Posted on 06/14/2004 5:42:21 AM PDT by quidnunc
As long as the mythical Athenians were willing to send, every nine years, seven maidens and seven young men down to King Minos's monster in the labyrinth, Athens was left alone by the Cretan fleet. The king rightly figured that harvesting just enough Athenians would remind them of their subservience without leading to open rebellion — as long as somebody impetuous like a Theseus didn't show up to wreck the arrangement.
Ever since the storming of the Tehran embassy in November 1979 we Americans have been paying the same sort of human tribute to grotesque Islamofascists. Over the last 25 years a few hundred of our own were cut down in Lebanon, East Africa, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Yemen, and New York on a semi-annual basis, even as the rules of the tribute to be paid — never spoken, but always understood — were rigorously followed.
In exchange for our not retaliating in any meaningful way against the killers — addressing their sanctuaries in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, or Syria, or severing their financial links in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia — Hezbollah, al Qaeda, and their various state-sanctioned kindred operatives agreed to keep the number killed to reasonable levels. They were to reap their lethal harvests abroad and confine them mostly to professional diplomats, soldiers, or bumbling tourists, whose disappearance we distracted Americans would predictably chalk up to the perils of foreign service and exotic travel.
Despite the occasional fiery rhetoric, both sides found the informal Minoan arrangement mutually beneficial. The terrorists believed that they were ever so incrementally, ever so insidiously eroding America's commitment to a pro-Western Middle East. We offered our annual tribute so that over the decades we could go from Dallas to Extreme Makeover and Madonna to Britney without too much distraction or inconvenience.
But then a greedy, over-reaching bin Laden wrecked the agreement on September 11. Or did he?
Murdering 3,000 Americans, destroying a city block in Manhattan, and setting fire to the Pentagon were all pretty tough stuff. And for a while it won fascists and their state sponsors an even tougher response in Afghanistan and Iraq that sent hundreds to caves and thousands more to paradise. And when we have gotten serious in the postbellum reconstruction, thugs like Mr. Sadr have backed down. But before we gloat and think that we've overcome our prior laxity and proclivity for appeasement, let us first make sure we are not still captives to the Minotaur's logic.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
FYI
Absolutely brilliant! This says it all.
Sadly, too true. The only hope is for Bush to win a 2nd term and not feel compelled to feed the minatour once he is reelected.
And crush it once and for all.
Great article. Brilliant!
1) the European mind, and that of its aping American elite
2) the hyper sophisticated and cynical
3 )Aristocratic and very wealthy Democrats
4) A jester in stripes like Michael Moore, who cannot tell the truth
I only have one problem with one phrase out of one sentence in the whole piece:
We have the best 500,000 soldiers in the history of civilization, a resolute president, and an informed citizenry that has already received a terrible preemptive blow that killed thousands.I don't want to sound elitist, but I am no so sure about the "informed citizenry" part. I hope that the American people "get it", but some of the polls (even if off by 10 points) seems to indicate that this country doesn't get it.
Emphasis Added.
That a guy like John Kerry could even be within 20 points of the President is astounding to me. Why? Because we are having trouble in Iraq? That seems to be the favorite explanation. And, that is really at the heart of my concern.
The War in Iraq is really a "battle" in a larger war...the War on Terror. The American people, through the steadfast efforts of the democrat party and the partisan media, still don't seem to connect the two. In addition, the media's steadfast refusal to acknowledge the existing proof on Iraqi WMDs and Iraq-Al Qaeda (and even fairly solid Iraq-9/11) connections has given the American people some doubt that we are doing the "right thing". Add into the mix the incessant focus on Abu Ghraib and a wholly false impression is being conveyed to the American public.
Whether they consume it or not is the interesting question.
If it is, indeed, a media-created "tight race" and the American public doesn't buy it, the mass media is totally done. And, I do understand that they have been increasingly marginalized with the rise of FOX News, but many Americans still actually believe what Dan, Petah, and Tom say every night. They simply don't percieve --for whatever reason-- the left-wing agenda that each of these talking heads spew each night.
But, would those partisan media players be willingly to put their ever-so-cherish "credibility" on the line? I think so.
The blind hatred they have for the President Bush and their near-genetic desire to see the US brought low is probably more powerful than their concern for their own credibility. I can only hope that the American people are, indeed, informed. I can do my part (and I am...see my Email Jihad).
I guess that is as much as I can do.
Ping.
"threaten, hit, pause, wait; threaten, hit, pause, wait"
What is the difference between pause and wait?
I agree 100% with this, but what Hanson and many others fail to explain or suggest is HOW to employ the strategy for victory over the enemy, HOW and WHERE to engage him with our superior force, HOW to vanquish him once and for all.
"their babble about the Reconquista"
It is not babble; it is happening right now, due to immigration, just as Mexico is re-conquering the American Southwest through immigration.
You've written a well-developed analysis that reflects my own thinking on these matters. It will be compelling, to say the least, to see whether the majority of the people in this country are able to wade through the outright lies that are foisted on us daily by the mendacious media or if they will allow themselves to be hornswaggled into accepting defeat in the war on terror (and everything else).
I must say, the Reagan funeral was intriguing. The adoration that Reagan received was a complete surprise and mystery to the malevolent leftists in the mendacious media. Perhaps there ARE enough decent people remaining in this country who'll recognize that a vote for JohnEffinKerry would be a national calamity of unprecendented proportions.
Time will tell...
Being simple minded I offer a simple solution: Any country that spawns a terrorist, get one male and one female baby from that country..place them in a small boat offshore. Load all B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers with nuclear bombs, carpet bomb the entire country. One bomb must be saved for the return trip to the USA. You guessed right, that bomb is for that small boat. SF
As was the popularity (word?) of The Passion of the Christ. It does not equate with the upcoming election or Reagan's death and memorial. But, it does seem similar enough to point out that the movie seems to have similar root causes and results: media naysaying/engineering vs. a contrary popular decision.
A good example of what he is talking about as far as our elites being soft and weak is found in this article by John Arquilla, who works as a professor at the US Naval Postgraduate School out in California. Your tax dollars at work.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1148832/posts#1
Should the United States give peace a chance in war on terrorism? (surrender to Bin Laden!)
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | June 6, 2004 | John Arquilla
Posted on 06/06/2004 7:12:52 PM PDT by FairOpinion
But why should we negotiate at all during this terror war?
Because our scant alternatives look problematic. Outright victory -- i. e., forcing an end to terrorism -- is very unlikely.
Bump for later reading!
"HOW and WHERE to engage him with our superior force, HOW to vanquish him once and for all."
Nuke Mecca. That should put the kibosh on their whole belief system, what with destroying the moon rock and the black rock. Mecca cannot be destroyed unless Allah wills it, so if it is destroyed, it must be Allah's will.
You belong elsewhere. Such outrageous comments are the stuff used to discredit FreeRepublic. Spew them elsewhere, please, you're stinking up my FR home.
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