to the heart.
“And why? Surely you must have asked yourself this question. Why in all conscience should these be the ones to suffer? Children, old people, a young girl at the height of her loveliness…. Why these? Are these our soldiers? Are these our fighters? Why should they be sacrificed?
“I shall tell you why.
“Because this is not only a war of soldiers in uniform. It is a war of the people, of all the people, and it must be fought not only on the battlefield, but in the cities and in the villages, in the factories and on the farms, in the home, and in the heart of every man, woman, and child who loves freedom!
“Well, we have buried our dead, but we shall not forget them. Instead they will inspire us with an unbreakable determination to free ourselves and those who come after us from the tyranny and terror that threaten to strike us down. This is the people’s war! It is our war! We are the fighters! Fight it then! Fight it with all that is in us, and may God defend the right.”
More and more American churches are falling under the spell of “political correctness.” Perhaps never was there a more important time than now to awaken our own version of that brave, patriotic British Vicar.
He is among us. Pray that a 21st century clergyman rises to speak to our nation. Think about it.