Here is a comment from one of my readers about my musings on radial Islam. I made only minor edits for grammar and typing.
So disappointed. I look forward to your blog entries. I like your relatively clear thinking. Most of the time critical thinking. However, your head seems to be firmly under ground regarding radical Islam. Whether it’s a national cult or a religious one, when the perpetrators are saying they want to kill you, then kill you, then continue to kill you…kinda clear to me. Your metaphor about a squealing bunch of kids is nice, but oh so naïve. When bullies in your neighborhood start shooting at you with guns they stole from you, do you call them crazy zealots and wish them away?. Do you admit you made a mistake leaving them out in the yard, then, bow your head out of guilt or shame and let them hack away? Probably not.
Dudes that are Islamic, Japanese, German, American of whatever religious, nationalistic, or other death cults that creates victims then kills them, and promises to continue the butchery both within and outside their “neighborhood”
are probably not groovy. If the nihilistic ideologies of the last 100 years aren’t clear, well gee.I’m sure a number of private corporations during WWII made big bucks. You know what, critical thinking tells me that survival under Obama-Halliburton is superior thank you to Hitler-whomever or Russia-whomever or even al-qaeda-whomever.
War was declared by radical Islam well before 9-11. History is very clear to illustrate when countries and their leaders make mistakes. The U.S. is well chronicled in this area. However, history is also very clear that when a war cult says they will kill you, then enters your country and terminates how ever many thousands of people died in those towers and might have died in D.C.only apathy, weariness, or blind ideology says oops we made some mistakes, please your just crazy religious zealots, go back home, wreak havoc in your own country and don’t come back.
Now, the psychologist in me notices that CNN appears to be a brain bashing despot. packaging and repackaging various horrors over and over. Turn CNN off, do the difficult work of resourcing the best info and commentators out there and live your life. And be thankful that for the moment most of us are spared the insults of tribal savagery most of the time.
By the way, self-serving ideologies abound in the middle east, Russia, Europe and the U.S. that are profoundly fail the tenets of critical thinking. In my opinion. Please be cautious when referencing commentators that support your political narrative. Some of them, Alastair Stephens comes to mine, have singular narratives that seldom deviate from their core ideology. In Stephens case, he is an untiring “worker” for one or more socialist parties both inside and outside Russia. Here is an example:
“The following statement of the Russian Socialist Movement is an example of how socialists oppose the imperial ambitions of their own ruling class – one the Left in Britain should emulate”-Alastair Stephens -March 4, 2014-Counterfire.org.
-Imperialism Today
“The present conflict brewing in the Ukraine is a product of inter-imperialist rivalries.
The US and the European powers have been pushing expansion of the Nato and EU into the former Eastern Bloc, and increasingly up to borders of Russia.
This is neither in the interests of the peoples of those countries, or ordinary people anywhere else. The consequences of previous “colour revolutions” have not been happy.
Furthermore successful imperialist intervention in Eastern Europe will only act to encourage such action elsewhere in the world, with the Middle East the top of that target list.”I am quoting at length because this is the same language, the same logic, the same themes that were peddled on the streets of Berkeley in the early 70’s. I was as counterculture as they come, still I could recognize ideology not rational analysis. Apparently, not much has changed.
It is hard for me to understand exactly what this person is advocating. A lot of rhetoric in social media lately, though, seems to suggest that due to the deeds of terrorist groups such as Al Queda or ISIS, all followers of Islam should be wiped out. My Dad is from Northern Ireland. In the last 90 years there has been plenty of violence in NI caused by Christians. I guarantee that many acts committed there during that period were just as horrifying as what is going on in the Mid-East. However, I don’t hear people in this country suggesting we wipe out all Christians. This would be idiotic. About as idiotic as wiping out all members of Islam for the acts of radical elements in the Middle East. What logic and wisdom dictates is that we capture/kill those people only and not paint every adherent to this religion with the same paint brush.
That stands as evidence that this is a complicated situation with no simple, obvious solution, and strong feelings by everyone. I am reluctant to sign up for the bomb, bomb, bomb everyone we don’t agree with. That’s the very most expensive solution, both in dollars, costs of life, and good will – since it breed terrorism like nothing else does.
Good points.However, I do not recall any elements in Northern Island declaring war on peoples outside the country and following up with continued destruction. Am I missing something. Solutions? And no, I am not calling for. nor will their be destruction of all Islam. In the best of all worlds the declared enemies of the so called Islamic State and al-Queda inside those Islamic countries would follow through with boots on the ground.
My main point. When a group of people of whatever religion or politic declares war on another group or politic, the one violated has the responsibility to use whatever means to defeat, not placate that adversary.What those means are depend on many things, of course. Are we at least close to an agreement on this point?
You mean “right” not “responsibility”, correct?
Like the Mohawks had that right when the Dutch started slaughtering their way up Manhattan Island in the 1600s, followed by the English in 1700s?
Like the Jews when the Germans came after them in the 1930s?
Like the Chinese did (the Han people) when the Mongols overran them in the 1200s?
I am being facetious.
I also wasn’t trying to imply placating them. Like a bully in the playground, we should ignore them, and starve them out. No more gun sales in the region. Stop buying anything they have to sell. That’s oil. No more tourism, no more journalism (not hard to enforce, since their heads are getting cut off). Black out Internet access for them. Within a generation the region would be back in the 1200s, where they want to be anyway.
If course, that is brutal to the thousands of innocent children, girls, women who will be abused and used, just like they were in the 1200s. Such is their religion of choice. Not our problem.
How’s that for spraying gasoline on your fire?
Pour it on!! Now were in the realm of strategy. Good! Of the cuff, your steps to essentially sequester “them” till they implode might work. Believe it would take the co-operation of a bunch of nations both inside and outside the Middle East. You know who they are. Not to mention squeezing off the private armament business. Add a little bombing to slow these guys down.Could be a promising menu.
The thing is, if these guys get a foothold, little by little, in THAT region of the world, the really bad news comes next. “They” are avowed imperialists. I have no doubt that unless stopped, “they” like the Nazi dudes want the world and they want it as close to now as they can.My point, “they” are not just a regional cult of mayhem. 9-11 was bombs away.
I didn’t mean to go on, I never do, but…there I go. Getting around to talking strategy is a very good thing. It seems for strategizing to be effective one must first clear out the ideological debris first.
Thanks!