Monday, July 28, 2008

''You had these opportunities, America. You didn't do anything,''

I posted today about the choice America has in this next election. Then ran across this that says the same thing in a different way.

From SteveSteve Schippert - http://ThreatsWatch.org/ - http://tank.nationalreview.com/

The United States could have killed bin Laden in Khartoum, Sudan, before he moved to Afghanistan in 1996, Hamdan told his interrogators. They could have killed him after al Qaida's 1998 twin bombings at the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Or after the October 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole, at the port of Aden in Yemen, which left 17 U.S. sailors dead.
Instead, ''Bin Laden was emboldened.'' So he struck with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, leaving nearly 3,000 dead.
It is bitter irony that lawyers are conveying such through a trial. Remote controlled Tomahawks, the illusion of safety beyond the sanctuary of oceans, and the hot pursuit via attorneys and law both remote and unrecognized by murderous men who seek our death. This was how we convinced ourselves of our certain and active defense.
We were offered bin Laden in transit from Sudan to Afghanistan. But we did not want him. Our lawyers had no battle, our leaders no mettle.

Most of us, though not all, have learned nothing. After thousands smote and seven years of war, we are back to our superior ways, demanding Habeas Corpus and noting in the very first trial that bin Laden's deputy was read no Miranda rights upon his capture - or was it arrest?
They say History repeats itself. Never before has it applied so swiftly, within the same generation and within the same conflict.

A selfish society incapable of sacrifice is equally incapable of self-defense. Our greatest concern is not the pursuit of madmen or the states which feed them. It is not even the cost of oil and its affect on our economy and future. It is the cost of the gasoline that cycles through our tanks and its affect on our personal checking account balances.

Cowardice, cloaked in arrogance and concealed behind self-assured brilliance, charts a troubled path; one which appears circular, where constant motion deceptively passes for progress. Progress towards what, we disagree, though our enemies do not, as they laugh.
Many say it will take another catastrophic attack to bring us to our collective senses. But it will likely not come. For, if al-Qaeda (et al) is smart - and they are - they will leave us alone on our own soil while we rip ourselves apart. No explosives, no bombs, no weapons of war required. We are, after all, suddenly and finally waging their centuries-long war upon ourselves. Brilliantly.
We allow ourselves to be told that we are what is wrong with the world; torturous, greedy, destructive, with disregard for the poorest and bitter intolerance for anyone not like us. We Balkanize our society and point fingers at each other, laying these same charges against one domestic group or another with the venom and aggression once reserved for distant, oppressive enemies.

Can we awaken from our own self-destructive slumber? The decisive war is not in Iraq, nor Afghanistan, nor Pakistan or any other distant place where we perceive our enemies to be. The decisive battle is right here, from Maine to San Diego, from St. Louis to Atlanta.

If we are incapable of rediscovering that which Constitutes us and what distinguishes America form every other nation on this planet, and acknowledging that America, her people, our liberty and our unequaled charity are indeed good and our values just, then what does Iraq or Afghanistan matter?

Can we truly identify that which we are defending? For if we cannot, we are not. We are simply preserving soil and borders, protecting cities and people - that which can be found anywhere else on this planet.

What will America be, what will she look like when our children are thrust at the helm? Will they write that we defended her, or will they write that we devoured and discarded her? This, not al-Qaeda or the War on Terror, keeps me up at night.

For we can defeat al-Qaeda and yet have defended nothing at all in the long, painful process. And our children will be compelled to write of us, ''You had these opportunities, America. You didn't do anything."

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Most people are sleeping. Why are they sleeping? What is putting them to sleep?

Anonymous said...

Bruce Bawer and Mark Steyn have tried to alert the west about the Islamization of Europe.

Yet the slumber continues. Here is video from MEMRI (includes english subtitles) titled "Egyptian Muslim Preacher 'Amr Khaled: Within 20 Years Muslims Will become the Majority in Europe; Enemies of Islam Want to Drive 30 Million Muslims "



This should be seen by as many people as possible.

Pastorius said...

It would help if Memri posted embed codes for their clips. They are one of the best resources, but are also among the least easily distributable.

midnight rider said...

We are asleep because the MSM has put us there, or rather we have allowed them to. Because we don't want to really think about the crap they throw at us. Because we would rather watch American Idle and Reality TeeVee than read a book about world events or history or even turn on the History channel if we're too lazy to read. We've become to lazy to think. After 9/11 no one dared criticize Bush for going into Afghanistan. It was righteous and vengence wrapped together. But with Iraq came all those who remembered how Bush "stole" the election from Pope Albert I and they saw their opportunity to attack. Mix that with all the boomers who are trying to revel in their glory days of the 60's stirring the pot (oh man you shoulda been there hey maybe we can do that protest thing again you get the signs I'll get us some good weed, man) and it's a volatile mix. And the MSM pushed it along, focusing on Iraq and allowing the bigger picture to be completely obscured, to the point where in my own office there are 30 & 40 yr olds who do not remember who attacked us on 9/11 -- cannot remmeber Bin Laden's name, let alone any of the other players in this. And these folks are supposed to be teaching their kids who are instead of learning history and world issues are getting pudgy fat slow and dumbed down watching MTV. Who can't spell Iraq let alone give you a decent discussion on it. And to them Iran and North Korea don't even exist. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE AS A NATION A PEOPLE A CULTURE WHEN THE MEDIA IS DOING ALL IT CAN TO DESTROY US? In the months following 9/11 I recall reading that as part of his master plan Bin Laden wanted us in Iraq because he knew we would tear ourselves apart over it. This just bears that out, doesn't it? Sorry for the rant but this very thing has been bothering me for a long time now, I just couldn't put it so succintly.

Anonymous said...

The media...
http://news.iafrica.com/worldnews/1047240.htm

midnight rider said...

And this http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/28/voight/ says some of what I was trying to say.