Denied Knowns
Ralph Bennett argues at Tech Central Station that our tacit assumptions about the fate of 3 American soldiers captured in Iraq reflect an intuitive understanding of the nature of our enemy. One which we must at all events never acknowledge explicitly.
Think about it. If three Islamic fighters had been captured by the Americans, would there be any apprehension about their fate? Of course not. Despite all the fervid Abu Ghraib and Gitmo propagandizing of assorted leftists, pseudo-peaceniks and Democrat apologists, the general presumption is they would be treated decently.
But as soon as the news of the disappearance of these three American soldiers was released, the presumption was for the worst. For in the twisted world of Al-Qaida and its spawn of Islamofascists cruelty is first and second nature.
Not everybody reasons in this way. Some commentators are able to argue, with a straight face, that this is payback for Abh Ghraib. In fact, al-Qaeda itself maintains they are only exacting revenge for a crime committed by US soldiers. Reuters reports:
"Remember what you have done in this place. You have violated our sister Abeer al-Janabi," it said, referring to the rape and murder of a 14-year-old and the killing of her family in Mahmudiya in March 2006. A U.S. soldier was sentenced to 100 years in a military prison after pleading guilty in a case that enraged Iraqis.
Prior to that, al-Qaeda was meek as a lamb, unless you exclude the aberration of September 11, 2001. Sarcasm aside, Bennett argues that it unlikely that al-Qaeda will lapse into quiescence if we try to disengage from combat against it.
The Palestinian Al-Qaida fighter quoted at the beginning of this piece boasted in the same April 27th interview that "the jihad that began in Muslim Afghanistan and then spread to Iraq shall not stop there and will not be limited by any border."
We are in a war against this cruelty. It is a war some think can be "ended." But it is a war, I think, that must be won or lost. And the consequences of losing are dire for mankind.
In some sense the argument over whether or not to withdraw in Iraq is equivalent to a wager on whether Islamic extremism is likely to be satisfied by a withdrawal and stop attacking the West or become emboldened by it and redouble their efforts. Maybe, as Bennett suggests, we already subconsciously know the answer from the nature of the enemy but can't bring ourselves to admit it.
posted by wretchardthecat at 5/17/2007 10:14:00 PM
14 Comments:
I noticed that John Samford has posted here recently. John, if you're reading this, could you contact me at kerravon@w3.to ? Thanks. Paul.
Are you prepared to give up bingo?
Gambling was cited as a casus belli by Osama bin Laden in his infamous "declaration of war" against the American people.
It is frustrating to try to explain to people that Al Qeada is fighting their own way for their own resons. Many opponents of America project their own values and reasons when they try to explain Al Qeada's actions. The truth cannot be justified by any Western value, so many people insert their own in attempt to make sense of it.
They can't possibly be fighting for religion, since no one in the West would do that. They can't be fighting to spread Islam, since war is not an acceptable way to spread religion. Therefore they must be opposing American imperialism in the Middle East. Because that's the only reason a war critic would fight America.
I wish people would listen to Al Qeada instead of themselves.
No-one is afraid of America anymore. Neither jihadis in Iraq, mullahs in Iran, former Bolsheviks in Russia, peons crossing the Mexico-US un-border nor crack dealers in Cleveland believe that we do much more than arrest and release them.
American arrogance is creating a new world order of barbarian warlords. I just hope that they sack and burn Washington DC first.
That's kind of the problem- America really isn't paying the price of refusing to fight. It's the people who think that we'll protect them that suffer.
I think Bernard Lewis said that America is a treacherous ally and a harmless enemy. Sad, but true.
Wretchard, your link marked 'Tech Central Station' actually links to a news story about the abduction at The Star Online.
This snatch operation by our enemies is just one more event wherein American citizens can take a look into the "Rules of Engagement" that our government has enacted. Sure, we citizens might know on a "gut level" that those soldiers are in deep trouble; however, our masochistic media institutions must continue to promote their narcissistic energies no matter what. Stop and think what this 4000 man search is costing the American taxpayer: let's give a per soldier cost of $25 per hour, 24 hours per day, etc. along with a guess at the hardware and heavy assets being used. Millions upon millions for sure. Now ask yourself this: If we had active hunting ROE's would this be done in the same manner, the search for the captured soldiers? When I was a kid we would ask for special rules prior to fighting...as a young man I knew this told me more about my opponent, as a combat veteran I've told my sons that you always kick a man when he is down to keep him down! Experience tells me we have never fought this war from the beginning the right way to win it...in my lifetime! Passive aggressives are at the helm; steering us into grave dangers.
adam,
Sorry for the mess up. I've been dyslexic the whole day. Fixed it.
some in the arab world have asked me about why since israel had lost the summer war with iran/hezbollah did they drop 1 million cluster bombs in s lebanon during the last 72 hours?
to which i respond...
PUNISHMENT.
I have said, since the start of last summers "battle" that israel was in fact CHANGING the rules of the game.
THE KIDNAPPED ISRAELIS (2 by hezbollah, 1 by hamas, 1 by syria/iran (ron arad) & 1 israeli druze solder not publically mentioned) are either dead, or being held and tortured daily are are as good as dead.
Israel knows that in the past, israel was and could be held hostage by the holding of one jew. The summer battle in lebanon changed that.
The new thought is that, ok we lost a a few, what PAIN can we inflict as a COST for doing such.
12 billion in destruction and 1 million cluster bombs for 2 jews? sounds fair as a down payment...
The arab/islamic world needs to learn the new pavlov's law of conditioned response...
kidnap a jew, shoot a jew, shoot a rocket, stab a jew, suicide bomb and expect to loose a shitload of stuff...
disporportionate response should be the new buzz word...
harsh and unfair response to simple acts of murder by islamists is going to be the needed reaction.
now in iraq 3 americans are kidnapped...
I hate to be cold hearted but they are dead. In response 20 square miles where it happened should have every mosque leveled. Every field burned and then salt should be brought in and plowed into the soil.
It's time to react, like a crazy man for the slightest "legal" action of resistance to occupation..
Food, Power and Water can be disrupted.
In the end, the only thing THESE people understand is a boot up their asses...
So let's change tactics, tell the people of the area we need to have our boys returned in 6 hours or their town will no long exist. Maybe we dont need to be like the syrias or nazis and keep the people IN THE HOUSES when we bulldoze them, but we need to start taking away buildings, bridges, power, water, food, mosques
"...Poor man wanna be rich,
rich man wanna be king
And a king ain't satisfied
till he rules everything..."
Can't bring ourselves to admit it because we would then have to do something about it and that something to be done does not comport with the shallow, late-20th Century, post-industrial, "I'm all that" mindset that is rampant in our culture. What most of our nitwits and ninnies aren't bright enough to get is that ObL, the genocidal dwarf and their jihadi minions DO understand that and ARE using it to their tactical advantage. As I have been saying, the problem, ultimately, is:
Slaughter now or slaughter later.
Slaughter later = slaughter more.
Who wants to confront that? Might get "dirty"...can't be gettin' "dirty" ya know....
People forget or are easily cowed into forgetting that we didn't call this tune.
The more that the media screams about what is being 'felt' and 'done' to retrieve the soldiers, the more danger they put the troops in. The media are providing the exact response that the kidnappers are looking for. The kidnappers are after all, terrorists!
Anyone (John Lynch) suggesting that
Al Queda cannot be really fighting for religion, because "war is not an acceptable way to spread religion"needs a little cultural perspective and a smidge of history to boot.
Islam had since its founding
(650 AD) been
spread by the sword. The word Islam does not mean "peace" as our multiculturally aware ex President Clinton suggested. The word Islam means SUBMIT. Submit to
Allah...or else. There is no room for reason, debate, ironic detachment,or any non religious values. Christianity and other religions makes room for these things, but not Islam. Hundreds of
verses in the Koran demand conversion of Infidels by violence, and the submission of the faithful by the mind numbing literal application of Koranic teachings i.e. Sharia. No reasoning allowed.
There are no non-radical Muslims ..just Muslims that havent taken
the Koran seriously..yet. But the words and commandments are always there, waiting to be read, and that makes every Muslim a potential time bomb waiting to be switched on.
edh--The "peace" of Islam comes after you submit or die. Clinton et al leave that part out.
why do you think that the snatch occurred in Mahmudiya?
Because that is where the Iraqi Rape Squad operated, where Menchaca/Tucker were snatched and butchered in a revenge op requested by the citizens of Mahmudiyah.
Said revenge video was the only thing that forced a confession from the perps, the 'merican soldiers that raped an butchered a 14 year old child and her family.
it doesnt matter if there are 6000 searchers or 60000.
The local population will not give them up.
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