Victor Davis Hanson: The Mind of Mr. D’Souza - Nonsense.

National Review Online ^ | March 16, 2007 | Victor Davis Hanson

[FastCoyote]

"VDH seems to be getting personal."

Well, I think D'Souza kind of asked to get pasted and VDH is just obliging.

[Louis Foxwell]

It's no wonder the world has contempt for our "values" and feels a need to display that contempt.

AMEN, SISTER!!

If the enemy of my enemy is my friend what does that make a liberal?

Reducing the destruction of our culture by Marxist ideologues to "a natural byproduct of freedom" is idiotic. It is high time conservatives take aim at politically correct decadence as the rot from within.

Maybe Muslim fanatics are not completely driven to destroy the West because of liberal decadence; but, we definitely cannot defeat them while being eaten alive by the cultural destruction of liberalism.

[The Pack Knight]

A couple more examples of terrorism perpetrated on military targets. The Red Brigade kidnapped BG James Dozier, USA, from his apartment in Verona, Italy in 1981. He was held for 42 days before being rescued. Another, more recent, example, are Palestinian suicide bombings of establishments in Israel frequented by young Israelis, such as the Tel Aviv nightclub bombing of 1 June, 2001. Palestinian terrorist groups assert that all Israelis of military age are legitimate targets as virtually all Israelis of military age are reservists.

Can either of those acts not be considered terrorism? Both were perpetrated against what could be considered military targets, the latter arguably, and the former indisputably. Conversely, was Allied bombing of oil refineries and ball bearing factories in Germany during World War II terrorism because both were civilian targets and neither even directly involved in manufacturing weapons? I would argue that the military or civilian nature of a target is irrelevant when determining whether or not an attack can be considered terrorism.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Solid argument from a historian. The Falwell/Robertson contingent won't like it, though.

To believe God is sovereign and that He punishes sin is not the same thing as what the left believes with their blame America first ideas. As for history, read past president's speeches. Many believed that God would bless our Nation only if we obeyed Him, and that even issues of war were tied to this truth. Read Abraham Lincoln's speeches and you will find he thought the Civil War was our just punishment for the sin of slavery. He made that point as a believer in God's sovereignty and justice. It didn't reflect His opinion about who should win or lose or even who was right or wrong in the specifics.

When the Declaration of Independence "restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient," when the signers were "appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world..." and "with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence,.." I think it is safe to say that these men believed in the Sovereignty of God over the lives of men and nations.

It can hardly be shocking that men who believe the Bible to be true, also believe in divine Providence. That doesn't give the terrorists an excuse, unlike what the liberals do. They are still guilty in this and we are innocent in the accusation of causing terrorism. But God sometimes lets your evil enemies with their evil plans succeed if you do not put your trust in Him. Evil exists. It will sometimes win, though not ultimately. God makes promises to those who trust and obey Him. Without God's protection, we may still be right in fighting the terrorists, but our plans may very well be in vain. Only God can really protect us from evil. It's a theological point that does not obstruct or undermine the justness of the war. We should fight. But we are babbling fools if we think God will bless our efforts when we refuse to aknowledge or obey Him and when we celebrate sin.

So...enough with still bashing Falwell for those comments. He was making a theological point, giving theological reasons for our vulnerability to these evils. He wasn't saying terrorism was our fault or that the terrorists had any sort of excuse -- were less evil. Read the Bible if you wish to understand the point.