What is war? Probably the best working definition of war, as it would apply to legitimate defense, comes from Carl von Clausewitz. Clausewitz in his book On War, stated: “War therefore is an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will.” In other words, war has much to do with the “will,” of men.
What is the “will” of a police officer? Police officers are tasked with enforcing the law. Their “will” is to stop, detain, investigate, cite, and sometimes arrest law breakers. Those are things a police officer desires to do. Criminals do not desire to be stopped, detained, questioned, cited, or arrested. Who’s “will” triumphs? What exactly is the criminal “willing” to do to avoid being stopped, questioned, cited, or arrested? Likewise what is the officer “willing” to do, to fulfill his mission? Wait, what was the definition of war: “Acts of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will.”
Let’s take a look now at the “will” of an unjust aggressor and innocent citizen. Unjust criminal aggressors have a “will” to steal and rob others of their money and material goods. Unjust criminal aggressors have a “will” to sexually assault or beat down the innocent at their pleasure. Sometimes unjust criminal aggressors use their “will” to take the life of an innocent. Innocent Citizens have a “will” that is the exact opposite. Innocents do not “will” to be robbed. Innocent citizens do not “will” to be raped or beaten. Innocents do not “will” to be murdered. So we arrive again at our definition of war; an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will.
To understand things we often have to go back. God said:
Genesis 3: 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.
Going back to the beginning we find enmity. The word “enmity,” as defined by Merriam Webster’s means: an instance of such ill will or hostility. That is why we cannot, and we will not all just “get along.” Unjust aggressors have free will. They can and they do reach forth their hand and try to take what they desire from innocents – what they “will.”
This battle isn’t only between competing wills. That’s a major part of it however, good and evil battle in ideology. We see this with some states attorney’s, politicians, media folks, and others undermining and attacking a police officer’s “will” on the legal, civil, and social battlefields. “Some,” being the qualifying term. Some of these folks place obstacles in the way of just defenders like police officers. Realize that this ideological siege currently directed at law enforcement will work it’s way down to the level of innocent American citizens. I believe, Americans have a right to use any force reasonable and necessary to stop an unjust criminal aggressor from imposing their will upon the innocent.
War has much to do with the “will.”