Fanaticism Trumps Numbers and Wins

I sometimes wonder what the majority of Americans are willing to die for. Particularly when I see so many young people (and I have teenagers as well as very extensive access to the university) sliding through high school and the first few years of college without accepting the challenge of excellence or the rewards of hard work and personal self discipline. Many of these young people act as if they are the center of their own universe, and when things go wrong they blame those around them for their own failings.

Their behavior is only a symptom of what Ralph Peters calls the dream of a happy-face, godless world where nobody quarrels.

Let me put this article, which really is an article about the conflict in "Palestine," in context now.

Peters states in his article that the reason Hamas won was that they are religious fanatics willing to die for what they believe. Here's a quote:

Hamas won because its fighters are religious fanatics ready to die for their cause. Fatah runs an armed employment agency under the banner of Palestinian nationalism. Most of the latter's security men are on the payroll because relatives or ward pols got them jobs. And they want to stay alive to collect their wages.

The result was predictable. Our government pretended otherwise. Now hairs should be standing up on the backs of thousands of necks, from the White House to the Green Zone.

I look at this wide eyed passion to die for allah (lower case on purpose) and compare it to the apathy of Americans, and it does make me worry!

Our children and our current generation has been taught to "Believe in Yourself" since infancy and through television and our school system, rather than to believe in a higher purpose and a more noble calling. One's self esteem and comfort is more important than the unity and defense of the nation that gives us the freedom to live the lifestyles we enjoy. The values of our founding fathers - well - they are old fashioned and we are "more enlightened now". Bah!

As a Choral Director, I see this all the time in new choral music produced for the consumption of music programs from the elementary level through high school students. The texts are so watered down and "feel good" and do not raise the spirit of the young student to higher sights other than their own emotions and very limited experience. (Consider the fourth grade students in Maine who boldly declare that global warming is the worst problem in the whole world - even as we stand on the brink of WWIII) They speak of "putting our differences behind us" as if living in denial is going to make things better. Children sing about "looking inside" as if that will bring "light to the darkness" and solve all our world problems will bring. What are the children of the fanatics singing and chanting? "Kill America! Kill Jews! Kill Infidels!" None of this mamby-pamby "why can't we all get along" crap!

I could get off on a rant about the extreme political correctness of our government schools, but that will have to wait for another blog entry. I will say I am grateful that choral directors may still use sacred music as an educational tool as it is part of the culture of our Western Civilization.

What if a fanatical Hamas like group were to attack here - perhaps on one of our college campuses. I'm afraid we would see our young men and women cowering and screaming like children. Forgive me for this allusion, but they would be as cowardly as many students at Virginia Tech when "Hammer Boy" Cho went postal on them. (I know I'll get some flak for that statement)

We are not encouraged to be strong and brave and to face our adversaries head on, no matter what the cost. Why? Our faith is weak. Many have no faith except in themselves. I'm not trying to be an evangelical preacher, just a humble blogger. So many of us here in America, while we give lip service to words like Liberty, Freedom, Honor, Courage, Country, God, and Family, don't have enough gumption to be willing to lay it all on the line to defend what we do have.

Here's more from Ralph Peters:

Our problem is that, of those who rise in government, few have witnessed the power of revelation or caught a life-changing glimpse of the divine. They simply can't imagine that others might be willing to die for all that mumbo-jumbo. Our convenience-store approach to faith leaves us numb to the passion of our enemies.

The true believer always beats the feckless attendee. The best you can hope for is that the extremist will eventually defeat himself.

And that does leave us some hope: Fanatics inevitably over-reach, as al Qaeda's Islamo-fascists have done in Iraq, alienating those who once saw them as allies. But the road to self-destruction can be a long one: The people of Iran want change, but the fanatics have the guns. And sorry, folks: Fanatics with guns beat liberals with ideas.

Faith is the nuclear weapon of the fanatic. And there's not going to be a religious "nuclear freeze." It doesn't matter how many hearts and minds you win, if you don't defeat the zealots with the muscles.

The quoted article comes from Ralph Peters' new book, "Wars of Blood and Faith," which comes out on July 25. Yes I'm advertising for him, but he speaks truth to life. Read it and take it in. Our whole nation needs to.

Radiant

UPDATE:

Found a great quote:

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
John F. Kennedy 1.20.61

The Mouse of Death

Have you seen this outrage? A Cute Mouse with a Killer Message! A Palestinian children's show has a Mickey Mouse like character teaching children about Islamic domination. Farfur Mouse helps to teach how bad Jews and "unbelievers" are, and encourages young children to fight and die for "Allah" or the "Al Asar Mosque".





What a far cry from Sesame Street or Disney Land where "It's a Small World After All" (I hate that song, but appreciate the need for respect and tolerance among the nations of the world.)

Has Disney threatened to sue the producers of this show - Maybe for about $500 million and all of your WMD and suicide belts - the Kid sized ones especially!


Weep for the children with poisoned minds.

Can there be any doubt???

Some people say that Islam is the "Religion of Peace." I know a few muslims who live here who are "peaceful." That is because they appreciate the freedoms and lifestyle of the United States of America. Sheik Ahmad Bahr would be killing them if he were here right now. In fact, Bahr wants all of us dead. Every American and Israeli. And they call them selves adherents of a "Religion of Peace."

Here are his very words. Read them and shake yourself free from ignorance. Realize that there is no possibility of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Realize that there is an aggressive contingency prepared to behead you and destroy your loved ones simply because you are not a Muslim.

Ahmad Bahr began: "You will be victorious" on the face of this planet. You are the masters of the world on the face of this planet. Yes, [the Koran says that] "you will be victorious," but only "if you are believers." Allah willing, "you will be victorious," while America and Israel will be annihilated. I guarantee you that the power of belief and faith is greater than the power of America and Israel. They are cowards, who are eager for life, while we are eager for death for the sake of Allah. That is why America's nose was rubbed in the mud in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Somalia, and everywhere.

Bahr continued and said that America will be annihilated, while Islam will remain. The Muslims "will be victorious, if you are believers." Oh Muslims, I guarantee you that the power of Allah is greater than America, by whom many are blinded today. Some people are blinded by the power of America. We say to them that with the might of Allah, with the might of His Messenger, and with the power of Allah, we are stronger than America and Israel.

The Hamas spokesperson concluded with a prayer, saying: "Oh Allah, vanquish the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, count their numbers, and kill them all, down to the very last one. Oh Allah, show them a day of darkness. Oh Allah, who sent down His Book, the mover of the clouds, who defeated the enemies of the Prophet defeat the Jews and the Americans, and bring us victory over them."

What will you do? Can there be any doubt that we have an enemy? Any Democrats listening? Pelosi? Reid? Clinton?

The Cult of Bush Bashing

It becomes more and more obvious as time goes by that the hatred of President Bush is becoming a religious cult, and not based in rational thinking whatsoever. Bush is vilified the world over as the causer of wars, the oppressor of migrants, as the cause of global warming and the root of all that is wrong in the world. Forget the fact that America gives more foreign aid to everybody, even our enemies and even the Palestinians - an open enemy of the United States and freedom everywhere. Forget the fact that most research and development that benefits the poor of this world originated in the United States. Forget, even, that the United States is a country that people swarm to because of the promise of freedom and opportunity. You don't see many people emigrating to Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea, or Pakistan, do you, unless they have been radicalized into some state of fascism.

An almost hilarious article appeared in the Washington Post this morning. Mayan Priests are planning to "purify" sacred sites after they become "defiled" by a visit from President Bush this week.

Mayan priests will purify a sacred archaeological site to eliminate "bad spirits" after President Bush visits next week, an official with close ties to the group said Thursday.

"That a person like (Bush), with the persecution of our migrant brothers in the United States, with the wars he has provoked, is going to walk in our sacred lands, is an offense for the Mayan people and their culture," Juan Tiney, the director of a Mayan nongovernmental organization with close ties to Mayan religious and political leaders, said Thursday.

Bush's seven-day tour of Latin America includes a stopover beginning late Sunday in Guatemala. On Monday morning he is scheduled to visit the archaeological site Iximche on the high western plateau in a region of the Central American country populated mostly by Mayans.

Tiney said the "spirit guides of the Mayan community" decided it would be necessary to cleanse the sacred site of "bad spirits" after Bush's visit so that their ancestors could rest in peace.

It has been almost forgotten that the Mayan culture practically destroyed themselves by barbaric practices. It was not bad spirits that destroyed the Mayan culture, but bad leadership.

I wonder if today's Mayan priests are eating food or are clothed or have medicine provided by the technology and generosity of the United States? I wonder if they know the reason they are not part of the communist Cuban regime is because of the Monroe Doctrine? I wonder if they are aware that Bush has been more sympathetic and has built more alliances with Mexico than any president has done in the last century. He speaks almost fluent Spanish, and governed a state that was a border state with Mexico. He influenced NAFTA, which has been a blessing to Mexico and all Latin American countries.

About "persecuting" immigrant brothers and sisters - we don't machine gun down people who cross......they get three hots and a cot when they are caught and get sent back. In one piece. We do everything we can - not perfectly - to promote free trade with Mexico and all of Central and South America, because this is in the common interest of all countries . Even Venezuela which would not last a month if we did not purchase their oil. Stuff that in your pipe, Chavez!

My government engineer friend tells me about highly intelligent co-workers who state that Bush is the "worst President ever". What does that mean? Apparently they have forgotten near history. Here is a list of the 10 Worst Presidents ever by real historians - not the biased pseudo-media. Bush is nowhere near the notoriety of this group!

Bush is so often referred to as "evil," that he is the "devil" and "Hitler." He has been demonized and become the culmination of everything that is evil and wrong in the world with religious and fanatic zeal. Fantastic quotes like "Bush killed my son!" (Cindy Sheehan) , attribute almost godlike powers to a mere man. In the near future, will people use the expletive "Bush!" instead of other common expletives when they whack their thumbs with a hammer?

I am by no means a "Bush or die" person. Bush will probably go down in history as a mediocre president who entangled our nation in an unpopular war against a religiously charged irrational enemy. In the end, we hire a president to keep us safe - not to make us feel good. We need to remember this when we hire the next president.

Who will be the next religious Icon of all that is evil in the world when Bush is gone?