Fearless Philosophy Flashback: Peace on the Enemy’s Terms
In light of the takeover by the pacifist Democrat Party, the Baker Report, and the general mood of the country to pull out of Iraq and elsewhere, I’ve decided to repost the post I wrote back on August 12, 2005 titled: Peace on the Enemy’s Terms. It appears that many if not most Americans feel that defeat is an option and we should be prepared to deal with whatever the consequences of surrender are. We should sit down with the leaders of Iran and Syria and talk about a solution to our woes in Iraq (never mind the fact that both of these governments have contributed to our woes in Iraq). In any event, with the Democrats poised to take over congress in January and politicians in both parties preparing to make a presidential run in 2008, the future seems quite bleak when it comes to confronting Islamofascism.
I would like to point out an error I repeatedly made in the post when I wrote it. Like many people, I fell into the trap of calling the Islamofascists ‘terrorists’ and called the war on Islamofascism ‘the war on terror.’ Please accept my apologies for failing to identify the enemy correctly and feel free to mentally substitute the proper terms where I made this error. The important thing is I have since learned from my mistake; if only our leaders could do the same…
Peace on the Enemy’s Terms
Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows I have been an unapologetic supporter on the war on terror. Like many Americans, however, as the daily news reports of casualties pour in each day, I am starting to rethink my position. Innocent people are all too often killed by errant bombs and bullets. As I have written before, war is messy. How many more fathers and mothers will have a soldier knock on their door to deliver the tragic news that their son or daughter was killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere before this war on terror is over? How many wives will lose their husbands? How many more children will lose their fathers and mothers? Is the cost of human life worth the price? Are the war protesters right when they say ‘war is not the answer’? If war is not the answer, what is? Whether we support the war on terror or not we must ask ourselves these important questions.
Maybe I have been wrong all this time; maybe my belief that using overwhelming force against the enemy is not the way to stop terrorism. Maybe it is time to extend the olive branch to the enemies of our country. After all, if it were not for the policies of the United States and its support of Israel, these oppressed people would leave us alone…right?
Antiwar advocates seem to believe that if the U.S. pulled out all its troops in the Middle East, Bin Laden and Co. would stop killing innocent Americans. I do not think their solution goes far enough. If we seriously want our enemies to stop attacking us by using appeasement, pulling out of the Middle East and ending our support for Israel is only a first step. If we started to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, the terrorists might hold off on attacking America for awhile, but in the long term, we must do more. We have to understand why they wish to kill us.
Why is America such a threat to militant Islamists? Our very existence is a threat. Perhaps we should try to live the way they would want us to. After we pull all troops out of the Middle East, we must convert to Islam (the Al Qaeda version) as a nation. Separation of church and state shall become a thing of the past as we burn the U.S. Constitution and replace it with Islamic law.
The new Islamic law will require dissolving the three branches of government and all the state governments. Representative government is against the will of Allah, therefore, all power will be vested in a Muslim Cleric who will be chosen by Allah. Those who choose to disobey the cleric’s laws will be promptly executed.
The rights of Life, Liberty, and Property shall be a thing of the past. Life can be taken away from any person at any time for any reason the Cleric sees fit. Americans will no doubt have to do a great deal of repenting for their past transgressions against Allah. The day may come when you are asked to strap a bomb to yourself or your child in order to kill as many infidels as you can (there will undoubtedly be some Americans who will want to revive the former constitutional republic). The only ‘liberty’ that shall be allowed in this new government is to live in accordance to the Quran as there is no liberty without Allah. All property which is repugnant to Allah shall be destroyed and be cleansed with the blood of the infidels and replaced with a mosque. The only limited property rights this government will allow is for men have property rights over women, because women shall have no rights whatsoever.
No longer will women be allowed to walk the streets, drive, or be seen in public without a male relative escorting them. If a woman must be in public, she must cover every inch of her skin so that men will not be tempted by her charms. Any woman who is caught or rumored of engaging in sex (consensual or not) with any person other than her spouse shall be executed by her family.
These reforms would be a good start to keep the terrorists from killing us but there is still more we must do. All art, music, dance, literature, scientific research not approved by the Cleric must be destroyed. Human expression of any kind not in accordance with the Quran or the Cleric is strictly forbidden. All scientific research which is contrary to the TRUTH of Islam must not be taught under any circumstances.
All these sacrifices will be hard for most of us to come to terms with. Though most of us won’t truthfully believe in their imaginary friend (oops, I mean god; old habits die hard), we can all pretend along with them and no one will be the wiser. If we agree with the enemy’s terms for ‘peace,’ will they hold up their end of the deal? It is worth a shot I suppose. Our way of life, our liberties, and our culture are not THAT important are they; worth dying for? What is war good for? Absolutely NOTHING! Right?
I would like to point out an error I repeatedly made in the post when I wrote it. Like many people, I fell into the trap of calling the Islamofascists ‘terrorists’ and called the war on Islamofascism ‘the war on terror.’ Please accept my apologies for failing to identify the enemy correctly and feel free to mentally substitute the proper terms where I made this error. The important thing is I have since learned from my mistake; if only our leaders could do the same…
Peace on the Enemy’s Terms
Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows I have been an unapologetic supporter on the war on terror. Like many Americans, however, as the daily news reports of casualties pour in each day, I am starting to rethink my position. Innocent people are all too often killed by errant bombs and bullets. As I have written before, war is messy. How many more fathers and mothers will have a soldier knock on their door to deliver the tragic news that their son or daughter was killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere before this war on terror is over? How many wives will lose their husbands? How many more children will lose their fathers and mothers? Is the cost of human life worth the price? Are the war protesters right when they say ‘war is not the answer’? If war is not the answer, what is? Whether we support the war on terror or not we must ask ourselves these important questions.
Maybe I have been wrong all this time; maybe my belief that using overwhelming force against the enemy is not the way to stop terrorism. Maybe it is time to extend the olive branch to the enemies of our country. After all, if it were not for the policies of the United States and its support of Israel, these oppressed people would leave us alone…right?
Antiwar advocates seem to believe that if the U.S. pulled out all its troops in the Middle East, Bin Laden and Co. would stop killing innocent Americans. I do not think their solution goes far enough. If we seriously want our enemies to stop attacking us by using appeasement, pulling out of the Middle East and ending our support for Israel is only a first step. If we started to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, the terrorists might hold off on attacking America for awhile, but in the long term, we must do more. We have to understand why they wish to kill us.
Why is America such a threat to militant Islamists? Our very existence is a threat. Perhaps we should try to live the way they would want us to. After we pull all troops out of the Middle East, we must convert to Islam (the Al Qaeda version) as a nation. Separation of church and state shall become a thing of the past as we burn the U.S. Constitution and replace it with Islamic law.
The new Islamic law will require dissolving the three branches of government and all the state governments. Representative government is against the will of Allah, therefore, all power will be vested in a Muslim Cleric who will be chosen by Allah. Those who choose to disobey the cleric’s laws will be promptly executed.
The rights of Life, Liberty, and Property shall be a thing of the past. Life can be taken away from any person at any time for any reason the Cleric sees fit. Americans will no doubt have to do a great deal of repenting for their past transgressions against Allah. The day may come when you are asked to strap a bomb to yourself or your child in order to kill as many infidels as you can (there will undoubtedly be some Americans who will want to revive the former constitutional republic). The only ‘liberty’ that shall be allowed in this new government is to live in accordance to the Quran as there is no liberty without Allah. All property which is repugnant to Allah shall be destroyed and be cleansed with the blood of the infidels and replaced with a mosque. The only limited property rights this government will allow is for men have property rights over women, because women shall have no rights whatsoever.
No longer will women be allowed to walk the streets, drive, or be seen in public without a male relative escorting them. If a woman must be in public, she must cover every inch of her skin so that men will not be tempted by her charms. Any woman who is caught or rumored of engaging in sex (consensual or not) with any person other than her spouse shall be executed by her family.
These reforms would be a good start to keep the terrorists from killing us but there is still more we must do. All art, music, dance, literature, scientific research not approved by the Cleric must be destroyed. Human expression of any kind not in accordance with the Quran or the Cleric is strictly forbidden. All scientific research which is contrary to the TRUTH of Islam must not be taught under any circumstances.
All these sacrifices will be hard for most of us to come to terms with. Though most of us won’t truthfully believe in their imaginary friend (oops, I mean god; old habits die hard), we can all pretend along with them and no one will be the wiser. If we agree with the enemy’s terms for ‘peace,’ will they hold up their end of the deal? It is worth a shot I suppose. Our way of life, our liberties, and our culture are not THAT important are they; worth dying for? What is war good for? Absolutely NOTHING! Right?
posted by Stephen Littau at 12:50 PM
1 Comments:
Stephen, it is so good to see that you are reviewing and reflecting on your previous views on many things..as any practical philosopher engaged with life must do.
You may like my blog on Green Alert for Fearless Peace (search google), where I identify many of the overlooked causes of war and our blindspots! It is not by blaming but by claiming our creative responsibility as human beings that we can create the systems and institutions that foster peace with quantum thinking and learning. We need greater knowledge, wisdom and insight than us Vs them thinking.
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