Posted on 11/17/2006 4:37:12 AM PST by Tolik
Let me know if you want in or out.
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Stop Jihad Now! Jihad is NOT the answer.
Here is exactly why the War on Terror won't be won in the next few decades. A large percentage of Americans do not believe we're at war. What's more, they can't be made to feel it until it literally finds them at home.
America has evolved into a state so powerful that we're untouchable in almost every respect. Things like terrorism, nuclear proliferation, or regional instability are no more real to them then zombies or vampires. Some may find them scary at first, but after a while, they're just hollow names that convey no real emotion.
Most Americans can't concieve of an enemy more dangerous than people they disagree with politically. It's an absurd level for human beings to exist on, and, evidently, one that robs them of their perspective and common sense. At any rate, there is no downside for vast numbers of Americans to decide that we're not really in a war, and act accordingly.
I've said, for quite some time, that it will take another 9/11-type event, an order of magnitude larger, to wake us up.
I hope we stay sleeping, but I fear we won't have the chance.
So they can watch it on TV? Another attack will wake up the nation, collectively, that I agree with. For the real liberal elitists, they won't believe until the war finds them at home, and they see it with their own eyes.
I think a revealing poll would be one that asks how those folks who were directly affected on 09/11/01 about the threats now faced in the world. You wonder if they as a group realize the threat with more clarity.
Europe is a conundrum. It was ravaged by WWI and WWII, but perhaps those who experienced that horror are fading away, more dying of old age every day. That their descendants did not have to live through those times is fortunate, but said descendants seem to have forgotten how fleeting safety and security can now be (e.g. Madrid, London, etc).
Here is exactly why the War on Terror won't be won in the next few decades.
As I've said before, this is like the Cold War and it's 1953.
Question, Do you know anyone who doesn't really believe we are at war? Because I don't, even if they don't obsess on it like Freepers do.
____________________________________
True Grit To Counter Terror, We Must Conquer Our Own Fear
Rand Corp. ^ | Summer 06 | Brian Michael Jenkins
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1739562/posts
(snip)
Enlist the public. The best way to increase our ability as a nation to respond to disasters, either natural or man made, is to enlist all citizens through education and engagement. This also happens to be a very good way to reduce the persistent anxieties that afflict us.
In the wake of 9/11, Washington’s continual reminders of imminent threats induced Americans to think of themselves as victims instead of protagonists in a long struggle. By making homeland security a purely Washington affair, the government was signaling that it would take responsibility for both security and response. Instead of promoting self-reliance, the government created dependency. But the federal government does not provide homeland security. Citizens do. This nation has powerful traditions of self-reliance and resiliency, as proven on 9/11. We must build on those traditions.
It is amazing how many people want to assist in homeland security — not just “be vigilant” or patriotically keep shopping when alert levels are raised. Citizen volunteers, from schoolteachers to security guards and from medical professionals to CEOs, could be assigned emergency roles, which could then be practiced in drills. Psychologists have learned that knowing what to do and having an assigned task in preparation, planning, and response not only increases preparedness but also reduces stress.
Public education is the first step toward strengthening ourselves. We need to aggressively educate the public through all media, in the classrooms, at town halls, in civic meetings, through professional organizations, and in volunteer groups. This means more than speeches in front of the American flag. The basic course should include how to deal with the spectrum of threats we face, from “dirty bombs” to natural epidemics, with the emphasis on sound, easy-to-understand science aimed at dispelling mythology and inoculating the community against alarming rumors and panic. More-advanced training, including specialized first aid and family protection measures, can be offered through youth organizations and other groups. Our goal should be to have all American teenagers, adults, and able-bodied senior citizens capable of taking care of themselves first, then taking care of their families, then taking care of their neighbors who need assistance.
Become more sophisticated about security. We cannot banish danger. Not every terrorist plot can be thwarted, no matter how much is spent on security. We have to become savvy about security, accept its limitations, and ensure that measures taken in the name of security do not destroy our open society or disrupt our economy.
(snip)
A powerful article that identifies the media as one of our chief problems.
We hear talking heads say that Americans are not sacrificing enough to 'feel' that we are in a war, and at the same time they publicize each negative story resulting from our engagement with Islamofascists.
If Americans saw pictures of the pre-9/11 New York skyline regularly, we would realize what we have sacrificed. Our media elites have decided, instead, to erase from our visual memory all remembrance of the magnitude of the buildings that were turned to rubble by enemies of our way of life. They have tried and succeeded in having that attack become like any other 'disaster' - unavoidable, and best not dwelled upon, like a random plane crash, snow storm or tornado.
True, and you can count me among them, too.
You will never convince me that we are at war as long as these inconvenient little conditions remain in place:
1. Our elected leaders insist on using silly terms like "war on terror" instead of having the b@lls to stand up and name our enemies.
2. The U.S. sends troops halfway around the world to wage a so-called "war on terror" even as we permit nearly unfettered access into this country across our southern border and through our international airports.
3. People in government who bear an enormous responsibility for putting us at risk through either rank incompetence or direct complicity (I'll include people like Sandy Berger, Jamie Gorelick, and Richard Perle in this group) are never called to the carpet.
4. The initial "cal to arms" to the American people by this administration after 9/11 was basically a call for everyone to live their lives as if nothing had happened and to keep going to the shopping malls, car dealerships, etc.
You've really got to be kidding me.
Right. The periodic "Code Orange" alerts in New York City whenever there is a terrorist attack overseas or threat of one here in the U.S. are particularly silly. You've got government officials telling people to be alert for a potential attack even as they: 1) insist that people should go on with their lives as if nothing is wrong; and 2) prohibit these same people from carrying firearms -- in direct violation of their Constitutional rights.
Your four points are entirely valid, and instructive as to why so many people don't think we're at war. The government itself sends out mixed signals. Depending on how you interpret those signals, you can walk away with wildly different messages.
So, you can lay much of the blame at the feet of the government. Still, that doesn't mean we're not at war. Pointing out the failures of our government to get their act together vis a vis the war doesn't absolve us of the personal responsibility to be ready for it.
The al-Qa'ida offensive against us is a grassroots effort, not an official one, and the response will have to be, as well.
Precisely. What is needed is not more troops, but the desire to use the ones there more effectively.
The truth is that wealthy Western elites in the media have evolved beyond worry over the basics of their civilization... so strong is the assurance of their never-ending comfort zone that they could not conceive of ever losing it.
Bullseye!
BUMP!
I keep seeing people say this here, but I don't see it. Everyone I know, knows we are at war. I think the thing is they would say "well what can I do about it"? This is a very good question, because when you get right down to it there's not much the likes of you and I can do, except show our support and try to correct the misconceptions about it. I mean I'm a 58 year old skinny slender white guy. It's not like i'm going to jump in a humvee and go tearassing around the streets of fallujah, or infultrate a sleeper cell here.
I live in a big city, and believe me, the only war most people think we're in is Iraq. Once we get out of there, the war on terror will be over for a lot of people. After that, it will be a law enforcement issue, occasionally backed by the military in places like Afghanistan.
I live in MPLS (Berkeley with a wind chill factor) and while people I run into concentrate on Iraq (for obvious reasons), but they still understand that Iraq is not the be all and end all of this war. While they may not know what's going on in say Mali or Columbia they are aware that this war is more than Iraq. One of the valid criticisms of this administrations is not explaining this better. It may be up to the next one.
As Gen Abizaid told the US Senate this week. If you want to "fix" Iraq, get out of our way Dinocons. All this handwringing and hysterics back here does not help them get the job done over there.
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