I think that phrase just is a duplicitous tool in this war, designed to cripple accusations that we are engaging in a war on Islam, and the damage it does us is negligible. This war involves many such deceptions in order to deny or enemy assistance from sympathizers around the world who are likely to gravitate toward the underdog and view our wealth as somehow being oppressive.
We don’t need the rest of the world to defeat these facists, but we don't need them all aligned against us. Hang tough, we're just reloading…
Kind of reminds you of Larry Niven's "Kzin" or Star Trek's "Klingons" doesn't it?
I agree with everything except this part.
Spellcheck is our enemy...
But the most preposterous idea is that the Franks had anything to do with the Reconquista in Spain. That was, in fact, done by the Cornish. The Gallegos had stopped the Moslems from entering NW Spain. Later on, when the Britons were being driven out of Brittain by the Anglo-Saxon hordes, they moved back to Spain from whence their ancestors had first come in or about 700 BC. Many also went to Brittany and restarted civilization on the European mainland.
King San Cho Noe (Sancho I) established Castile and Leon. But for the Franks and their kindred, his heirs could probably have taken the whole of Europe and organized a proper campaign to drive the Moslems out of not only Spain but also North Africa, Egypt, Syria and even Turkey!
Credit should be given where due.
From this particular cynic's corner, the prospect doesn't sadden me. I say bring it on. Don't the enviros keep telling us there are too many people on the planet? Well I say let's blow it all up and let the survivors, if any, figure out how to start over. The enviros, what's left of them, will be happy there are far fewer people. The Libertarians will be happy there's no government. If the rest of us are lucky, no Dems/Leftists will survive. And we can all be happy there are no more taxes.
This is an exception. It's very well written, informative and highly interesting.
Most excellent job friend.
Let's recognize the role of the Byzantines in stanching the Islamic tide for almost 800 years. They were the only Christian superpower after Charlemagne's empire disintegrated and they held the line; protecting the Balkans from invasion. Eventually Constantinople fell and the Turks surged forward but Western Christendom had had time to emerge as a power and were able to stop and roll back the tide though it took 450 years.
It's the Saudis who are really interested in an Islamic Empire. Saddam and Gadhafi are basically socialist dictators. They are to Islam as Hitler was to Christianity: they're happy to use Islam for political purposes, but their real religion is their own power. If they weren't 1500 miles apart, they'd be at each others' throats, too.
I disagree with the following though:
nor are they patient enough to wait until they are strong enough, before they strike
There is plenty of evidence that Islam is learning patience. One example is the terrorist cells in this country that lead up to the 9/11 attacks. It is particularily unsettling that they had the patience to wait around for several years before attacking. Another example is how French culture is slowly disappearing as the European French abort themselves out of existance while the Arab French are having large families and are not adopting to traditional French culture.
I'm afraid that they've come to the realization that the West cannot be beaten in a direct frontal attack.
People think that it is hard to do but it is not. Think about it:
Walk a homicide bomber onto the subway of NY City and blow it. How many will ride the sub tomorrow? Put a homicide bomber to just WALK UP to various terminals, outside with the crowds, just inside the terminals where security is not looking yet, and blow it. How many people will show up tomorrow if say they blew one at the same time at JFK, Dulles, Atlanta, O'Hare, LAX, SF, etc. It is not that hard to do. Then have them walk into a couple of the larger malls of America, like the one in Minnesota and simply set it off. Who goes to the malls tomorrow? NO ONE! Or, set on off on the ferries in NY, SF or the large ones on Puget Sound here in Seattle. The WA state ferries carry over 25,000 commuters each day. Blow one bomb on one of the larger vessels and the entire system shuts down. Blow a couple in cars on some of the larger bridges, Brooklyn, Golden Gate, etc, and see how many people will want to cross tomorrow.
It is all about causing terror. It is about damaging our economy. If they have the bombers in place and have the bombs, they will do this and more and they WILL use them. They could practically shut the country down with a couple of days or waves of bombings. IT IS NOT THAT HARD TO DO. And, they have the experience with this stuff. It is their MAIN weapon to use against us. They have no navy, no real army, no air force in which to use to hit us. So, they use bodies packed with bombs.
This points to the West's main problem. We have become, by and large, practical atheists. Liberalism is akin to color-blindness in that it is dead to the spiritual dimension in life.