ISIS and Pirates
During the 18th and 19th Centuries pirates roamed the open seas taking every opportunity to prey on and loot commercial ships on the open seas. They were a heartless, ruthless, and vicious bunch of criminals and misfits that freelanced under a black flag of skull and cross bones. They were feared by all when at sea because their trademark was holding their captives for ransom, and killing them (usually by beheading) if the ransom was not met.
Fast forward to the 21st Century. We have ISIS, a bunch of heartless, ruthless, and vicious Islamic bunch of criminals and misfits that prey on the most innocence to kidnap, hold captive, and demand ransom. If the ransom is not paid then they behead the victims.
The main difference is the pirates roamed the open seas, whereas ISIS operates on a land mass in an area as unstable as the seas while freelancing under a black flag of religion. Their intent is even more dastardly because they seek to occupy and control a large land mass under the auspices of a legitimate government while forming a caliphate and implementing Sharia Law to be spread world wide.
So, what does the world do about it? Not much. Our own president is reluctant to call these thugs what they are. . . terrorists. He is reluctant to use the word "war." He dithers and dawdles, and makes a decision to use air power only when pressured, and then for "pin prick" strikes on specific targets, i.e. use a $7 million aircraft to launch a $350,000 missile to destroy a $25 tent in the desert.
Obama is right about one thing. It will take years to make a difference when conducting a "strategic counter-terriorism" mission this way. After Pearl Harbor our nation came together and went all out to launch a war against Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. We simultaneously conducted a war in two theaters, Pacific and Europe, and in four years had unconditionally defeated both Japan and Germany.
These same "land pirates" struck a serious blow in 2001 when they brought down the Twin Towers and struck the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. You would think we would have gone all out after them, but we didn't. Somewhere in our national consciousness beginning with Viet Nam we've become so divided on so many issues, especially national security, that we are unable to act with unity.
We've become like a big, mean, ugly pit bull dog with a loud bark and growl, but has rubber teeth.
Fast forward to the 21st Century. We have ISIS, a bunch of heartless, ruthless, and vicious Islamic bunch of criminals and misfits that prey on the most innocence to kidnap, hold captive, and demand ransom. If the ransom is not paid then they behead the victims.
The main difference is the pirates roamed the open seas, whereas ISIS operates on a land mass in an area as unstable as the seas while freelancing under a black flag of religion. Their intent is even more dastardly because they seek to occupy and control a large land mass under the auspices of a legitimate government while forming a caliphate and implementing Sharia Law to be spread world wide.
So, what does the world do about it? Not much. Our own president is reluctant to call these thugs what they are. . . terrorists. He is reluctant to use the word "war." He dithers and dawdles, and makes a decision to use air power only when pressured, and then for "pin prick" strikes on specific targets, i.e. use a $7 million aircraft to launch a $350,000 missile to destroy a $25 tent in the desert.
Obama is right about one thing. It will take years to make a difference when conducting a "strategic counter-terriorism" mission this way. After Pearl Harbor our nation came together and went all out to launch a war against Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. We simultaneously conducted a war in two theaters, Pacific and Europe, and in four years had unconditionally defeated both Japan and Germany.
These same "land pirates" struck a serious blow in 2001 when they brought down the Twin Towers and struck the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. You would think we would have gone all out after them, but we didn't. Somewhere in our national consciousness beginning with Viet Nam we've become so divided on so many issues, especially national security, that we are unable to act with unity.
We've become like a big, mean, ugly pit bull dog with a loud bark and growl, but has rubber teeth.
posted by Donald G Davidson at 11:41 AM
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