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Guest commentary: Winning is only option against terrorists

Guest commentary: Winning is only option against terrorists

Posted: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 9:12 pm
By: Glen Spicer Special to the Messenger

By GLEN SPICER Special to The Messenger I don’t think a day goes by that I do not hear someone say, or read where someone has written, that the world hates us because we show our proclivity for invading other countries and shoving our democracy down their throats. “If we would leave other people alone, we would not be so hated by the world,” is expounded as much as to be a tenant of faith for the “Blame America First” religion. President Bush is constantly berated from all sides for putting us in an unpopular war, one also called, “misguided, criminal, illegal, senseless and just plain wrong,” among other descriptions. Even presidential hopeful Barrack H. Obama repeatedly states that “America is less safe than before September 11, 2001.” Rarely does anyone seem to remember anymore that over 3,000 innocent lives were lost by the criminal actions of Muslim extremists on that day, nor do they notice that since the Bush administration’s “War on Terror” we have not been attacked again. To me, it seems that we are safer than before 9/11. How many would have felt on September 12 that we would not be attacked again for seven years? Few. And just how safe were we from Muslim extremists before Sept. 11 and before the Iraqi War? Consider this: • 9/11 saw the death of more than 3,000 American lives on our soil by Muslim extremists; • In October 2000, our Naval vessel USS Cole was attacked by Muslim extremists; • In 1998, our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by Muslim extremists; • In 1996, a U.S. Air Force housing complex in Saudi Arabia was bombed by Muslim extremists; • In 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed in an attempt to level it by Muslim extremists; • In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by Muslim extremists; • In 1986, a discotheque popular with American servicemen in West Berlin was bombed by Muslim extremists; • In 1985, the Italian cruise ship the Achille Lauro was boarded and seized and an American was killed by Muslim extremists; • In 1983, the Marine barracks in Beirut were destroyed by a bomb by Muslim extremists; • In 1982, the embassy in Beirut was bombed by Muslim extremists; • In 1970, the U.S. embassy in Iran was stormed and American embassy personnel were held hostage for 444 days by Muslim extremists. To impose the hatred of the world for America, Americans and American interests upon the war in Iraq is ridiculous and shields us from the real truth. Muslim extremists have a profound hatred for America as a country and for any government that does not subscribe to their Islamic philosophy. Therein lies the real dangers for us and the rest of the “infidel” (as they refer to unbelievers) world: There is no tolerance or acceptance of any government or country that is not ruled by Islamic law. They believe that because we are not Islamic-led countries and governments, we have no legal right to exist in this world. America has had to do nothing to incur this wrath except to not be an Islamic country. That is all it takes. And while President Bush and numerous politicians, at home and abroad, expound upon the “Religion of Peace” they hopefully wish that Islam is, we are still and will forever be at risk. And the more we refuse to admit and face the facts, the greater the risk to us as individuals and a nation. A study of modern and ancient texts concerning the art of war will never list “try and make your enemies love you” as a strategy for fighting a war, although “knowing your enemy” is always an imperative to success in any battle. Not to do so is foolish and invites defeat. Make no mistake about it, we are at war with Muslim extremists whose dedication to their cause of global domination, commanded in the Quran, far exceeds our resolve to support or spread our own beliefs, sad to say. America is indeed hated, but it is not through our own actions that bring much of it on, regardless of what all the Jeremiah Wrights of America have to say. We will always be at odds with opposing elements on this planet, no matter how friendly and peace-loving we try to be. America does not need to try and change to earn their friendship or respect, which would not be forthcoming anyway. It would only be seen as a sign of weakness and proof that we are not to be taken seriously. Political correctness is no way to fight a war and it certainly is not a way to win one. It denies our ability to “know our enemy” and without knowing that aspect of the war, we cannot be fully prepared. Tough questions need to be asked and answered considering our response to this threat, which is a global one, and we have to be strong enough to ask the important questions and not sugar-coat our inquiries or make what we discover easier to swallow, even at the risk of hurting some feelings. Dying hurts feelings, too. The truth, sometimes, is a bitter pill, but so is defeat and so is mass murder because we are being more concerned for the “rights” of terrorists than for the victims of their atrocities. It amazes me the swiftness that some organizers leap to the aid of terror suspects as they somehow forget the graves of 3,000 Americans that got them arrested or detained in the first place. We have had one Ground Zero and that should be enough for us to be resolved to seeing that we have no others. America did not bring this tragedy upon itself, regardless of what the Michael Moores of the world try and pin on us. The 3,000 husbands, wives, children, fathers and mothers that lost their lives that day deserve better than an attitude of contempt for America and a belief that our actions have brought our “chickens home to roost.” To try and make the disastrous results of hatred for America anything less than it truly is makes a mockery of the price we have paid and is equivalent to dancing on the graves of the victims of both 9/11 and the victims of countless other tragedies that have happened around the world since that day brought about by Muslim extremists. We are at war. It is not a Nintendo game and there is not a “Start New Game” button. There is no magic that will give us another “Life” once we succumb and lose. Winning is our only option against the terrorists of today. And in order to win, we have to have the courage to recognize and stand up to the enemies of victory for America, wherever in the world we find them. Even those here at home. ——— Editor’s note: Glen Spicer, a Troy resident, is a longtime contributor to The Messenger. Published in The Messenger 7.16.08