Big Red Car here. Sun is apparently on vacation somewhere else but it is clearly not the ATX. Oh, well, let’s deal with it.
Recently the President made some utterances indicating that the War on Terror had run its course and we were going to be standing down and changing our view of things.
Hmmm, says the Big Red Car.
Doesn’t the enemy get a vote on this?
The enemy is the bunch on the other side. In this instance, that is the terrorists like Al Qaeda who apparently have not gotten the memorandum or perhaps, the leak.
In war, the enemy gets a vote — veto perhaps — as to whether the war shall be ended or not.
The meme
The current administration meme is that Osama Bin Laden is dead, Al Qaeda is almost dead and things are going swimmingly.
Why?
Because the administration wants to declare a “peace dividend” and use that non-existent peace dividend to fund its continuing expansion of spending.
The problem is this — IT ISN’T TRUE. None of it.
Oh, reality, you merciless and pesky little bitch. Why can’t you play nice?
Terrorism
Not only is terrorism not dead, it is not even wounded. Terrorism continues to be advanced globally and continues to try new and more daring tactics and techniques.
Remember we got into Afghanistan to destroy the Taliban’s support of terrorist, Al Qaeda, training facilities.
Once we leave Afghanistan in 2014, what do you think is going to happen? Do you think the Taliban will backfill our void and reinvigorate their terror training regimen? Good bet, Grasshopper.
The big stakes
Let’s not kid ourselves, the big stakes are a nuclear Iran (right around the corner, Old Sport) and a nuclear Pakistan (a painful reality) in a sea of terror as evidenced by the disastrous outcome of the Arab Spring which has turned into a whirlwind firestorm.
The big stakes are going to be terrorists getting their hands on nuclear weapons, the disastrous Arab Spring and the necessity for Israel to do something to protect itself from both of these things.
In the midst of this would you say the War on Terror is ready for the archives?
Well, the Big Red Car does not think so. But, hey, what the Hell does the Big Red Car know anyway? He’s just a Big Red Car.
I agree with the president (I know you’ll argue otherwise), but I don’t agree with a perpetual war on terror.
Ever read 1984?
Got my license renewed not so long ago, and noticed an ominous Dept. of Homeland Security Adendum asking for all sorts of information.
Went down to an airshow at a local airforce base (badass jets flying in tight formations and such), and they had on display a Homeland Security helicopter… The thing had a rifle with a scope built in to it, for picking off targets on the ground.
Super ominous. Sorry if this sounds paranoid, but I’d rather disband our Dept. of Homeland Security apparatus than this BS war on terror…
By the way, I’m fully aware of the threat of nuclear terrorism, but I don’t think it justifies secret bases where we torture people in the name of terrorism. Very f-ed up.
Many parts of the world are still a big mess, and the US isn’t playing an effective role in foreign affairs, unfortunately. I agree with you. Pretending something is over doesn’t mean it’s over.
The day we’ll be going through airports like we used to, pre- 9-11 may be that day when all is good.
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We are dealing with foreign and domestic terrorism. The pre-9-11 days may never return.
BRC
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I was afraid you might say something like these pre-9-11 may never return, but I refuse to admit that we will capitulate and accept that our lives are more miserable because some people half way across the world decided to make it so.
What bugs me the most is that the solutions are within our capabilities, but we are not going at it the right way.