We are losing our collective anger in regard to the war on terror.
We live in a world of instant news, instant communications and instant gratification.
Our collective attention span has also grown short.
Unfortunately our enemies, our real enemies, the ones who want
to destroy our country, our culture and our way of life do not suffer from
this affliction. They have long attention spans, very long. They have the
patience, means and resolve to continue their efforts.
We can not allow, even for one moment, anything to weaken our
resolve to thwart these terrorists, their efforts, and the efforts of those
who support them.
Aside from what I believe to be our shortened attention span
is the more important point that we Americans do not understand the true nature
of the enemy who is assailing us.
It is vital that the European Nations also wake up to this threat
and get their heads out of the sand. They don't even have to be attacked.
Just the financial fallout from another catastrophic attack on America or
God forbid - The Saudi oil production facilities alone, will put them back
into the dark ages.
The first and most important thing to understand is this. They
will stop at nothing to destroy us. Biological, chemical, nuclear or conventional
they will use whatever means available, to wreak as much havoc and destruction
on us as they can.
Sources on the ground doing the hunting, and sources involved
in the "after market" processing of the terrorists have all spoken
with one voice. This is a voice that you will never see on Network TV, read
about in the liberal press or see mentioned in the biased News Magazines.
What they have said is this. The general public, the average citizen in America
has no inkling of how evil the bad guys really are. Face it folks, these are
real bad guys, bad on a scale that is incomprehensible to most people and
certainly to a majority of Americans. The detainees at Guantanamo are not
a bunch of weekend protesters who have been thrown in jail and are being unjustly
treated because of a difference in opinion.
This is not to say all Islamists are against the Christian West;
however, the radical terrorist factions are completely tied to a version or
interpretation of their religion that completely justifies their actions and
vilifies us, the target of their hostilities.
These guys are terrorists, they are our enemy and they are still
bent on our destruction. They are willing to do anything to hurt and kill
us.
This is not simply Christianity against Islam, although it is
so closely tied to religion on the Islamic extremists' side that it is really
just a matter of point of view. These extremists certainly do not represent
a general Islamic point of view, but there is an undeniable relationship between
their Islamic interpretation and their political and extremists views.
Religious beliefs are fundamentally and simply exactly what
they are called - beliefs. When it comes to religion, a belief is not something
that can be rationally explained or even debated. In many cases it involves
an adherence to an idea or mindset that actually becomes stronger if it is
ever questioned or challenged in a rational manner. Hell, the Taliban believed
that any technology invented after the death of Mohammed (632 AD) should not
be used or available to the Muslims under their rule. This includes of course
running water and electricity - go figure.
Al Queda, the Taliban, and many other fundamentalist or extremist
Islamic sects believe that it is their religious duty to rid the earth of
all non-believers and that it is fully justified to accomplish this by any
means possible.
I am not saying that this is an Islamic view. It is the twisted
view of Islam that these terrorists are using to justify, fuel, and recruit
followers and their acts Worldwide.
For instance, the main stated beef with the U.S. by none other
than Bin Laden himself was the desecration of the holy land of Saudi Arabia
by the mere presence of Non-believers - the U.S. Military presence prior to
and since the 1st Gulf War. It is through this hybridization of religion and
politics that the Islamic extremists are able to recruit followers and convince
them to commit such desperate and suicidal acts. If they weren't promised
and did not truly believe that they get an automatic ticket to heaven and
other perks awaiting their arrival, I guarantee there would be a lot less
guys strapping bombs to their chests, driving explosive laden trucks into
market places, or flying airplanes into buildings.
What we have to realize is that the foe we are up against represents
religious fanaticism, populated by disillusioned and impoverished youths,
driven by a propagated political belief that the West (The U.S.) is responsible
for their hardships and that we are bent on the destruction of both their
culture and religion. They have educated leaders, a worldwide network, economic
funding, backing by large factions within several Islamic Governments and
access to weapons that can cause tremendous damage, physically, psychologically,
and economically. They have the reasons, the means, the ability, and, as we
already know, the resolve to use them
I hope you know why there has not been another attack on the
scale of 9-11 in the U.S. It's because we have been catching the bastards.
I am literally terrified at the naiveté of the American general public
and the liberal points of view regarding this terrorist war. You can't negotiate
with these guys, you can't buy them off, and you can't go away and leave them
to themselves. We are at war and it has nothing to do with Iraq or Afghanistan.
We have had war declared on us and it was not on 9-11-01. It was a long time
before that and we were too smug to notice it.
The Muslim brotherhood, and the beginnings of the Iranian backed
Hamas based in Lebanon and Syria decided that the West was their target way
back in the mid 60's. Hezbollah, Al Queda, Taliban and a plethora of terrorist
splinter groups are all great grandchildren of these violent, radical Islamic
movements.
There are several reasons why we as Americans have trouble seeing
the "big picture" concerning the vast scope and reality of the terrorist
threat against us.
1. We play fair. As Americans we are imbued with the concept
of fair play. From sportsmanship to justice in the legal system we demand
mutual respect between players and an even-handed and fair result. We don't
hit you when you're down.
2. Americans are slow to anger and we will take an extreme amount of provocation
before we strike back. As a nation, we really do abide by the philosophy of
turning the other cheek.
3. Whenever we have been provoked to military retaliation it has been against
a visible and palpable enemy. The enemy was usually represented by a country
and the battles took place on their soil. We have always gone to war.
4. Even in our most desperate moments we have always gone out of our way to
protect the innocents of our enemies at great risk to ourselves.
5. We only do what is necessary. Once our goal has been achieved, victory,
regime change, surrender, we stop and start the rebuilding process. We do
not fight wars of annihilation and genocide.
Please understand that I am not being naive. I know about our
secret wars, our influences in the affairs of other countries and some, but
not all of the mistakes that we (our government) have made. However, I am
talking about the general views of the majority of average Americans. As much
as I've seen and known, I still find it hard to understand the enemy that
we now face.
Unfortunately viewing this threat, this war, through American
eyes has not prepared us for the following:
1. By our standards, this enemy does not fight fair. They do
not formally declare war. Hell, there is no country they represent. They sneak
attack at unprotected targets and will kill and destroy as many Americans
as they can. We ceased bombing during the Muslim Holy Days. Do you think they
would hesitate to strike at us on Christmas or any Jewish Holy Day? For them
this is total and all out war. Because they do not represent any country,
they are not bound by any treaties, United Nations agreements, or the Geneva
Convention. They can and will use any weapon available, no matter how ruthless
or heinous, regardless of the opinions and conventions of the rest of the
world. They exist totally outside the boundaries of country or nation and
are unlike any foe we have ever faced.
2. This enemy is like no other we have ever encountered. The terrorist Islamic
militants. They live by the idea of an eye for an eye. They hate us and believe
we are responsible for all of the poverty, oppression, and inequities that
are rampant within their own countries and governments. How much vengeance
do you think they want to extract?
3. The enemy is not confined within any borders. They strike out of nowhere
and fade back into the ocean of humanity. They can strike us from any corner
of the earth - anywhere that we have a military, business, or civilian/tourist
presence. They have brought the battle to us, to our soil. This enemy could
be living right among us. They may be legitimate U.S. citizens. For all we
know they could be our next door neighbors.
4. Their targets are our innocents. The nature of terrorist attacks is to
terrorize, to break the will and spirit of the enemy without engaging in direct
military action against the enemy. These bastards are targeting innocent Americans,
our Non-Combatants, our women, our children. These innocents are not considered
collateral damage. In this war they are the target.
5. The enemy in this war is bent upon our destruction. Their goal is to eliminate
us from this earth. They will use any and all means necessary to do so and
they will not stop until they have accomplished their goal, or until we have
stopped them.
JIHAD, THE HOLY WAR
This is a concept that is so foreign to the Western mind that
it is hard to comprehend. Simply put, to create a Jihad you need a Muslim
cleric of some influence to issue a decree that a conflict is in direct defense
of Islam in that the enemy is out to destroy Islam and represents a direct
threat to the faith. By doing so, in terms of the Koran, they are able to
label the conflict a Holy War and issue a decree for Jihad. What this does
according to the Islamic faith is guarantee all Muslims who die in the new
Holy War, will automatically become martyrs and be given free passes to heaven
and various other amenities thereafter. In theory, the Jihad also represents
a call to all Muslims to join in the cause, since it is another tenant of
the Islamic faith that, if the Muslim faith is attacked, it is the obligation
and duty of all other Muslims to join in defending the faith. What a great
recruiting tool.
Until the majority of Americans realize the nature and ruthlessness
of the enemy that we face in the War on Terror we run the risk of letting
our guard down. When the President or any of the Defense establishment mention
that this may be a decade's long struggle, they are being honest. It will
be very tough to keep our momentum and vigilance at the level necessary to
combat this foe. We don't have a target, there are no battle lines, the enemy
moves among us and could strike any target at anytime in any number of ways.
It is hard to maintain focus when there is no target. This may in the end
be the greatest test our nation has ever faced. I believe that this is the
beginning of a war of civilizations and it is not that we (the West) have
designs for the elimination of Islam but that there are those in Islam who
surely have designs on the elimination of Christianity, Judaism and Western
Civilization.
Take a look at the schools of the Islamic fundamentalists (Madrasah)
funded by the Wahabinists of Saudi Arabia (our allies). They teach no useable
skills - none. No math, no writing, no science - just an endless rote memorization
of the Koran and a vicious, vitriolic hatred of the West - The United States
of America. These are state sponsored schools that are found throughout the
Islamic nations of the Middle East. Where do you think the graduates of these
schools eventually end up?
We can not stand down in this conflict - there will be no
negotiations or surrender. Right now as you read this there are hundreds of
these Islamic Jihadists plotting attacks against us and thousands waiting
in line to carry them out.
Ernest Emerson - 10/29/03
