The recent revelations of the multi-pronged attack planned on transoceanic airliners is further evidence just how serious and dangerous this war is. For those just tuning in, take a look at the past few issues of the Economist magazine. In that publication is a list of short news summaries from around the world. They do a nice job of encapsulating the critical news events (without the use of PhotoShop).
What is telling is the number of reported terrorist attacks listed. Most interesting is the attributed culprits behind these attacks. In nearly every event, the culprits are classified as Muslim extremists.
Huh.
I did a post earlier on the fact that we are engaged in World War IV. It is a war which has been brewing (like all wars) for some time. It is a war unlike any other. It is a war in which the impact of clever computer manipulation is just as important as explosives on aircraft or missiles fired from behind apartment homes. It is also unlike any other war in that the goals and demands of the protagonists are not negotiable.
The implementation of Sharia Law.
The restoration of the Caliphate.
The eradication of Israel.
The death of non believers.
We can argue and bicker about the origins of these grievances. We can debate the hijacking of a world religion for sinister purposes. The bottom line is that the war is real, it is lethal and it is not going away via policy alone.
And yet despite the cries by some of our progression towards a new theocratic, fascist state. The United States and the rest of the Enlightened Free World (EFW) remain open and accepting societies. In my own hometown, a beautiful mosque is nearing completion, its minaret visible from most of the city. Remember, this is a town which saw some of toughest struggles in the civil rights movement.
I do not advocate a reduction in rights, the wholesale round up of "profiled" individuals. I do advocate continued, aggressive military prosecution against our enemies. I am in favor of the use of technology to root out the "religious hijackers" who seek to wreak havoc throughout the world. I also want our government to support opposition movements and initiatives which counter the effects of extremist idealogy.
Part of this stems from my firm belief that our values system is superior to those of our enemies. While imperfect, it represents a higher level of social evolution that exist in much of the rest of the world.
Forget oil, this too shall pass - new tehcnologies are already in the offing to supplant this as a principal transportation energy source.
Forget ideas of "crusade" - during time of stress, most societies cling to their core beliefs, this is not indicative of a slide into a religious hegemony. Our enemies are truly opposed to our culture at every level.
Forget Zionism - Israel's current state of conflict resulted from their perceived weakness after they conducted a unilateral WITHDRAWAL and were subsequently assaulted by Hezbollah.
This conflict is not the result of one administration, religion or nation.
It is the very battle between ignorance and elightenment.
It is a war which we can not afford to lose.
15 comments:
We as a society cannot afford continued, aggressive military prosecution against our enemies. Have you seen the individuals most affected by our current actions? It is not Sadaam, Bin Ladin, or even Al Queda. The victims are teenage soldiers who are returning home with missing limbs and lets not forget the children who get trapped in the middle of our attempt at domination, whom have lost parents, friends, and their childhood.
I am sorry, what teenage soldiers with missing limbs? Are you referring to our own soldiers, of which I am one?
What of the thousands of innocents who have perished due to the cruelty and barbarity of action by our enemies?
I am sorry, this is a war. It will involve sacrifice and it will result in the loss of innocent life. Until our enemies, who undertook this conflict against us (the EFW), lay down their arms and seek engagement through civilized and lawful actions, we must be prepared to counter their actions and seek them out in their domain.
Jesus F*&%$ing Christ!
You can't be serious?
How would you like to have been on your return trip from the UK when the plane suddenly came apart at 39,000 feet?
This ain't no f&^%ing game!
Scoot,
I curse at the snarkiness in your comment's ending portion. The primary elections were well underway and merited whatever response from either side (note far-left gloating over defeat of a rational, capable politician).
As far as the Agence-France-Presse report on Yahoo, I think I could get almost any REP/DEM staffer to say whatever I wanted them to say and shade the present discussion.
I would suspect there are far more "foiled plots" which nevcer made the news, the only difference is that this one required a radical change in security posture.
No administration would ignore these events as they have SIGNIFICANT impact on our economy and security.
All of you fools argue about petty border disputes. The U.S. constitution is meaningless in the context of the current struggle. The controlling directive is as follows:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
It does not matter what your religion is or who your creator was. It is 2000 &*%##!! 6. If the sane and free nations of the world cannot unite against tyranny and opression, be it religious or politcal, it is time for the United States to call bullshit and go to war in order to free our fellow humans who still live under the boot of thugs and terrorists.
For anonymous from Houston and Scoot, my apologies. I was pretty upset about the disregard for the severity of our present situation.
There is nothing more that I would like than if we all could peacefully sit down and watch a movie under the stars...
Until then.
And then there is the superb rhetoric of Marock.
Welcome back
I have'nt been gone.
I am bone weary of "questioning the timing" - how about the timing of the plotters? The Brits had to roll these guys up because they were starting to move.
Believe it or not, the whole world doesn't revolve around internal Democratic Party Senate primary politics.
Hubris.
Major, we do live in a "me" centered world. It is sometimes the highest form of vanity to count every conspiracy as directed at ourselves.
Deux, I have to disagree with one of your basic points: this is not a matter that's going to be solved by military means. What broke the British plot, and what has broken every plot that's been broken, has been police work.
The British authorities didn't even try to "shock and awe" the plotters -- they simply arrested them.
That's been my basic objection to the Bush administration policy on terrorism from the get-go -- it's nonfunctional. The way to get at terrorist who are holed up in Afghanistan is not to leave and invade Iraq, it's to stay in Afghanistan until you've got them nailed. (That, by the way, being the one instance amenable to a military solution, because that's the one instance in which a government was knowingly and openly harboring the terrorists.)
I don't at all dispute that these people are dangerous, but I also can't shake the feeling that most of our policies have done nothing but make them more powerful.
Nor am I going to accept the idea that everyone who opposes the war is in favor of appeasement -- those are as much a fringe element on the left as those on the right who want to nuke Teheran. (Perhaps even more so -- supposedly nukes are still on the table vis-a-vis Iran, even though it seems to have most resonance among the more wild-eyed neocons.)
There are lots of Democrats and Independents who want to salvage something from Iraq and get back to the main event -- nullifying terrorists. No one is advocating "cut and run" (except the aforementioned fringe) -- that's pure RNC talking points, nothing more. And I think most people on the left are taking it very seriously, indeed -- that's why they're out of patience with the administration, whose public stance is to milk every event for political points.
Hunter, great comment! I agree with most of your thoughts, but there is more on my mind which I will put on the cat box liner that is my blog.
Appreciate your views.
just wait..
It's not important that we play nice, only that we recognize the threat for what it is. It is not "concocted" or irrelevant. It is lethal and affects the entire globe.
I really enjoyed your blog Thanks for sharing such an informative post.
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