Posted on 08/12/2006 5:40:09 PM PDT by T.L.Sink
To see the context of this remarkable article I suggest one see the Wall Street Journal editorial today by Joseph Rago in opinionjournal.com
It gives a comprehensive view of America's war against international terrorism and why we must not waver even - especially! - in Iraq.
(Excerpt) Read more at commentarymagazine.com ...
Apparently, Iran is causing problems, but no one seems to be too concerned about it. Not us, not the Israelis, and not the europeans.
What is Iran going to be allowed to get away with next?
It is one thing to abhor and object to war. It is quite another to connect the stoning to death-chopping off hands-sawing off heads with a dull blade-'honor' (less) killing mass of those who want to murder you because you draw breath with that abhorrence.
Why? How can a woman who wants her sexual freedom not say "boo" about clitoridectomies or betrothals of 3 month old girls? How can a man who loves his football or his muscle car deride and otherwise shoot blanks at the real reality show-of people who would blow you to bits out of the sky because you happened to be there, or use the very technology you require for business and pleasure-to destroy your life?
To quote Tolstoy: "What then must we do?" Can we suggest to those who speak of peace that they are not really pacifists, since taking away their SUVs, jet skis, air conditioning, Nikes and digital TVs are things they would kill for?
The populace may want peace, but that's an easy concept from a Lazy Boy or a corner office. Were the water cluttered by the cement of fallen buildings in our retention ponds, the bodies of neighbors burned and strung up from the our Interstate overpasses, or the aisles at the our grocery empty of cheap produce, Angus steak and cereal choices, would the people who now cry foul cry havoc?
The iron might of those who will fight to the death to defend their principles cannot be the America of yesteryear, even if the tolerance of all things equally makes American heritage equivocal. The philosophical laziness that argues for parity between beliefs and methods ignores, no, denies this historical fact: when the Centurion shows up, it's already too late.
Veni. Vidi. Parli? Talk can neither replace or negotiate for the surety, the power of vindication: I come. I see. I conquer. Be it the Rubicon, Tigris, Yellow, Nile, Amazon or the Lilani. Vici.
From the Bernard Lewis article in WSJ: "What is the significance of Aug. 22? This year, Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to "the farthest mosque," usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.
A passage from the Ayatollah Khomeini, quoted in an 11th-grade Iranian schoolbook, is revealing. 'I am decisively announcing to the whole world that if the world-devourers [i.e., the infidel powers] wish to stand against our religion, we will stand against their whole world and will not cease until the annihilation of all them. Either we all become free, or we will go to the greater freedom which is martyrdom. Either we shake one another's hands in joy at the victory of Islam in the world, or all of us will turn to eternal life and martyrdom. In both cases, victory and success are ours.'"
I was just reading Mark Steyn's column in the most recent National Review magazine. He was talking about this whole WWIII/WWIV thing and he mentions that one thing we might be doing wrong is trying to fight WW4 the same way we fought WW3 when we should be fighting it the way we fought WW1 and WW2.
I was just reading Mark Steyn's column in the most recent National Review magazine. He was talking about this whole WWIII/WWIV thing and he mentions that one thing we might be doing wrong is trying to fight WW4 the same way we fought WW3 when we should be fighting it the way we fought WW1 and WW2.
"What is Iran going to be allowed to get away with next?"
Whatever they want, IMO. So as not to offend the indigent muslim-islamist-arab trash.
Go help us all.
Podhoretz extols the Bush (NeoCon) Doctrine of "democratization" of the Middle East and, at the end of the article, claims that Palestinians only crave democracy.
So, I think the election of Hamas threw a little wrench in the NeoCon dream for the Middle East and I don't hear much about the "Road Map to Peace" anymore, although SECSTATE uttered the ludicrous side-by-side-states mantra as one of her first lame responses to the current Israel vs. Hamas/Hizb'allah conflict.
The UN "peace" agreement is also pure neocon nonsense, including the $50 million U.S. aid to Lebanon, and now pressure for Israel to surrender Shabaa Farms.
Shameful.
This phrase is one of the ways we will lose the war we fight. It says that we are in a war against a tactic. But the tactic, terrorism, is not the enemy.
The enemy we fight uses the tactic of terrorism against us, their enemy. They have no qualms about identifying, naming and targeting us as their enemy, just as they have no qualms about using the tactic of terrorism against us. Yet, we say we are in a war against a tactic.
We won WWII because we named our enemies, labeled them, characterized and caricatured them, propagandized against them and all to simplify how we viewed them so we had no doubts about why we should beat them.
You see things clearly. I hope that more Americans will also find the clarity you have. We must find it or they will show it to us many times over.
"our enemies know that they can win in the long run because the next Democrat elected to the presidency will cut and run, just as they did in the Vietnam War."
They only THINK they can win...low tech. It's gonna be up to us boys and girls, when they bring it here. And you know what? We're gonna win this fight....
Thank you. Keep your powder and socks dry G.
Thanks for pointing me to those two articles.
I really enjoyed reading them.
The iron might of those who will fight to the death to defend their principles cannot be the America of yesteryear, even if the tolerance of all things equally makes American heritage equivocal. The philosophical laziness that argues for parity between beliefs and methods ignores, no, denies this historical fact: when the Centurion shows up, it's already too late.
These are some of the most powerful, articulate words I've ever read on why we're fighting. You should be doing this for a living (if you're not already). Seriously.
I really think that this is a prime example of why don't need homeschooling, but rather, why we must break the dominance of the left in the NEA and public schools. Too much of America can not comprehend these things.
Long read but, well worth it. Good post.
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