How Young American Muslims Are Groomed For Jihad And Radicalized
IN view of Rep. Peter King's upcoming hearings on how Muslims in America are being radicalized, this FOX news report focusing on how Somali Muslims in Minesota are recruited for al-Qaeda is worth watching.
Two noteowrthy caveats - first, both the FBI chief interviewed and the FOX news reporter essentially temporize and say there's not much than can be done except to react except to react after the fact, something I disagree with vehemently. Second, there's no mention on who is funding the Islamic center in question in South Minneapolis, an omission I don't think was accidental.
One day, we going to be forced to confront both of those areas.
"I imagine the people who saw WWII coming relt the same way.."
I agree. First of all it should be pointed out that the threat to America from Islamic terrorists and the nations who support them such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and Egypt just to name a few is many times greater than the threat ever posed to America by Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan ever was or likely ever could have been.
While the threat from Islamic terrorists and the nations who support them is far greater than the threat ever posed by Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan ever was ot likely ever could have been, the enemies are not the same. Furthermore America is not the same country today that it was in the 1940s. As such, the stategies used to defeat this enemy will likely be very different than the ones that were used to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
There are a couple of major differences between America of the 1940s and America of today that immediately come to mind. 1.)The bulk of any fighting force will likely be made up of young men under the age of 30. America's population is much older now than it was in the 1940s. As such, there are not sufficient personnel to mobilize the kind of force that was mobilized to win WWII. 2.)In the 1940s America had a strong industrial base as well as the skilled personnel to operate the manufacturing equipment as well as the skilled personnel to build mannufacturing plants and the scientific expertise to improve on the processes already in place. Much of this was idle because of the great depression but it was already in place.
Today America lacks an industrial base to speak of. There is a shortage of the type of skilled personnel to manufacture the necessary items, build the plants, and maintain them. Also, America laccks the trained scientists that would be necessary as well. To develop these things America would essentially have to start from scratch. From a practical point of view what this means is what took six months or so to accomplish industrially in the 1940s would take at least 6 years to accomplish today.
Also, countries like Iran have the backing of the two most powerful nations on earth today which are Russia and China. In any military conflict with America, Iran would almost certainly have the support of Russia and China.
Given the geopolitial realities, the kind of military build up that won WWI is simply not possible. Even if it were we don't currently have the skilled personnel that would be necessary to pull execute such a plan.
With our strengths and weaknesses in mind an a keen understaniding of what is and is not possible we need to formulate strategies that have a chance to work. If we would simply monitor the mosques and place a moratorium on immigration from Middle Eastern/Islamic countries, develop all of our own oil and gas reserves, and build more refineries we would get a greater benefit for our national security interests than any thing we are curerntly doing. By developing our own oil and gas reserves this cuts off some of the funding to terrorists and the countries who suppor them. Also, we should redeploy all forces now deployed around the world to our borders. This gives our warriors a fighting chance to defend our country. Do these things and we get a greater national security benefit than any thing we are currently doing.
"...an omission I don't think was accidental." I agree. A major Saudi offical bought a major interests in FOX News. As such, I don't expect them to be to keen on doing much to inform their viewers of the problem.
We have an enemy here in Islamic terrorists and the countries who support them that is far greater than the threat to America ever posed by Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan and we can't even have a frank discussion about it!! How are you supposed to defeat an enemy you won't even name? Even if the enemy is recognized but the gravity of the threat is not appreicated, it will be hard to develop a coherent strategy to defeat the enemy. At this point, all I know to do is pray for our country and its leaders that we will recognize the problem and that God will grant us the wisdon to deal with it properly.
"One day, we going to be forced to confront both of those areas."
ReplyDeleteSad, is it not? That we can't be more proactive. . .
Yes it is.
ReplyDeleteI imagine people who saw WWII coming felt the same way..
"One day, we going to be forced to confront both of those areas."
ReplyDeleteyeah.
good luck with that.
"I imagine the people who saw WWII coming relt the same way.."
ReplyDeleteI agree. First of all it should be pointed out that the threat to America from Islamic terrorists and the nations who support them such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and Egypt just to name a few is many times greater than the threat ever posed to America by Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan ever was or likely ever could have been.
While the threat from Islamic terrorists and the nations who support them is far greater than the threat ever posed by Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan ever was ot likely ever could have been, the enemies are not the same. Furthermore America is not the same country today that it was in the 1940s. As such, the stategies used to defeat this enemy will likely be very different than the ones that were used to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
There are a couple of major differences between America of the 1940s and America of today that immediately come to mind. 1.)The bulk of any fighting force will likely be made up of young men under the age of 30. America's population is much older now than it was in the 1940s. As such, there are not sufficient personnel to mobilize the kind of force that was mobilized to win WWII.
2.)In the 1940s America had a strong industrial base as well as the skilled personnel to operate the manufacturing equipment as well as the skilled personnel to build mannufacturing plants and the scientific expertise to improve on the processes already in place. Much of this was idle because of the great depression but it was already in place.
Today America lacks an industrial base to speak of. There is a shortage of the type of skilled personnel to manufacture the necessary items, build the plants, and maintain them. Also, America laccks the trained scientists that would be necessary as well. To develop these things America would essentially have to start from scratch. From a practical point of view what this means is what took six months or so to accomplish industrially in the
1940s would take at least 6 years to accomplish today.
Also, countries like Iran have the backing of the two most powerful nations on earth today which are Russia and China. In any military conflict with America, Iran would almost certainly have the support of Russia and China.
Given the geopolitial realities, the kind of military build up that won WWI is simply not possible. Even if it were we don't currently have the skilled personnel that would be necessary to pull execute such a plan.
With our strengths and weaknesses in mind an a keen understaniding of what is and is not possible we need to formulate strategies that have a chance to work. If we would simply monitor the mosques and place a moratorium on immigration from Middle Eastern/Islamic countries, develop all of our own oil and gas reserves, and build more refineries we would get a greater benefit for our national security interests than any thing we are curerntly doing. By developing our own oil and gas reserves this cuts off some of the funding to terrorists and the countries who suppor them. Also, we should redeploy all forces now deployed around the world to our borders. This gives our warriors a fighting chance to defend our country. Do these things and we get a greater national security benefit than any thing we are currently doing.
"...an omission I don't think was accidental." I agree. A major Saudi offical bought a major interests in FOX News. As such, I don't expect them to be to keen on doing much to inform their viewers of the problem.
ReplyDeleteWe have an enemy here in Islamic terrorists and the countries who support them that is far greater than the threat to America ever posed by Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan and we can't even have a frank discussion about it!! How are you supposed to defeat an enemy you won't even name? Even if the enemy is recognized but the gravity of the threat is not appreicated, it will be hard to develop a coherent strategy to defeat the enemy. At this point, all I know to do is pray for our country and its leaders that we will recognize the problem and that God will grant us the wisdon to deal with it properly.