Terrorism and Islam

            The most contentious issue these days is Obamacare.  It is difficult to comment on it, however, because the Beltway wars on Obamacare sway back and forth so fast that the battlefield reports get old by the hour.  So let's look at another war where nothing seems to change.

            This war is the war on terrorism, and the constant is Islam.  What do the two sides (or is it three?) in the Syrian conflict have in common?  Islam.  What do the Taliban and the Muslim Brotherhood have in common?  Islam.  What do al Qaeda in Yemen, Ansar al Sharia in Libya, and Al Shabaab in Somalia have in common? Islam.   What do Hamas, Hezbollah, and the mullahs in Iran have in common?  Islam.  And what else do all these groups have in common?  They are all terrorists.  Can anyone possibly fail to see the connection?
            The scariest thing for me is what is happening right here at home.  Why was Major Hassan not treated as a terrorist?  Why were the Boston bombers living among us in plain sight?  Why has Minneapolis become a recruitment center for Somali suicide bombers? 
            Muslims in this country demand our tolerance and respect.  Why should we give it to them when they are intolerant of our values and disrespectful of our way of life?  They take offense at our criticism of their religion.  Yet, it is Islam that treats women like chattel and encourages the murder of infidels.   Why are their leaders silent about the atrocities committed by Muslims in Mali, the Sudan, and the Philippines, not to mention the Middle East?   Where is their outrage when Muslims burn our flag, storm our embassies, destroy Christian churches, and dance in the streets to celebrate our misfortunes? 
            Then we have President Obama.  Why is he so sympathetic to Muslims?  Why is he so willing to negotiate with Iran while it is building a nuclear bomb?  Is he so blind not to see that he is being played like a fiddle by the likes of Assad, Rouhani, and Putin?  In fact, why is he telling us that al Qaeda is on the run and the war on terror is coming to an end, when all the evidence points to the opposite? 
            Why is our president assuring us that Islam is a religion of peace, when it clearly is anything but?  Will it take another Twin Towers for him to see the light?

           

Some Positive News

            People critical of my blogs accume me of being too negative.  They are right.  There are many things going on that cry out for opposition, but there are also good happenings to celebrate.  So let's look at some positive news.

            NOVA Women's Healthcare, an abortion clinic in Fairfax, Virginia, was shut down after state and local governments enacted regulations it was unable to meet.  The clinic performed  3,066 abortions in 2011 and 3,567 in 2012.   Are you listening, Planned Parenthood supporters?
            North Carolina enacted sweeping tax reforms that reduced the top marginal personal income tax rate by 25%, and corporate income tax from 6.9% to 6% in 2014 and 5% in 2015.  These tax reductions will put more money in taxpayers' pockets and will make North Carolina more attractive to business investors and job creators.  And these are only the first measures in much needed tax reform promised by Republicans who now control both the legislature and the governorship.
            Halfway around the world, Australians, fed up with Liberal Prime Minister Julia Gilliard's tax and spend policies, elected Tony Abbott, a conservative, to head the new government.  He promises, among other measures, to reduce foreign aid, to curb the number of asylum seekers, and to stop the government from spending any more money on wasteful and unproductive green-energy technologies.  Too bad he's not an American citizen eligible for the presidency.
            In Colorado, State Senate President John Moore and State Senator Angela Giron  were both recalled by voters in their districts for their extreme positions on gun control.  The Moore and Giron campaigns were funded to the tune of $3 million, including $350,000 from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, while opponents had only had $500,000 to fund their effort.  After getting bounced, Giron had the gall to say that this story was all about voter suppression.  
            When Al Gore accepted his Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, he predicted that Arctic sea ice could disappear completely in 30 years because of global warming caused by carbon emissions.  Apparently his computer models were a little off.  In the past year the amount of sea ice has increased in size by an area equal to 19,000 Manhattans.  It is the greatest increase in sea ice on record.   It would appear that forecasts of global warming and imminent doom used to justify fossil fuel taxes and subsidies for renewable energy have been grossly exaggerated.   Battery Park, Florida beaches, and polar bears are safe for now.

Hillary Honored, America Dishonored

            With all the attention focused these days almost exclusively on the Syrian embarrassment, other notable items have been squeezed off the front page.   One in particular made me want to vomit.  On September 10th, the eve of the twelfth anniversary of 9/11 and the first anniversary of Benghazi, the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia honored Hillary Clinton for her lifelong career in public service.

            Say what?  How can any self-respecting organization choose to honor Mrs. Clinton on that day when her inexcusably bad judgment and the gross errors of her department led to the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi.  I cannot imagine a more deliberate insult to the brave men's families who are still waiting for answers as to what really happened and why.
            What we do know about our former Secretary of State is that she was intimately involved in the cover-up of the facts surrounding the Benghazi tragedy.  She shamelessly lied repeatedly to America, to the world, and to the grieving families about a video being the cause of the attack on our consulate.  
            We do know that her signature was on the order that denied increased security for the Benghazi compound.  When she finally admitted responsibility for the State Department's failure in protecting our people in Libya, she should have resigned.  But there was not an ounce of honor in her duplicitous heart.  To this day she has not paid the price for her mendacity and gross dereliction of duty.  Instead, we are left with her unforgettably callous response, "What difference does it make now?"
            This was the woman the National Constitution Center chose to honor?
            Also adding to my revulsion on that day was a Republican.  The man who presented the honor to Hillary Clinton was the Chairman of the National Convention Center, none other than Jeb Bush, the brother of the president who for years has been the target of relentless slanders by Mrs. Clinton's party.  I have been an admirer of Jeb Bush.  He did a terrific job as governor of Florida, and I always thought he would make a fine candidate for the presidency.  But now, If he decides to run in 2016, I hope he doesn't come knocking on my door asking for my support.
            Of course, the Administration and the mainstream media would like us to forget Benghazi.  Perhaps I should, too.  It's ancient history.  After all, what difference does it make now?

No Schadenfreude

            Schadenfreude is a German word defined as pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.  As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I was definitely guilty of schadenfreude last week when the Yankees blew two games against Boston in the late innings.  They had not lost two consecutive games at home while scoring eight or more runs since 1911. 

            This got me to thinking whether or not I was also guilty of schadenfreude watching Barack Obama's embarrassing show of incompetence at home and abroad on the Syrian issue.  I have often attacked the president for his mendacity, his hypocrisy, his divisiveness, his narcissistic arrogance, and his destructive radical ideology.  But it's not until now that I've actually begun to feel sorry for him.            
            The man is virtually all alone.  The international community will not join him in his proposed attack on Syria;  even France's vow of support is of the feeble "You go first" variety.  If Obama goes it alone with a limited strike--announced in advance, if you please-- he will be laughed at for his timidity.  It would be worse than doing nothing. If he follows McCain's advice and tries to take down Assad's regime, he will invite a retaliation that could engulf the entire Middle East, a response for which the president is clearly not prepared.
            It is even worse on our shores.  Congressmen who went home for the Labor Day recess have been overwhelmed by the voiced opposition of their constituents.  Diehard supporters of the president who are up for re-election must be aghast at the prospect of voter revenge.  It remains to be seen how many will defect in the coming days.
            Because of my relentless attacks on the president, one of my Liberal friends has asked me to go easy on him.  OK.  Having lost his friends overseas as well as the vast majority of Americans, if Obama loses Congress, too, I promise not to derive pleasure from his misfortunes.  I will only feel sorry for him and sorry for my country's loss of prestige, a loss that falls squarely on his shoulders, no matter how much he ends up blaming everybody else.
            I'm sorry, my Liberal friend.  That's the best I can do.

Syria Redux

            He flinched.  After all the bravado, after all the promises to punish the iniquitous poisoner of children, the president flinched.  Scoffed at by the international community and abandoned by his staunchest ally, Barack Obama looked over his shoulder and found that his leadership had no followers.  A risible caricature of weakness in the eyes of the world, he now appeals to Congress for an affirmation he knows will never come.  This emperor truly has no clothes.

            The president could have gone right ahead and launched missiles on his own authority.  He didn't seek Congressional approval for bombing Libya, and no one would have been surprised had he once again invoked his executive authority to bomb Syria.  He had drawn the red line, and Assad crossed it repeatedly.  It was time to punish the ogre.
            There was just one little problem: the president had failed to define his strategic objective.  The president repeatedly assured the world that his action was not aimed at a regime change or degrading Syrian military assets.  The punishment would be limited and would not last long.  But, punishment in the form of pin pricks is not a strategic objective in the context of national security.  Is it any wonder the president persuaded no one to go along with his pusillanimous leadership.
            It will be interesting to see if Obama decides to save face by attacking Syria without Congressional approval.  At a meet-and-greet of the Perquimans County Republican Party with Congressman Walter Jones on August 28, the word "impeachment" came up a couple of times.  Jones himself said he would be the first to submit a resolution in the House of Representatives for the impeachment of the president if he goes against Congress on Syria.  The House is not likely to vote for Impeachment at this time, and if it did, no conviction could be obtained in a Senate dominated by Democrats.   But if Obama continues to rule like a tyrant, the move for impeachment is likely to gain supporters.
            President Obama has lost the support of his beloved international community.  How much longer can he count on his fawning fans to put up with his failed leadership?