Roadmap & other ways to lose War Against Islamism

[ibrodsky]

We are losing the War Against Islamism. Here are the Top Ten reasons:

1. Our leaders, after telling us how important clearly defined objectives are to military action, are afraid to identify the enemy. Several recent editorials have pointed out that saying we are at war with terrorists avoids the real issue. We are at War with Islamism, a.k.a. 21st century Nazism.

2. The Europeans gave The Father of Modern Terrorism a Noble Peace Prize for his yeoman's efforts killing Jews. The Arab world idolizes him. President Bush said the Palestinians need leaders "not compromised by terror" (a wishy washy formulation) but pressures Israel not to expel or kill Arafat.

3. The President went to the UN and told them, in a gutsy speech, that if they do not act on Iraq they will pass into irrelevancy. They did not act on Iraq. Now he is crawling to the UN asking them to help stablize Iraq.

4. We deposed the Taliban and Baathist regimes but instead of pressing on in the war against Arab/Islamist terrorist totalitarianism we let oursleves get caught up in the "nation building" the administration once (correctly) dismissed.

5. For two years we have exempted Arab terrorists killing Israelis from the War against Islamism.

6. We keep our one loyal and reliable ally in the War Against Islamism, Israel, at arm's length so as not to offend the oil-rich, hate-spewing Arab totalitarian regimes.

7. We search little old ladies from Wichita at the airport so as not to appear biased against angry young Arab men.

8. We seek the input of Islamists and cater to their bigotry. One of the most disturbing examples: a play called "Paradise" cancelled by the Cincinnati Playhouse. See

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0203/ingraham020503.asp

for the infuriating details.

9. We urge Israel to show restraint in fighting this evil.

10. We have armed Egypt and Saudi Arabia to the teeth. We have unsuccessfully lobbied Russia to stop helping Iran develop nukes. Once they have nukes the Islamists will be able to blackmail the civilized world.

[cerulean]

All of your points seem correct to me. So what is the reason for this? Do Americans lack will anymore?

[Mediocrates]

No they lack the attention span. Nothing is real in America until it happens in the middle of downtown at high noon in front of a schoolbus full of orphans.

Americans get bored with the perception of success and need constant reminder. This is the problem with Homeland Security. The lowest threat condition is

"Holy Mother of God the frickin Sky is Collapsing"

People get bored with it, like bouncers at the whorehouse.

[ibrodsky]

Originally posted by cerulean
All of your points seem correct to me. So what is the reason for this? Do Americans lack will anymore?

I think it has more to do with education and the media--though Mediocrates' "short attention spans" is certainly one of the symptoms.

Our schools don't teach history anymore. They mainly have kids discuss current events. Not surprisingly, many Americans just see a "cycle of violence" with both sides equally at fault.

The US media protests when called "liberal," but the fact is they push failed policies, jump at every opportunity to blame the US, and support the leftist view that backwards cultures can do no wrong.

More important to me is the fact that this problem is getting worse daily. At some point we need to wake up to the reality. John Ashcroft has done a good job averting another major terrorist attack, but there are many Islamists still in the US biding their time. At Soundvision.com, before the moderators were forced to take action, there were Arabs mostly in the Chicago area openly celebrating terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. I also saw a report yesterday that a young man with a pro-Israel bumper sticker was accosted by two cars full of Arabs in Calgary, Alberta (Canada).

The problem with not calling the enemy by its proper name is not just that we don't know who to point our guns at. The average person doesn't know which *ideas* we are fighting. So when Islamists say, of course, that they are against terrorism and the Israeli state terrorism is the worst kind, there is confusion.

In some ways, though, the American public is ahead of our leaders. Most Americans understand that the Saudis are involved but our leaders are afraid they might cut off our oil.

Instead of distancing themselves from Israel, our leaders should at least acknowledge that Israel is on the front line in this battle against evil mass murderers.

[RichardP]

Originally posted by ibrodsky
I think it has more to do with education and the media--though Mediocrates' "short attention spans" is certainly one of the symptoms.

Our schools don't teach history anymore. They mainly have kids discuss current events. Not surprisingly, many Americans just see a "cycle of violence" with both sides equally at fault.

The US media protests when called "liberal," but the fact is they push failed policies, jump at every opportunity to blame the US, and support the leftist view that backwards cultures can do no wrong.

More important to me is the fact that this problem is getting worse daily. At some point we need to wake up to the reality. John Ashcroft has done a good job averting another major terrorist attack, but there are many Islamists still in the US biding their time. At Soundvision.com, before the moderators were forced to take action, there were Arabs mostly in the Chicago area openly celebrating terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. I also saw a report yesterday that a young man with a pro-Israel bumper sticker was accosted by two cars full of Arabs in Calgary, Alberta (Canada).

The problem with not calling the enemy by its proper name is not just that we don't know who to point our guns at. The average person doesn't know which *ideas* we are fighting. So when Islamists say, of course, that they are against terrorism and the Israeli state terrorism is the worst kind, there is confusion.

In some ways, though, the American public is ahead of our leaders. Most Americans understand that the Saudis are involved but our leaders are afraid they might cut off our oil.

Instead of distancing themselves from Israel, our leaders should at least acknowledge that Israel is on the front line in this battle against evil mass murderers.

Thanks for the bang-on thread... I have nothing to add, as you all have covered the bases. It is not only thought provoking but it got my blood circulating, thus jolting the ol' brain cell(s)! It beats caffeine as a stimulant in my case! Cheers folks and thanks! :p

[SteveMetch]

Originally posted by Mediocrates
No they lack the attention span. Nothing is real in America until it happens in the middle of downtown at high noon in front of a schoolbus full of orphans.

Americans get bored with the perception of success and need constant reminder. This is the problem with Homeland Security. The lowest threat condition is

"Holy Mother of God the frickin Sky is Collapsing"

People get bored with it, like bouncers at the whorehouse.

I disagree, I think “Americans” have a good sense of our national purpose its all the “Europeans” living as American citizens that we have a problem with. It seems they just cannot let go of all this class warfare, racism, and socialist/communist ideas of their original homeland.

Modern liberal democracy was born in America and America is the Enlightenments only real child in this world. It’s interesting to note that America is among one of the youngest countries but has the oldest government.

We will always have the image of the twin towers burning to continuously remind and rally all the “Americans” among us towards the importance of this war against Islamism. I sense that this next election cycle in 2004 is going to establish just how engrained this new found hatred and fear of Islamism is in the American citizens. The Republican party will become the party of the “Taxpayers and Americans” and the Democratic party will become the party of the “Entitlements and Europeans”.