Posted on 06/21/2006 5:10:18 AM PDT by Quilla
If in the case of Iraq there has been any lessening of resolve among the American electorate, and to read the newspapers and listen to a great many television pundits one might certainly think there has, the events of the past 48 hours should put these doubts to rest.
American forces have recovered the remains of two soldiers, Privates Thomas Tucker and Kristian Menchaca, ambushed and kidnapped at a check point in the aptly named “Triangle of Death” south of Baghdad. Specialist David Babineau, died in the attack and was not captured.
Iraqi Major General Abdul-Aziz Mohammed Jassim, director of the Iraqi military operations room, stated “with great regret” that there is strong evidence that the soldiers in question had been captured alive, horribly tortured, mutilated, and then murdered. Major General Jassim described the way in which these brave soldiers died as “barbaric.” This probably means that they were beheaded.
A bulletin dor the blissfully ignorant opponents of our commitment to the Iraqi people: this is the true face of the enemy. This is representative of the fate they have in store for all of those – American, British, Iraqi, soldier or civilian, man, woman or child, – whoever does not share their twisted and sadistic view of the world. Nowhere in scripture or practice do the jihadis see a limit to the scope of their ambitions of less than a global caliphate. It is only a matter of time and tactics for them.
If they have not already figured it out, and it is highly unlikely that they have, the murderers in Iraq have made yet another egregious error. Perhaps even a fatal one for their own cause. Americans don’t react to barbarity in the way in which our enemies hope. Americans still remember the Alamo.
Consider the aftermath of the Little Bighorn.
Consider the evidence of Pearl Harbor.
Too many would-be enemies forget the prophetic words of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto following that attack when he said; “I fear that we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.”
Americans don’t react well or predictably to threats, murder, and treachery. This repugnance and stubborn resolve seems to be in our genes. Recently I have been re-reading a series of excellent books by Allan Eckert detailing the founding of America. In one of these books, The Conquerors, Eckert details the attempt in 1763 by Ottawa war chief Pontiac to lead a great uprising of tribes against British and American interests in the Great Lakes region.
Pontiac’s approach, much like that of the mullahs and terrorists in Iraq, was characterized by his fiery oratorical presence among the tribes and his ready resort to extreme treachery, barbarity, and viciousness. At the height of his influence Pontiac led the forces of 18 tribes, thousands of hardened warriors, from throughout the Great Lakes region all the way to the Mississippi. The American and British presence throughout the region was laughably small with the largest garrison of troops, fewer than 200 at the present site of the city of Detroit, Michigan. Pontiac and his legions, whose methods ran to wholesale destruction and bloodshed, disdained taking prisoners except for the purposes of slavery and horrendous torture. Pontiac’s onslaught on the frontier was exceptionally bloody and merciless.
But the reaction of the British governors of the region and, most especially, the Americans who populated this frontier, was far from that which Pontiac had expected. The American reaction especially was of outrage and retaliation. The frontiersmen fought back with an unparalleled fury. Within two years Pontiac’s great confederacy was a shambles. A few years later the once great war chief was murdered by a fellow Indian near present day St. Louis.
In Iraq the terrorist mastermind Al-Zarqawi is dead and his would-be successor Abu Hamza al-Muhajer has stepped into the dead killer’s shoes announcing that the heinous and unspeakable murder of these American soldiers is his personal doing. Perhaps he believes that by so doing he announces his own implacable opposition to American and Iraqi interests and his ability to strike at will.
Perhaps Al-Muhajer has what passes for an excellent grasp of supposed Islamic history. But what Al-Mujaher is severely lacking is an appreciation of American history and the nature of American willpower. Unless I miss my guess, he is about to find out. It will not be a pleasant lesson.
Unfortunately, Kerry, Kennedy, Murtha, Reid, Pelosi and the rest of them will just blame Bush for it and continue to strengthen our enemies...
If Reagan was in office it would now be called the "Big F--king Lake" south of Baghdad.
In a way, history did repeat itself. Zarqawi was given up by members of his own group. Sure, they had their own reasons for doing so, and were probably rolled up in the aftermath if they didn't already plead for amnesty from the Iraqi government as part of their deal in handing over the information that was used to track down Zarqawi.
So, in a sense, history did repeat itself, albeit more indirectly this time around.
Frederick J. Chiaventone is a retired Army officer who taught counter-terrorism at the U.S. Army’s Command & General Staff College, and an award-winning novelist.
"Unfortunately, Kerry, Kennedy, Murtha, Reid, Pelosi and the rest of them will just blame Bush for it and continue to strengthen our enemies..."
How long are we going to tolerate The Enemy Within?
If in the case of Iraq there has been any lessening of resolve among the American electorate, and to read the newspapers and listen to a great many television pundits one might certainly think there has,
Obviously, the author is convinced the entire American electorate is made up of the Newspapers and TV pundits. They do not reflect the minds of the American electorate.
The true minds of the American electorate are shown once every two years at the polls, not via Pew, Zogby, Quinnipiac, Hardball with CNN, Larry King, Bill O'Reilly or anywhere else. To say what newspapers and pundits write reflects the American electorate is to project his view of the world onto them (us).
Wishful thinking. There have been any number of horrible murders and tortures of Americans and their allies in Iraq, and nothing comes of it. If the American people can so blythely forget about the slaughter of 3000 of their fellow countrymen, they'll quickly forget about these two unfortunates.
Marine barracks, Lebanon.
I pray for a quick and complete retribution to these uncivilized killers. Time has come for the world to end their mindless dabbling with the idea we are dealing with anything but lunatic killers. In this nation they are called serial killers.
Reagan learned from that. Look at what he did to Libya.
Ouch ...
Thanks for the post !
For the parents of these two brave soldiers, I hope vengeance is swift and complete. I suspect a new, deeper and more ominous (for the murderers) resolve exists among the fellow soldiers of the three who were killed. May God guide their weapons to a sure and accurate target, and may they return safely knowing that justice was achieved in a successful retaliation.
Oh, that I were a young, strong man.
To be an aging woman and know I cannot be there to help exact revenge burns my heart. As a mother, my heart goes out to the parents and siblings of the three who were killed and, especially, the two who were tortured.
I heard Michael Berg (father of Nick Berg who was beheaded by Zarqawi) use the word "torture" to describe what happened in Abu Garib, Gitmo and Halditha. It infuriated me then and now when Murtha and the rest like Berg use the same words to compare our troops with scum like the animals that killed these two privates. Kerry, Murtha and his ilk will continue to use this incident to bash Bush rather than recognize the totally inhuman face of Al Qaida. THIS is what lies in store for the Iraqis AND the world if Al Qaida is not stopped.
It is a strong trait in the Citizenry of the United States , and I am afraid I will have to share it in the eloquence of Samuel Adams when addressing his historical contemporaries , who were in the same mold as Kerry, Kennedy, Murtha, Reid and all of their running dogs. Please bear with me, it is worth the read. I address these words to those Democrats and RINOs who have betrayed their nation by attempting to weaken our nation's resolve in Iraq:
*******************************
ON LIBERTY
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.
Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life; secondly, to liberty; thirdly to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can.
The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.
Samuel Adams
*************************************
So much has changed since these words were written, and on the other hand , so little has changed.
God bless and keep our troops as they go about the work of LIBERTY.
America Go Bragh!!!!
Consider the aftermath of the Little Bighorn.
Consider the evidence of Pearl Harbor.
Too many would-be enemies forget the prophetic words of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto following that attack when he said; “I fear that we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.”
Unfortunately, the MSM is doing everything it can (and has been doing so for years) to sanitize what they present to the American public as "tradgedies" like September 11, 2001, while at the same time, doing all they can to inflame the arab and muslims AGAINST the US and our policies.
When is the last time you saw photos of the people jumping to their deaths from the towers? How many times were photos of the remains of people who fell 50 or more stories shown? How many times have we seen the photos of the 4 contractors bodies, burned and hung on a bridge? How many times do you think that we'll see graphic discussions in the MSM of what was actually done to these two servicemen?
On the other hand, although it now looks like Haditha was a hoax, how many times have we seen not only the MSM, but even members of congress condemning our service people? Or Abu-Grabe? Or Guantanamo? Or the "koran flushing" hoax? No, the MSM WANTS to inflame our enemies, while at the same time, trying to keep from inflaming the anger of the American public, since the last thing they want to do is have popular support for the war increase.
I'm so angry over the whole thing that I don't know what to do.
Mark
Mark for later.
Consider the aftermath of the Little Bighorn.
Consider the evidence of Pearl Harbor.
Too many would-be enemies forget the prophetic words of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto following that attack when he said; “I fear that we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.”
Unfortunately, the MSM is doing everything it can (and has been doing so for years) to sanitize what they present to the American public as "tradgedies" like September 11, 2001, while at the same time, doing all they can to inflame the arab and muslims AGAINST the US and our policies.
When is the last time you saw photos of the people jumping to their deaths from the towers? How many times were photos of the remains of people who fell 50 or more stories shown? How many times have we seen the photos of the 4 contractors bodies, burned and hung on a bridge? How many times do you think that we'll see graphic discussions in the MSM of what was actually done to these two servicemen?
On the other hand, although it now looks like Haditha was a hoax, how many times have we seen not only the MSM, but even members of congress condemning our service people? Or Abu-Grabe? Or Guantanamo? Or the "koran flushing" hoax? No, the MSM WANTS to inflame our enemies, while at the same time, trying to keep from inflaming the anger of the American public, since the last thing they want to do is have popular support for the war increase.
I'm so angry over the whole thing that I don't know what to do.
Mark
I'd settle for a Roman solution: surround the city where this happened. Separate the men and boys over 10 from the women and children. Put the men into a prison camp and systematically interrogate everyone - let the Iraqi polic do it - until we know who actually did the murder. Execute the perps and sew their bodies inside of pig carcasses for burial. Disperse the women and children throughout the rest of the country. Raze the city and salt the earth.
Unfortunately, we still don't have the will to win this war. It's going to take a major attack on us before we take the gloves off. The "Sunni Triangle" would be a smoldering heap of ash if I were in charge.
Notice how the MSM is no longer covering this story.
This is propaganda by blackout.
bookmark
This needs to be repeated, and repeated, and repeated,...
CNN has still not issued correction for the lies Murtha said about the fake massacer story.
CNN is not even covering this story lest they upset the public.
People can think about what they don't know.
But they do know John Kerry's new cut and run proposal. CNN is reporting a wall on the border is fruitless and amnesty is good.
I will have to listen to bor tonight. He said he would show how the DBM would cover this.
Absolutely on the money.
I say that Kerry, Kennedy, Murtha, Reid, and Pelosi are the Benedict Arnolds of our day and deserve to be treated as such.
Note the NYT has NO editorial on this incident compared with ~ 50 consecutive days of Abeu Grab!!!
That is not true. Last month over 600 troops at Fort Carson re-upped for another tour in Iraq.Thats almost a whole regiment taking the enlistment oath "en mass." For many of them it was their 3rd tour.You can say," WE do not have the resolve", and if you mean the general American public that has been manipulated and melded by the MSM slimes of our nation, you might be partially right. I hope you can use your pulpit to help those Americans who have lost their resolve, and who betray their nation here at home, to either shut up or investigate the truth. Their problem to a man is that they are sore losers politically, and quite willing to weaken our nation, and create more military deaths of our own men and women who serve, in aiding and abetting an enemy that plays to its choir of weak synchopants here at home.They put the pettiness of their own narrow politics ahead of the gift of liberty to others , and the very safety of our nation.
As a radio person yourself,perhaps it might be your task to shut them up by making their mis-cause politically incorrect.
What do you think about this article?
I have a feeling that President Bush is seething over this barbarian act. He will be privy to the details that have been sanitized for media audiences. When he concludes the Vienna Summit, CNN won't have a choice but to cover his response.
The Giant has been awake for sometime now. Unfortunately, the mental midgets surrounding the Giant will do anything they can to hold him down.
Perhaps, but the US military won't.
Mark, I agree 100%. I am furious today - all of this is simply being swept under the rug by a media which will do anything to prevent Americans from waking up and facing reality.
And longterm, you just coined a great phrase: "propaganda by blackout." That is exactly what it is.
That all depends upon what your definition of "Americans" is. There are the Demonicrat "americans" who are in favor of "cut and run" policies, who don't understand the need for or even what patriotism might be or why it is important. These are AINO americans: Americans In Name Only. They are appeasement cowards who are afraid to see the world as it truly is. They are responsible for 9/11 as much as the muslim terrorists.
Then there are the rest of us. We don't pay ransom or cower at threats. We get pissed off. And we certainly don't roll over an pee on ourselves at the thought that some Euro-weenie might not like us. We wear the moniker "cowboy" proudly.
We bring peace and comfort to troubled lands, first through superior firepower and then through the generous labors that re-build and reform.
And we are the Americans who will be damn proud when the murderous scum who did this to our brave soldiers are brought to justice.
As long as Americans are in charge of our country and its military, the jihadist don't have a prayer. It's just a matter of time.
For those Democrats who claim they are supporting our troops by calling for an immediate withdrawel, I can say this.
Years ago I was a boxer. When fighting, you get hit and it is tough. There are times when you are getting pounded pretty good and part of you just wants to lay down, but the other part wants to finish the job. Which part of you wins this internal fight determines whether you stand or fall.
There are people in the crowd yelling for you to keep punching and it really matters when they do that. They help that part of you that wants to continue the fight.
There are also people in the crowd yelling for your competitor, they are helping him.
And then there are the people who are calling you a bum and criticizing your fight... THEY are helping your competitor. Those who criticize your coach, or your style, they are helping your competitor. They are telling the part of you that wants to lay down that there is no reason to fight.
Kerry, Murtha et-al; They are telling our soldiers that they might as well fall down cause the fight is over. "Give it up you bums...you don't have a chance!!!" That is what they are doing and no matter how much they claim to support the troops, doing anything other than 100% support for a successful conclusion undermines our troops.
I fear that you are correct.
Already the forces on the left are saying that the killers and occupiers in Iraq get the fate they deserve from the noble "freedom fighters".
"Give me Liberty, or give me Death."
Words that meant something!
There should be an unrelenting fury and our vengeance should be swift and terrible to behold-but it won't. Our Soldiers and Marines are sent into this very difficult situatuion where you can't tell friend from foe (it's not like they are squaring off against Redcoats) and are held accountable like State troopers. I agree with Dubya 90% of the time, but he has really not stepped up to the plate when it comes to situations like Colonel West, Lt. Pantano, etc...Our boys are kept in shackles while detainees are given pillows.
Even Fox news, the former voice of conservatives, has moved the story out of the spotlight. Ugly news that would help fire up the American population is quickly relegated to the dust bin of the media shops.
or truman
Thankfully, the "Jacksonian Tradition" is alive and well in American today. There are there are still plenty of us left :)
BTW, the article at that link is lengthy, but well worth the read!
I go beyond questioning their patriotism, I believe their conduct to be outright treasonous.
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