Posted on 02/06/2007 8:00:12 AM PST by PRePublic
Quit blaming America: We didn't earn Islamofascists' hatred
http://www.suntimes.com/news/laney/242780,CST-EDT-LANEY05.article
February 5, 2007 BY MARY LANEY It's difficult to have calm discussions about Islamic terrorists, 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq or Iran. Too often the chats -- between friends, relatives, co-workers, or strangers on the train -- become heated and illogical. I've heard them and seen them argue. Everyone wants to place blame for the rise in violent Islamofascism. As for putting the blame somewhere, those on the extreme left and extreme right wings both place the blame on America. Instead of blaming the terrorists, these groups blame Americans. Really.
On the left, they're against the war in Iraq and have now gone so far as to state our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are mere mercenaries, being paid to fight over there and being given good benefits. They not only want us to pull out of Iraq, this group openly states there's no reason to have to "support the troops" as they have enough money and support already. One scribe even wrote this opinion in a newspaper.
At the "Peace Rally" in Washington, marchers carried signs blaming the terror attacks on America on President Bush. Then again, this group blames Bush for everything, including global warming, infertility, disease, secondhand smoke and any terrorist attack anywhere. Sen. John Kerry, speaking at a conference in Switzerland recently, referred to America as a "pariah." He was sitting next to the former president of Iran, yet never mentioned anything against Iran's current U.N.-defying nuclear buildup.
Then there are the far right-wingers who blame terrorism on America because of the television programs and movies that they consider decadent. These right-wingers state that radical Islamists had to wage war to protect their delicate culture. To this argument I might point out that their delicate culture has recently allowed them -- according to British authorities -- to allegedly plot to behead a British Muslim soldier, videotape the beheading, and post the video on the internet.
Some place the radical Muslim hate for America -- and the forming of terrorist groups -- on America's support for Israel. This view is historically void. The Muslim Brotherhood, the forefather of Hamas and al-Qaida, was founded in 1928.
In discussions there are those who will point out -- no, actually shout out -- that America's alleged atrocities at Guantanamo and the humiliation of prisoners at Abu Ghraib have made radical Muslims hate us. Actually, they've hated us for decades and plotted to attack America within our borders for years. Remember the bombing of the Twin Towers in 1993?
But what good are facts when emotions -- or politics -- are involved? Many Americans simply believe that the global war these Islamofascists are waging is all our fault.
Some believe we deserve the Muslim hatred because we invaded Iraq for the oil that is there. Members of this group say the administration lied when it said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and there was fear he might use them -- as he did when he gassed to death thousands of Kurds. It's true that no weapons of mass destruction were found. It's also true that many nations, and members of both parties in Congress, believed he had the WMDs, and said so as far back as the Clinton administration.
I don't like war. I don't like to see our nation's men and women go into battle. But I will never agree with those who say we need not support them. And I will never agree with anyone who blames America for the rise in Islamofascism or radical Muslims' violent and inhumane actions or their hate-filled rhetoric.
In the Quran, Islam's holy book, the Prophet Muhammad tells his followers to offer non-Muslims three things: Conversion, second-class citizenship, or war.
We Americans, our lifestyles, our support of Israel, our protection of Afghanistan, our actions in Iraq, didn't cause Islamofascists to hate us. They hate us because we are not Muslims. They hate us because they do not rule us. They hate us because we live with freedom and equality. They hate us because, to them, we are infidels, renegades from their true religion of Islam.
They're not offering us conversion. They are offering us war. They declared it loud, explosively and deadly in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. That's something to remember in your next discussion with friends, relatives, or co-workers.
Everytime some moron tells me we need to understand and talk to the enemy, I always say this...Tell me, did they leave a note at the WTC? YOU TELL ME...other than our total destruction, what is it that they want from us? I never get an answer.
I have yet to hear someone of the extreme right blame America.
Can we send Hillary over to chat and have tea? She would be sent back with her head in a basket, that is what the chatters would get. Hillary , stay here , keep your head and let the smart bomb do the work for you.
Oh, well I still havent heard those nut jobs blame America for islamic hatred.
He's pretty much nailed how the left is acting, but he's wrong about the "right-wingers" blaming terrorism on America. I've NEVER heard anyone from the right blame anyone but the "Religion of Peace" for terrorism. I guess this nut felt like he had to blame the right since he was blaming the left too.
The klan has held a few anti war rallies and David Duke has been very visible running around and snuggling up to folks like Assad in Syria and nutjob in Iran.
Most of them hate us too. Even Saudi Arabia plots against us behind our back.
This "war" will end two generations after they cease brainwashing their children to hate everyone who is not Islamic and stop acting like seventh century barbarians.
Folks are starting to catch on, but it's pretty close to being too late.
"engage the other countries in the region"
Isn't that what we are doing? Engaging them in war?
From the article. This absolutely not true!
"It's true that no weapons of mass destruction were found"
The WMD was found. Just not in the quantities anticipated. If intelligence was fooled, it was a good deception. But it is hard to believe there was so much intelligence saying Saddam had the stuff, I think it was hidden elsewhere. I don't think Saddam actually believed we would invade. But he may have anticipated new inspections being forced on his weapons. The stockpile will be found in the desert.
They hate us because we are not Muslims. They hate us because they do not rule us. They hate us because we live with freedom and equality.
YOU ARE SO RIGHT!
This writer is about to lose her job.
Oh c'mon! You know if we had just paid off the Barbary Pirates way back in the early 1800s like the other countries were the Islams would have no issues with us and we would all be living in a peaceful society. /sarc
The author is Mary laney...
From the article: "Then there are the far right-wingers who blame terrorism on America because of the television programs and movies that they consider decadent."
Many of us on the right, myself included, believe Islamic fundamentalists hate America partly because of what they see as our absence of values. But I (for one) don't consider this the reason why we're at war. The author is somewhat accurate, yet mostly wrong in this statement. Yet the overall premise of the article has it right; we're at war because Islam wants to conquer the World and impose its religion on everyone.
This guy just had to throw in the right didn't he? The only people I have heard blaming America and stating the terrorists are "protecting" their culture are the left wing. The right wingers who are against TV violence(or media violence to be exact)are concerned about the rise of violence(non muslim)and are NOT blaming America but the meida industry.
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