Have We Become Too PC to Win?

Have we so succumbed to political correctness we no longer understand that it is acceptable to defend oneself and one's country? Has political correctness so numbed our sense of right and wrong we equate protecting our very freedom with incivility? Have we become so embattled and accepting of radical Islamist propaganda that we believe they are the victims of our actions rather than the other way around?

The recent vote over terrorist interrogation would suggest many amongst have. Only a hand full of Democrats in tight races voted for the legislation. An overwhelming number of Democrats voted against it on the mistaken premise stateless Islamic terrorists are due the same 14th Amendments Rights as our own citizens or military combatants.

Terrorists have learned well how to manipulate us to the point that we believe we must apologize when they attack our way of life as they seek to spread their brand of Muslim chaos throughout the world. Certainly Europeans, it would appear, have virtually given up defending Western Civilization and values on their turf. If the recent Danish Cartoon experience and the more recent radical Muslim reaction to Pope Benedict's speech did not send a chilling message of intolerance then I do not know what it will take to shake us out of our torpor. And what was the response? Boundless apologies to those Muslims who were offended and demonstrated their displeasure by murdering, burning , destroying and pillaging. It is time for the West to get real, to grow up for the hour is late and the sands of our fate are swiftly running downhill.

Then, there is the matter of misplaced proportionality. This concept seems to find applicability whenever Israel defends itself. Commentary about Palestinian attacks begins when Israel responds. Israel's defense is seen as an Israeli offense. Time and again the Western World has pulled Arab chestnuts out of the fire because of the fear of threats to Western commercial interests or because the West has bought into maudlin Palestinian claims of victim hood.

Assuredly, there is blame enough to go round but whenever the Palestinians have been offered a chance to live in peace they have rejected it. Why? Because they want it all and are led to believe time is on their side whenever they detect continual evidence of Western weakness. We fear allowing Arabs to reap the consequences of their unfortunate decisions and retrogressive totalitarian regimes because of our energy dependence. Yet, we remain unwilling to break this dependency. Pay something now or far more later!

Our own president makes threats that mostly turn out to be empty when it comes to those who support and/or harbour terrorists. Those in the Middle East learn quickly how to discern bluffers, after all they have made a handsome living doing the same. What is more disconcerting and dangerous is that we find ourselves trapped and on the verge of allowing Iran to achieve nuclear status. Again why? Because having turned the matter over to the Germans, French, Brits and the U.N.efforts at endless talk, we have been backed into a corner. Furthermore, we know China and Russia are ready to block any proposed Security Council sanction worth its weight.

Then there is the matter of surrogates. China and Russia know they benefit when Iran and other radical Arab nations challenge us through Hamas, Hezballah et al. China and Russia understand our apparent willingness to bleed without retribution enures to their benefit and saps our national resources and resolve. We should never say what we mean unless we mean what we say. GW seems not to have learned and consequently, Iran, Syria and N Korea have no fear of being taught there is a price to pay.

We have become victims of our own belief we are too civilized to bring death and destruction to others who have repeatedly demonstrated not a moment's concern or apprehension doing worse to ourselves. We so fear civilian casualties, we no longer conceive it legitimate to attack terrorists who use their own as shields; worse, we have exported this inane attitude to others - most recently the Israelis during the Lebanese War.

Lastly, the media plays a vital role in shaping our guilt attitudes and perceptions of ourselves. Starting from an already weakened national stance of comfort and acceptability over losing the Viet Nam War, the media has gone beyond to exploit our steady over-indulgence of a political correct diet. We are constantly portrayed as the "evil doers" because we are reachable and the media has demonstrated, time and again, a gullibility that transcends professionalism.

The terrorists know how to feed the lead and the media are willing supplicants because of competitive pressures to be first. Furthermore, many in the media embrace that specious terrorist line - radical Islamists are only "freedom fighters" who have a legitimate historical score to settle because of the Crusades, Colonialism, Western aggression, technological advances and other trumped up charges of justification.

Time is not on our side. The terrorists are winning, not because we lack the means but because we lack the will. We have embraced the self-defeating concept of relativism and thus, have become too civilized. Our own civilization rests in the balance and we had better get our act together and do whatever it takes to win because our enemy has already proven more than willing to pursue their winning goal and do so for however long it takes.

Dick