Amen to that. This is Jimmy Carter's greatest legacy (among the many-all of which are bad). Why is that idiot's words given ANY creedence today?

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at December 17, 2006 2:01 AM

I'm am so pleased you are posting this. Thankyou. And please, everyone, take Roberts advice and: don't fail to read it all.

Posted by: redwine at December 17, 2006 2:03 AM

The Islamic State—Totalitarian Islam—must go. And it is the moral responsibility of every American to demand it.

Correct, and really easy to say. But tell that to the quarter of a billion people who recognize it. Our own government places soldiers on trial who empty a clip into the chest of the enemy.

It will take some event, and nobody can predict what it is, to address the issue. When the time comes, there have been some who have blazed the trail…

I believe it is the duty of each of us to act as if the fate of the world depended on him. Admittedly, one man by himself cannot do the job. However, one man can make a difference. Each of us is obligated to bring his individual and independent capacities to bear upon a wide range of human concerns. It is with this conviction that we squarely confront out duty to posterity. We must live for the future of the human race, and not of our own comfort or success. –Hyman Rickover

Posted by: limes at December 17, 2006 2:26 AM

Indeed a great article. Unfortunately, the American people don't seem to have the resolve to demand of the Islamaniacs what they demanded of the enemy in the 1940's. We can thank PC for this-generating "leaders" that are inept to the point of not naming the enemy, making the notion of right and wrong a confused mess, allowing the media to act as a mouthpiece for the enemy and for creating idiotic notions that ALL cultures, religions and nations are equally good and valid.
Until we get a counter-cultural revolution to reverse the dreadful progress PC has made for more than 40 years we will be unable to achieve the total victory necessary to defeat the Islamaniac enemy.

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at December 17, 2006 2:26 AM

I just think it's sad that we have forsaken all that our ancestors fought and sacrificed for. They Faced Evil and Facism head on and did what it took to defeat it, then we went back to sleep.
We have lost our way and our Moral Backbone. It's all fine and Dandy to be moral and Conciencous Societies , But you still need to acknowledge and Recognise TRUE Evil when it faces you. You need to stand for something or you will fall for anything!

We need to act NOW before it is too late and Countless millions have to pay with their lives. It should be unacceptable to all of us that we allow these Killers and Islamic Madmen to get Away with the things they do. It should not be permissable to deny the Holocaust and threaten a People with Extinction.If we let this happen again we are not worthy of Survival.

Years from people WILL say ,

" Why did they let it happen? "

Posted by: Concerned Canadian at December 17, 2006 2:52 AM

When the Bush administration failed to act within days of 9/11 with demonstrable force against the government that harbored the admitted leaders of the attack, I said to friends that the United States has lost. They have forgotten how to fight a war. The government has forgotten that its obligation is to protect the people of the country from enemies within and without. Instead, it has been trying for years to justify its own existence by trying to please everyone, listening to polls and the media who also try to tell the people that 'everything is wonderful' and will continue to be as long as we just don't antagonize our enemies. We have grown weak and complacent with our own fortune and standard of living and most of us apparently feel guilty about it. That must stop. We must realize that there is a very real evil in this world and it is NOT us. That this evil must be confronted, not talked to. You can NOT reason with evil, for by trying to, you will eventually be obliterated by it. Professor Lewis' address/paper stated eloquently the thoughts and feelings I have been trying to express to my friends and aquaintences for the past 5 years. I only hope that they will take his words to heart and spread the message.

Posted by: Coeurmaeghan at December 17, 2006 3:48 AM

One of the most pointed and wise summations of the dilemma facing it I've yet seen, and I've seen a lot of them. Patton is sneering at us from on high. With the democrats as foolish, self abnegating and even seditious as they are, this article is a powerful reminder of the pathetic and unforgivable failure of republican leadership.

Posted by: Huntley Haverstock at December 17, 2006 4:09 AM

And here we are allowing CAIR to bleat out their demands and allowing the enemy to devour us from within--and from without (Iraq).

Does anyone believe that our leaders have the mental capacity to comprehend the options that John Lewis presents?

G.W. Bush, stuck on stupid ("democracy" for Iraq that will spread throughout the Islamic world, gratitude by the Islamic people for using our military to rebuild infrastructure, etc.) sure as shooting doesn't.

Nancy Pelosi and her bunch? The people vying for the presidency?

Only here and there are there people in politics that do understand. They are derided by the sellouts and traitors (ISG and who was behind that comes to mind)that hold the power.

And the people . . . ? Either concerned about being sensitive to one and all or oblivious to what is happening.

Who can turn it around? It doesn't take a majority, even a plurality . . .

That's all I'm going to say about that.

And here's a message to G. W. Bush:

" . . . there has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited."
--Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Posted by: unicorns62000 at December 17, 2006 4:54 AM

Wow. Robert Spencer wasn't exaggerating when he called Lewis' lecture "tremendous."

Lewis' lecture is far and away the best, most clear-sighted piece I've seen summarizing what we need to do in the conflict with Islam and how we need to do it. Very powerful.

Till now, a clear, global, overarching, strategic vision for the war with Islamic totalitarianism has been lacking. Lewis' lecture remedies that lack brilliantly.

And there is in the lecture the seriousness and urgency of someone who seems to see, more clearly than anyone else has so far, that we are in a war for our survival. His remarkably heightened clarity becomes the reader's.

Lewis also makes a brilliantly resonant analogy between militaristic state Shinto in Japan in World War II, and political Islam today. The power of Lewis' piece suddenly makes it easier to concieve that Islam, despite it's great age and its rep as a 'great religion,' could be permanently, forcibly defanged, just as political Shinto was. America forced Shinto into complete separation from the Japanese state and schools. Yet the Japanese once believed in state Shinto as fervently as Muslims today believe in political Islam or Islamic law.

Much as state Shinto has been crushed and deflated and shown to be nothing more significant than a fanatic spasm of insanity -- a tale told by an idiot signifying nothing -- so Islamic law, political Islam, despite its more than 1400 years of spreading implementation, is nothing sane, substantial or truly enduring. Like state Shinto, it is destined to be deflated, lanced like a proud boil full of little other than puss. In Oz, one only needed to throw water on the Wicked Witch of the West and she melted into nothing. That which is evil is surprisingly fragile, because made mostly of negation, and of very little that is real. Thus political Islam is much more vulnerable to destruction than is often suspected.

Lewis' article gives new meaning to Todd Beamer's words, "Let's roll."

Posted by: traeh at December 17, 2006 5:23 AM

I just read an article, egypt is issuing new identification card, on this id card one must state one of 3 religions it belongs to muslim, christian or jewish, if you belong to neither of the 3 you must lie and claim one of the 3!
without this identification one can not buy sell or trade anything in egypt.
while reading this article i was reminded of a similar story ive read somewhere, though exactly where i read it escapes me at the moment, however; it was almost like "prophecy" being fulfilled."For in that day, all men small and great young and old rich and poor will be required to take a mark, without which no man will be able to buy, sell or trade!
So it is written , So shall it be done!

Posted by: Thndrbang at December 17, 2006 5:32 AM

Yes, indeed, this is a superb article. John Lewis is, to my mind, a modern day Krishna. I wish each and every member of Congress would read this article. I'm reminded of a quote by John Stewart Mill:

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

Posted by: Razdan at December 17, 2006 5:37 AM

Much as state Shinto has been crushed and deflated and shown to be nothing more significant than a fanatic spasm of insanity
Posted by: traeh

The difference bewtween the japanese shintoism and islam is that the dreaded disease of shintoism was a considerably small boil on the buttocks of humanity consentrated on a rather small area! popping it and permitting the entire area to heal was a rather easy task for those couragous enough to undertake the task.
This boil we call islam has been permitted to grow and fester and has become inbedded in otherwise healthy regions of humanity. Regions where its neighbors would prefer to go on living with this unsightly festering boil than to attack it and pop it and be left with the responsibility of cleaning up the mess left behind!
I just dont see the world today willing or couragous enough to attack the many little ugly festering boils of islam throughout the world and pop them.
Rather you wish to admit it or not, what is needed to destroy islam is a total defeat as the one that was handed to the japanese!
America and all nations on earth that has this festering boil of islam growing on it would need to be willing to do as america done the germans and japanese in america during the war and place them in internment camps, while we attacked the main source of this festering boil!
The kabaa, islams holiest shrine would have to be destroyed! If this had been done on Sept.12,2001 the ugly unsightly festering boil of islam would have been popped and humanity would be well on its way to healing!
I dont personally understand why the kabaa is permitted to remain. The muslims have no qualms about destroying others religious sites and temples and statues!
In the qu'ran ,allah commands the recompense for an injury is an equal and proportionate injury> muslims destry religious sites destroy theirs. That is what allah commands! allah states those who refuse to judge by the laws of allah are the wrongdoers! This means according to allah we kafir make ourselvbes the wrongdoers by not destroying islams holy sites as they destroy ours!We make ourselves the wrong doers by not attacking and killing innocent unarmed muslim men women and children as the muslim do the nonmuslims!
If allah commands it, who are we nonbelievers to disobey?

>>>SURAH 42}_40-41,The recompense for an injury is an injury proportionate to it; but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation he shall be rewarded by Allah; He does not like the wrongdoers.[40] """Those who avenge themselves when wronged cannot be blamed."""[41]

>>>SURAH 5}_45,,We ordained in Torah for them: "A life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth and for a wound an equal retaliation." But if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity it will be an act of atonement for him; """Those who do not judge by the Law which Allah has revealed, they are the wrongdoers."""[45]

Posted by: Thndrbang at December 17, 2006 6:05 AM

an old wise man once said:

A man who is unwilling to fight when he has been assaulted is a man who deserves to be enslaved!

Another great and wise american general once said:

The object of war is not to die for your country/beliefs, but to make the other bastard die for his!
General George S. Patton

Posted by: Thndrbang at December 17, 2006 6:10 AM

Amen!

Here's a guy who sounds just like me...

And there are always those who call me 'extreme right wing'....

I spit on those fools!

Posted by: sheik yer'mami at December 17, 2006 6:29 AM

Mr spencer
If you have any contacts at the white house close to the president or the vice president. If you have a desire to help america stop the fighting between the sunni and shia muslims and bring a semblence of peace to that region, i think it would be wise and helpful to notify the president of these two ayahs from the qu'ran and their tafsirs!

>>>SURAH 42}_40-41,The recompense for an injury is an injury proportionate to it; but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation he shall be rewarded by Allah; He does not like the wrongdoers.[40] """Those who avenge themselves when wronged cannot be blamed."""[41]

Tafsir al-Jalalayn surah 42}40-41

For the requital of an evil deed is an evil deed like it: the latter is [also] referred to as 'an evil deed' because in [outward] form it resembles the former; this is evident in what concerns retaliation for wounds. Some [scholars] say that even if another were to say, 'May God disgrace you!', then one should respond [equally] with, 'May God disgrace you!'. But whoever pardons, his wrongdoer, and reconciles, the amity between himself and the one pardoned, his reward will be with God, that is to say, God will give him his reward without doubt. Truly He does not like wrongdoers, that is, those who initiate acts of wrongdoing and so merit His punishment.[40}.And whoever defends himself after he has been wronged, that is to say, after the wrongdoer has wronged him - for such, there will be no course [of action] against them, no blame [on them].[41]

>>>SURAH 5}_45,We ordained in Torah for them: "A life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth and for a wound an equal retaliation." But if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity it will be an act of atonement for him; """Those who do not judge by the Law which Allah has revealed, they are the wrongdoers."""[45]

Tafsir al-Jalalayn surah 5}_45

And therein, in the Torah, We prescribed, We made obligatory, for them that a life, be slain in return, for a life, if it has slain one; and an eye, should be gouged out, for an eye, and a nose, is to be cut off, for a nose, and an ear, is to be amputated, for an ear, and a tooth, should be pulled out, for a tooth (a variant reading has the last four [nouns] in the nominative); and for wounds (read wa'l-jurūhu or wa'l-jurūha) retaliation', that is, the person is entitled to retaliate if this is feasible, as in the case of a hand or a leg; but in cases where one is not able to [retaliate], this is left to arbitration. Although this stipulation was prescribed for them, it is established in our Law; but whoever forgoes it, that is, retaliation, out of charity, able to restrain himself, then that shall be an expiation for him, of what he has done [of other sins]. Whoever does not judges according to what God has revealed, in the matter of retaliation and otherwise, those are the evildoers.

I believe and we are told the muslims are fighting because of the sermons they are given by their imams at friday prayers. However; i am sure their imams never ever quote these ayahs from the qu'ran.
the white house should have these printed up in every arabic dialect spoken and dropped from planes over the entire middle east like snow covering the sands. There shouldnt be a clear place in the sands to walk without stepping on these ayahs printed on leaflets!
We will see exactly how religious and pious these muslims really are!

If anyone has the e-mail address of the president or staff of the president please copy and forward these to the president!

Posted by: Thndrbang at December 17, 2006 6:55 AM

l am just so honoured to have read this article by Mr.John Lewis. He presents his facts so clear and logical. As l read his article l realized that people who will be most taken by this are those who do really love the West, America. those on the left who dispise the west l dont know if ever they can apppreciate these words. l keep sending them to my liberal friends and family and hope they can just put away their "western guilt, what ever you want to call it" and take in this words of wisdom.

Posted by: ZenaWarriorPrincess at December 17, 2006 7:22 AM

Speaking of Japan (and South Korea) - these very civilized nations and peoples - who continulally lack for land and enegy fuels - should be encouraged to colonize and civilize any and all mid-eastern nations, regions and peoples by any means required as soon as possible ...

Professor Lewis makes many good points -particularly declaring a central source of the main problem - Iran - which must have its military and propaganda capabilities eliminated.
Unfortunately he leaves another chief protagonist off the hook - Saudi Arabia as well as minor but influential culprits - e.g. Syria, and global jihadi networks -with centers in "Palestine" and regions, Russia, Southern Europe, Indonesia, Maylasia, Pakistan, Afganistan, ... which must all be delt with.
And though there are many parallels to be made regarding Japan (Shintoism) and the islamic world - there are several key aspects which can be only tangently compareable. For example -Japan did indeed spread its influence, control, and power throughout the world - most strongly in Asia (SouthEast Asia, Central, Northern) but mainly by bald violent force and based on exclusion vice inclusion. Japanese were then extremely ethnocentric (as were and are all peoples then and now) and non-Japanese were non-Japanese no matter what (one could speak fluent Japanese, understand all cultural and social norms, even seem physically indistingushible from Japanese - yet not Japanese. Likewise - there was no intention of converting all colonized peoples to Shintoism -which was and is distinctly Japanese - and loyalty to Hirohito - was by purchased by pure violent force - for any and all -loyal Japanese subjects or not.
The islamists have spread globally by violent uncompromising force for much of 14 centuries, but have added the dimension of inclusion - once you are muslim - there is no alternative and one is held to this pact by one's own (similar to Japanese methods). Etc., etc., - so some parallels exist but key aspects are lacking -and similar comparisons have been made often since 11 September, 2001, -all of which failed to wake -again-what Yamamoto termed the "sleeping giant" . Still a very excellent approach to the current problem -and particularly that regarding winning the war.

Posted by: TINBH at December 17, 2006 8:31 AM

Wow, thank you Robert for posting this.

I have been overwhelmed with a feeling of defeat, that this is too big for America to confront,in our present state of mind with our all encompasing feeling of 'it's going to happen'.

When I try to talk to people about this they say "I can't do anything about it".
They are demoralized by the fact that our powerfull fighting forces are so impotent in Iraq.
Mainly because they are asked to do the impossible, fight a politically correct war. An oxymoron if there ever was one.

There are two things this morning that give me hope. This article is one. I haven't mailed my Christmas cards yet. But I will today, with a copy of this in each. Along with the request for them to share this wisdom with others.

The second is Time magazine's person of the year.

"citizens of the new digital democracy, as the magazine put it. The winners this year were anyone using or creating content on the World Wide Web."

"And Stengel said if the magazine had decided to go with an individual, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the likely choice. "It just felt to me a little off selecting him," Stengel said."

To me it is evident that there are people out there who get it. They are just not serving as elected officals.

Nuff said?

Posted by: auntbea at December 17, 2006 8:32 AM

It constantly amazes me to hear the MSM saying the America want change in the Iraq policy, and that means pulling out.

Personaly I believe America is waiting for a politician to speak about THIS as a policy.

Yes, America wants change, but many, who are denied a voice by the Parties and Media, want a change which will bring victory.

Posted by: Romeo13 at December 17, 2006 8:37 AM

Reluctantly, I agree with you.
Only because we fail as christians (the masses overall)
'For we war not against FLESH, but against spiritual powers in high places.

Heap hot coals upon the heads of your enemies

LOVE your enemies those who hate you and use you

Bless those who hurt you
GOD IS LOVE
LOVE NEVER LOSES

Unity under GOD is POWERFUL and is the responsibility of every human (made in the likeness and image of GOD )

Praise and worship are powerful WAR WEAPONS

(there's a great way to help our soldiers!
even kids can join in {bang pots and pans in praise}

Posted by: holy warrior at December 17, 2006 9:59 AM

We must all, each one of us, e mail the URL to all our contacts, politicians, local councillors.
Print it. copy it, send it.

WE have the will to win.

Posted by: apostate_islam at December 17, 2006 10:34 AM

Thank you Robert for posting this article. This to me without a doubt, is the best article you have ever posted on this site.

I truely hope the leaders of the western world are listening to this man's message.

Posted by: William The Crusader at December 17, 2006 11:47 AM

Robert:

Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this article.

Everyone should read it, and keep a copy, too.

Posted by: texan at December 17, 2006 4:07 PM

islamofascists need to be stamped out permantently like the cancer that it is. If it is allowed to spread, it will continue to kill.

Posted by: callmeinfidel at December 17, 2006 4:30 PM

Romeo13 says: "Yes, America wants change, but many, who are denied a voice by the Parties and Media, want a change which will bring victory."

Exactly. I have become very disillusioned with Bush, and so have some of my long-time Republican friends. We want victory. Building schools and toilets is all fine and good, but killing the enemy and breaking their stuff should be the primary purpose.

PC multi-culturalism has blurred our vision of victory. And the lack of clarity has become progressively worse, not better.

These savages don't deserve self-government. The faster they kill each other, the better off we will be.

Posted by: texan at December 17, 2006 4:37 PM

There IS no substitute for victory...just death.
They're nothingless thanterminator units...
They can't be bargained with...
They can't be reasoned with...
...and absolutely WILL NOT STOP...until you are DEAD.

Jimmy Carter didn't start it...but he did open wide the gates of hell on it.
He gets away with his invectives because he hides behind his allies in the press who still haven't gotten over his well-deserved loss to the great Renaldus Maximus (talk about a long grudge, lol), and the greatest enemy besides the islamofascists is that long-time enemy of comon sense:

political correctness

Posted by: jcom972 at December 17, 2006 4:50 PM

Lewis writes: "In summary, Political Islam, Militant Islam, rule by Islamic Law—and all the economic and intellectual support associated with it—must go."

The problem is, Islam is inherently, naturally, organically, intrinsically, institutionally, inveterately, originally, and eternally "political".

While Lewis's concrete proposals of destroying Iran and thereupon immediately threatening Saudi Arabia and Pakistan with dismantling their "Political Islam" will without a doubt be a great step forward in dealing with the many-tentacled monster of Islam, it would be naive to think that would seal the genie back up in the bottle. Evil and dangerous Islam is the will of millions of ordinary Muslim people, and that Islam will simply go underground and continue to fester its hatred and plot more attacks. (Indeed, most actively violent and/or expressively extremist Muslims today already think of themselves as "stateless" and existing and/or operating underground, being without a legitimate "Caliphate" -- often, paradoxicaly, branding as un-Islamic Western puppets the very same States which Lewis identifies as their source! --: so the danger is not as massively or centrally located in States as Lewis thinks.)

Furthermore, the things we do and dictate the day after we have taken such measures will make or break any good they do, for if we are still infected with the PC virus as we "rebuild" these destroyed nations, we might insidiously and without full awareness lay the groundwork for the regrowth of the Islamic cancer in the new, supposedly inoculated states we destroyed.

Even Lewis hasn't quite shaken off the PC flu: he still apparently thinks "Political Islam" and Islam are separate entities.

Posted by: remote_control at December 17, 2006 5:28 PM

this is fundamentally correct but how you get programmers her when the one billion people that is cult has sucked in

Posted by: islamakapigeaters at December 17, 2006 6:07 PM

The John Lewis article contains a link to an astounding telegram sent to MacArthur from the State Dept. in Oct 1945. The substantive portion is only around 110 words in length!

Lewis: "The telegram established the basic U.S. policy goals towards Shintoism, and laid out, for MacArthur and his subordinates, the basic principles by which those goals were to be achieved:..."

Just one sentence contains the essential point of the telegram: "Shintoism, however, insofar as it is directed by the Japanese government, and as a measure enforced from above by the government, is to be done away with."

Lewis quotes the telegram in his own text and has a small image of the telegram on the right side with a "Click to enlarge" link on top. (On my Windows system, I have to enlarge it a second time by moving the mouse over the image and clicking another button which comes up shortly.) It's worth the little extra effort to get a look at this extraordinary historical document.

There is a desperate need for the Pentagon's office of strategic planning to look at a "defeat now" strategy and to challenge its "generational war" strategy. Islamic Totalitarianism is winning in Iraq and elsewhere and we're going to end up running from blast centers and/or nerve gas on the wind unless a basic change in direction is begun. It's been 5 years since 9/11 and the jihadis have as yet been given no reason to think that their cause will not succeed.
Thank you John Lewis. And thank you Robert Spencer for the recommendation and link.

Posted by: MelM at December 17, 2006 8:06 PM

Overall a great article, but it misses a critical issue: oil. One of the most important, if not over-riding, reasons the US and Europe fight "terrorism" with a gloved hand is to continue the flow of oil. All the great economies of the world are dependent on oil and Muslim gov'ts control much of it.

Do you really think we would be holding back in Iraq if we weren't afraid of Muslim anger, whose only real weapon is an oil embargo? Do you really think we would be allowing Iran to pursue nuclear weapons, or the Saudis to export Wahabi ideology, or that we would have put the brakes on the Israeli offensive against Hezbollah, if not for our absolute dependence on oil?

Honestly, if not for oil, we would be treating the Arabs/Muslims countries with the same indifference we (unfortunately) give to the people in Africa.

Posted by: bluezion at December 17, 2006 8:34 PM

american tax payers just paid baker/hamilton and company millions of dollars for a report to tell president bush to cut and run and surrender to muslim terrorist!
John Lewis devised a better plan and offers it free of charge!
Someone send John lewis to washington!

Begin the new phase of this war against islam
(not terrorism)by inprisoning the traitors of this country, starting with baker /hamilton and company, then the party of coward dhimmicrat politicians!

Posted by: Thndrbang at December 17, 2006 9:03 PM

Indeed a great article. Unfortunately, the American people don't seem to have the resolve to demand of the Islamaniacs what they demanded of the enemy in the 1940's. Posted above

The American people do not understand what we are up against; they don't understand islam because they have been told since 9-11 that it is a religion of peace. Until the enemy is defined, how can anyone fight it? Americans do not lack the resolve to defend their freedom and their country, Americans do not grasp the enormity of the threats presented by islam.

The MSM presents its rosy little picture of islam and muslims, portrays these lovely, innocent, humble muslims as the persecuted victims of incessant bigotry; the president lies for five years, saying islam is a religion of peace; the cable news pundits echo the same hackneyed cliches day after day---"islam has been hijacked by a few extremists." If the majority of average Americans knew what we know about muslims and islam, Dearborn would be smoldering. Every large islamic stronghold in America would be under seige and muslims would be living in abject terror. But that will eventually come to pass, later instead of sooner.

I'm disappointed that many Americans still don't understand islam or worse yet, many aren't the least concerned about islam, Iraq, or terrorism. But Americans are beginning to realize that wherever muslims are concentrated in large numbers, violence runs rampant. This is an indisputable fact that nobody can deny, although CAIR is very good at convoluting the facts into "racism" and "islamophobia." CAIR's hypocritical reign of terror won't last forever; someone will come along and challenge their arrogant effrontery and put them in their place.

I believe the American people are up to any challenge, satanic islam included. And I am sure that eventually, even the most self-absorbed and apathetic among us will realize that this is everybody's problem and it must be addressed. When people begin to feel personally threatened, I think they will react accordingly.

Posted by: Susanp at December 17, 2006 11:04 PM

Re: Oil. (Actually, Lewis does have something to say about oil; I've included a quote at the end of my comment.)

An important planning issue.

First off, we should challenge and reject the (implicit) idea of "tyrant rights". Thug governments have no right to exist let alone control vital world resources. Those who say that such regimes have a right to defend themseleves--such as by buying Russian anti-aircraft missles--are just saying that these regimes have a right to protect their illegitimate power--which they don't.

I can think of other planning issues that make sense to me besides oil but I think we should be ready to seize the oil of any thug state that decides to take part in an oil embargo or funds Islamic totalitarianism. There's no moral reason at all why the world's economy should tank because of respect for "tryant rights."

I'm not a planner but we must reject the idea that we are morally required to let these monsters fund their insane ideals (including our deaths) with the money we pay for oil. That's absurd and suicidal. When needed and feasible, seize the oil and keep control of it until the threat from Islamic totalitarianism is ended!

Lewis actually does mention oil. As a result of defeating Iran, he writes: "We could even reverse a tremendous injustice by un-nationalizing the oil companies in Iran—stolen from their owners in 1951—and placing them back into private hands, under government protection. Certainly guarding those facilities from a surrounding civil war—a legitimate protection of private property, backed by a credible threat of crushing force—would be a far better use of our troops than guarding a few blocks in downtown Baghdad from its own residents. The pipeline of money into Islamic jihad would be cut."

Posted by: MelM at December 17, 2006 11:06 PM

MelM: I don't consider seizure of oil fields a viable option, certainly not in the long-term. We can't even secure Iraq, are we going to overtake Iran, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Venezuela and hold all of them simultaneously? Do you think doing this would not have serious consequences with other oil-producers (i.e., Russia)? The best policy is to get off Arabian oil, for which they get 100s billions of $ every year, and let them fade back into the desert.

Posted by: bluezion at December 18, 2006 10:38 AM

Since our "leaders" are not (and are quite possibly incapabable of ever) willing to stand on principles, the simple calculus is that the islamofascists haven't murdered enough Americans yet. I wish our political and media elite would tell us what the magic number is. Would 50,000 be enough? How about 100,000? When would it really be OK to start defending what our fathers and grandfathers fought so hard to preserve for us? Right now, we are all guessing. Do I hear 500,000?

Posted by: Infidel33 at December 18, 2006 4:24 PM

From John Lewis:

Contrary to what remote_control wrote, I am not still subject to the PC virus. I am aware that Islam is inherently political. OK, so what do we do now? Launch an all-out nuclear attack against the area from southern Spain to Indonesia, including London and Dearborn, MI?

Every war must have clearly-stated, achievable goals that lead to overall victory. Achievement of proper goals will define the terms of the conflict, and will motivate friends while revealing enemies. In this case it means breaking the *actual* political power of Islam, and demonstrating the impossibility of imposing Islamic law. What is left of Islam can be confronted in an intellectual battle.

One must distinguish Islam from Muslims. A Muslim who accepts the laws of America is not a threat, because he is not taking Islam seriously. Our enemy is those who want to impose Islamic law. The spectacular defeat of Iran will expose those who cannot abide by non-Islamic law, and allow us to wage a battle that will be intellectual as well as military.

Thank you to all those who recognize the value of my article.

Posted by: johncaseyl at December 21, 2006 10:27 PM