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An Unprecedented Two-Track Move
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He Kept His Eyes on the Prize
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A 2012 Conservative Case for America’s Future
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Trust, Don’t Verify
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The Obama Watch
Terrorists With Union Cards?
Maybe that will allow this administration to call the murder of U.S. airmen in Frankfurt terrorist acts.
The response of our State Department spokesman, P.J. Crowley, to the murder of two U.S. Airmen and the wounding of two others in Germany was firmly noncommittal. Crowley was unwilling to call the incident terrorism.
After all, he said, you wouldn’t call the shooter who killed federal judge John Roll, and five other people, and who seriously wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson a terrorist, would you?
According to many witnesses, the assailant in Germany yelled “Allahu Akhbar” (Arabic for “God is Great”) as he gunned down the young American servicemen, who were in uniform. The killer is a Kosovar Muslim, news reports confirm, but Crowley didn’t want to jump to any conclusions.
This invertebrate response is of a piece with this administration’s entire worldview. Remember, last November’s Defense Department “report” on the Fort Hood shootings managed to go to great lengths to avoid mentioning Islamist terror. In fact, the words Islamic, Muslim, and jihad appear nowhere in that report. Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan also yelled “Allahu Akhbar” as he unleashed his murderous assault on his fellow Army personnel. Hasan and his family had been under surveillance since 9/11. Government investigators questioned people in Virginia about them.
Hasan himself was outspokenly disloyal to this country. While in uniform, he openly attacked the government he was pledged to serve and vocally expressed his support for the enemies of our country. His treason was winked at by higher ups in the Army. And his murders were whitewashed by the DoD report.
Secretary Janet Napolitano famously referred to the War on Terror as “overseas contingency operations.” There is a serious avoidance of the plain fact: We are at war.
Under persistent questioning from Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) last May, Attorney General Eric Holder repeatedly avoided stating that Islamic extremism just might be a motivation for the acts of terror that are being perpetrated against Americans at home and abroad. It was embarrassing to watch Holder’s weaseling responses.
Now, with the attack in Germany, we have yet another example of weakness. It’s as if this administration requires that any assailant be a certified, indisputably confirmed member of Al Qaeda. If they are not clearly linked to, and trained by Al Qaeda, the Obama administration is unwilling to call them terrorists.
Do they have to have a Terrorists Union card? The Obama administration seems to be unaware of the new world of the Internet. Nidal Hasan exchanged emails with Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical Muslim cleric holed up in Yemen. So far as we know, Hasan never visited Awlaki (although they had attended the same Northern Virginia mosque, apparently.)
Hasan spent years in college and medical training at U.S. taxpayer expense. He was coddled in the Army by senior officers who heard his disloyal statements — and flagged him ahead anyway.
Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have now issued a report on Hasan. It’s titled “A Ticking Time Bomb.” It needs to be seriously considered. And we need a thorough accounting from Army brass about how such an obvious warning signs could have gone unheeded for years.
Another key question arises for the Obama administration: What about the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (UVVA)? Even now, Hasan is being charged with thirteen, not fourteen, murders. The Unborn Victim of Violence Act requires that the unauthorized killing of an unborn child shall be regarded as a homicide. This act applies to all federal enclaves, including military bases like Fort Hood.
The failure of this administration to enforce the UVVA must be noted. The Constitution requires that the President of the United States “shall take care that the laws be faithfully enforced.” Is UVVA being enforced? Clearly not, under the Obama administration.
It’s ironic that Western Europe is far ahead of the U.S. In recent weeks, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have all come out with statements saying that multiculturalism has failed.
Candidate Obama was the first White House aspirant to campaign in Europe. In 2008, he spoke to adoring crowds in Germany and France. Then, he seemed to be a “citizen of the world,” one who wanted to bring our U.S. policy into line with the enlightened views of Western European elites. Now, he seems to be dragging his feet in recognizing the clear failure of political correctness and multiculturalism to keep democracies safe. Tolerance has its limits. Tolerating terrorists leads to the death of democracy. Didn’t we learn that in the Weimar Republic?
About the Author
Ken Blackwell, the former mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio is Vice Chairman of the Republican National Committee’s Platform Committee. He also serves on the boards of the Club For Growth and the National Taxpayers Union.
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Pelligrino| 3.8.11 @ 6:35AM
Apparently our US State Department is full of nothing but bumbling boobs. Certainly none who speak or comprehend passable German.
It was only hours after the shooting at the Frankfurt Airport that German officials linked the shooter, Arid Uka, to a local mosque, contact with Imams, and internet jihadist activity. And they made this clear to the German press.
I followed this story very closely.
Incidentally the stats are about 6 - 1 of German citizens responding in the Franfurt am Main area who are infuriated at the attack and who are terribly upset at the incursion of Islam into all the crevices of German society.
Frankly, they are fed up. They want it to end. They see no common cause between Europe and Islam. (That is the current "man on the street" thinking and it predates the deaths of these two Airmen.) So too does the German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich who loudly made these statements last week -- again.
AS, arrange for an interview with Friedrich; I think you'd like him and what he has to say.
Many Germans are very upset that this Uka, although born in Kosovo, spent 18 years growing up and going to school in Franfurt's West End. They cite this as one more reason that trying to help -- despite what you do -- doesnt' work.
David W| 3.8.11 @ 8:21AM
why is it only leftists and liberals who are unable to see the threat? There are good muslims, but islam itself is evil and a danger to freedom and liberty everywhere (for there is no freedom and liberty under islam).
Louis Jenkins| 3.8.11 @ 8:25AM
Yes, We are at War! No body has told Obama yet. Maybe the Germans are getting the message. They're level headed when it comes to reading the tea leaves. It will take a new administration before we'll be gifted.
Habu| 3.8.11 @ 9:22AM
I was recently voted off the island of another blog site, my heresy was an updated version of Roman Senator Cato the Elders entreaty of delenda est Carthgo , Carthage must be destroyed.
Replacing Carthage with Islam was too much for the touted blog owner who banned me from using the phrase "nuk'em" but allowed others to use it.....but I am old enough to know that "fairness and equity are myths, even in our republic.
But I will repeat here what most already know. Islam has been at war with the entire world since it came into existence and its main focus has been twofold, Jews and Christians. Islam, still in the 6th century is immiscible with the remainder of the world, this fact codified in all of their religious documentation.
So I propose to slow their ardor for confrontation by choosing some remote and some notable places to be antiseptically nuked. The tribal areas on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan to start and then Qum in Iran, showing that revenge is a dish best served cold for their dastardly invasion of American territory in Tehran, Nov 4, 1979.
There are now billions of Islams, each with the same guiding principles to follow regarding infidels. That is not going to change. What is rapidly changing are the world demographics that show that all of "old Europe" has fallen below the sustainable factor of 2.1 births per couple to simply maintain a society while Islam’s per couple birthrate is four to five times that figure.
If the West does not respond with a preemptive strike to send a message to Islam that expansion has a huge price them we are certainly doomed.
I am not one who will offer the standard platitude that loss of life is regrettable, because in many cases it is called for, demanded by civil nations to quell ones who have remained to this day both tribal and hostile to the world.
Action must be taken soon for Islam now has ICBM's and soon they will be nuclear tipped, aimed at us. I do not believe we need debate waiting for a first strike by a determined and announced foe so that we can gain the moral high ground....that was WWII and another world entirely, not to mention a mistake in judgment.
Islam is going through a revolutionary period and the outcome of those events are decades away. Let us take the opportunity to preempt the spread of a population determined to kill us and all infidels. Delenda est Islam.
Deborah D | 3.8.11 @ 9:50AM
Wow, Habu. Scary, but honest and truthful. Until Americans finally grasp that we are in a war, and not just any war, but a war for the survival of our country, the West, and basically humanity and human dignity, we'll be bowing down to tyrants ourselves.
Steve A| 3.8.11 @ 9:30AM
There is no such thing as terrorism according to the Obama administration. It's just another "man caused disaster."
If it were not so sad these people would be a comedy show.
SpiralArchitect | 3.8.11 @ 2:50PM
Surely they already have a reactionary plan on how to evade providing answers after the first nuclear detonation here or abroad.
Timothy L. Pennell| 3.8.11 @ 10:56AM
Look. It's like the SMUCKERS Commercials. Remember them? It was a jingle: "With a name like SMUCKERS, it's gotta be Gooooooooood."
Remember, now?
It's the same with this bunch.
"With a name like BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA, who lived in Kenya and Indonesia, and attended Muslim Schools until the age of 11, he's not gonna call these Muslims Terroriiiiiiiiiiists."
Get it?
Brubaker| 3.8.11 @ 11:43AM
Today's New York Times contains an article by Laurie Goodstein, "Drawing U.S. Crowds With Anti-Islam Message." The title alone should give clear indication of the spin, and the content does not disappoint, but the article itself is less interesting than the comments posted by readers.
In a breathtaking demonstration of living with ones head firmly buried in the sand, virtually every post takes the position that any criticism or even questioning of Islam is ipso facto racist or bigoted. Of course, most of these people are also among those who defend "Piss Christ" and feces smeared paintings of the Madonna, and feel that sweeping condemnations of Christianity somehow demonstrate intellectual superiority.
I often wonder what it must be like to live in such splendid isolation from reality. I wonder, but I don't care to find out.
LiveFreeOrDie| 3.8.11 @ 12:11PM
I had a comment but I found someone else who had already written what I wanted to say:
"No matter how many Muslim gunmen shout “Allahu akbar” as they open fire on non-Muslims, at this point the dogmatic lines have been drawn: Analysts in the top military and intelligence posts in the U.S. and Europe understand that Islam is a religion of peace that has been hijacked by a tiny minority of extremists, and they have been taught to understand that that fact somehow frees them from the obligation of understanding the enemy’s belief system and formulating effective ways to combat it." --Robert Spencer
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42175
SpiralArchitect | 3.8.11 @ 2:52PM
Their must be a desire to combat something before any course of action could even be considered.
Habu| 3.8.11 @ 3:19PM
LiveFreeOrDie'Bingo. Our Generals and Admirals may still be taught tactics, but the “perfumed princes” are also sent to diplomatic charm school for a good shampoo and brainwashing. I can only imagine that with their educations they know that the USA has been fighting Islam since this nation was founded, that Islam is not a religion of peace but rather a philosophy of merciless killing of all infidels. Yet to preserve and get promoted they too have been bought off, hiding behind the legitimate fact that the CIC is a civilian ,our president.In the past that did not stop some of our greatest military men from speaking out when they knew our nation was in danger from “political folly” so prevalent in Washington, D.C. Would Billy Mitchell, Douglas MacArthur ,or Geo. Patton stand mute for the payoff of one more star? Where are the military leaders who are willing to retire so they can speak unmuffled by the UCMJ? Many of the top brass do our nation a disservice by not doing so.We are in great peril with our current administrations overt and covert mishandling of guarding this nations security. Hopefully that will change in 2012, but the question remains of the disservice we are receiving from those who know the truth but follow the current duplicity of our president. It should concern us all.
Pelligrino| 3.8.11 @ 6:53PM
Hebu, you have nailed it. Thank you. Yes, our problem is indeed 24+ years military careerists who are self-serving rather than selflessly serving their fellow Americans.
Sadly, don't hold your breath waiting for one of these 2-stars or higher to speak the truth.
They're all far more interested in their plush retirement bennies, being in the right social club, lining themselves up for that very well paid VP position at a mega defense contractor, and never, ever rocking the boat.
Otherwise you'd hear the truth about all the readiness, training, and mission damaging hanky- panky in male-female interactions (and thus the grave concerns once we've added once we have gay & lesbian ongoing relationships and DRAMA.) We don't fight anymore and we sure do a bad job of identifying and resolutely targeting enemy.
The state of the nation is NOT their personal problem.
No, today's military leaders worry far more about career enhancement, post military retirement job positioning, and personal monetary assets.
Habu| 3.8.11 @ 10:19PM
Pelligrino
Yeah and it makes me mad because I grew up as a Marine Corps brat and then served in the Corps but the service today is definitely NOT the service of my father's WWII or even my Vietnam era mates.
Today ,as IKE warned us , the military industrial complex, as you pointed out are the next step for the generals....that's why the DC beltway is known as the beltway bandits..and you nailed it,none would say sh*t if they had a mouthful.
When the top dog is running the war from a baase in Tampa ,FL well that says it all.
I also think they now get service ribbons if they shoot a round of par golf or visit Camp David.
Oldefarte| 3.8.11 @ 1:20PM
Ken, your editorial was excellent, but there's wording to describe your [the president's, Democrats', the AG's, etc] BEAT-AROUND-THE-BUSH verbage. It's called POLITICAL CORRECTNESS! The height of asininess concerning the Ft Hood MASSACRE was Casey's statement immediately following same, in that THE SIMGLE MOST IMPORTANT PROBELM FACING THE AMERICAN MILITARY IS.....'A LACK OF DIVERSITY' If that doesn't explain volumns, then most people are BRAIN-CELL CHALLANGED!!!!!!!!!
Harvey Mallory| 3.8.11 @ 4:02PM
But, yours truly understands the alleged shooter isn't simply a "Kosovo Muslim", but a German citizen, born and raised in Germany by Albanian immigrant parents. It thus appears he is a non-assimilated minority member radicalized in the Muslim community. The US of A contains a growing number of such individuals about whom we ought to be concerned.
Negro X| 3.8.11 @ 5:57PM
Obama is terrorist and an islamic enabler.
Negro X| 3.8.11 @ 6:01PM
Sorry folks, The pentagon at this point is not fighting a war either in Iraq or Afganistan, they are playing the nation bulding game and have no interest in winning any combat victories. Unfortunately the little guy on the ground is paying with his/her life for the amusement of pentagon brass who are using the"war" as a resume enhancer.
I know, I work for these idiots.
Habu| 3.8.11 @ 6:11PM
I agree. Both situations are labs for experimentation of weaponry and the school for the officer corps to dekight in what has become a new phenomenome.......medal and decoration inflation.
Do we really think we can "win" in Afghanistan?
The closest anyone has ever come was Alexander the Great and he finally quit after six years.
It's all too much at this point.
Pelligrino| 3.8.11 @ 7:06PM
NX, thank you. You are correct. Why don't more Americans "see" it? Military brass (officers with 16+ years) are typically very over-inflated egos making sure their over-inflated evaluations sing their undeserved praises, while lining their pockets/futures at the expense of military mission focus and what is good for the nation -- long haul.
[We're all rightly on the case of public unions for over-compensating themselves at the expense of the taxpayer. Hasn't the military establishment & the Veterans Administration also done just that over the last 25 years?]
NX, stay safe. Stay wary/vigilant. Integrity, sober judgement, and truth telling get a man in the 'crosshairs' these days. (Just look over at the Bureau of ATF.)
Habu| 3.8.11 @ 10:23PM
I use to end all of my comments with this:
Obama is a clear and present danger to this country I believe it in spades to this day.
He's a entire fifth column all by himself.
e track from saq| 3.8.11 @ 6:57PM
I observed an Islamist cell.A typical pod of dusky young eager men.They where doing there little grounding exercises facing NE on of all places SoBe,
Where I go running every day.One could discern a pecking order right away.A somewhat larger male more energized with that spirit of combativeness which is the hallmark of their belief.I spit and think
of Barry.God save the good people of this country .
albert constantine, jr.| 3.8.11 @ 11:05PM
I myself was just saying that unless we get the handbag wholesalers on board to help defeat Islamist Terror, we are defeated. Welcome to the fight, and I greatly look forward to your seminar: Suicide Bombers-purse, handbag or full shoulder pocketbook.
Nite| 3.8.11 @ 10:37PM
Major Nidal Hassan did kill a pregnant soldier who was ready to go on Maternity leave. There was no question that she was pregnant. However, he was only charged with 13 deaths and not 14 as he should have been. The fact that he killed a pregnant woman was not widely reported outside of Texas. Frankly, he deserves the death penalty as do any other terrorists who kill American soldiers like the one in Germany.
Christian Louboutin | 6.23.11 @ 5:40AM
The response of our State Department spokesman, P.J. Crowley, to the murder of two U.S. Airmen and the wounding of two others in Germany was firmly noncommittal. Crowley was unwilling to call the incident terrorism.
jack chen| 8.8.11 @ 4:34AM
Obama is not much performance.
Creative Recreation | 8.11.11 @ 2:16AM
is good