The Preservation Of Liberty Demands Vigilance And Resolve!
By Sam Weaver (12/16/03)
Every rational American—not to mention a great number of liberty-loving people around the world—quickly realized that the attacks of 9/11/01 signified a blatant act of war. That awful day in American history was not just compared to December 7. 1941; it was even said to be Pearl Harbor re-re-redoubled! Recall, if you will, the sense of unity among politicians, media and—foremost—the American people in the aftermath of that evil day.
Delve back into history to that “Day of Infamy” in 1941. The act of war that was perpetrated by the Japanese empire against the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor was enough to give this “sleeping giant” the anger, the fighting spirit and the resolve not only to engage, but to WIN the long, bloody and costly struggle against fascism and imperialism that came to be known as World War II.
If America was indeed a sleeping giant back in 1941, she was even more so during the span of more than two full decades leading up to 9/11/01. Radical Islamic terrorists all but formally declared war on the U. S. as early as November 4, 1979, when Iranian students stormed the U. S. Embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage until January 20, 1981. This was, in fact, America’s first wake-up call; but the American public chose to hit the snooze button.
Much like a hung-over Sunday night drunk on Monday morning, or a lazy worker who just does not want to get out of bed and go to work, the American public continued to hit the snooze button when the alarm rang countless times from November 1979 until September 11, 2001. Just some of these alarm bells include: The suicide bombing of the U. S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon on 4/18/83 that killed 17 Americans; the suicide bombing of a U. S. Marine compound in Beirut on 10/23/83 which claimed the inestimable lives of 219 American marines, 18 sailors and 4 soldiers; the 4/5/85 attack on a Berlin discotheque that killed 2 American soldiers and injured many more Americans; the 10/9/85 hijacking of the cruise ship ACHILLE LAURO during which Jewish-American Leon Klinghoffer—an elderly, wheelchair-bound man—was mercilessly murdered; the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in which some 270 (most of them American citizens) were murdered. More recently, there was the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993; the bombings of the U. S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on August 7, 1998; and the deadly assault on the U. S. S. Cole on October 12, 2000.
Tom Brokaw of NBC Nightly News has identified the generation of Americans who lived through the Great Depression and WWII as “The Greatest Generation”. I suppose everyone gets at least one thing right during his or her lifetime.
The men and women of the Greatest Generation did not need umpteen wake-up calls to rouse them from their slumber. The men and women of the 1930’s and ‘40’s recognized a serious threat to American liberty and security when they first witnessed it. Not only did they unite, they had the courage and the conviction to STAY united until that threat was utterly defeated.
The Greatest Generation had everything required—an undying love and devotion for God, country, community and family—to wage and to win World War II. What kind of testament is this to the character of the current generation? The Greatest Generation sacrificed well over 400,000 of its own in the defense of liberty and national security during WWII. Our current generation, on the other hand, loses fewer than 600 brave, PRECIOUS fighting men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq and many of us scream, “We’ve had enough! Bring our boys back home!” Meanwhile—thank God for EVERY ONE OF THEM!—most of our courageous men and women in theater are offended and embarrassed by this very thought.
A handful of the Greatest Generation questioned the motives and the leadership of FDR during WWII (e.g., George Morgenstern from the “right” and Charles A. Beard from the “left”). Yet even this tiny few was generally wise enough to keep these questions and concerns to themselves until they had the opportunity to evaluate the evidence and were able to gather “’solid’ facts” to back up those questions and concerns. [If you ask me, I believe that Morgenstern and Beard represented what today’s generation knows as the “black helicopter” crowd. In other words, “solid facts” were derived from paranoid delusions and “conspiracy ‘theories’”. Of course, I could be wrong. Perhaps I’m neither paranoid nor delusional enough to see the truth. But that is another story entirely!]
In this twenty-first century War on Terror, a large number of politicians, pundits and scholars feel absolutely free to question the strategy, the motives, the leadership and even the very integrity of our Commander-in-Chief. Who, among the Greatest Generation, questioned Franklin Roosevelt’s strategy, motives, leadership or integrity during such battles and on such vital fronts as the Battle of the Bulge, Tarawa, Okinawa or Iwo Jima?
The Vietnam War was the only “war” that the United States of America ever lost. It WAS ABSOLUTELY NOT lost by our brave, willing, dedicated and able soldiers, seamen, airmen or marines!! It was lost by inept politicians, a hostile media, generally pro-communist college professors, and—ULTIMATELY—by a divided, unresolved and/or apathetic public.
The Western World’s war on radical Islamic terrorism is at least as necessary and as justified as the War against fascism and imperialism that history has rightfully dubbed “World War II”. If certain politicians, pundits and “academes” are allowed to constantly defame the strategies, motives, leadership and integrity of President Bush—if the American people ultimately become divided by inept politicians, a hostile media and by relativistic college professors—then this war on terror is over before victory ever has a chance to see the light of day. If YOU, the American citizen, for one moment forget the meaning and the stakes of 9/11/01 and lose your sense of American unity and resolve, then—much like she did in the Vietnam War—America will surely lose this War on Terrorism! Unlike Vietnam, however, this loss will NOT be a “mere historical footnote”.
To lose the War on Terrorism would be akin to losing WWII or the Cold War. The Vietnam War was one front—ONE BATTLE—in the Cold War. America lost that battle (thanks to the relativism of the “Left”), but she eventually won the Cold War. [I understand that this point is debatable and that we may be only experiencing a temporary lull in the Cold War. I fully realize that the Cold War may not be over! But, again, this is another entirely different story!) Both WWII and the Cold War were ideological engagements of Western ideology against very serious—and extremely EVIL—threats to Western civilization. To lose either of these wars would have meant a loss of virtually every idea that America holds dear. The War on Terrorism is just such an ideological war! It requires trustworthy and competent leaders with well-planned strategies and tactics and sound motives. Most of all, though, it demands the faith, unity and RESOLVE of the whole American people.
Any politician, pundit or “academe” who would question without factual evidence; or who would impede for political gain or for ideological “points” in any way any of these necessary components of victory must be seen as the traitor that he or she is! We are at war! Unity and resolve are crucial!
To misinterpret the truly evil and serious threat to liberty that radical Islamic terrorism both portends and embodies is to altogether misunderstand liberty! To embrace such tenets as relativism and socialism is to deny liberty. The preservation of American liberty demands vigilance. Victory in the War on Terrorism requires unity and good old American resolve. Resolve, of course, is defined as “the firm determination to see an objective through to its absolute achievement”.
Failure in this War on Terrorism means, at best, the constant fear of future attacks perhaps much more devastating than the attacks of 9/11/01. At worst—ABSOLUTE FAILURE—(i.e., the ultimate objective of the enemy) would mean that the U. S. of A. would eventually become a radical Islamic state, bound by and beholden to Wahabist-Salafi interpretation of Sharia (Islamic law). Even the most extreme terrorist cannot see the worst (for us; the BEST for him!) happening in his lifetime. But even radical Islamic terrorists have kids and grandkids! This, undoubtedly, will be a VERY long war unless we are willing and able to end it here and now!
The War on Terrorism will rage on as long as there are states and regimes that fund, train, harbor and/or encourage terrorists and terrorism. It will be prolonged as long as diplomats, politicians, pundits and “academes” convince the American people that it is “immoral” to ANNIHILATE the states and regimes that fund, train, harbor and/or encourage terrorists. It will be a protracted war as long as those same relativistic/socialistic diplomats, politicians, pundits and “academes” thwart the actions and policies of trustworthy and competent leaders with well-planned strategies and tactics which are designed to keep WMD out of the hands of terrorists!
The twenty-first century War on Terrorism will continue until the American people come to their senses and gather the will, the courage, and the resolve to utterly defeat the threat to liberty that radical Islamic terrorism poses to all of Western civilization. We would do ourselves a great deal of good to learn from our fathers and grandfathers. We must fully understand and cherish liberty as the foremost gift from our Creator. We must recognize the dire threat to liberty, especially when it launches a direct and deadly act of war upon our own people on our own soil. And we must never, NEVER waver, falter or fail until we achieve absolute victory over this evil threat!
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