Posted on 09/11/2001 9:05:34 PM PDT by Francis
President George W. Bush campaigned as a "compassionate conservative." I suggest that this situation calls for a man without compassion, and not conservative, but radical in his response. We have had a warlike attack launched against our nation, and I believe it requires a warlike response consistent with our position as the only world superpower.
The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was a clear example of a massive failure of intelligence. A decade later it there was another intelligence failure in Korea, where the North Koreans were able to mount a large attack on South Korea, and the United States was totally unaware, unexpected, without warning.
A week ago I wrote about the United States becoming a one party nation. Political Party loyalty is nowhere to be found. The leadership of the intelligence agencies under the Clinton administration are still in place, and, it appears that President Bush believes that they are serving him. A few weeks ago, Louis Freeh, departing Director of the FBI was given a rousing cheer in his final appearance before congress. I have no reason to believe that the new Director, a man so important that I don't know his name, is going to do a better job. The Director of the CIA has presided over some unbelievable intelligence failures, and President Bush smiles.
Senator Richard Shelby has been Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, a group to oversee our intelligence agencies. During his years in that position there have been many large intelligence fiascoes. In every case, he deplores the incidents and wrings his hands. It is my opinion that he believes that intelligence oversight means that he should go to a window in the Capitol, and look out over the Washington skyline. Ooooops! Here he is on television, and he doesn't know - anything.
By mid-afternoon, television and radio discussions turned to speculation about who was responsible. Without exception, all of the former top government officials said that we can't declare war since we don't know who is responsible. This was a very large, well coordinated, well financed attack by a large number of well trained people. They did not operate in a vacuum; they operated with the knowledge and probably the support of Some nation. We should know the name of that nation; we should take retaliatory action on that nation as befits a superpower, and - soon.
This was all reported around the world, as everything is in this Information Age. Various world leaders had words of regret and condolence for the casualties and families. The scene in Palestine was sharply different. People we dancing in the street and cheering this major catastrophe. They hate us with a passion. At the same time, we have supported them for many years. I hope that the President and congress make sure that they get no, I repeat no further support from the U.S., in any form.
My last point is the failure of airport security. Most Americans believe that the days of airplane hijackings is long past, the problem solved. I was never convinced. Two weeks ago I wrote a few sentences about what I see as a double standard, one that has been going on for many years. When I take a flight, they want to see my photo ID. Simultaneously Mexicans walk across the border and enter the United States, illegally, and with no ID at all, are allowed to buy a ticket and fly across the country. It was reported that American Airlines have been especially lax in screening passengers for their flights.
It is time for some changes.
President Bush must immediately order a retaliatory attack on five terrorist guerilla camps in countries harboring terrorists - 4 hits for the planes hijacked, and one extra hit. One site should be the Taliban-controlled territory, a center of international terrorism where Osama bin Laden is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime . The other four should be determined by that countries unwillingness to turn over known terrorists.
They think that we are weak and won't strike back as hard as they hit us.
We're about to prove them to be wrong.
In the future, our retaliation should be so feared that we don't have to worry about other attacks.
I want deterence, not reconnaissance. Force, not policing.
Perhaps it is once again time to release her, and possibly even allow a few of her younger friends to join in our wrath as well.
I don't want a surgical strike. I want retribution. Wholesale slaughter, if that's what it takes.
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