The FaithWalker's Daily -- Jan. 14: French Bomb Mali Terrorists, Pro-Marriage Protests In France, Idaho Citadel

The FaithWalker’s Daily is a quick review of key news stories of the day from the perspective of a conservative Christ-follower living in, but not of, the world.

French Send Troops to Mali, Bomb Islamic Terrorists

The Basics —

The French, under the leadership of President Francois Hollande, unexpectedly took military action to stop the rapid advances of Islamic jihadists in Northern Mali in Africa. They launched a military campaign that included bombing and “boots on the ground,” something Hollande said he would not do when campaigning for the office earlier this year.

Dig Deeper:

Via FoxNews,key graph: “But the real fear is that a state run by radical Islamists could spread the doctrine throughout the Sahel and do what al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, one of the leading radical groups in Mali, has failed to do from its home base in neighboring Algeria — strike across the Mediterranean.” [emphasis mine]
According to the New York Times, the mess in Mali is an American-made one of sorts it seems:

But as insurgents swept through the desert last year, commanders of this nation’s elite army units, the fruit of years of careful American training, defected when they were needed most — taking troops, guns, trucks and their newfound skills to the enemy in the heat of battle, according to senior Malian military officials.

“It was a disaster,” said one of several senior Malian officers to confirm the defections.

Then an American-trained officer overthrew Mali’s elected government, setting the stage for more than half of the country to fall into the hands of Islamic extremists. American spy planes and surveillance drones have tried to make sense of the mess, but American officials and their allies are still scrambling even to get a detailed picture of who they are up against.

NY Times quoting one Special-Ops officer: “The analysts got complacent in their assumptions….” about terrorists coming from Libya. Sounds familiar. Unfortunately.
USA Today on the bombing by the French.

A Few Thoughts…

This has all the marks of one of those pesky international incidents that no one cares about until their children start getting put in harm’s way. And it involves the continuing war against Islamic jihadists, although that is hardly a popular story in the media these days. In fact, I expect very little coverage on this story because it doesn’t fit the current meme that President Obama has successfully suppressed such terrorist activities. Nor does it support calls for taking guns out of the hands of US citizens. From all appearances, France is taking the lead, unusual in itself, but the US may soon need to make some key military decisions now that our efforts behind the scenes have backfired.

A lot of people still want us dead. Remember Benghazi?

340,000 Protest French Anti-Marriage Law

The Basics —

Hundreds of thousands of protesters in France continue to resist attempts to redefine marriage.

Dig Deeper:

At Bloomberg, note the headline bias: “Anti-Gay Marriage Law”
Via Bloomberg: “I don’t think this will alter the determination of the president to present this law,” Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on RTL radio. “It’s normal, given the evolution of the family, that we can now recognize this type of marriage.”

A Few Thoughts…

We can see here how Darwinian thought has influenced all of life, far beyond defective theories of biological evolution, when appeals are made to the “evolution” of the family. But if we evolved apart from any external intelligence, our morals and societal values did, as well. If there is a Creator who is the source of morality — well, that’s a different story. Of note here is that the protesters are making the case that marriage should be protected for the good of the children. They seem to think the crazy thought that it would be better for kids to have a Mom and Dad than not. When Western culture has to have a protest to state such obvious truths, we’re in more trouble than we know.

Next protest sign: People Need Oxygen!

Patriotic Group Plans Defensible Fortress Town in Oregon

The Basics —

A patriotic group has announced plans to purchase a few thousand acres in Idaho to form a new, self-sustaining community committed to liberty and sustainable living in the face of emergencies.

Dig Deeper:

Via CSN News, a little about the group and its application process.
From the group’s own site The Citadel: “The Citadel is not your typical planned community where the developer’s objective is selling cookie-cutter homes at the highest possible profit-margin. The Citadel is not profit-driven. The Citadel is Liberty-driven: specifically Thomas Jefferson’s Rightful Liberty.Marxists, Socialists, Liberals and Establishment Republicans will likely find that life in our community is incompatible with their existing ideology and preferred lifestyles. DESCRIPTION: The Citadel Community will house between 3,500 and 7,000 patriotic American families who agree that being prepared for the emergencies of life and being proficient with the American icon of Liberty — the Rifle — are prudent measures. There will be no HOA. There will be no recycling police and no local ordinance enforcers from City Hall.”
The group is preparing for scenarios like the one described in Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse.

A Few Thoughts…

I don’t think these people are nuts or wackos — well, some may be, I don’t know. I get the fear and uncertainty. I can relate to the desire to pull back, to play defense as our culture spirals away in directions that threaten liberty. But I simply do not see this effort lining up with the Gospel’s call to be in, but not of, the world. How can salt do any good when it’s kept in a barrel in Idaho? How can a candle light anything if it’s hiding under a concrete bunker. It may come to that some day, when we have to worship in a foxhole. Until then, Christ-followers should resist fear and press forward.

“Go into all the world” can’t mean “Build a bunker in Idaho.”

A Few More Stories You Might Hear About Today

Disney must pay over $300 million after being sued by the creators of Who Wants to be a Millionaire for hiding profits back in 2002. Ah, the legacy of Michael Eisner continues….
Armed suspect shot by police in movie theater.
Thousands protest Putin’s ban on adoptions to US, shouting “Shame on the scum.” That would be Putin.
Lincoln takes home only one Golden Globes Award, best actor for Daniel Day-Lewis. Well-deserved. My review of Lincoln here.