THE WAR IS CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF INTEREST

7/23/2002 | Texasforever

[Texasforever]

THE WAR IS CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF INTEREST

We are a little more than a month away from the 1st anniversary of 911 and I am sure that the media is gearing up for a deluge of heart rending retrospectives and for a few hours Americans will turn from the stock market and remember that long ago event with not a dry eye to be found. I say “long ago” because on American time, a year is ancient history. We vaguely remember that we fought a 3-month campaign in Afghanistan that may have killed Bin Laden but even that is unknown at the moment. We vaguely remember the anthrax mailings and the President’s speech in which he declared war on terrorism and that the war would be long and for the most part not a television event. We will vaguely remember the flood of patriotic feelings and calls for citizen participation in a war to save our civilization against an enemy that wanted to kill us and did so by the thousands.

In the weeks and months following 911, the American people were shocked into an awareness of danger that can only be described as a nerve laid bare. We accepted the fact that air travel was going to be more inconvenient and that the need for added security measures in all areas would need to be tightened up. As 911 receded and the TV action in Afghanistan gradually withdrew to be replaced by the Enron collapse and the mundane day to day events that were so common pre 911, a sense of comfort started to seep back into our lives. It has been almost a year since the last attack and we are beginning to wonder if all of this inconvenience is required. Many people from the entire political spectrum are also now asking if the government and especially this administration are using a year old event to expand government intrusion into the lives of average citizens. To make their point they cite every step the government takes to strengthen security as either unworkable, an over reaction or a sinister plot. You would be hard pressed to point to one government action that has been taken that has been viewed as positive from the media and pundits.

The administration is pilloried for issuing too many warnings, not enough warnings and the non-specificity of any of the warnings. All new laws passed are immediately interpreted as a threat, not to terrorists that may be in our midst, but to the citizens of this country. Volunteer efforts are not exempt from this onslaught with the “TIPS” program a prime example of equating a telephone tip line to the East German Stasi. The big news now is how to protect the constitutional rights of terrorist suspects. What this tells me is that many people are ready to “declare victory” and get back to our comfortable pre-911 lives. That certainly would calm the nerves of many that fear the government more than the terrorists that seem to have given up and gone home. It could be that President Bush was wrong and the war was actually only 3 months long and that any further action will be far away from our shores as we have come to expect.

I would truly hate to be in the shoes of this or any other president given public’s loss of urgency in the War on Terror. If he actually believes, based on all information given to him that there remains a serious threat to the country and he does not take the steps he and his advisors deem necessary and an attack succeeds, he is through as president and with him his party and depending on the nature of the attack maybe the country. If he does take the steps required he is in the situation he faces today, a public that has decided that an attack unmade is a threat not real and it is time to go back to our comfortable slumber unencumbered by needless and “dangerous” laws and government intrusion and inconvenience. There is validity in fearing expansion of government and the attendant powers it assumes. That is always a threat from any government ever conceived by man. That fear is sometimes tempered by an external threat dire enough to balance the fear of our own government against the fear of the external threat such as terrorism. I sense that the external threat is no longer perceived as strong enough in the War on Terror to keep the perception of being at war. Without television coverage of bombs dropping and anti-aircraft fire in ghostly green streamers and Pentagon press conferences war is not a state many feel the country is in.

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. For a short 5 months there was a battleground, it was in downtown Manhattan and in our nation’s capitol. It was on an airplane that was headed for the White House and brought down by ordinary citizens fighting an identifiable enemy. It was in Afghanistan complete with Pentagon Briefings and eerie green battle scenes. That was war. But that was long ago and far away. The new War, in the minds of many, is now called, “The War on Our Civil Liberties” and is now being fought on the familiar battleground of politics and agendas. It is a war against the possible abuses of a government that many people are far more afraid of than an enemy that appears to have given up. They may be right. I pray they are.

[general_re]

Well I can't disagree with that post

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...

[AntiGuv]

Perhaps if America wasn't out fighting everyone else's wars for them, then we wouldn't have insane Muslim terrorists trying to kill us. As Pat Buchanan basically said: If the price of empire is our own freedom, then give up the empire.

http://www.theamericancause.org/patwhatprice.htm

September 11 represents a turning point in our nation's history, and I hope that after this initial shock passes, that turning point means getting the Federal government out of other people's business, and getting the Federal government out of our business.

[Texasforever]

Yeah Pat has the answers. dripping Sarcasm.

[cva66snipe]

Blame the politicans for it for trying to fight Kinder and Gentler Wars. Yes I said that. If we had fought Italy, Japan, and Germany, like we are fighting now we would have lost. To be exact we sacraficed three wars to the Kinder and Gentler War concept. To put it in words and context it's meant to be in. War is Hell. It knows no innocents. You do not go in and try to judge who's who in a given area you take the area out with the least harm to your own. Says who you ask? My source would indeed suprise you. A moral war is one with a clear defined goal of victory and not a limited smack on the wrist to your enemy. That lesson was forgotten by our leaders in Korea, Nam, and The Gulf War. We purposely tied the very hands of the warriors we sent to fight just as we do now. Worse we as a nation judged them worse than our enemy we were fighting if they did not hold to this insane policy of fighting the war in a politically correct manner. For that we paid a price of still having our enemy to torment us. They laugh at our leaders lack of resolve and test it often.

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.

[Mo1]

Well I have been know to be cynic also ..

I don't think it will be a set up .. I think most americans know there is a very good chance of being hit again .. I just think most are trying to live normal lives again and not live in fear

[cva66snipe]

BTW if this offends anyone the act done upon our nation on 9/11 offends me. I just disagree in the method being used to resolve the matter.

[gunshy]

Like I said, the ends justifies the means. It's just politics.

[Mo1]

FOFL

[bluefish]

...because we're too damn shortsighted to put up with even the minor inconveniences of having our bags searched before getting on a plane.

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.

[Texasforever]

The complaints are centered around the 80 year old granny strip searches, stories of the national guard carrying empty guns in the airport,

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?

[Texasforever]

Like I said, the ends justifies the means. It's just politics.

How do you argue with "logic" like that?

[bluefish]

Much of what I wrote in post 49 may seem as if I'm forgiving the way the "war" is being fought behind my juxtaposed scenes. I'm not necessarily, and I am much in agreement with you. I think that our ability to instantly analyze every word as it hits print or is spoken causes us to overreact to some things that occur and also forces the adminstration to fight this war in a very different manner than past wars. We are jumping on bits of news before they are even complete, while in the past these bits of news cambe back to us weeks or months after they occurred. I question whether we are in a forest / trees scenario. The older, seasoned advisors for Bush may well be executing a multi-month or multi-year plan the way a chess player exercises his plan. We often criticize the loss of a pawn, but have no idea what the true game plan is on the part of the player. Obviously, that player cannot announce those plans and may even throw them off with a false loss on occassion.

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.

[bluefish]

As to the blue haired granny, how much of that is urban legend?

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.

[cva66snipe]

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.

Agreed

[tomkat]

BTW if this offends anyone ...

quite the contrary !
IM/HO, your strategic perspective is absolutely correct.

[Sabertooth]

It has been almost a year since the last attack and we are beginning to wonder if all of this inconvenience is required.

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.

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.

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.

You didn't ping me? I'm crushed!

[Sabertooth]

As to the blue haired granny, how much of that is urban legend?

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.

[nopardons]

B-R-A-V-O ! Well thought out, well written, and right on ALL points.

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 ! :-)

[nopardons]

Right you are; as usual !

[nopardons]

And you idiot fringers, look more and more exactly what you are, dear, and it isn't wise, intelligent, thoughtful, knowing, nor well educated. :-)