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Awakening a Sleeping Giant
The American Thinker ^ | June 21, 2006 | Frederick J. Chiaventone

Posted on 06/21/2006 5:10:18 AM PDT by Quilla

If in the case of Iraq there has been any lessening of resolve among the American electorate, and to read the newspapers and listen to a great many television pundits one might certainly think there has, the events of the past 48 hours should put these doubts to rest.

American forces have recovered the remains of two soldiers, Privates Thomas Tucker and Kristian Menchaca, ambushed and kidnapped at a check point in the aptly named “Triangle of Death” south of Baghdad. Specialist David Babineau, died in the attack and was not captured.

Iraqi Major General Abdul-Aziz Mohammed Jassim, director of the Iraqi military operations room, stated “with great regret” that there is strong evidence that the soldiers in question had been captured alive, horribly tortured, mutilated, and then murdered. Major General Jassim described the way in which these brave soldiers died as “barbaric.” This probably means that they were beheaded.

A bulletin dor the blissfully ignorant opponents of our commitment to the Iraqi people: this is the true face of the enemy. This is representative of the fate they have in store for all of those – American, British, Iraqi, soldier or civilian, man, woman or child, – whoever does not share their twisted and sadistic view of the world. Nowhere in scripture or practice do the jihadis see a limit to the scope of their ambitions of less than a global caliphate. It is only a matter of time and tactics for them.

If they have not already figured it out, and it is highly unlikely that they have, the murderers in Iraq have made yet another egregious error. Perhaps even a fatal one for their own cause. Americans don’t react to barbarity in the way in which our enemies hope. Americans still remember the Alamo.

Consider the aftermath of the Little Bighorn.

Consider the evidence of Pearl Harbor.

Too many would-be enemies forget the prophetic words of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto following that attack when he said; “I fear that we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.”

Americans don’t react well or predictably to threats, murder, and treachery. This repugnance and stubborn resolve seems to be in our genes. Recently I have been re-reading a series of excellent books by Allan Eckert detailing the founding of America. In one of these books, The Conquerors, Eckert details the attempt in 1763 by Ottawa war chief Pontiac to lead a great uprising of tribes against British and American interests in the Great Lakes region.

Pontiac’s approach, much like that of the mullahs and terrorists in Iraq, was characterized by his fiery oratorical presence among the tribes and his ready resort to extreme treachery, barbarity, and viciousness. At the height of his influence Pontiac led the forces of 18 tribes, thousands of hardened warriors, from throughout the Great Lakes region all the way to the Mississippi. The American and British presence throughout the region was laughably small with the largest garrison of troops, fewer than 200 at the present site of the city of Detroit, Michigan. Pontiac and his legions, whose methods ran to wholesale destruction and bloodshed, disdained taking prisoners except for the purposes of slavery and horrendous torture. Pontiac’s onslaught on the frontier was exceptionally bloody and merciless.

But the reaction of the British governors of the region and, most especially, the Americans who populated this frontier, was far from that which Pontiac had expected. The American reaction especially was of outrage and retaliation. The frontiersmen fought back with an unparalleled fury. Within two years Pontiac’s great confederacy was a shambles. A few years later the once great war chief was murdered by a fellow Indian near present day St. Louis.

In Iraq the terrorist mastermind Al-Zarqawi is dead and his would-be successor Abu Hamza al-Muhajer has stepped into the dead killer’s shoes announcing that the heinous and unspeakable murder of these American soldiers is his personal doing. Perhaps he believes that by so doing he announces his own implacable opposition to American and Iraqi interests and his ability to strike at will.

Perhaps Al-Muhajer has what passes for an excellent grasp of supposed Islamic history. But what Al-Mujaher is severely lacking is an appreciation of American history and the nature of American willpower. Unless I miss my guess, he is about to find out. It will not be a pleasant lesson.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: iraq; islam; menchaca; pfcmenchaca; pfctucker; thomastucker; torture; triangleofdeath; wot
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To: Quilla
It won't.

I'd settle for a Roman solution: surround the city where this happened. Separate the men and boys over 10 from the women and children. Put the men into a prison camp and systematically interrogate everyone - let the Iraqi polic do it - until we know who actually did the murder. Execute the perps and sew their bodies inside of pig carcasses for burial. Disperse the women and children throughout the rest of the country. Raze the city and salt the earth.

21 posted on 06/21/2006 5:32:22 AM PDT by CatoRenasci (Ceterum Censeo Arabiam Esse Delendam -- Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit)
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To: Paloma_55
Kerry, Kennedy, Murtha, Reid, Pelosi, Durban, the NYTimes, the MSM et. al. ARE among the enemy! Harsh? Yes, but it is they who have repeatedly demonstrated their persistent effort to WEAKEN the resolve of this nation in the face of battle! It is they who, in part, bear responsibility for the encouragement they have fostered among the enemies of this nation. A pox on them.
22 posted on 06/21/2006 5:35:32 AM PDT by Obadiah (The beatings will continue until morale improves.)
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To: CatoRenasci

Unfortunately, we still don't have the will to win this war. It's going to take a major attack on us before we take the gloves off. The "Sunni Triangle" would be a smoldering heap of ash if I were in charge.


23 posted on 06/21/2006 5:36:09 AM PDT by ChrisFelice1 (Chris Felice Show website: www.freewebs.com/chrisfeliceshow)
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To: Paloma_55

Notice how the MSM is no longer covering this story.

This is propaganda by blackout.


24 posted on 06/21/2006 5:37:30 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: Quilla

bookmark


25 posted on 06/21/2006 5:40:16 AM PDT by SuzyQue
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To: t2buckeye
'THIS is what lies in store for the Iraqis AND the world if Al Qaida is not stopped.'

This needs to be repeated, and repeated, and repeated,...

26 posted on 06/21/2006 5:42:50 AM PDT by mathluv (Never Forget!)
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To: ChrisFelice1

CNN has still not issued correction for the lies Murtha said about the fake massacer story.

CNN is not even covering this story lest they upset the public.

People can think about what they don't know.

But they do know John Kerry's new cut and run proposal. CNN is reporting a wall on the border is fruitless and amnesty is good.


27 posted on 06/21/2006 5:42:57 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: longtermmemmory

I will have to listen to bor tonight. He said he would show how the DBM would cover this.


28 posted on 06/21/2006 5:44:35 AM PDT by mathluv (Never Forget!)
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To: MarkL

Absolutely on the money.


29 posted on 06/21/2006 5:44:50 AM PDT by brytlea (amnesty--an act of clemency by an authority by which pardon is granted esp. to a group of individual)
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To: Quilla
I was an infantryman in 1966 in Vietnam. To me, at the time, the war was nothing personal, I did not hate anyone. Then on Easter Sunday one of our companies was ambushed and took heavy casualties. The enemy murdered our wounded and mutilated their bodies. They felt if the body was mutilated then the person could not get to heaven. After that the war got personal for every soldier in my unit and we showed them no mercy.

The longer this war last and the more these animals do these sorts of things to our troops then you will see our troops respond in kind.
30 posted on 06/21/2006 5:48:16 AM PDT by Americanexpat (A strong democracy through citizen oversight.)
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To: Paloma_55

I say that Kerry, Kennedy, Murtha, Reid, and Pelosi are the Benedict Arnolds of our day and deserve to be treated as such.


31 posted on 06/21/2006 5:48:53 AM PDT by Eternally-Optimistic (anything is possible)
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To: Quilla

Note the NYT has NO editorial on this incident compared with ~ 50 consecutive days of Abeu Grab!!!


32 posted on 06/21/2006 5:49:24 AM PDT by TRY ONE (NUKE the unborn gay whales!)
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To: ChrisFelice1
Unfortunately, we still don't have the will to win this war.

That is not true. Last month over 600 troops at Fort Carson re-upped for another tour in Iraq.Thats almost a whole regiment taking the enlistment oath "en mass." For many of them it was their 3rd tour.You can say," WE do not have the resolve", and if you mean the general American public that has been manipulated and melded by the MSM slimes of our nation, you might be partially right. I hope you can use your pulpit to help those Americans who have lost their resolve, and who betray their nation here at home, to either shut up or investigate the truth. Their problem to a man is that they are sore losers politically, and quite willing to weaken our nation, and create more military deaths of our own men and women who serve, in aiding and abetting an enemy that plays to its choir of weak synchopants here at home.They put the pettiness of their own narrow politics ahead of the gift of liberty to others , and the very safety of our nation.

As a radio person yourself,perhaps it might be your task to shut them up by making their mis-cause politically incorrect.

33 posted on 06/21/2006 5:49:35 AM PDT by Candor7 (Into Liberal flatulance goes the best hope of the West, and who wants to be a smart feller?)
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To: Allegra

What do you think about this article?


34 posted on 06/21/2006 5:51:35 AM PDT by Just mythoughts
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To: longtermmemmory

I have a feeling that President Bush is seething over this barbarian act. He will be privy to the details that have been sanitized for media audiences. When he concludes the Vienna Summit, CNN won't have a choice but to cover his response.


35 posted on 06/21/2006 5:53:16 AM PDT by Quilla
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To: Quilla

The Giant has been awake for sometime now. Unfortunately, the mental midgets surrounding the Giant will do anything they can to hold him down.


36 posted on 06/21/2006 5:54:19 AM PDT by new cruelty
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To: Junior

Perhaps, but the US military won't.


37 posted on 06/21/2006 5:56:23 AM PDT by expatpat
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To: longtermmemmory; MarkL

Mark, I agree 100%. I am furious today - all of this is simply being swept under the rug by a media which will do anything to prevent Americans from waking up and facing reality.

And longterm, you just coined a great phrase: "propaganda by blackout." That is exactly what it is.


38 posted on 06/21/2006 5:59:19 AM PDT by livius
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To: All
If this turns out to be true and the new guy in charge was responsible for torturing and beheading two of our guys it proves one thing for sure. He is ten times dumber than Zarq was and he will not last anywhere near as long. They gain nothing militarily by this action and stand to lose everything over it.
39 posted on 06/21/2006 5:59:24 AM PDT by The Toll
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To: Quilla
"Americans don’t react well or predictably to threats, murder, and treachery."

That all depends upon what your definition of "Americans" is. There are the Demonicrat "americans" who are in favor of "cut and run" policies, who don't understand the need for or even what patriotism might be or why it is important. These are AINO americans: Americans In Name Only. They are appeasement cowards who are afraid to see the world as it truly is. They are responsible for 9/11 as much as the muslim terrorists.

Then there are the rest of us. We don't pay ransom or cower at threats. We get pissed off. And we certainly don't roll over an pee on ourselves at the thought that some Euro-weenie might not like us. We wear the moniker "cowboy" proudly.

We bring peace and comfort to troubled lands, first through superior firepower and then through the generous labors that re-build and reform.

And we are the Americans who will be damn proud when the murderous scum who did this to our brave soldiers are brought to justice.

As long as Americans are in charge of our country and its military, the jihadist don't have a prayer. It's just a matter of time.

40 posted on 06/21/2006 6:00:15 AM PDT by GBA
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