The Discerning Texan
-- Edmund Burke
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Newt Gingrich: How to Fight and Win the LONG War
With all that said, I would be dishonest if I did not make a confession here: I would charge into windmills to see Newt Gingrich inhabit the Oval Office... Quite frankly, the country and way of life that we know as "America" is probably under greater threat of extinction today than at any time since the Civil War--and if we don't do whatever is necessary now, whole American cities--along with the American economy--could well become the next casualties of the Islamist Fascists' long war of attrition against Western Civilization.
For me, the most alarming reality of all is that many of my friends--and many other Americans--don't even bother to consider such things; otherwise intelligent and responsible people simply cannot bring themselves to consider that all we have taken for granted for so long really is threatened. But ignorance of reality does not make it any less real.
I was arguing one night with my best friend from college; the subject was why I had become so single-minded and "negative" when it came to the War and politics in general. His statement was that he is an "optimist" and just did not like such negativity dragging him down (I guess he must not watch the news or read newspapers anymore, if that is indeed the case....)
Anyway, I've been giving this a lot of thought, because alienating one's friends is not something one sets out to do. And for me it comes down to one overriding, hard truth: there are unfortunately people in the Islamic world--many with a lot of money, power, or influence--who quite simply do not hold or adhere to a "do unto others" libertarian-like mindset. These are nihilist religious zealots. Some of them have access to dangerous WMD's or are seeking such access. Some of them are content with more conventional murder such as car bombs, passenger planes, IEDs or backpacks for discos. What all these people have in common is that they are openly willing to give their own lives in order to kill as many non-Muslims as possible--especially the "decadent Americans"--all because of a twisted, 9th century conception of a vengeful, angry, unforgiving God. And many of them have Imams who preach that these things will get them to paradise. These people are terrified of women--especially powerful ones whose face and/or body parts they can see. In their own cultures they keep women virtual prisoners, and their culture celebrates the killing of women who do not adhere to being veiled or being sexually chaste. (Yet strangely enough you don't hear a peep about the Islamists from the feminist left in this country...)
If it weren't enough that there are so many people out there who want us dead and who do not share the West's egalitarian mindset; there are also people in our own country--who through their own ignorance or misunderstanding of the reality that there are millions of people like this out there, choose to treat our enemies as "misunderstood", and that America or Israel are somehow to blame for our enemies' zealotry and hate; even though political Islam has been around and killing millions of the kafir (infidels) and repressing and murdering their own women since antiquity.
The most common mistake that many Westerners make when it comes to their own live and let live world view is that they believe that it is somehow inherent in human nature to hold that view, all present and historical evidence to the contrary notwithstanding. The view of "if we just leave them alone, they will leave us alone" derives from Judeo-Christian "Do unto others" roots--but even in the Bible this is the ideal to be strived for, not the harsh reality of the "real world". And so the mistaken conclusion--that people from other cultures have the same egalitarian view of life and tolerance of 'the other' as does the secular West--is a fatal flaw that prevents many Westerners who are not well-read on the subject from understanding the Islamist mindset, the twisted view of the world the Islamists have, and how cheap life--especially infidel lives--are to the people with this mindset...
Barbarism, beheading--and "religious conversion" via conquest, subjugation, and killing of non-believers--have been an integral part of Islam since its inception over a thousand years ago. Israel has been around for about 50 years. Yet the mythology the left would have you believe is that all these Islamists killing each other and others in the name of their God is because of Israel... or because of America. Even in places like Bali, Kashmir, India, Indonesia and Somalia... and places like Russia, Chechnya, Bosnia, Darfur, Madrid, Amsterdam, Germany, Italy, France, the UK, the Phillipines, Thailand.... and the list goes on. So--let me make sure I've got this straight--when Muslims blow up a Christian church in the Phillipines, or when a man stones his daughter to death in Tehran--all this killing is because of Israel and America, have I got that right?
Long before Israel or America came along, Islamists have been killing "infidels": the Barbary pirates, the conquest of Spain and Turkey and Egypt and Iraq and Persia, the invasion of Eastern Europe which was halted at the Gates of Vienna, the subjugation of southern Asia and Northern Africa, the conquest (twice) of the Holy Land. Even the barbarism of the Christian Crusades were defensive wars designed to free peoples which had already been conquered by invading, head-chopping Islamist hordes. Yet we are supposed to believe that the sole motivation of our Islamist enemies is America or Israel? Tell me another one...
Yet how many people in America and Europe actually believe that garbage (no thanks to a cooperative leftist media and educational institutions which no longer stress the teaching of military history)? Answer: too damn many. Propaganda works insidiously, over time--until one day no one is around who even remembers the truth or groks the lies which are paraded before them every single day by a sickly partisan news media.
And so--even though for the most part we are talking about good, kind people--these Western "optimists" can be as dangerous to our own way of life as our enemies; perhaps even more dangerous, because they can use their influence and a common belief that any human being is by definition "decent"--to prevent those of us who do give a damn from taking the important steps that must be taken to protect our civilization and way of life.
But the worst of the worst is our openly partisan and seditious news media; their false "optimism" is to be feared every bit as much as is the evil and barbarism of our enemies. And so when it comes to those of us who do understand the high stakes in play, the so called "pessimists" (to use my friend's nomenclature)--it is we alone who stand between the millions of sociopathic Islamist monsters and their goal of annihallating us all. Sure, we are only talking about maybe 3-4% of Muslims here--but there are hundreds of millions of Muslims; 3-4% is a LOT of people. Many of these people have connections, money... and a burning desire to kill us for Allah. And Muslims are reproducing at a much faster rate than any other demographic in the World
The sad fact is that--even after the events of 9/11--a sadly large majority of the American people are in critical need of a leader capable of waking them up to the reality of the darkness which awaits our country if we do not act forcefully to stop our enemies now. We live in momentous, consequential times, and momentous times call for momentous leadership to snap America out of its ostrich-like dream world, before our enemies snap us out of it with an American holocaust.
On September 10, Newt Gingrich spoke to the American Enterprise Institute with a speech called "What If? An Alternative History of the War on Terror." This speech is rather long, and there is about a 30 minute Q and A afterwards. But the ideas in this speech--the brutal honesty and thought that went into it--are such a breath of fresh air compared to what I am used to from other politicians. Truth--when it is laid out logically and eloquently--is a powerful motivator. Gingrich is precisely the kind of leader America sorely needs at this stage of history.
Newt has said all along that he would decide at the end of September whether or not to enter the race. Is that too late to have a chance to win? Possibly. But a Gingrich candidacy would nevertheless be difficult for me personally to ignore.
If Gingrich does not get in, it is my great hope that he will throw his full weight and energy helping to get Fred Thompson and Republican Senators and Congressmen elected. Newt and Fred are an excellent ideological match; Gingrich is a brilliant communicator and would be a tremendous campaign asset; and--last but not least--because Gingrich would make a superb Secretary of War/State in a Thompson Administration. If there is anyone who could implement the kind of dramatic reforms at the State Department (which he touches on in the speech), it is Gingrich. Hell, with Newt wading into that bureaucracy, and kicking ass and taking names for 8 years over there, the War/State Department might actually become an asset to America instead of the liability it is today.
In any case, do not let the length of the speech deter you: bookmark this post for when you have an hour and a half to really sit back, relax, and ponder the future of your country. And prepare to be inspired. There are not a lot of cheap platitudes here; this is a serious discussion, chock full of substance. But if ever there was a time for us all to collectively get serious, now is that time. This is how we should be fighting this war--and the sooner the better. Joe Bob says "check it out."
Labels: Government Bureaucrats, Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism, Newt Gingrich, Republican, The Long War
Monday, September 10, 2007
Once Upon a Time...
Never Forget. Ever.
Cartoon by Cox and Forkum (click to enlarge)
Labels: 9/11, Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism, Terrorism
Thursday, September 06, 2007
About that Bin Laden Video
I will be taking tomorrow and Saturday off myself to attend the Texas-TCU festivities in Austin. While I am away, take my advice: Be careful out there this weekend.
Labels: 9/11, Homegrown Jihad, Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism, Osama Bin Laden
How Lawyers are Endangering the Rest of Us
So I'm reading Jack Goldsmith's new book, The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration,
and so far it's quite good. Excerpt:
It is unimaginable that Francis Biddle or Robert Jackson would have written Franklin Roosevelt a memorandum about how to avoid prosecution for his wartime decisions designed to maintain flexibility against a new and deadly foe. . . . Many people think the Bush administration has been indifferent to wartime legal constraints. But the opposite is true: the administration has been strangled by law, and since September 11, 2001 this war has been lawyered to death.
Read the rest. Maybe Napoleon was on to something...
Labels: Homeland Security, Judicial, National Security
Monday, September 03, 2007
Calderon: Not America's Friend
As much as President Bush is to be congratulated for his perserverence and strength in the War against our Islamist enemies, when it comes to his coddling of Mexico, the President needs to take stock of reality: Felipe Calderon is showing himself to be no friend of the United States:
- First there was this...
- ...not satisfied, El Presidente shot his mouth off and said these things...
- ...what's next, Mexican troops at the Alamo?
More here. Infuriating video above.
The President needs to be cognizant of the historical roots of his home state. They say that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Labels: Border Protection, Homeland Security, Illegal Immigration, Mexico
Saturday, September 01, 2007
UPDATED Activist Judge Blocks enforcement of Social Security Laws
In case you aren't reading between the lines, here is what this pathetic excuse for a judge is saying: 'I know the Social Security Administration is catching people committing felonies by using falsified SSN's. But you don't have the right to fine companies who knowingly hire these felons.' Is that clear enough for you?Oh, crikey. A San Francisco federal judge appointed by guess-who interferes with stiffer employer sanctions for businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens because she says she needs more “breathing room:”
The Social Security Administration cannot start sending out letters to employers next week that carry with them more serious penalties for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants, a federal judge ruled Friday.
Ruling on a lawsuit by the nation’s largest federation of labor unions against the U.S. government, U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting the so-called “no-match” letters from going out as planned starting Tuesday…
…Chesney said the court needs “breathing room” before making any decision on the legality of new penalties aimed at cracking down on the hiring of illegal immigrants.
She set the next hearing on the matter for Oct. 1.
Who’s behind the lawsuit? Big Labor. Yeah, you know, the same lobby that’s supposed to be looking after American workers (or as Miss Teen South Carolina would call them, “U.S. American workers”).
The Department of Homeland Security has vowed to fight the lawsuit, calling it “an obvious attempt to impede the department’s ability to enforce our immigration laws.”
Read the rest here. And resist that temptation to pull all your hair out or to go postal. There is a way to put an end to this garbage: put an end to electing Democrat Presidents. This is why elections matter.
UPDATE: Dan Riehl comments:
Assuming you are a legitimate citizen, or non-citizen worker and your Social Security number is mis-recorded, wouldn't you want, if not need to correct that, or eventually face being unable to draw benefits? So, how is preventing a process designed to set the record straight a protection? Failing to have it corrected would seem to present the greater risk, assuming you are working legally, of course.
Labels: Homeland Security, Illegal Immigration, Judicial Activism
The Post-Intelligencer welcomes you to Seattle...
Shamelessly pilfered from Doug Ross (h/t Don Surber--click to enlarge)
Labels: Homeland Security, Media Bias, Terrorism
Thursday, August 23, 2007
NJ Buckles to Anti-Sanctuary Pressure
How can some of these idiotic politicians even begin to defend purposefully not reporting felons who happen to be in the country illegally to ICE? I am not necessarily advocating that we have to engage in deporting 20 million illegals right now; but it will be a very steep hill to climb for any selfish politician to try and defend not reporting illegal immigrant felons. In fact, what reasonable argument can there be for keeping repeat felons in this country, and continuing to let them commit violent crimes over and over again, and never tell the Feds they are illegals? Franky it is an untenable, unjustifiable postion for any politician who cares about being re-elected.The gangland slaughter of 3 college students in New Jersey and sundry other violent crimes by illegal aliens forced that state’s attorney general, Anne Milgram, to order all police officers in New Jersey to determine the immigration status of the people they arrest. Yes, you should identify whom you arrest.
Sanctuary City, N.J., has been shut down for the summer.
Jackasses like Newark Mayor Cory Booker have been belligerent in defying requests to identify illegal alien suspects as illegal aliens. They are not immigrants. Immigrants go through the front door. These suspects are gangsters who come here, kill people, get deported and come back.
By refusing to cooperate with federal officials even in the wake of the execution of 3 college students in his pathetic city, Mayor Booker is an unindictable accessory after the fact. Only because he is acting in his official capacity is he immune from criminal prosecution.
In short, the law is on his side.
Or it was until this morning when AG Milgram stepped up to the plate. AP reported, in full (my newspaper pays for this):
TRENTON, New Jersey: Shaken by three recent execution-style killings in a schoolyard, New Jersey’s attorney general on Wednesday ordered all law enforcement authorities to notify U.S. immigration officials whenever an illegal immigrant is arrested for an indictable offense or drunken driving.One suspect in the Aug. 4 killings of three college students is an illegal immigrant from Peru who was out on bail for other crimes. The case led to an outcry over the lack of communication between local authorities and immigration officials.
Before the new order, “all police departments in our state had complete discretion as to if, when and how to notify immigration authorities,” State Attorney General Anne Milgram said.
The policy takes effect immediately.
Each state is free to set its own guidelines for reporting illegal immigrants who are arrested.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) keeps no record of which states have statewide reporting guidelines, said spokesman Michael W. Gilhooly. ...
The New Jersey massacre is the perfect opportunity to get this done now: If this issue is raised to a national level now--with elections on the horizon next year--I fail to see how anyone but the most vehemently left-wing zealots could possibly vote against reporting illegal alien felons to the Feds the minute they are arrested.
I have heard O'Reilly advocate President Bush introducing legislation which would deny federal funding for one year to any cities who are caught failing to report an illegal immigrant felon to Homeland Security (ICE). I seriously doubt that a majority of the cowards in either house of Congress would have the courage to show their true colors and vote against such a bill. So why not force that vote now with grassroots pressure--while these murders are fresh on everyone's mind, and while the do-nothing PC Dems have the Congressional reins. Let's force them to either back their political base or else to enforce the will of the overwhelming majority of the American people.
So what do you say, Mr. President--how about making Congress walk this plank? This is about terrorism and violent crime, not about ethnicity. It is a question of criminal law and counterterroism, and--as much as the La Razas will try to make it so--it is not discrimination against Hispanics, it is discrimination against felons who are a danger to society. And if mayors want to continue play this bullshit leftist game of political correctness, and they willingly continue to purposefully withhold the names of undocumented felons from ICE, then the cities they represent should not get one penny of the Federal taxpayers' money. The time to act is now.
Write the President and write your Congressmen with this message: The notion of "Sanctuary Cities" is endangering the public and our national security. It is time to withhold federal funding from any city or municipality who is found to have failed to report any arrested person who is not in this country legally.
Labels: Border Protection, Homeland Security, Illegal Immigration, Sanctuary Cities
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Seattle Post-Intelligencer REFUSES to run FBI wanted picutes of suspected Terrorists
At 6am yesterday morning, I posted the FBI photo of two men who have been spotted by ferry employees and passengers acting strangely aboard Washington State ferries recently. I noted that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer refused to run the photos. In a follow-up story, the P-I explained its decision further:
There’s no taint if there’s no terrorism. Were their actions nefarious or misinterpreted? The men could clear that up in a split second by coming forward and saying so. Bill Hobbs weighs in at Newsbusters:The P-I elected not to publish the photos, citing civil liberties and privacy concerns, which editors felt outweighed the newsworthiness of the images. “We have no confirmation that these men’s behavior was anything but innocuous, and to forever taint them by associating them with terrorism under these circumstances is not consistent with our policy,” said David McCumber, P-I managing editor.
Of course it would be easier to find out which is the case if the FBI could find the guys. And it would be easier to find the guys if the Seattle P-I would publish the photos, so that Seattle-area residents would know what the men look like whom the FBI has asked the public to help them find. As it stands now, in the name of being politically correct, the Seattle P-I has decided to alarm the people of Seattle and leave them looking suspiciously at just about anyone who fits the general description of male and looking like they might be from the Middle East.
So, how else is the P-I covering the story (or rather, not covering the story)? By holding a haiku contest, of course! (Hat tip -
Bill Hobbs, who has more here).
Labels: Homegrown Jihad, Homeland Security, Media Bias, Media War, The Left
Monday, August 20, 2007
FBI Searching for (Muslim?) Teens in Washington
The FBI wants to find these two men--who have reportedly been acting very strangely on some ferries in Washington state. More here.Labels: Homegrown Jihad, Homeland Security
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Andrews AFB Guard Arrested for Hiding Radical Muslim Ties
On April 19, 2005, Darrick Jackson completed an application to work as a private security guard at an entrance gate to Andrews Air Force Base.
"Have you ever used or been known by another name?" he was asked in the second of 20 queries.
"No," Jackson answered.
He got the job.
Federal prosecutors now allege that Jackson intentionally withheld his Muslim name, Abdul-Jalil Mohammad, to conceal a connection to a controversial imam in Southeast Washington. Jackson, 37, who is no longer in the civilian job, has been charged with making a false statement, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
In a pretrial hearing scheduled for today, prosecutors are expected to argue that they should be permitted to present evidence at trial that they say links Jackson to extremist views. The evidence includes speeches in which the imam wishes for the U.S. government's collapse, essays posted on Jackson's MuslimSpace Web page and a mosque directory listing Jackson as the head of security.
Labels: Homegrown Jihad, Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism
High Tech Terror Profiling in NYC
But Allah does have a point; why isn't the FBI doing this? Especially in light of things like this.
Labels: Homegrown Jihad, Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism, Terrorism
Monday, August 06, 2007
British Intelligence: AQ Cell(s) loose in the US
But--if you listen to Democrats--I guess we don't have much to gain by actually monitoring those communications into the US...As an American-born spokesman for Al Qaeda threatens to blow up American embassies abroad, intelligence gleaned from last month's British "doctors plot" of car bombers suggests that a Qaeda cell is on the loose in the American homeland.
E-mail addresses for American individuals were found on the same password-protected e-mail chains used by the United Kingdom plotters to communicate with Qaeda handlers in Europe, a counterterrorism official told The New York Sun yesterday. The American and German intelligence community now believe the secure e-mail chains used in the United Kingdom plot have provided a window into an operational Qaeda network in several countries.
"Because of the London and Glasgow plot, we now know communications have been made from Al Qaeda to operatives in the United States," the counterterrorism official said on condition of anonymity. "This plot helps to connect a lot of stuff. We have seen money moving a lot through hawala networks and other illicit finance as well." But this source was careful to say that at this point no specific information, such as names, targets or a timeline, was known about any particular plot on American soil. The e-mail addresses that are linked to Americans were pseudonyms.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Homegrown Jihad, Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism, Terrorism, UK
Sunday, August 05, 2007
UPDATED "Middle Eastern Men" with Bombs in Car Arrested in Charleston S.C.
Tons of readers are e-mailing me about an incident tonight in Charleston, S.C. It’s way too early to tell what this is all about, but here’s a local report via PJM:UPDATE: The Charleston Post and Courier site has an update this morning, with photo. I have not seen much more buzz about this on the blogs.Goose Creek - Berkeley County police pulled over a vehicle in a routine traffic stop near Meyers Road and Highway 1-76 around 6 p.m. The vehicle with Florida tags was driven by two men of Middle Eastern descent. Inside police found explosive devices. Highway 1-76 near Goose Creek has since been shut down. In addition to the FBI (website) , authorities from Goose Creek, Berkeley County, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are on scene. The Charleston County bomb squad has also been called. Officials on scene say that neighbors are in no immediate danger. They also report that they are unsure if a crime has been committed.Dan Riehl is following developments.
Labels: Homegrown Jihad, Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Evacuations: ABC News in Washington; Long Beach Airport
Stay tuned...
Labels: Homeland Security
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Victory! Under Pressure, Dems Cave and re-Add John Doe Amendment
Well Done!
Labels: Democrat Sabotage, Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism, PC, US Senate
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
"Suspicious U-Haul" in Downtown Dallas at Federal Court Building
Labels: Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism
John Doe reportedly "not dead yet"...
Labels: Air Travel, Appeasement, Democrat Sabotage, Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism
Sunday, July 22, 2007
The DNC Ad Campaign (continued)
More shameless Photoshop theft, via Michelle Malkin. Enjoy!
Labels: Air Travel, Appeasement, Democrat Sabotage, Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism
Why are Dhimmicrats bailing out on the John Doe Amendment?
Today's passengers have an advantage. They know what can happen. They know what to look for. They will not be taken by surprise, and they are willing to take action. But some in Congress would sacrifice their lives on the altar of political correctness. ...
As a federal air marshal in Las Vegas observed: "The crew and passengers act as our additional eyes and ears on every flight. If they are afraid of reporting suspicious individuals out of fear of being labeled a racist or bigot, then terrorists will certainly use these fears to their advantage in future aviation attacks."
What bothers us is why some Democrats want to let them.
This move really seems inexplicable. The explanation from the Democrats makes little sense, but neither does anything else. Democrats said they feared the legislation would lead to profiling by transportation security, but profiling has nothing to do with responding to tips. Profiling means investigating people without any substantive basis except superficial characteristics.
When travelers pass tips to airline and airport security, those professionals then evaluate the information and determine the best course of action. That might involve rescreening specific passengers, but not on the basis of prejudice but on the basis of potential threat information. The onus should be on the professionals to ensure that they properly evaluate the information, not on the travelers who are just trying to help keep our transportation secure.
If Congress allows tipsters to remain vulnerable to legal intimidation, it will result in less secure airports and flights. No one will worry about tipping off police if they see a bomb or a gun, but more subtle clues might go uninvestigated as travelers have to weigh the importance of informing security against the potential hassle of getting sued. Eventually that will give terrorists a wider opening to exploit our transportation in a similar manner as 9/11.
Labels: Air Travel, Appeasement, Democrat Sabotage, Dhimmitude, Homeland Security, Islamic Fascism
