The War on Terror

The War on Terror is unlike any threat we have encountered in the past. Our enemy is not primarily concerned with conquering territory. It is committed to using barbaric means to eradicate our way of life. General Abizaid recently told a group of reporters who wanted to know the objectives of our Islamic enemies, “Look at life under the Taliban in Afghanistan before we defeated them. They would gather 60,000 people in a stadium to watch the beheading of women accused of adultery. They want to reestablish the caliphate of the six century.” It is important to understand the goals of the enemy if we are to successfully defeat them at home and abroad. A recent study by Freedom House showed that Islamic schools and mosques are spreading anti-American propaganda here in the United States. This battle for the minds of young Islamic men and women must be understood and turned back. Moreover, we must improve coordination of our federal law enforcement forces in the areas of investigations and prosecutions. We are not comforted by the creation of new mega agencies of homeland security and intelligence gathering. It seems like a lot of bureaucracy and not a prescription for doing a better job. We support the continuation of the Patriot Act which gives the government the powers it needs to protect the people while guaranteeing our constitutional rights.