Posted on 07/23/2002 8:06:27 PM PDT by Texasforever
LOL - let me hasten to say that I hope I'm wrong also, but the cynic in me says we're setting ourselves up for another fall if we lose sight of what we're doing...
If we're going to talk war let's define it. I find no better definitions of war than by pehaps the greatest military general to grace this earth. When he fought to win he won. His battle plan was given to him and he left death and destruction in his wake. His hands were not tied in a PC mire of special rules of engagement. His name was Joshua. Our leaders would do this nation a big service to learn his stratagies and use them.
Yes this is the way wars have been fought for centuries. Up till the mid part of this century to be exact. Funny we spared not even our own brothers & sons not so long ago in our nations history in a civil war. Why? Because we considered the belief or disagreement worth fighting for AT ALL COST!
Now we base our enemy on some vauge report of factions within a nation listed on a state department report? If the nation harbors them the nation is our enemy. THAT IS WAR. You destroy that nation with a vengance. The next nation wanting to cross you thinks twice. I suspect this post to have a short life. But the subject of war was brought up and I think this serves as a reminder to just how far we are off course on this matter of our nations survival.
I'm afraid I disagree with your perspective. I believe most people were impacted enough by 911 to have willingly accepted some inconvenience. They have allowed much more than would have ever been suggested out loud prior to 911 because of the ongoing mantra: "But times are different now." Most of the complaints lodged against the completely ineffective, PC oriented way in which we SEEM to be carrying out much of our "Homeland Security" efforts. On the surface, the entire monstrous department / agency (what is it at this point?) appears to be all for show with respect to actually accomplishing anything, save for the occassional proposal float like granting police powers to the military, which seems exceptionally contrary to what this country was always about.
The complaints are centered around the 80 year old granny strip searches, stories of the national guard carrying empty guns in the airport, the refusal to allow pilots to carry guns, etc., while Visas are renewed for the actual terrorists who flew those planes on 911! This is what people are getting fed up with. They are seeing themselves inconvenienced, but very little inconvenience for a would-be terrorist. Unfortunately, most of the general public is probably clamoring for even more Constitution dismantling in the name of fighting terror. Intricate foreign policy issues and fundamental questions of governance from a philosophical perspective are really only dealt with here on FR on one side of the fence, or by the even more power mad liberals on the other.
Personally, do fear much of what we see happening in the name of fighting terror. Having said that though, I will suggest that we simply aren't going to be privy to much of the real terror war that is being fought behind the scenes anyway. I trust many elements of this war are successful and we will never know about it. Bush was brutally honest in his coming out speech when he told us as much. Bits and pieces of the hidden efforts may be deduced after the fact.
By and large, we are left to debate only those elements of the war that the powers that be have chosen to make public, and those public pronouncements are meant to soothe or mislead one party or another.
I laugh to myself at the extreme reactiosn to a headline or public pronouncement that we often have here - especially when the topic is one handled by the Executive Branch or the State Department. The reality is, the very things we often react to could be nothing more than smokescreens.
I do get wary however when Congress jumps in with new laws, whether they are for their own political posturing or they are simply rubberstamping administration proposals. It is the overwhelming passage of laws that should scare us all, because it is so difficult to reverse them. Rights sacrificed now are most likely rights sacrificed forever, and those that dismiss this are simply naive or too blind to recognize that a less friendly administration will be operating under those laws some day. MY complaining is directed at not doing enough with the actual laws and power that the authorities already have.
This one jumped out at me because of the hysteria about modifying the PCA to allow just that. The reason given for the unloaded guns was that the white House lawyers said loaded weopens may violate the Posse Comitatus act. As to the blue haired granny, how much of that is urban legend?
How do you argue with "logic" like that?
Perhaps things like the Internet, 24 Hr. News, FR and the like has given us all too much ability to play armchair general? I don't know, but I've concluded that I have no idea what is really going on and I can't pretend that I do any longer.
I'm sure that to some degree, it is a rhetorical example created to make a fact and as such, there is probably much exaggeration. I do recall the old French dude that got arrested for dropping his drawers at seeming overabuse on the part of the screeners and I have seen a few actual scattered news reports about an old lady with a metal knee being strip searched. Otherwise, I don't know.
Agreed
quite the contrary !
IM/HO, your strategic perspective is absolutely correct.
One thing we have learned is that no war, without public support and cohesiveness of purpose, can be won and certainly not a war that is without a defined battleground and an easily identifiable enemy that is what we are used to and that image is ingrained in our national psyche.Setting aside those on the fringes, I think this comment is true for folks who perceive a skewed sense of priorites in the application of inconveniences. We hear "Islam is peace," and Secretary Mineta tiptoes around every politically correct sensiblity rather than take the common sense measures necessary to make airlines more secure.
I believe I read a criticism of Netanyahu's, where he said, "In Israel we screen for terrorists, in America you screen for weapons." I think the aphorism is apt, and I think it's the source of much of the criticism you refer to.
Well there's the dilemma.
We're at war with this amorphous concept called "terror." Or so we've said.
I happen to believe that we're at war with all of Islam... if not this time, then next time, or the next. But we can't really come right out and say that yet. Better to fight the "Clash of Civilizations" one Moslem terror state at a time.
I do have my doubts as to whether or not President Bush is of that view, but it's really moot at the moment. We wouldn't want to telegraph the punch anyway.
In any case, I think a lot of your worries are unfounded...
The war is going to Iraq, and things are going to get a lot more interesting... and probably scary.
My 14 year-old daughter had her shoes checked and got wanded going in and out of Puerto Rico last December, but young dark-skinned, dark-haired men didn't get the same treatment.
When so many , are so used to rapid fire movies, T.V. shows, were raised on garbage, such as " SESAME STREET " and other kiddie programs, where an attention span , of any depth , is a handicap, then what else can one expect, than for 9/11 to be now " ancient history ", facts of no matter, and consiquences be damned; it's the " here and now " crowd mentality. This, unfortunately, is nothing new. The Nam War was the precursor. The Gulf War, the epitome of in / out , did that, little blood spilled, no harm/ no foul. Tidy war, and a quick one, is all that matters. On to the next war / scandal / gossip. Quick, quick, quick, channel searching as " real life ", and now ....... for something completely different !
This bodes ill, for OBL, the al Qaeda, and other enemies ( including the Dems ! ) , have patence, bide their time, don't care if their goals take 50, 60, or even 100 years to facillitate. Look at so many of the posts on FR ; after even only a few months, so many were chaffing at the bit, to get rid of President Bush. Instant this, and instant that,not to mention Dr. Spock's disasterous child rearing advice, to give children what they want, before they know that they want it, has led to such a banal, infantile thought process .
Your editorial was great, my friend ! :-)
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