Posted on 10/28/2012 9:18:49 PM PDT by Lorianne
To fully understand the implications of what happened in Benghazi on September 11th we need to go back to the 1790s to the beginnings of our nation.
At that time, we paid tribute to the Barbary Pirates: corsairs who raided merchant shipping in the Mediterranean.
Most nations, including the new United States, paid tribute. We had no navy and no choice. Thomas Jefferson objected to paying the tribute, saying that paying tribute would encourage more attacks.
When he was sworn in as president, Jefferson stopped paying tribute. The feeling of the country at the time was summed up in the phrase, "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute."
In response, the Pasha of Tripoli declared war on the U.S. on May 10, 1801, not through any formal written documents, but in the customary Barbary manner of cutting down the flagstaff in front of the U.S. Consulate.
Thomas Jefferson and the U.S. Navy stopped piracy off the coast of Africa for two centuries, until the U.S. Navy again engaged pirates off the coast of Somalia in 2009.
President Jefferson was not afraid to take on the terrorists and pirates of his day, despite the lack of a Navy.
In the end, it is really not about the Navy, but about a willingness to confront the threats that face our nation. It is about defending our vital national interests. It is about character.
(Excerpt) Read more at communities.washingtontimes.com ...
It’s odd for me that this was posted this evening because part of The Marine Corps Hymn has resonated through my mind today... “... to the shores of Tripoli, we will fight our country’s battles...”. That part of the hymn is going to catch in my throat for a long time.
And the reason Jefferson had a quran was so he could understand the thinking of these barbarians. The same unholy quran that the islamist Keith Ellison (Jihadist, MN) took his Oath of Office on.
When Obama called the SEALS they acted with bravery, finished the job and let him boast of the honor.
When the SEALS called Obama he handed them over to die without help then covered up his dishonor like a coward.
And Obama mentions Jeffersons Koran. He openly displayed it as amMuslim White House dinner.
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