I am so damned pissed off. I haven't had time to write many pieces for “The Way I See It” lately and now I've got about 5 subjects that I've really gotten fed up with. I guess it's time to speak again.
However, the recent terrorist attacks in London have taken precedent over anything else right now, so the others will have to wait.
We all knew it was coming – we just didn't know how or when.
You all know how I feel about the Brits. They are our allies. They are our friends. They are our brothers.
We all know how tragic these despicable terrorists have been and that our hearts and prayers go out to all of those affected by these terrible, tragic acts of violence against innocents.
I can only hope that these bombings in some way produce something good from this tragedy. It is my opinion that a life lost in vain is truly lost but that a life lost, out which something good emerges, no matter how small, is never lost but in turn honors those who have perished.
Where can there be good in this?
The most obvious is that, as a result, there will be knowledge gained to prevent further similar attacks and that the perpetrators, operators and organizers of the attacks will be caught and stopped dead in their tracks. I know the boys from Hereford, Scotland yard and MI5 are doing so as I speak.
I do believe that this terrorist attack should also serve as another wake up call to the West. To remind us of the determination, the resolve and the evil disregard for human life that this enemy – our common-enemy does indeed possess.
As I have stated before, This is a War of Civilizations. Granted, the majority of the Islamic faith is not actively taking up arms against the West or Christianity. However, it would seem that the majority of the Islamic faith does tolerate, condone and even admires those who do. These, non-militant Muslims have allowed their faith to be hijacked and convoluted into a tool which forces them to take sides. Just as President Bush said and I paraphrase, “You're either with me or with the terrorists.” So it is with Islam. The radical Mullahs and Imans have forced Muslims into a corner. “You are either with the true believers or the infidels.”
Because of this rigid interpretation of the Koran and indeed it can be interpreted this way, moderate Muslims are forced to side with their faith. Now, I may be simplifying this and yes there are many other factors, but this predicament plays a huge role in the Islamic point of view.
The Muslim faith needs powerful leaders who will stand up to this militant, jihadist faction of Islam and take back control of their own faith. It is sad though, that those who have taken a strong, moderate, stance usually end up getting shot or blown up by suicide bombers. It has happened time and time again.
So where does that leave us. I liken it to a cancer in the human body. If it is let to grow then eventually it infects the entire system and death is the result. If it is caught early enough it can be eradicated – not contained – for it will grow back. But if it is hit early, and hit hard with all available means, the cancer can be killed.
It has now been several years since 9/11 and though none of us has forgotten, there are those in our government and in other countries whose stances have softened.
There are those in our Government who are now positioning themselves for further political position and gain. They have, and will, do so at any cost. Their hatred of the current administration and our President (in their mind) justifies sacrificing and undermining even the security of this country.
This is not a conventional war against a conventional enemy. There is no middle ground – no paris peace talks, no leaders to reason or strike bargains with. Hell, there is no reason involved. We are up against a fanatical, religiously driven enemy. As is the case with most religions – you either believe what I believe or you are wrong. The difference, fundamentally, is this, “I can live with Islam. They can not live with us.”
We have had many great successes in this war on terror. Most of the senior Al Qaeda organization has been captured or killed, three thousand in the last 4 years. There are fledgling (struggling) democracies in two Arab nations. Libya has given up their nuclear weapons programs. Syria has pulled out of Lebanon and there are democratic elections in Palestine. We have taken down Al Queda cells in 124 different countries – 124, and there has not been another major terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
But in spite of these sucesses, just like Britain, we know one is coming, we just don't know how or when. Like I just said, this is not a conventional enemy. This is not a conventional war. We can not look at bringing down it's economy, destroying it's war fighting capability or defeating it's troops in battle. There are no war room maps with generals moving flags about on the “big board.” This enemy is like keeping a cobra in a box. You reach in the box today, or a year from now, and when it bites, its just as deadly now as it will always be. The only way to make it safe is to kill it.
I urge everyone who reads this to take up this voice. Let the generals run the war. They know the stakes. They know the consequences and they know the cost. They know how to win. The politicians know how to get reelected. Do not let it be at the cost of defeating this enemy.
London has brought it home again for us. The enemy soldiers are out there and they are waiting. We can not let down our guard. We can not soften our stance. We can not weaken our resolve. There is one absolute certainty here, where I say that there is no debate and it is cast in stone: We Must Strike Them Before They Strike Us. We must be relentless and brutal in our pursuit of this evil that stalks us until it is eradicated.
We owe it to those who have come before us, who gave their lives selflessly to protect our freedom and our way of life. We owe it to those who have sacrificed themselves in this current war on terror. We owe it to our children and their children. We owe it to the future of Life, Liberty, Freedom and Goodness upon this Earth.
