"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

DINESH D'SOUZA IS PARTIALLY CORRECT...

DINESH D'SOUZA wrote a book which blamed excessive libertinage (mostly by leftist post-modernists) in the USA and the West for global jihad - as if therefore we are somehow responsible for their reactions to modernity. This is like blaming the battered wife for pissing off her husband. Here is EXACTLY how D'SOUZA describes it:
In this book I make a claim that will seem startling at the outset. The cultural left in this country (such people as Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer, George Soros, Michael Moore, Bill Moyers, and Noam Chomsky) is responsible for causing 9/11. The term “cultural left” does not refer to the Democratic Party. Nor does it refer to all liberals. It refers to the left wing of the Democratic Party—admittedly the most energetic group among Democrats, and the main source of the party’s ideas.

The cultural left also includes a few Republicans, notably those who adopt a left-wing stance on foreign policy and social issues. Moreover, the cultural left includes organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Organization for Women, People for the American Way, Planned Parenthood, Human Rights Watch, and moveon.org.

In faulting the cultural left, I am not making the absurd accusation that this group blew up the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I am saying that the cultural left and its allies in Congress, the media, Hollywood, the nonprofit sector and the universities are the primary cause of the volcano of anger toward America that is erupting from the Islamic world.
In this sense D'Souza is wrong, wrong, wrong. (More on this from Robert Spencer - who has thoroughly dempolished D'Souza's arguments. Read this for starters.) I HATE THE POST MODERN LEFT, BUT THEY ARE NOT THE CAUSE OF GLOBAL JIHAD.

SO... IN WHAT SENSE CAN D'SOUZA BE PARTIALLY CORRECT!?

He is right when he argues that we are in part to blame for the current violent mess the entire world faces.


The world might easily be a much safer and more free place
IF WE HAD COUNTER-ATTACKED MUCH EARLIER (LIKE WHEN THE JIHADOMANIACS IN IRAN TOOK OUR EMBASSY HOSTAGE IN 1979, OR WHEN THEY BLEW UP THE MARINE'S BARRACKS IN 1983, ETC!), AND WITH MUCH MUCH MUCH GREATER KINETIC FORCE.

Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton - and even W have counter-attacked weakly - if at all.

Our TARDY and half-assed counter-attack has only encouraged the enemy, and given them time to get stronger.
EVEN TODAY WE ARE STILL FIGHTING WITH ONE HAND TIED BEHIND OUR BACK.

VICTORY COMES NOT TO THE FAINT OF HEART. WAR IS HELL. WHERE IS OUR SHERMAN?

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