Plan B
Plotting A New Course in the Global War on Terror
While many Americans do not believe there is a war on terror, the terrorists believe there is. What will we do to stop those who intend to exterminate the United States of America?
We have done all that we can do in Iraq. Our military eliminated the villainous Hussein regime and fought off al-Qaeda long enough for the Iraqis to step up and take control. They have not, so barring a miracle from the “Surge” strategy in September, it is time for Plan B.
Since the Iraq war is largely unpopular, our politicians are more concerned with retreating from the battlefield than they are with defending us from attack. Our enemies will use a withdrawal from Iraq as an opportunity to bring the fight to us.
A common misunderstanding is the belief that if we just leave Iraq, and if we talk to our enemies, we will achieve peace. Would that have worked with Japan in 1941? Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the U.S. Congress did not think so. Look at the similarities between today’s conflict and the war in the Pacific during World War II. We were preemptively attacked by an enemy who would stop at nothing to spread their empire, an enemy so devoted to their cause they used suicide attacks. Militant Islam and Japan in this sense are the same. Our government knew there was no alternative to war with the Japanese. We had to fight them until they no longer presented a threat to our country. There was simply no alternative.
While Islamofascists are hell-bent on the destruction of our civilization, many Americans feel that we can diffuse the situation diplomatically. Since there is no diplomatic envoy from al-Qaeda, maybe Oprah can put Dr. Phil on with Bush and bin Laden and we could work it all out on a Primetime special. There is no compromise between America and militant Islam, and their camp does not seek one. They will stop at nothing until they have wiped out all who do not subscribe to their barbaric creed. The question is: how do we plan to stop them? We must do to them what we did to Japan years ago. If we do not kill them, they will kill us.
First, we must secure the Iraqi border. Otherwise, the country will become an incubator for terrorism as Afghanistan was in the 1990s, and our sacrifice will have been in vain. Second, we must invade Waziristan and kill or capture bin Laden and his subordinates. The movement will lose its cohesion, and terror cells will become less coordinated and effective. Third, we must deal with Iran. Iran is the driving force for terror groups across the Mideast, and is fighting a proxy war with the United States. Obviously, time is of the essence as they also are moving unopposed towards obtaining a nuclear device. Stateside, we must beef up our domestic surveillance programs and most importantly, gain control of our borders.
The most important step we need to take is the most overlooked. Deep down, under all the layers of political correctness that has built up over the years, Americans are no different than they were during World War II. The difference is the government has failed to communicate the threat that militant Islam poses to our civilization. Americans do not want to lose. As General “Old Blood and Guts” Patton said in his speech before the European invasion, “Americans play to win all the time… the very idea of losing is hateful to an American.” President Ronald Reagan rallied the country in the 1980s and we ended the cold war. We need another great leader to step up and end this evil threat.
All we need to defeat our enemies is to rally the support of the American people. Once we are behind the cause, our politicians will authorize a course of action to secure us from this threat. A Japanese admiral knew that they had awakened the sleeping giant with the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is time for the sleeping giant to wake up again.
©COPYRIGHT 2007 UNTO THE BREACH MEDIA
In: Military · Tagged with: Iraq, terrorism
Progress in the War on Terror
Great News from the Phillippines
Recently on a remote island in the Philippines named Tawi-Tawi, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new boat landing. The 12,000 inhabitants (mostly Muslim) of the seaside village of Balingbing make their living off the sea as fishermen, shrimpers, and seaweed farmers. At a cost of $75,000, the pre-cast concrete commercial pier was designed and built by the U.S. Agency for International Development along with a 25% contribution by the provincial government.
While this may seem a waste of our money on a remote island in a foreign country, the real story is this island was once a haven for terrorist groups like the Abu Sayyaf Group, who are linked to al-Qaeda, and Jemaah Islamiyah. If something was not done, according to Lt. Col. Arturo Biyo, the commander of the Philippine 2nd Battalion Landing Team, “these islands could well have become a new training ground for international terrorists – just like Afghanistan in the 1990s.”
Col. Biyo and his men hunted Judnam Jamalul, affectionately referred to as “The Black Killer.” Jamalul was among 17 Abu Sayyaf wanted by the U.S. for attacks on American citizens. Maj. Joseph Cuizon led the force that tracked down and killed Jamalul. Cuizon believes what turned things around in Tawi-Tawi was “Good intelligence, the appropriate use of force when necessary and consistent civil-military programs that help the people.”
To show how far things have come, the Moro National Liberation Front, which formerly was a terrorist group, attended the ceremony in uniform. Instead of resisting the government, the group showed up to thank the Americans for the Arms to Farms program. The leader of the group is now a seaweed farmer and has a daughter in college.
In Camp Bautista last week, the U.S. State Department handed out $10 million to four brave Filipinos who provided information that led to the deaths of two ASG leaders, Khadaffy Janjalani and Abu Solaiman. Two of the informants were former ASG bandits. Janjalani was killed in September, and his presumed successor Solaiman was killed last January. The U.S. had $5 million bounties for each terrorist leader.
It was once thought that the Rewards for Justice program would have little effect in the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos are Muslim, and it was unlikely that monetary rewards would trump religious and tribal loyalties. What has changed is that the U.S. and Philippine governments are beginning to win the battle for hearts and minds. Instead of simply fighting the terrorists, the 160 U.S. commandos of Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines are also building schools, performing medical, dental, and veterinary clinics, paving roads, and helping local police solve crimes. A Philippine officer said, “Today we are making a difference in the lives of the people. It has taken time, but now they can trust us. That’s why they cooperate with us against the terrorists.”
With this much progress in the Global War on Terror in the Philippines, I can only imagine with patience and persistence, we will soon see similar progress in Iraq.
©COPYRIGHT 2007 UNTO THE BREACH MEDIA
In: Geopolitics, Military · Tagged with: Philippines, terrorism
