"The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me." Psalm 16:6 (NASB)
There is a story of courage and honor that one can visit in my home state of Texas, in San Antonio: The Alamo. There, 183 made a brave stand against an enemy numbering in the thousands for 13 glorious days. Being a graduate of the University of Tennessee, we have a unique nickname, as does the state of Tennessee, the Volunteers. There, 38 men from Tennessee stood upon those ramparts, and they are remembered, along with their fallen brothers, on the memorial known as the Cenotaph. One of those Tennessee Volunteers was a former member of the US House of Representatives, just as I am, named Davy Crockett. It was said that upon losing his congressional reelection, he famously asserted, "You all may go to hell, I am going to Texas.”
One of the famed stories from The Alamo -- possibly folklore, but stunning nonetheless -- was that during a ceasing of the bombardment by the Mexican Army, under the dictator General Santa Anna, Commandant of The Alamo, Lt. Col. William Barrett Travis called the defenders together. He realized that there would be no reinforcements from Lt.. Col.. Fanin, and he drew a line in the sand with his sword in the garrison and stated that anyone who wanted to stay and fight to the death should cross the line. Some say that there was one who did not cross the line, but even the famous Jim Bowie, who was incapacitated at the time, restrained to a bed, had it lifted up and carried across the line.
This occurred sometime on March 5, 1836. The following day at dawn, there was a full assault against The Alamo, and all the defenders were killed, and their bodies burned.
There are those who see this as folly, but those who have served recognize this as giving the "last full measure of devotion.” It is an honorable sacrifice for a worthy cause: freedom and liberty over tyranny. As the Psalmist wrote, “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places,” defending liberty and freedom with honor is a pleasant place. And, the heritage of those who have descended from such, as we have as Texans, is beautiful.
So. It is for Americans. A line has been drawn in the sand, and our heritage is that of making a stand against abject tyranny. I am writing this missive from the Hilton Higgins Hotel in New Orleans, across the street from the National World War II Museum. That was a war in which my dad fought because the lines had fallen to him, and he set forth a heritage of service, sacrifice, and commitment in our family. Today, that line has been drawn by our enemies once again, and if we are to be true to our heritage, we will take our proper position.
Just last week, the foreign minister of Iran, who is designated as a terrorist, was granted permission, by visa, to come onto our shores and deliver a threat against our nation. Infamously so, his threat came in the same week that we observed the remembrance of October 23, 1983, when Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Beirut, Lebanon killed some 254 Marines, sailors, and soldiers. If we do not recognize the significance of that threat coming 40 years later to our nation, we are not being true to our heritage. The enemy drew a line then, and our response was that we withdrew from Beirut, refusing to cross the line of honor and inflicting consequences. History does, indeed, have a way of repeating itself.
On October 7, 2023, another Islamic terrorist organization, Hamas, supported by Iran, unleashed a savage and barbaric assault against innocent civilians. In that attack, almost 30 Americans were killed and are now counted among the over 200 hostages being held by these bloodthirsty animals. Yet, as this line has been established, we have individuals in America choosing to side with this enemy. Let me be clear: anyone taking the side of Hamas, or any Islamic terrorist organization, and their state sponsors, have taken a different position on the line of honor. Those members of the United States House of Representatives, these groups on college campuses, and all others must come to know the consequences and ramifications of their actions. They are aiding and abetting the enemy, a serious crime.
I find it rather interesting that no one supporting Hamas in the rallies on Capitol Hill in buildings has been arrested and charged with insurrection.
There is a line that delineates good and evil. Beheading babies is evil. Civilians who support Islamic terrorism and allow them to freely operate and maneuver in their neighborhoods and in their society are complicit. No Geneva Convention protections exist for non-state, non-uniformed belligerents on a declared battlefield. A sovereign nation that terrorists have attacked is not in violation of international law. The terrorists and their base of supporters are in violation of international law.
Here are some excerpts from the Hamas Charter:
Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors.
For our struggle against the Jews is extremely wide-ranging and grave, so much so that it will need all the loyal efforts we can wield to be followed by further steps and reinforced by successive battalions from the multifarious (I say nefarious) Arab and Islamic world until the enemies are defeated, and Allah's victory prevails.
It clearly appears to me, and it should to you, that the lines have been drawn, and now it has fallen unto us. No, I do not seek continuous battle engagements. I have been in combat. However, when the lines have fallen unto me in the pleasant places of honor, my heritage calls upon me and you to cross the line and defend our way of life against declared evil. It will not go away just because you wish it to or seek compromise, negotiation, restraint, appeasement, or acquiescence. Your enemy's reality must become yours before it is too late when you finally are in recognition.
When President Ronald Reagan wanted to strike back hard against Hezbollah, his advisors talked him out of that course of action. They took the easy path of cowardice. That is not our heritage. Only two things are recognized in the Middle East: strength and might. Those calling for an immediate ceasefire are only seeking to reward unconscionable and heinous actions with fear. There is indeed a new Axis of Evil -- China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Islamic Jihadists, and Mexican transnational narco-criminal terrorists. Just as this nation sought to evade World War II, it finally came home to us.
If we are to be a Constitutional Republic seeking to Live Free, then we must recognize the line between good and evil and utterly crush the latter. Failure is not an option for our future generations.
Steadfast and Loyal.
LTC Allen West is the executive director of the American Constitutional Rights Union and ACRU Action Fund.