Remembering the Massacre

Five years ago today, al-Qaeda introduced itself to the American public by extinguishing the lives of almost 3,000 people in the financial district of Manhattan, the shores of the Potomac and lastly in the fields of rural Pennsylvania.

The World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks on September 11th did not mark the beginning of the Islamic radicals’ war on America, its citizenry, or the Twin Towers, which were first bombed eight years before 9-11.

Between the failed 1993 and successful 2001 bombings on the World Trade Center, 53 Americans were killed in four attacks on US military and diplomatic off-shore targets, yet no large-scale war on Islamic terror networks was launched after either of these tragedies.

American support for Israel, the deployment of US military personnel on the sacred Arabian peninsula, the invasion of Iraq during the first Gulf War and our nation’s alliance with “pliant” leaders of certain Muslim nations are standard excuses issued by Al-Qaeda and their ilk for the attacks on Americans.

But giving credibility to reasons issued by al-Qaeda and their apologists to justify their acts of mass homicide is foolhardy.

It should be remembered that Osama Bin-Laden originally denied involvement with the September 11th attacks only to later admit complicity and produce video images of the terror leader fraternizing with the would-be martyrs/murderers. Imagine that: not only is al-Qaeda full of butchers, they’re liars too!

Sadly enough, I bet there were more than a few people in high positions of power that were as troubled by their fibbing as they were by their killing.

Perhaps their true intentions can be gleaned from a video tape released in early September of this year, called “An Invitation to Islam”, where an American convert to al-Qaeda, Adam Yehiye Gadahn who is also known as “Azzam the American”, declared "To Americans and the rest of Christendom, we say either repent (your) misguided ways and enter into the light of truth or keep your poison to yourself and suffer the consequences in this world and the next."

The stuff of Billy Graham it isn’t; but what the video message does communicate is that in the eyes of al-Qaeda there are only three kinds of people in this world: Muslims, non-believers that will be converted to Islam and dead infidels.

September 11th was about using the example of the latter to achieve by fear the second point.

An unintended consequence of the terrorist attacks was to raise awareness about the existence of this ideology and its adherents in the western world. While for al-Qaeda 9-11 was a glorious triumph, it ran counter to their expansionist agenda as Islam was already in the process of making great strides towards accomplishing without much fuss the conquest of Europe through exploiting lax immigration policies and making babies in countries with near zero-population growth.

Though the Continent has not yet regained the assertive nationalist nerve it lost after the Second World War, terrorist attacks on both sides of the pond have at least roused from their slumber some political leaders of influence outside of the once and future caliphate of Grenada (Spain) and the supposed Euro-powerhouses of Germany and France, whose politicians are already hostage to electorally significant Muslim minorities.

Unlike America’s Bolshevik nemesis of the past, the new threat to our nation and civilization is not an entity that can be negotiated with since for al-Qaeda, the very existence of people subscribing to a faith other than Islam, either in Israel or on the planet Earth, is blasphemy.

Compromise with al-Qaeda can only be achieved by submitting to their faith or volunteering for beheading, the alternative for the preservation of western civilization being the aggressive eradication of al-Qaeda and its allied cells on the homefront and in their frontyard.

The American al-Qaeda video might have been pure crazy talk, but there is no doubting its sincerity when it comes to the part where they intend to inflict suffering on those who don’t or won’t embrace the Koran.

Al-Qaeda’s propaganda rubbish aside, there is only one logical reason why September 11th happened: because our government failed to take appropriate action in the aftermath of previous attacks by a terrorist organization that refused to be ignored.

That is a mistake that can never be repeated again.

RINO Stomp: The Missing Linc Wins

US Senator Lincoln Chafee is perhaps the least favorite Republican amongst Republicans due in large part to his inclination to vote with the other party. Yet his consistent record of contrarianism when it comes to Republican issues didn’t prevent him from winning renomination on Tuesday evening thanks to being the scion of a longtime state political figure and a lot of help from an administration he has given little legislative support.

Had Chafee lost to his primary challenger, Stephen Laffey, the pundits would have drawn a comparison to the party insurrection against Joe Lieberman across the state line.

Just as the Right mocked the Democrats for embracing the tinfoil hat crowd by dismissing their 2000 vice-presidential nominee, the Left would have retorted that Chafee’s primary defeat was proof of the GOP’s domination by conservatives who demand that their affiliated members of Congress toe the line or walk the plank.

Yeah…I wish that myth was fact.

Such a comparison would have been flawed as the similarities between Lieberman’s and Chafee’s unpopularity within their own party begins and ends with their respective positions on the war in Iraq.

Lieberman is a true liberal that rebelled on one issue made sacrosanct by MoveOn.org. Chafee, also a true liberal, tends to be off the reservation on virtually every bill of consequence. In 2005, Chafee’s ACU rating (a conservative barometer on congressional votes) was a twelve out of one hundred making him the most liberal Republican in the US Senate.

Seventeen Democrats, including arch-liberal Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, had a higher ACU rating than Chafee, who had the same score as Hillary Clinton.

Chafee’s party registration card is about the only written documentation of his Republican affiliation since his voting record certainly doesn’t prove it. Here are just a few of the ways the Rhode Island RINO earned his “horn” over the years:

Announced to the media that he wrote-in George W. Bush’s father as a protest vote in 2004.

The same day he bragged about casting a ballot for “Poppy” in lieu of “Dubya”, Chafee publicly mused about leaving the GOP if the younger Bush was re-elected.

Was the lone Republican to vote against invading Iraq.

Voted for legislation providing for taxpayer funded abortions.

Was the sole Republican to vote against the confirmation of Judge Sam Alito to the Supreme Court, which was not the only instance when Chafee, a member of the Gang of 14, opposed a Bush nominee to the federal bench.

Voted for an amendment that would have put American servicemen under the jurisdiction of an international court and a bill that would have mandated a backdoor implementation of the Kyoto Treaty.

And just in case you haven’t been keeping score, I should also mention he’s for legalizing same sex marriage and often votes against the pro-second amendment lobby.

This is what the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent a reported one million dollars to keep in office. I am sure NOW and every other loony liberal group under the sun will be pleased that they can spend their money elsewhere now that a “safe vote” is guaranteed no matter which senatorial candidate wins in Rhode Island in November.

Chafee’s few conservative moments include and are almost limited to voting for the GOP organization of the Senate, confirming Chief Justice John Roberts and supporting John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations. Blink and you risk missing Chafee making a good vote.

Clearly the NRSC’s money would have been better used in one of the five other competitive Republican defenses or in the five close US Senate races where the Democrats are hoping to hold seats than trying to prop up an incumbent who was unattractive to Republican voters, with good reason.

The NRSC believed that the incumbent was more electable in a state where Bush didn’t even receive 40% in 2004, which is the same argument the president and the national GOP used when they rescued Pennsylvania US Senator Arlen Specter from almost certain defeat at the hands of conservative Congressman Pat Toomey two years ago.

Sadly, Snarlin’ Arlen is like Jesse Helms compared to Chafee.

For the sake of the GOP, I hope the 2006 mid-terms don’t produce a fifty-fifty split in the US Senate. Judging by his absence from the Republican column on so many previous votes, Linc might live up to his 2004 election threat and go missing.