FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Homeland Defense: A Call To The Churches

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The most perilous attitude Americans could have right now is overconfidence. There is a good reason the Bush administration continues to urge vigilance, despite our success in Afghanistan. “We have to assume,” a senior White House official told the Washington Post in December, “that since there were cells prior to Sept. 11 buried in the United States for some time, there might be others. This is the most dangerous fact for American security right now.” It should be remembered also that even without Afghanistan as a safe haven, al-Qaida cells can still reproduce. “Tens of thousands of foreign extremists have already learned military and terror skills and moved on,” Newsweek recently reported. “Hundreds if not thousands of hard-core militants are still at large, including many who were involved in previous terrorist operations. They know how to raise their own money, even if al-Qaida’s funds are blocked, and they have knowledge that can be passed on to other extremists.” But the real danger lies beyond the mere presence of al-Qaida cells; it’s what those terrorists are … Continue Reading

Silencing Muslim moderates

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In recent weeks, we have been hearing two different opinions on the influence of radical Muslims. People like Sen. Joseph Biden have been saying that our true enemies number in the tens rather than the thousands, while media sources like “60 Minutes” and others have been telling us that fierce public loyalty to radical Muslims, like Osama bin Laden, for example, is surprisingly broad. While the pundits may be right that bin Laden’s al-Qaida terrorists represent only a fringe element of Islam, it is important to remember that the nature of radicalism is that it overwhelms those who are more reasonable. Peaceful moderates stand little chance when faced with radicals who resort to violence. History has told that story many times. No one would make the case that average Germans in the 1920s were anywhere near as extreme as the Nazi radicals who took over that country in the 1930s. Hitler accomplished his goal of overwhelming moderate Germans with the help of thousands of jack-booted thugs whose method was to “molest and murder their political … Continue Reading

Feminizing the Black Beret

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In 1993, a San Francisco law firm going about a normal business day suddenly found itself under fire. A maniac gunman entered the firm and starting randomly shooting people. As in the case of any sudden attack, the people at the firm reacted with confusion, and for 15 minutes the gunman wandered the hallways venting his murderous fury. As described by USA Today, Michelle Scully, a 27-year-old lawyer, was at her husband John’s law firm doing some research when the incident began. The couple found each other and fled down the hallway. Unable to reach an exit in time, they hid from the gunman who took the lives of eight people that day. The killer found the two newlyweds crouched against a wall in one of the offices. Unarmed and helpless, John Scully was determined not to let his young wife die. He threw himself over Michelle, covering her with his body, as multiple shots rang out. John Scully died. Michelle was wounded in the arm. Michelle Scully has since remarried and is raising a … Continue Reading