Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Point of No Return?
Real Clear Politics ^ | August 22, 2006 | Thomas Sowell

Posted on 08/21/2006 11:36:49 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom

It is hard to think of a time when a nation -- and a whole civilization -- has drifted more futilely toward a bigger catastrophe than that looming over the United States and western civilization today.

Nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran and North Korea mean that it is only a matter of time before there are nuclear weapons in the hands of international terrorist organizations. North Korea needs money and Iran has brazenly stated its aim as the destruction of Israel -- and both its actions and its rhetoric suggest aims that extend even beyond a second Holocaust.

Send not to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.

This is not just another in the long history of military threats. The Soviet Union, despite its massive nuclear arsenal, could be deterred by our own nuclear arsenal. But suicide bombers cannot be deterred.

Fanatics filled with hate cannot be either deterred or bought off, whether Hezbollah, Hamas or the government of Iran.

The endlessly futile efforts to bring peace to the Middle East with concessions fundamentally misconceive what forces are at work.

Hate and humiliation are key forces that cannot be bought off by "trading land for peace," by a "Palestinian homeland" or by other such concessions that might have worked in other times and places.

Humiliation and hate go together. Why humiliation? Because a once-proud, dynamic culture in the forefront of world civilizations, and still carrying a message of their own superiority to "infidels" today, is painfully visible to the whole world as a poverty-stricken and backward region, lagging far behind in virtually every field of human endeavor.

There is no way that they can catch up in a hundred years, even if the rest of the world stands still. And they are not going to wait a hundred years to vent their resentments and frustrations at the humiliating position in which they find themselves.

Israel's very existence as a modern, prosperous western nation in their midst is a daily slap across the face. Nothing is easier for demagogues than to blame Israel, the United States, or western civilization in general for their own lagging position.

Hitler was able to rouse similar resentments and fanaticism in Germany under conditions not nearly as dire as those in most Middle East countries today. The proof of similar demagogic success in the Middle East is all around.

What kind of people provide a market for videotaped beheadings of innocent hostages? What kind of people would throw an old man in a wheelchair off a cruise liner into the sea, simply because he was Jewish? What kind of people would fly planes into buildings to vent their hate at the cost of their own lives?

These are the kinds of people we are talking about getting nuclear weapons. And what of ourselves?

Do we understand that the world will never be the same after hate-filled fanatics gain the ability to wipe whole American cities off the face of the earth? Do we still imagine that they can be bought off, as Israel was urged to buy them off with "land for peace" -- a peace that has proved to be wholly illusory?

Even ruthless conquerors of the past, from Genghis Khan to Adolf Hitler, wanted some tangible gains for themselves or their nations -- land, wealth, dominion. What Middle East fanatics want is the destruction and humiliation of the west.

Their treatment of hostages, some of whom have been humanitarians serving the people of the Middle East, shows that what the terrorists want is to inflict the maximum pain and psychic anguish on their victims before killing them.

Once these fanatics have nuclear weapons, those victims can include you, your children and your children's children.

The terrorists need not start out by wiping our cities off the map. Chances are they would first want to force us to humiliate ourselves in whatever ways their sadistic imaginations could conceive, out of fear of their nuclear weapons.

After we, or our children and grandchildren, find ourselves living at the mercy of people with no mercy, what will future generations think of us, that we let this happen because we wanted to placate "world opinion" by not acting "unilaterally"?

We are fast approaching the point of no return.


TOPICS: Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: carterlegacy; gwot; iran; iraq; islam; muslim; sowell; thomassowell
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-40 last
To: Fitzcarraldo

I know... my Goober Dog trims his nails by destroying my new french doors.... bad doggie.


21 posted on 08/22/2006 12:31:21 AM PDT by antceecee (Western countries really aren't up to winning this war on terror... it might offend the terrorists.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: afnamvet

Isreal should take out the nuke facilities (all of them) and we should help...like it would sully our reputation in the middle east further (not).

A nuclear Iran with even one device, even if it is not deployable to the CONUS, is absolutely intolerable, because it won't stop there. If we ignore this, it will be my kids and yours who may pay the price, if we don't stop this now. I mean it must be stopped in weeks not months or years. If they drop one nuke on Isreal - the loss of life on all sides would be unimaginable and WWW III or IV a certainty.

We must forget about the UN - it looks nice on paper, but is a corrupt, largely impotent organization. Pursuing a remedy there is an utter waste of time in situations like this.

If they (Iran or NK) so much as test a nuke - it is time to make glass. Ruthless, perhaps, loss of innocent human life would be (truly - and I take no pleasure in saying it) a tragedy of Biblical proportions that will regrettably be foisted on them by their insane leaders. In fact their blood will be on the hands of the mullahs or their leaders, in reality we would take the blame - we will no matter what we do.

They make no secret that they want us dead, all of us. Can we wait around for them to acquire the means to achieve their oft stated goal?

Hopefully, we have good enough intelligence to in large part avoid large scale collateral damage, but I doubt it as repressive as these governments are, and given the (apparent) limitations of electronic intercepts.

The bottom line for me is if it has to be them or us that must die to save the world from the growing threat of nuclear terror or NBC terror - I will vote them everytime.

I cannot imagine the burden on our president carries. I feel sick even contemplating having to erradicate a nuclear program which is de facto defended by thousands of generally innocent,decent, people who will die because their government built their programs in populated areas knowing we value human life. They are victims of the policies of their insane leaders. In truth we value the lives of Iranians and North Koreans, more than their own respective givernments do.

Pray the president has the wisdom and resolve to do what he has to do in a timely manner.

I would be happy if we employed persons to take out the apocalyptic Iranian leaders like Isreal does with Hamas or teh PLO. Why that Iranian freak of a president has not been introduced to Allah by the CIA or Mossad is a mystery to me. Russia and Euro weanies that provided the parts, know how, or acted to block effective non-military action early on will have bloody hands too.

Sorry for the rambling post, I just detest killing - especially the collateral killing of innocents. I suspect George Bush believes and would say the same. I do not envy the actions he almost certainly knows in his heart he must take. But, take them he must.


22 posted on 08/22/2006 1:20:44 AM PDT by Lawdoc (Our troops are the best & most humane in the world. Pray for them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Lawdoc

givernments = government (please ignore the other typos and grammar errors as I type in the dark at 04:25 am eastern.

Time for bed.


23 posted on 08/22/2006 1:26:46 AM PDT by Lawdoc (Our troops are the best & most humane in the world. Pray for them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: ProtectOurFreedom
We are fast approaching the point of no return.

Imagine a nuke in the hands of the Fanatical Tyrannical Totalitarian Imperialist Japanese.

Imagine a nuke in the hands of the Fanatical Tyrannical Totalitarian Fascist German Nazi's.

24 posted on 08/22/2006 2:18:09 AM PDT by justa-hairyape
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ProtectOurFreedom

Thanks Madeline


25 posted on 08/22/2006 4:40:46 AM PDT by CPT Clay (Drill ANWR, Personal Accounts NOW.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ProtectOurFreedom
what will future generations think of us

If the West, particularly America snd Israel remain as fearful of being dissed by France and by college professors as they appear to be now, future generations will not know that there was anything other then the Caliphate that destroyed the last of Satan's armies and temples and brought Islam to the World. Actually there won't be that many of them any way, what with the beheadings of infidels and humungous outbreaks of great Diseases after the Western Medical System has collapsed or been destroyed as Spawn of Satan.

26 posted on 08/22/2006 5:10:23 AM PDT by arthurus (Better to fight them over THERE than over HERE)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lawdoc
What ever course Israel and we take with Iran and Syria, it must be an action that is void of political correctness and rules of engagement. There must be a declaration of war. It must be preceded with our allies all on the same page.

Israel is fighting for it's existence surrounded by enemies. We will defend Israel against any nation that attacks it.

Hard decisions must be taken by this President. A decision that must be made very soon.

27 posted on 08/22/2006 6:56:49 AM PDT by afnamvet (It is what it is.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: ProtectOurFreedom; 2ndreconmarine; Alissa; arthurus; balrog666; beyond the sea; BraveMan; brf1; ...
Thomas Sowell *PING*

FRmail me if you want on or off the Thomas Sowell Ping List.

28 posted on 08/22/2006 8:52:58 AM PDT by Gordongekko909 (I know. Let's cut his WHOLE BODY off.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ProtectOurFreedom

Our politicians need to grow a backbone, declare war on Iran and put a stop to this madness. Now!!


29 posted on 08/22/2006 9:07:24 AM PDT by RichardW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gordongekko909

bttt


30 posted on 08/22/2006 9:22:58 AM PDT by maica (9/11 was not “the day everything changed”, but the day that revealed how much had already changed.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: All

I am reminded of the old Mike and the Mechanics song, Silent Running.

Teach your children quietly. For someday sons and daughters, will rise up and fight, while we stood still.


31 posted on 08/22/2006 9:23:25 AM PDT by LilyBean
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: Lawdoc

Taking out the Iranian nuke facilities would probably help our reputation in the Arab world. We have lost the understanding of the usefulness of fear. We need to be feared by terrorists and terrorist governments.


32 posted on 08/22/2006 9:32:35 AM PDT by Truth29
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

Comment #33 Removed by Moderator

To: Tullamore Dew

If only people would wake up. How can any of this be achieved if people won't support it? I'm not American, I am Canadian. I finally have a government who will support America. A government who isn't blind to the threat. But, a tenous government. One I hope can hold on. For what is coming, we are going to have to be strong. No damn Liberal appeasers.

All I can say, at this point and time, is that it isn't looking good for the West. We are too divided. To self absorbed. And when I look at America, I see a country divided. A country divided cannot stand. I pray for us all.


34 posted on 08/22/2006 10:34:15 AM PDT by LilyBean
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: ProtectOurFreedom

Bump


35 posted on 08/22/2006 10:35:56 AM PDT by BulletBobCo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Tullamore Dew; Gordongekko909

I wrote about the 'suicide bombers = no deterrence by nukes' point in my latest vanity (click on my profile, it's the last one).

It seems society won't wake up to the threat without more tragedy.


36 posted on 08/22/2006 11:13:56 AM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (Conservatives teach you how to fish. Socialists give you the fish by stealing it from the fisherman.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: justa-hairyape; ProtectOurFreedom

<< We are fast approaching the point of no return.
Imagine a nuke in the hands of the Fanatical Tyrannical Totalitarian Imperialist Japanese.

Imagine a nuke in the hands of the Fanatical Tyrannical Totalitarian Fascist German Nazi's.

And now imagine that five years after December 7 1941 the girlyboys were in charge and there had not been a single brick laid at Pearl Harbor, Britain and the USSR had not, on the backs of Roosevelt-Depression-afflicted American taxpayers, been totally equipped by American aircraft, arms, vehicle, ship and food manufacturers, producers and processors and and that Japan and Germany were still making lampshades and soap out of Euro-peons' bodies and raping looting and pillaging their way around the world.

And now you have a picture of where we'd be if the emasculated, feminized and sodomist-ized assinine clowns in charge of 16 acres of the world's most valuable real estate, on which no construction has begun despite that five years have passed since September 11 2001, had been running WW-II.


37 posted on 08/22/2006 12:41:11 PM PDT by Brian Allen ("Moral issues are always terribly complex, for someone without principles." - G K Chesterton)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: LilyBean

One strngth of the United States is that we are not the government. It gets 18% of the GNP. It is the other 82% that makes America work and keeps the givernment in line.


38 posted on 08/22/2006 8:17:46 PM PDT by ClaireSolt (.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: ProtectOurFreedom

Outstanding article.

We are, indeed, nearing the point of no return.


39 posted on 08/24/2006 9:07:29 PM PDT by EternalHope (Boycott everything French forever. Including their vassal nations.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EternalHope

these are exciting times to be alive.


40 posted on 08/25/2006 8:27:27 AM PDT by se_ohio_young_conservative (God makes us strong for alittle while so that we can protect the weak.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-40 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson