Open Ignorance

is less worrisome than the veiled kind that usually passes for news around the country. As Andy McCarthy over at the Corner notes, "[this is] one of the more ignorant analyses of modern terrorism's root causes one is ever apt to read." McCarthy doesn't seem to think it's worth analyzing, and I can't blame him.

I'm going to take a stab at it anyway - if a moron like me can shred this guy, how much moreso a McCarthy who does this for a living? In order of writing, my take on his errors:

1) He says "terrorism is a tactic...the root cause of terrorism is politics" Here we have the basic problem of the left. They have it backwards. Terrorism exists for its own sake for the Islamic nuts, politics is simply a means of pushing the destruction of the West and its ideals. Just because to some westerners politics is the driving force doesn't mean it is to other people. Everything to the Wahabbist is a tool towards the Islamicization of the world. They could care less about fair representation, the right to their own way of life without government interference, or the rule of western law. They want an Islamic world, and terrorism helps them get there.

2) The "Author" argues that "When you are the target of terrorist tactics, you can't kill your way out of it." Uhh, yes, you can. We have been the target of it for a long time, and since we kicked the crap out of them in Iraq & Afghanistan (and yes, I realize those are not solved by a long shot) we haven't been attacked again. I also point to our previous war experiences. We killed a hell of a lot of Germans and Japanese, and we beat them in war and brought peace. This guy assumes we should be talking to these nutballs, as if they want the peace we want. They don't. They want us dead or enslaved. Non-western minds don't see negotiating as ideal - it's either a tactic or weakness. They understand force, they understand power. If we wish to survive, we need to show them we're not to be trifled with.

3) "We have a Jewish problem...the powerful Jewish lobby...we don't elect politicians to serve 3 percent of the population and a foreign country." Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. Let's ignore the blatant anti-semitism of this. Let's ignore the relative power of the "Israel/Jewish lobby" vs. that of the AMA, the ABA, AARP, Abortion lobby, etc., etc. Let me rephrase his description of the Jews with a left cause, and see how it plays. "We have a Hispanic problem. The government is totally paralyzed and is unwilling to issue even the mildest rebuke to Mexico, no matter how outrageous its behavior. Why? Because the immigrant lobby is so powerful, American politicians are afraid of it." I don't think I need to go further. You couldn't imagine anyone in the press writing such statements, despite the impact of illegals on our workforce, our social services, the tax implications, etc. If he did, he'd be branded as racist and hurtful. But naturally, it's the Jews causing all the problems. Believe me - lacking Israel, the Wahabbists would find some other reason to attack.

Look, I could argue about his vision of us getting out of the Imperialism business - I can understand that sentiment to some degree, but I don't think we're promoting classical imperialism. I also don't think George Washington's 18th century view of imperialism and international relations can be applied in a modern era of swift travel, blurred national identities, and global immigration. But I don't really know enough about it.

Shame on King Features for letting this imbecile publish, but let's have stuff like this out in the open. It's easier to destroy stuff like this when you can see it clearly for what it is.