The definition:
“The moment when the GOP frontrunner becomes the total focus of the political press based on an intentional provocation.”
Now we have yet another brand new term for our political dictionary, one coined by Fox News First Columnist Chris Stirewalt.
Trump is really good, really really good at intentional provocation. There were no better provocations than the statements he made regarding his plans, should he be President, to bar Muslims from entering the country, at least on a temporary basis. Of course, Trump was soundly criticized by the other side and even by leaders and contenders in his own Republican party. Trump was called a bigot and a big mouth, an attacked of freedom of religion. Yet a poll conducted by Bloomberg Politics, a good one and relatively unbiased showed that 65% of Republican voters BACKED THE BAN proposed by Trump. A Rasmussen Report showed that 66% of Republican voters supported the idea. Not only did Trump not drop in the polls but his support actually increased. A CBS/New York Times poll showed Trump with 35% support with his nearest rival having but 16%, a 19% point lead for Donald Trump.
It really is interesting that Americans in the majority greatly favor a temporary ban on Muslims coming to this country for any reason unless they are properly vetted, activities monitored if necessary and removed from the country whenever visas require. In reality, there is nothing about religion in that regard, no crusade against Islam or Muslims, but rather a concern with regard to terrorism, making certain that those who enter our country are in fact not terrorists. I surely agree with that, don’t you? Senator Patrick Leahy, Democrat from Vermont went on record rejecting Trump’s proposal stating that America should “send a clear and direct message that America welcomes from people from all countries and of all faiths.” Well of course we do, Senator Leahy, of course we do. It is terrorists, and especially jihadist Islamists that we do not welcome to our country. Do you?
The greatest current threat to world peace is radical Islamic terrorism. In recent weeks, months and even years, radical Islamic terrorists have killed 14 Americans in San Bernardino, California, 130 people in Paris, 5 military personnel in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 13 soldiers in Fort Hood, Texas, any number of foreign journalists and aid workers, 4 people in the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels, hundreds upon hundreds in Kenya, any number of Iraqi and Syrian Christians, 4 Americans at our Embassy in Benghazi and 3 people maiming dozens at the Boston Marathon and of course the worst of all, the World Trade Center in 2001 where some 4,000 human beings were slaughtered. I am for vetting and preventing anyone who is or may be a radical jihadist Islamic terrorist, aren’t you? Enough is enough and that is why the call to ban from Donald Trump resonated.
Khurram Bera, on the other hand, a truly moderate Muslim has stated that mainstream American Muslims are crucial to leading a winning fight against the radicalism crippling our faith. Professor Mohammad Idrees agrees and states that American Muslims must come out of the shadow of the blame game. In pursuing their American Dream, the professor says, American Muslims took the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance, entirely renouncing all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign state and to “support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” American Muslims, this right-thinking Muslim professor states, must keep this sacred oath. It is the duty of American Muslims whose children are born in this country to keep reminding their children of this oath and the value of being American.
Professor Idrees came to America 44 years ago from Pakistan. He was educated, well paid for work well done and luxuriated in living in freedom and financial wellbeing. American Muslims must, he says, obey the law of the land as Islam dictates! The pulpit of Islam must not be in the hands of chauvinistic and bigoted mullahs, Idrees says. Perhaps that is another way of saying what Donald Trump said from a different perspective, don’t you think?
But for some reason, the radical attraction of ISIS grows. So many, including and especially the young are being radicalized joining the ISIS cause ready to kill and be killed for fanatic jihadist Islam. As were the two shooters in San Bernardino. They were ready to kill and kill big and to die in the process if necessary. They were able to purchase an arsenal of weapons, assault weapons including AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, semi-automatic handguns and even pipe bomb materials and of course ammunition at affordable places and legally so. Small wonder there is hue and cry from many quarters for the banning of the sale of assault weapons no matter the Second Amendment. Fourteen slaughtered San Bernardino Americans and 30 wounded would surely agree. Do you?
Donald Trump is right about one thing. Our Visa Waiver Program allows as many as 20 MILLION CITIZENS from 38 COUNTRIES to travel to the United States for up to 90 days WITHOUT the extra layers of security attached to their procuring a visa at a United States Consulate. No vetting. Surely a program that lets that many people visit the United States without a visa needs far better security measures, a real tightening of the vetting process. The Visa Waiver Program allows Middle Eastern refugees arriving in Europe so often to assume new identities. Press reports suggest that ISIS can produce forged documents such as Syrian passports and drivers licenses. Such a person under the Visa Waiver Program can come to the United States for 90 days without any meaningful background check. That is simply wrong and Trump is right. Ban all from entering the United States until they are fully and carefully vetted!
The San Bernardino terrorist attack underscores the fact that the United States government, the Department of Defense and National Security and the wider U.S. society have failed to effectively address and counter the threat of ordinary American Muslims becoming radicalized as those two murderers were. The Obama Administration and its do-nothing President have essentially conceded that the federal program of counter radicalization faces “major challenges” despite millions of dollars spent in recent years. James Coney, FBI Director states the following:
“We keep urging people to tell us when they see something because that is often our only way to get visibility to someone who is changing.”
In short, we the FBI really don’t know, can’t know and we are helpless unless you help us. That makes sense on the one hand for we the people should step up, and without fear of profiling, report any suspicious activities of any kind to local government, the FBI or CIA or any other organization who would investigate and do something. An active, alert citizenry is absolutely critical to the protection of all Americans. Nonetheless, our government and this President must do more, MUCH MORE! Like, for now, adopting the Trump suggestion of TEMPORARILY banning the entrance of all Muslims or anyone with the slightest degree of suspicion from the Middle East UNTIL they are properly vetted. Perhaps that means the end of the 90 day Waiver of Visa Policy which is unbelievably dangerous on its face. Such a policy has no prejudice against Muslims. The ban if implemented would be directed toward radical jihadist Islam and organizations like ISIS, Hezbollah, Hamas, and others. America needs new standards for security for the protection of all citizens. The butchers, the killers Farook and his Pakistani-born wife Malik were both at or about 27 years old when they went on their killing spree. To kill in the name of Allah seems to be even more attractive to the young. These young killers collected weapons, even practiced shooting those weapons at rifle ranges and prepared well in advance for the slaughter. Surely someone knew or should have known and should have reported. The FBI says to all citizens:
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING-SAY SOMETHING
That sounds good but far too many Americans do in fact see something and don’t say anything, hiding and refusing to be involved. Gun shops, rifle ranges, neighbors in the community and perhaps even family, any or all could have reported suspicious activity and maybe, just maybe this horrendous and vicious killing attack could have been prevented. Frankly, like Trump, all things politically correct and profiling are dead wrong for there are far too many dead as a result of this wrong-thinking policy. WE NEED TO PROFILE IN ORDER TO PROTECT.
There is another anti-terrorist movement at work. That is the attempt of civilized nations to:
DEFUND
The economies and commerce of terrorist groups. ISIS, Hezbollah, Hamas, Boko haram, and all others need money. Those groups have to buy weapons, supplies, even staples like food. The United States and many European counterparts are now mobilizing to attack international financial networks of these terrorist groups. There are many individuals, even organizations who serve as MONEY-LAUNDERERS, circulating illegal monies in mainstream economies available for usage by these terrorist groups. Much of that money comes from drug dealing and other illegal economic activity engaged in by these groups. If those illegal monies can be controlled or taken from the radical organizations, that would strike a major blow at their functionality. Those funds should be confiscated and used as a resource for the funding of anti-terrorist activities, the exact opposite. No money, no guns.
But an act of citizenry, alert, aware and aggressive, is still the most viable deterrent to terrorist activities. We the people have to take the risk of becoming involved and reporting. One of the most chilling stories to come out of the San Bernardino massacre were how neighbors of the terrorist couple, suspicious of the large number of packages being delivered to their house, and how the couple spent long hours in their closed garage made no effort to call the police! Their excuse, they said later on was that they didn’t want to be accused of RACIAL PROFILING. But now, those neighbors can be accused of a form of conspiracy in the murders of the San Bernardino 14 because those neighbors knew of suspicious activity and never had the courage to report it. If they had, the massacre might have been prevented. Again, hear and heed the words of FBI Director James Comey:
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!
Step up America, protect and defend, be vigilant for your life and the life of your neighbors may be at stake. Terrorism can strike anyone anywhere and no one can be safe if even one is not.
But it certainly doesn’t help anything when our very own President never stands tall, never addresses the problem directly, seems always to talk around the issues, especially radical Islam. Now comes the human cry again that Obama is in fact Muslim at least at heart and wants to avoid the problem. So, Barack Hussein Obama talks about political angles and motivations like workplace violence, Islamophobia (what a farce), gun control and the like but never the savage strategies of brutal killerMuslims and the effect of radical Islam on Americans. We need, said one pundit, a new President and January 2017 can not come soon enough. Many Americans so fully agree.
There are, thankfully, right-thinking Muslims who decry the violence, all radicalization and the hijacking of Islam by terrorists. One such is Dr. Michael Neeki. This good doctor heard the sound of gunfire, collected his medical supplies, jumped into his car and raced to the scene of the slaughter. But he did so, most interestingly, after he grabbed his own assault rifle and making certain he had plenty of ammunition. Asked why by CNN, Dr. Neeki said, “I don’t want to get hurt.”
I want to be able to defend myself, said Dr. Neeki. “A good guy should be able to defend himself and also help everybody else.” Hence his very own assault rifle, in good hands. It’s not about the weapon, Barack Hussein Obama, it is all about the mind and heart of the user of that weapon.
By the way, Dr. Neeki is a full bore American who loves and respects this country, all the while he comes from Iran. Hear his words:
“I am here because I came for Democracy.”
Amen. And thank you for standing up, Iranian Dr. Neeki. We need so many more Iranians like you. And one final statement from the good Dr. Neeki. He says it is incumbent upon all Americans to:
“SHOW ISIS WHAT WE ARE MADE OF.”
ISIS or Islamic State continues its expansion. It now is expanding its operations inside Libya. ISIS is becoming more aggressive in Afghanistan and Southeast Asia exporting its brand of terrorism from its basis in Syria and Iraq. An alarming indicator of increased Islamic State activities are reports from Libya indicating that its terrorists are TRAINING TO FLY COMMERCIAL AIRLINERS! The terror strategy would be the planning of high profile suicide attacks using hijacked airliners. Sounds like 9/11 14 years ago, does it not? The terrorists are using and learning from flight simulators indicating it planned attacks in Europe and elsewhere, perhaps even America. There seems no end to their terror tactics.
Terrorism can happen anywhere. And it will, sooner or later everywhere. Terrorism will use the LONE WOLF strategies, one or two barbaric attackers at a time, killing so very many, as in Paris for example. Or San Bernardino an even better example. Terrorists will attack what they call SOFT TARGETS. Easy targets. Unprepared and unaware targets, like a San Bernardino Christmas Party. Perhaps a hospital. An orphanage. A school. Even the threat of such action has happened in Los Angeles where schools were closed for a day as a result of a threat can do damage, strike fear and accomplish yet another terroristic objective. Our nation moves more and more toward more secure protection, better and incredibly expensive security everywhere almost to the point where we will become an armed police state wary of potential terrorism, fearful, living on the edge. The psychological warfare of terrorism may be just as or even more effective than actual terrorism itself.
So, it is necessary, my fellow Americans to stay alert:
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING-SAY SOMETHING
If you see anything suspicious, ANYTHING at all, become involved. You must do that. You must report that activity and never, ever be intimidated by the threat of:
RACIAL PROFILING
Donald Trump is right, at least about one thing. It is time for all Americans to be involved in the vetting process. We must vet and protect our neighborhoods, our families, our friends. You and I are America’s greatest protection against ISIS, against terrorism of all kinds and terrorists. Step up, my fellow Americans, step up and join the fight before the fight comes to you. ISIS fighters are ready to die in their cause. Don’t let them kill you in the process.
Unfortunately, you are in this fight like it or not for the rest of your life. DO SOMETHING!