WILLisms.com: Tip-Toeing Around The Crazies

« Some 'Loose Change' Nonsense | WILLisms.com | Wednesday Caption Contest: Part 70 »

Tip-Toeing Around The Crazies

One of the infuriating aspects of the War on Terror is the left's belief that we deserve the misery that has descended on us. We are told that it is our 'policies' that cause the terrorist to attack us. Presumably, if we change our 'policies' the terrorists will be mollified, and the War on Terror will end. (I just love the line that it is our 'policies' that makes the terrorists hate us. Imagine Osama bin Laden, up late at night in his cave, reading the latest State Department white paper by the light of his oil lamp, muttering 'damn those infidels! They will pay for this policy!)

Forget things like the overthrow of Mossadegh in Iran. Or the ongoing insult of the continued existence of Israel. These days, there are those on the left wringing their hand over things such as George W. Bush invoking the term 'Islamic fascists' to describe our enemies. Robert Wright often appears on BloggingHeads.tv, opposite Mickey Kaus mostly, and he decried Bush's use of this term. He also decried the use of ethnic profiling on similar grounds, in that both tend to further alienate already alienated Muslims here and abroad, pushing them into the arms of Jihadism.

Think about that for a minute. We are supposed to walk on eggshells to keep borderline terrorists from fully going over to the other side. Someone who dedicates their life to terrorism because they were given an extra search at the airport is, with all due respect, already a sociopath just looking for an excuse to lash out. Anyone who suddenly thinks that murder is justified because their religion is slandered by the term 'fascist' (or cartoons, for that matter) is likewise a theo-psychotic, and probably was one long before Bush called them out. Christopher Hitchens gets off a a great line about this attitude: "homicidal nihilism is produced only by the resistance to it!"

Are we supposed to kow-tow to these people?

Wright might respond that, yes these people are exceedingly unreasonable, but we should nevertheless if possible avoid doing things that might set them off. Well, with such people something will eventually set them off - they want to find something to justify their anger and hatred, and as Shakespeare said a stick is soon found to beat a dog. We need to be frank in our discussions of these issues, and we need to take tough stances and actions. We need to call the enemy precisely what he is, and he is indeed an Islamic fascist. It is bound to anger some - but does that mean we back off?

If we do back off, we have allowed the terrorists to frame the debate and define its parameters and limits. We give the fascists input into our democratic debate, and this needs to be resisted. These totalitarians thrive on narrowed, limited discourse and rhetoric. Our strength is our right and freedom to speak out, and the terrorists deserve no veto on that.

Having said that let me seque to BloggingHeads.tv. I gotta say, I find it addicting. If you are looking for political fireworks and mudslinging, go watch the McLaughlin Group. But if you like rather low key, in-depth opinion delivered face-to-face in a very sober way, you might find it very engaging. My favorite guy is Mickey Kaus, who has a very eccentric style at Slate, but on video he comes off as likable, a little goofy, well-informed and not terribly ideological. Some of the guests there, like Daniel Drezner, are just frighteningly smart people. It's must see .tv!

Posted by Ken McCracken · 12 September 2006 01:11 PM

Comments

They have a word for the "My behaviour drives your behavior." It is called Codependency.

I knew they were crazy. Should we send Dr. Phil to the Libs?

Posted by: Rob at September 12, 2006 02:37 PM

You know what? They DESERVE Dr. Phil.

Posted by: Ken McCracken at September 12, 2006 03:13 PM

From the argument that security measures against terrorism merely creates more terrorists, does it follow that the employment of police merely creates more criminals.

We may have stumbled on the solution to crime- fire all those cops!

Posted by: Thomas Hazlewood at September 12, 2006 04:31 PM

the republicans are terrified because people are more interested in getting on with their lives than reveling in the "tales from the dark side" of stonings and cliterectomies from the muslim world. If muslims are so scary why do you people want to go to their countries and get in their face? let's get out of the middle east if their so scary. all your muslim paranoia is the best argument ever against interventionism. yet you embrace it. My ancestors came here to get away from war, not start them. the US leads by example. remember that old hippy slogan "what if they gave a war and no one came"? well no one is coming to the war on terror.

Posted by: lester at September 13, 2006 02:30 PM

Well you know what lester, it would be great if we could just leave the crazy Muslims alone.

Problem is, they won't leave us alone, so they present us with no choice.

Posted by: Ken McCracken at September 13, 2006 08:05 PM

ken- how do you know they won't leave us alone? we are in their face in afghanistan and iraq and through their governments in egypt, saudi arabia and pakistan. and barking at iran and Syria.

how about we TRY leaving them alone then we can go back to your way if it doesn't work.

Do you think al queda should have left the USSR alone when they were taking over afghanistan? i don't. and neither did reagan obviously

Posted by: lester at September 14, 2006 01:53 PM