OK, I'm back but I don't know for how long.

There is much argument in the world concerning recent events. But to discuss them is like going for a walk in a minefield, totally unproductive. Rather than do that, I'd like to discuss a hypothetical country and a hypothetical man. This country and man might exist at any time in the past or the future. It's a story repeated over and over in variations throughout history. And after I complete the story, I'll talk about what I really want to talk about - Babylon 5.

There was a man who rose to power in his country. He was a charismatic man, a ruthless man. He spoke the words that the people wanted to hear, they harkened to his promises of more for them, of pride for them. Yet his real motives were not for the people, they were for himself. He desired position and prestige and power, things he'd never had. And there would never be enough of these to satisfy his cravings.

The man began to bring together a group of followers. They were like him, in search of power, willing to do what necessary to achieve success, impressed by the words they spoke, desiring to believe them to be true. And these men began to do even more evil in the name of unity for their nation.

Through threats, blackmail, and eventually outright violence and murder, the man and his thugs increased their power. As people saw the chaos being produced, they turned, in their ignorance, to the very man causing the chaos, they roared their need for stability. That was the signal the man had been waiting for. He took the reins of government more firmly into his hands.

To cure chaos, he needed scapegoats. He found them first inside the country. There was a group of people who seems suspicious, different. They would do. Those people were driven into hiding, fearful for their life. But the man didn't have enough power to actually eliminate this group.

With the people's permission he came to control the judiciary and with that conquest he acquired the power he needed. What was against the law? Whatever he decided. What was lawful to do? Whatever he decided. Soon the scapegoat people were pulled into camps, exterminated.

But these people were not to blame for the chaos, the man was. When chaos continued, it became necessary for him to find new scapegoats. He looked outside his country, blaming the rest of the world for all the problems of his country. The people roared for him to do something about it.

So the man began building armies. Armies and armies and more armies. The people suffered as all resources went to the army. Some complained. Some disappeared. The youth were organized, to help find these complainers, their fertile minds easily swayed to help the man gain more power.

As the man's power grew, the nations around him became alarmed. They went to the international community, complained about the increase in the country's military, showing their fearfulness. At that time intervention was possible, the man could be stopped easily.

But there arose a group of men in high places, men who said, "Who is this? We are many to his few. Do not worry, he is smart, he knows better than to try to extend his power outside his country. Let him do what he will with his own people. It is no concern of ours." And the others felt reassured.

And the man WAS smart. But he HAD to extend his power, if he did not those around him would destroy him in their own search for power. So he continued to build his armies and his rhetoric against his neighbors increased and the people of his country became more agitated, more desirious that his attention be placed on someone else.

And the other countries heard his words, saw portents of the future. And they became alarmed again, for in the peace that had held sway they had let their military dissolve, putting their resources toward inproving the lot of the people. Now they had no protection. So they turned to the international community again. At that time intervention was possible, the man could be stopped. But not easily.

And the same group of people as before said, "Don't worry. It's just words. We've talked to him. He wants peace, he assures us. Don't worry."

Then the man, despite his assurances, drove his armies into the country to the south. The peaceful residents there could only watch helplessly as their country was taken, watch as their leaders were killed, watch as the pogroms began.

And the world objected. They came to speak to the man, trying to be reasonable, asking him why he had done this thing. And he said, "This land was always part of my country. It was taken from us many years ago by invaders. The people there are our people, we have liberated them." But he knew it was not true liberation, that the people had been happy with their own government. He didn't care. He cared only about himself.

And the people went away and convinced themselves that the man's words were reasonable, that his actions were reasonable. Their desire for peace made them blind to reality, made them blind to his madness.

And they said to the other countries, "Let him have this country. It is small and it is reasonable that he have it. This is all he wants, he wants no more. We will have peace again." But the other countries slept fitfully, not as assured as they might have been.

But a thirst for power cannot be content. Soon it was necessary to expand more. And the man said, "Look what these other people do with their resources. They live fat while we suffer. This is not right, they should share their wealth, but they will not. They keep prosperity from us and something must be done about it."

And the people said, "Yes, we want more, get us more." And the man drove his armies to the east, into the fertile fields and complacent people. Now, there could be no doubt to the man's intentions, no doubt that peace was not what he desired.

The other countries now looked at the military power of the man and they shook in their fear. Hastily they called their people to arms, but the time was short, for the dogs of war were loose, eating all they found unprepared. At that time intervention was possible, the man could be stopped, but at a tremendous cost.

And the cancer spread, as it will do, even after treatment is started. Only by herculean efforts among the most powerful of nations was the man stopped. Even the effort of those nations not in direct line of the man's aggression would be required to stop him. And the world wept for the man's ambitions.

And the group of people who had spoken before said, "Peace. If we had just talked more to him, we could have had peace. The world is torn asunder because we would not talk to him more, would not compromise more, would not give more. It cannot be his fault, for only a mad man would do what he has done without provocation."

And with these words the next man obsessed with power is enboldened, pulls together a group of followers, ...

In the Babylon 5 episode I watched last night the following words were spoken:

"Babylon 5 was the last great hope for peace. We failed. Now it is the last great hope for victory. Sometimes peace is another word for surrender."

I will not surrender. If peace must be temporarily sacrificed for victory, then so be it. Only a strong response against these men will stop them. History is too full of them to let it continue. Only in this way can true peace, not surrender, be achieved.