Posted on 12/04/2005 4:42:28 PM PST by RWR8189
In a series of recent speeches to the American people, President Bush has sought to equate the current terrorist threat with the 20th-century menace of communist totalitarianism. His case is that the terrorist challenge is global in scope, "evil" in nature, ruthless toward its foes, and eager to control every aspect of life and thought. Thus, he argues, the battle against terrorism demands nothing "less than a complete victory."
In making this case, the president has repeatedly invoked the adjective "Islamic" when referring to terrorism and he has compared the "murderous ideology of Islamic radicalism" to the ideology of communism.
Is the president historically right in his diagnosis of the allegedly similar dangers posed by Islamic extremism and by totalitarian communism? The differences between the two may be more telling than their similarities. And is he wise to be expounding such a thesis?
By asserting that Islamic extremism, "like the ideology of communism . . . is the great challenge of our new century," Bush is implicitly elevating Osama bin Laden's stature and historic significance to the level of figures such as Lenin, Stalin or Mao. And that suggests, in turn, that the fugitive Saudi dissident hiding in some cave (or perhaps even deceased) has been articulating a doctrine of universal significance. Underlying the president's analogy is the proposition that bin Laden's "jihad" has the potential for dominating the minds and hearts of hundreds of millions of people across national and even religious boundaries. That is quite a compliment to bin Laden, but it isn't justified. The "Islamic" jihad is, at best, a fragmented and limited movement that hardly resonates in most of the world.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Both Islam and Communism elevate the group over the individual. In both, the individual's purpose is to advance the goals of the group (State, Ummah, whatever) rather than the group existing to create a safe environment for the individual to work on his own goals
Well, Brzezinski,I can't seem to remember Lenin, Stalin or Mao ever being so bold as to murder 3,000 Americans, right here at home. Perhaps you, Sir, and all those others of your ilk are just too stupid to recognize the magnatude of the threat represented by the terrorist Islamites.
Preaching to the choir, my friend...
The threat, Zbig, sir, is even greater. The Soviets had never colonized the West as the Islam has, even if they succeeded in infiltrating all of our institutions. The threat is not as much from the bombings in Western Europe and elsewhere, or other military actions, it is from the cultural change, sir, that is happening right before your rose colored glasses. Dude!.
They are both left-wing and opposed to freedom:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1533980/posts?page=32
Have anything in common? Yes indeed - they both utilize the Useful Idiots of the American left.
Liberals think "Islam" means "peace." Actually it means "submission." Muslims believe "peace" will be achieved when the world submits to their false idol. Likewise the leftist peaceniks believe peace will be achieved by crushing resistance to international socialism.
Actually, he was the architect of Jimmy Carter's incompetent response. The US boycotted the Moscow Olympics, while the Soviets used airstrikes and armor thrusts to destroy all opposition. The Soviets managed to drive the Muhadeem out. Those who were still ready to resist were refugees in Pakistan. Some of those took solace in ever more extreme variants of Islam. Osama Bin Laden was one of those.
Then Ronaldo Magnus provided some special forces training and Stinger missiles. A courageous decision, because if a lost Stinger took down a US commercial aircraft......
The Soviets were driven out. Without air support, the mujadeen could hold the high ground. From the high ground they could dominate the routes from Kabul. After 40,000 casualties, the Soviets withdrew.
That success, helping Afghans drive out the Soviets earned the US the emnity of Bin Laden. Bin Laden sought to use suicide bombers and terror attacks to drive out the Soviets, and was shown to be unsuccessful. The embarassment of losing that competion drove him further over the edge.
Pakistan's intelligence service invented the Taliban to prevent friendly relations between Afghanistan and India. The Taliban invited Bin Laden, in part for the large bribes that they expected from him.
The folks who took back Kabul from the Soviets: The Northern Alliance, who once again allied with the US to drive out a foreign backed invader.
Plusque ca change, plusque le meme chose.
He speaks of Communism as an ideology with great intellectual appeal while trying to distant it from its "criminal" cousin, Islamism. He ignores the similar tactics of each, threats and violence, as he elevates Communism while insisting they are different. He ignores that both are exclusionary, not allowing competing parties or ideas. More Carter era baloney.
It's like he sees the truth, but then it's just too much for him to comprehend and he just decides he must discount the truth because it's too much for him to accept. Communism is totalitarian, Islam is totalitarian. They both DO dominate minds and hearts of hundreds of millions across national boundaries. He doesn't explain why Islamofacism must appeal across religious boundaries...isn't 1.3 Billion muslims a large enough base to draw from?! And even then, the Left in the US are quickly getting into bed with the Islamofacists, probably because they don't see the danger anymore than ZB does, as well as the fact that they hate Christians more than they fear the terrorists. Their icons such as Michael Moore say there is no terrorist threat.
Well, the Iran-Iraq war had casualties well over a million, plus at least 300,000 to 600,000 of his own people (depending on who you believe)
I suppose, to use a line from our favorite impeached disgraced/disbarred ex-president, depends on what the meaning of "responsible" is...:)
But I do see your point.
We are in agreement on that!
A Communist is a Socialist with a gun who is willing to use the gun to enforce his point of view.
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.