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

Forget the Democrats; pity the poor Americans

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Pity the poor Democrats. They stood by their man in 1998 and sold their souls in the process. OK, maybe they got away with it, but it was embarrassing to watch. And it’s embarrassing to remember. Still, the Democrats played their cards right, and Al Gore almost won the election. He even took the popular vote. Then disaster hit. Not just Florida and the Bush victory, but the slimy pardon scandals – which left even the most rabid Clintonoids drop-jawed. A devastating one-two punch. And if you add Jesse’s “love child” to the mix, it was just plain ugly. A knockout for sure. The Dems were down for the count. George W. Bush was the ascending prince. One Washington columnist called the transition practically biblical in proportions. With blinding speed, Bush’s enemies had been made his footstool. Yes, it was a dark winter for the Democrats. People were even canceling Clinton speaking engagements. Presidential gifts went missing. “White trash in the White House” wasn’t just a partisan slogan. It started to look like sober historical … Continue Reading