Moving Forward
Tomorrow we begin the last month of 2008, has this year flown by or what. What I wish we were beginning was a new chapter in history, one that would bring about the complete destruction of terrorism. Most everyone is aware of the horrific terrorist attacks that took place in Mumbai a few days ago. The terrorist targeted American, British, and Jewish folks, not because they had done anything but because of an intense hatred of a particular way of life. Unfortunately, Mumbai was only one of the most recent terrorist attacks during the month of November. This link is for a Wikipedia list of all terrorist attacks, not only for the month of November but for all of 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents,_2008, the list is sobering. In total there have been approximately 244 terrorist attacks so far this year, with ~2,847 killed and ~7,566 injured. To me these are horrifying numbers and ones that do not seem to be of interest to the mainstream media.
The idea of setting out to maim and kill due to sheer hatred is evil and I believe it is incumbent upon all of us to speak out and stand up. The idea that such evil exists can seem frightening to be sure, but it should also make us angry. Our first instinct is to think this does not affect me and I can’t do one thing about it, but I don’t believe that is true. I believe that we need to push not just our own government but other governments to call terrorism what it is and to use their might to send it back to the pit from which has sprung.
We need to let the media know that terrorism is not a crime and these are not freedom fighters. Islamic radicalism is evil and does not seek a peaceful co-existence with the rest of the world. Islamic extremist want to destroy liberty and democracy and overthrow governments. Islamic extremists believe that the people of this world need to bow down to their belief system or get blown up. Islamic extremism abhors any idea that is contrary to their twisted agenda.
I stated in an earlier blog that I am not a sky is falling kind of gal and I am not, but I do know that unless people take a stand to fight for what is right then we all lose. I also believe that political correctness with regard to not calling terrorists what they are, which is evil, is allowing this madness to flourish. Terrorism should never be viewed as a crime but always as an act of war, because that is indeed what it is. There is no amount of cow-towing and negotiating that will bring such evil to the bargaining table because terrorists hold the maniacal view that their belief system should rule the world. Are we commanded to love and pray for our enemies? Yes we are and I believe we should. However, we are also called to stand up and speak out against evil as well.
Sometimes I am overwhelmed to say the least by all of the wrongs I see and I begin to feel like what is the use the problems are just too big to overcome. I believe it is that type of feeling that each of us needs to be on guard against, otherwise apathy overtakes us and evil grows ever larger. So in moving forward we need to use this as a call to action, to let our government know that it should not back down in the fight and we should also let the media know that political correctness serves no useful purpose. Governments are there to protect and defend and the media is there to tell us the events of the day in an unbiased manner. This is the standard that we should hold each entity to. We also need to remember that unless we are willing to stand against this evil it will continue its unending quest to destroy our way of life.
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