Posted on 08/12/2006 5:30:09 AM PDT by Graybeard58
Americans returned to their complacent ways after 9/11 receded into memory and issues that seemed of more immediate consequence took precedence. Led by its patriotism-challenged news media and a far-left contingent that no longer views America as a fundamentally good and decent country, the public judged itself safe from immediate harm and focused on the bloodshed in Iraq, the mistreatment of some prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and the Bush administration's secretive use of surveillance technology.
Thursday, news of a plot centered in London to blow up nine transatlantic airliners had Americans taking stock. How had we grown so distracted from the reality of the conflict between Western civilization and Islamofascism?
For many, including the narrow majority of Connecticut Democrats who voted in Tuesday's Senate primary, the real enemy is President Bush. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman lost because challenger Ned Lamont portrayed him as a friend and confidante of a president the far left loathes.
To be sure, the Bush administration is deserving of criticism on many fronts. But the notion articulated by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., that "our misguided policies are making America more hated in the world and making the war on terrorism harder to win," is partisan nonsense. It's troubling to contemplate that if Ted Kennedy controlled the intelligence services and interrogation methods of Britain, Pakistan and other allies, the London conspirators still would be moving forward.
There are many competing theories explaining the hatred borne by the Islamic world against America and its allies, but the rage flourished long before George W. Bush came to power. The London plot, for example, is practically identical to a 1995 scheme to blow up airliners over the Pacific.
Had the London conspiracy been successful, the toll likely would have exceeded 9/11. A single transatlantic Boeing 747 can carry more than 500 people, so as many as 10,000 might have died in a matter of minutes. Nor can this be dismissed as a British problem. The apparent terrorist "dry run" chillingly chronicled by Wall Street Journal reporter Annie Jacobsen after a flight in 2004 bears many of the earmarks of the London conspiracy.
David Brooks put it succinctly in his New York Times column Wednesday, the day before the London story broke: "The civilized world faces an arc of Islamic extremism that was not caused by American overreaction, and that will only get stronger if America withdraws."
By "withdraws," Mr. Brooks does not just mean pulling out of Iraq. The left envisions a much broader withdrawal to a Fortress America defended by fine words, diplomacy and a fantasy that the enemy will stand down if America does. No, the nation needs to get serious about a conflict many credible voices finally are identifying by its right name -- World War III.
Great post. Should be nailed to the White House door. Browsed through Townhall's links and found the one about cops arresting two Muslims who'd bought Radio Shack cellphones, refused to give I.D.'s, names, etc.. Cops found 11 thousand in cash in their car, marijuana, many cell phones, much airport info, locales of every Wal-Mart in the country. They called in the Feds. Eventually the two men admitted they take apart the phones and send microchips inside to Iraq, where they're used in making IED's against our troops. I'm absolutely sick over this. Appalled, outraged. Ashamed that we're so complacent, so stupid.
I am not sure that I call the Global War on Terrorism World War III or not. And this is a very minor, a bookkeeping error if you will, error.
World War I fought in every hemisphere ended, for the most part, inherited monarchies.
World War II also fought in every hemisphere finished the work of World War I and started the global fight against fascism in it communistic form.
The Cold War likewise fought in every hemisphere should be called World War III since it, for the most part, finished the global fight against fascism.
The Global War on Terrorism should be called World War IV because, like its predecessors will have to be fought in every hemisphere, will continue until one side is clearly the loser, and the loser’s belief system will be either heavily damaged or destroyed.
And, like all the other World Wars there will be people before, during, and after that will not believe that their way of life is at risk and still others who will actively support our enemies at many levels.
Anyone want to make a table up to check this parallel? Trust me it gets very frightening very quickly!
And did the Republican - American support Lieberman in the primary?
What's missing today? John Kerry saying that if he'd been President, this wouldn't have happened!
The editorials I read were supportive. It's a conservative newspaper.
They get their feeds from the A.P. like a million other papers but their editorials are almost always conservative.
First time I have heard what they are actually using the phones for. Many of us on FR were wondering.
Do you have a link for this information?
Me too, I've wondered what the big deal was about cell phones.
I almost wish Democrats were in power so we could blame them for every single time a terrorist suspect gets a bruise at Gitmo.
"... Roberta [Pournelle] points out that many modern bras have liquids in them. How will they detect them? More to the point, what is to keep some woman from wearing a bra with acetone in one bra pad and peroxide in the other? Presumably if she removes her brassiere in her passenger seat it will be noticed, but perhaps not in the water closet? Or will we not have surveillance in the bath rooms of the airplanes? And why not? Surely it's better to have cameras in the bathrooms than simply to pay extra attention to suspicious persons, particularly those of Middle Eastern origin and appearance who are young men of the appropriate age? But no, that would not be egalitarian, it would be discriminatory, and thus against all our principles. Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation for the West as it commits suicide. We may all be consoled as we stand in 8 hour lines, and treat every passenger as if he were Osama bin Laden himself rather than inject even the smallest amount of common sense into this.
[Jerry Pournelle, Friday, August 11, 2006]
Unless of course he resembles Osama bin Laden, in which case it would be profiling to stop and search him.
Thanks for the link to Pournelle's Chaos Manor. I've bookmarked it. Norski
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