U.S. must regain its resolve to defeat terrorism

Listening to our political leaders discuss Iraq and terrorism, I hear little discussion with real solutions. 

We must first separate the discussion of the war in Iraq from the discussion of terrorism, focusing on developing goals for both.  Rather than developing goals, our politicians’ discussions revolve around mandating deadlines, controlling troop numbers, and the like.  These are not goals but military management issues.  Our leaders need to focus on developing a well-defined goal that when reached, will allow our troops to come home.  How can we decide if it is time to withdraw from Iraq if we still have not determined what we want to accomplish before departing?

We need our political leaders to define the objective and then give our military leaders the support and money they need to reach that objective.  More important, we need our political leaders to stop trying to manage the war because they are simply not competent to do so.  Politicians ran the Vietnam War with one blatantly absurd decision after another.  If you are not going to allow the military to do their job then do not send them into harm’s way.  They deserve better.

Unfortunately Iraq is the beginning rather than the end of what lies ahead.  We will be able to end our involvement in Iraq but the much larger war on terrorism will continue for years to come.  This war must be fought as aggressively and with the same resolve we had following Pearl Harbor.

This enemy is unlike any we have ever faced.  They are willing to do anything to reach their goals and they find nothing too heinous.  They use their faith as a shield to defend any action they choose. They have no problem sending young men and women to their deaths with suicide bombs. They have no problem beheading people and sending videos of it around the world.

These are not rational people.  These are not people to engage in discussions and negotiations.  You simply cannot have a rational discussion with irrational people. They have no interest in dialog.  They have no interest in compromise.  They want to kill us all.  Every American is an acceptable target for them.  We must understand this mentality and what it means for us.  The terrorists are determined to kill us and we will fight them on our soil or on their soil.  But we will fight them.

When Pearl Harbor was bombed our citizens lined up to join the military.  We saw patriotism at its best. Have we lost that resolve, that love of country and become so “western” we can no longer step up and do what must be done?  We witnessed truly evil people flying airplanes into our Twin Towers and within a few short years we have lost the stamina to continue the needed fight.  Japan attacked a military installation killing more than 2,400 people.  The terrorists attacked civilian targets killing over 2,700 people.  What occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, was even more horrific than what occurred on Dec. 7, 1941.

We need to be appalled, angry and willing to do what is needed to end this threat.  We need to react with the same indignation and resolve we did following Pearl Harbor.

Let us show the world we have the resolve to do what is needed, what is right.  We must seek out the terrorists wherever they are and kill them.  They will not stop their insanity until they are dead.  We must make it clear there is nowhere in the world they can hide; there is no country that can give them sanctuary.  We must be willing to go anywhere to find them and kill them.  Excuses for their behavior are irrelevant. They have made a choice to embrace their evil values.

How do we proceed?  We should do what President Reagan did when Libyan agents detonated a bomb at a West Berlin nightclub frequented by U.S. military personnel, killing and injuring more than 200 people.  President Reagan did not ask for permission from anyone in the world.  He was undeterred when France refused to help with refueling our aircraft.  He sent bombers into Libya with success.  Think about it. Before the bombing Libya was becoming a thriving sanctuary for terrorists. Following the bombing Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi had a remarkable attitude adjustment.

I believe we should handle terrorists and terrorist nations in the same way President Reagan responded to Libya.  If a country wishes to be a safe haven for terrorists we will suspend any relationship with them until they change their policy and exterminate the terrorists in their country.  And until they choose to do this we will send small units of our military into their country finding and killing the terrorists. The terrorists must know there is nowhere in this world where they are safe.  They will be found and killed. As Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”  It is our choice.

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