With Weakness, Victory Will Be Elusive
Apparently, an American psychological operations unit in Afghanistan first killed, then burned the bodies of several Taliban terrorists last month. In video shot by an Australian photojournalist traveling with the unit, blackened corpses smoke in the background as American soldiers read taunting messages into a radio, challenging the remaining terrorists to show themselves and fight. The messages accuse the Taliban of being "cowardly dogs" and acting like women, and of being a "disgrace to the Muslim religion". That last insult is interesting, however, in that the Taliban were doing exactly as Islam commands: kill infidels, whenever and wherever they can find them. But that discussion is for another time.
Of course, the predictable outrage has begun, with the Pentagon promising that anyone involved in the alleged misconduct, or who violated the tenets of the Geneva Convention, would be held "appropriately accountable". Get ready for another round of Abu Ghraib-like coverage from the old stream media, and non-stop cycling of the video on CNN.
The reaction to this incident is indicative of how far away from resolute determination we, as a nation, have drifted since World War II. In those days, no one raised an eye brow when hundreds of living Japanese soldiers were incinerated by flame throwers during the battles of Tarawa and Iwo Jima, or when soldiers engaged in the common practice of repeatedly shooting dead enemy they encountered to make sure the enemy was truly dead. Americans watched this as well, not on video but on film shot by military photographers and shown in theatres as a news reel prior to the Saturday night matinee. I was not there, but I am confident that no one in the audience felt the least bit sympathetic for those Japanese soldiers, or questioned whether the American soldiers were engaged in enemy "desecration", as charged in this latest incident. That is because everyone knew the Japanese were committing atrocities exponentially worse against our soldiers, on a regular basis. Americans also instinctively knew that victory against such an enemy, battle-hardened and seemingly fearless of death, required cold-blooded resolve. Fighting a "civilized" war against such an enemy, which did not surrender until after nearly half a million civilians were destroyed by nuclear weapons, would have led to defeat.
The Islamist enemy we fight today is equally determined as the Japanese in WWII, and like the Japanese are motivated by nationalism and religious fervor. They do not recognize any rules of war, other than those written in the Koran and Hadith, and a thousand years of bloody imperialism and murder. They have but one goal: the establishment of an Arab and worldwide caliphate, which excludes all other religions, and subjugates all other peoples as merely slaves of the Islamic state. They cannot be reasoned with, or dissuaded, or distracted from their God-driven mission. This enemy rejects mercy as weakness, and understands and respects only force and power. The only way to stop them is to kill every last one of them, and extending the Geneva Convention to such terrorists was the first mistake of this war. It may be the reason we lose.
Whether these terrorists were killed in combat, or lined up against a wall and shot on the spot, should make no difference to anyone who wants to win this war, and it certainly makes no difference to the Islamists who hate us regardless. They will never be tempered by our mercy, nor moved by our kindness, and will only use our humanity against us at every opportunity. If a few burned Taliban corpses drew more terrorists into the gunsights of our military, then the psy-ops soldiers who did this should be given medals, not reprimands. Those that voice sympathy demonstrate a weakness of resolve, and provide aid and comfort to an enemy that would never have been tolerated 60 years ago.
After all, this is a war for our survival, no less dangerous to our continued existence as a nation than during WWII. Toughen up, America. Or at least, keep your weakness to your self and let those with greater fortitude fight the battle unhindered.
Of course, the predictable outrage has begun, with the Pentagon promising that anyone involved in the alleged misconduct, or who violated the tenets of the Geneva Convention, would be held "appropriately accountable". Get ready for another round of Abu Ghraib-like coverage from the old stream media, and non-stop cycling of the video on CNN.
The reaction to this incident is indicative of how far away from resolute determination we, as a nation, have drifted since World War II. In those days, no one raised an eye brow when hundreds of living Japanese soldiers were incinerated by flame throwers during the battles of Tarawa and Iwo Jima, or when soldiers engaged in the common practice of repeatedly shooting dead enemy they encountered to make sure the enemy was truly dead. Americans watched this as well, not on video but on film shot by military photographers and shown in theatres as a news reel prior to the Saturday night matinee. I was not there, but I am confident that no one in the audience felt the least bit sympathetic for those Japanese soldiers, or questioned whether the American soldiers were engaged in enemy "desecration", as charged in this latest incident. That is because everyone knew the Japanese were committing atrocities exponentially worse against our soldiers, on a regular basis. Americans also instinctively knew that victory against such an enemy, battle-hardened and seemingly fearless of death, required cold-blooded resolve. Fighting a "civilized" war against such an enemy, which did not surrender until after nearly half a million civilians were destroyed by nuclear weapons, would have led to defeat.
The Islamist enemy we fight today is equally determined as the Japanese in WWII, and like the Japanese are motivated by nationalism and religious fervor. They do not recognize any rules of war, other than those written in the Koran and Hadith, and a thousand years of bloody imperialism and murder. They have but one goal: the establishment of an Arab and worldwide caliphate, which excludes all other religions, and subjugates all other peoples as merely slaves of the Islamic state. They cannot be reasoned with, or dissuaded, or distracted from their God-driven mission. This enemy rejects mercy as weakness, and understands and respects only force and power. The only way to stop them is to kill every last one of them, and extending the Geneva Convention to such terrorists was the first mistake of this war. It may be the reason we lose.
Whether these terrorists were killed in combat, or lined up against a wall and shot on the spot, should make no difference to anyone who wants to win this war, and it certainly makes no difference to the Islamists who hate us regardless. They will never be tempered by our mercy, nor moved by our kindness, and will only use our humanity against us at every opportunity. If a few burned Taliban corpses drew more terrorists into the gunsights of our military, then the psy-ops soldiers who did this should be given medals, not reprimands. Those that voice sympathy demonstrate a weakness of resolve, and provide aid and comfort to an enemy that would never have been tolerated 60 years ago.
After all, this is a war for our survival, no less dangerous to our continued existence as a nation than during WWII. Toughen up, America. Or at least, keep your weakness to your self and let those with greater fortitude fight the battle unhindered.
posted by Mark Outland at 3:36 PM
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