As you know George Washington wasn’t bashful about going to war—even with an army of untrained, unschooled, and even unpaid farmers, merchants, and shopkeepers. And look what he did with the British!

Thomas Jefferson was not known for his willingness to fight. But when the Barbary Pirates continued their demands for payments of ransoms for ships captured in the Mediterranean, Jefferson refused to meet their demands. Instead he sent ships to fight the pirates (think Muslims). He had to request more men and ships to meet the test.

These ships wreaked havoc on the Barbary Pirates and on their homeland. That war, sometimes called Jefferson’s War, gave rise to the Marines and their fight song we still hear today. Nobody wanted to push around the young United States of America! They fought for principle. Freedom, liberty, and self governing.

Fast forward to our times. We have been busy just ignoring the tests of will from rogue nations. We talk, coddle, talk some more. There has been no action. Until now that is.

President Trump has not only talked tough, he has followed that up with big bombs, air attacks, and a stronger military. Perhaps we are getting our backbone back as a nation. Now we have North Korea, Iran, and even Russia rattling their sabers. What’s to come?