VigilanceVoice

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Saturday--November 16, 2002—Ground Zero Plus 430
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Grandfather Of Vigilance Walks Into Jaws Of Terror
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by
Cliff McKenzie
   Editor, New York City Combat Correspondent News

       GROUND ZERO, New York City, Nov. 15 -- A 74-year-old grandfather from Sweden will decide whether or not we launch the war on Iraq.
        Ironically, the nation that founded the Nobel Peace Prize will also be the signatory to a War On Terrorism--if all goes bad, that is.

      Hans Blix was vacationing in Antarctica when he got the call from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to head up the weapons inspection team that would eventually decide the fate of Iraq.  The retired Swedish lawyer has vast experience at weapons inspection, including heading up the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA).  He was responsible for rooting out North Korea's manufacturing capability for nuclear weapons.
       Now, he has a new role.
       He is the Sentinel of Vigilance for the world.   He leads a team of 200 who have unlimited rights to inspect every nook and cranny of Iraq for "weapons of mass destruction."   That includes the Presidential Palace, mosques and any "secret" facilities.   

        Iraq, the size of the state of California, can hide many things in many places.    Blix's job will be that of a bloodhound, sniffing here and there for any signs of weapons that violate international treaties.

       He will face another grandfather, 65-year-old Saddam Hussein, Iraq's mercurial leader suspected of massing weapons to be used offensively as well as defensively.
       Blix and Hussein are not strangers.  When he headed up the IAEA, Blix missed ferreting out Hussein's weapons arsenal.   This time, he is projected to scour the country with as fine a comb as possible, and with its teeth sharpened by the U.N. Security Council, plus, the U.S. club hanging over Iraq's head.
       I don't think I would like to be one of the 200 weapons inspectors who are scheduled to being their work on Nov. 27.   If there is a model for Courage, Conviction and Right Actions, it is when a band of people walk into the jaws of the Beast of Terror in hopes they won't snap shut.
      There is a likelihood they will if the weapons inspectors get too close to a cache of weapons not authorized by treaty.   It's a cat-and-mouse game to many, with the cat having all the advantage over the mice.  The cats have the guns, the mice have pencils and paper.
       I am especially struck by Hans Blix's dedication to the children, and the children's children's children.   In the final years of his life, he elected to stand up for Vigilance rather than to surrender to the Complacency of a safe and secure retirement.

       He could be hiking with his wife in the Alps, or playing with his grandchildren.   Instead, he's heading a team who will decide the fate of Terrorism.  His reports back to the United Nations will either affirm America's contention that Iraq is hiding weapons, or, they will show that Iraq is in compliance.   The latter is considered highly improbable.   Intelligence suggests that Iraq has numerous weapons of mass destruction, and that whatever Blix finds will have holes in it--enough to allow the United States to "legally" wage war on the grounds Iraq violated its agreement.
      But the real message is Blix's Courage.
      He assumed a duty to his world to be the one responsible for the safety of the children, and their children's children.
      I can think of no reward for a man than knowing he is a cog in the wheel of Vigilance, that he is fearless in his dedication to negotiating the safety of the children of the world.    

      As a Grandfather and Father of Vigilance, he has risen to the occasion of standing up to the Beast of Terror when he could have easily ducked the duty and climbed atop a Swiss Alp, ignoring the travails of the world below him.
       He didn't fall victim to the Fear, Intimidation or Complacency that his life would be put at risk.   He wasn't Terrorized by the job's dangers.   Vigilance fueled his decision.   Courage, Conviction and Right Action ruled his acceptance of the job.
       Now, he holds the Shield of Vigilance in his hand, and in the other, the Sword of Vigilance.   He is going to decide the fate of the world, even if it is a small portion of its fate, it is still a critical one.    He will ultimately decide if Saddam Hussein is a Beast of Terror or not, according to the rules established by the U.N. as to what a "Beast" is.   In this case, a Beast of Terror is one that lies about what weapons he has.
      The VigilanceVoice salutes Hans Blix.
      He is our Grandfather of Vigilance hero of the day.
      We wish him well as he walks into the jaws of the Beast.
      We hope he returns unscathed.