Histrionics 101 - on "Engulfing the world in flames"

[Joe Erkes <erkesjoe@nycap.rr.com>]

Dear Sinclair,

I hesitate to lecture you on geopolitics my friend, but you asked for it.  With
sincerest apologies to those who prefer to discuss genealogy, I would like to
assert that:

US isolationism before WWII was of long standing and hoary tradition, brought
about by what appeared to our myopic colonial eyes to be the unrelenting
tendency of our European cousins to make bloody war on each other over mostly
inconsequential causes.  WWII changed all that, and our colonial conceit is
gone forever.  The world is far too small a place today, and local actions
invariably have global causes and effects.  Isolationism (such as the Europeans
now perversely seem to crave) is a luxury no longer easily afforded by
twenty-first century nations.

You used the word Jihad.   An interesting word, and probably quite accurate in
this context.   A group of vicious religious bigots in the Middle East have
announced that they want to bring the countries that they call the "Great
Satan" and the "Little Satan" to their knees, by any means at their disposal.
They have put in place mechanisms to carry out their threats, and have begun to
do so in a fairly bloody fashion.  They plan far more horrific events,
including nuclear explosions, and large-scale radioactive contamination of US
soil.  If it is not a modern-day Jihad, what is it?

Their goals are even more interesting than their methods. The truth is that
these religious bigots despise and hate the value systems of the West
(including your European value systems), because those value systems threaten
the "purity" of their religious beliefs.  They want nothing less than the
removal of all Western influences from their lives.  In alliance with amoral
tyrants like Saddam Hussein, they want to control the oil in the Mid-East, and
use it for their purposes.  It doesn't take a great deal of imagination to work
out what those purposes might be.

It an undeniable truth that the Arab nations have not kept pace with the West.
In spite of enormous oil revenues, they seem unable to develop their economies,
or educate their people.  It is not the fault of the West that this is so;
rather, it is their own choice and their own doing.   Middle Eastern culture
bigots resent the West and our successes, and since they are unable to compete
with us, they choose to demonize us and propagandize the "Arab street" into
believing that we, not they, are the architects of their misfortunes.  A Jihad
it is, my friend, and Europe is in their cross-hairs as well as America.

They have initially focused on the US because we are more visible, but please
do not be deluded into thinking that eliminating the US will satisfy them.
Europe poses as much of a threat to their values as we do.  It's just a
question of priorities.

Pray tell, Sinclair, what should we do about these dangerous religious bigots?
Beg for mercy?  Try bribery?  Turn the other cheek?  As you well know from your
extensive study of history, those "remedies" have been tried in the past with
very poor results.  Just exactly what alternatives to US policy do you
advocate?  Should we all convert to Islam?  Should we adopt their values?
Burkha, anyone?

Ironically, European wimpiness and general lack of resolve on this issue
actually contributes to the likelihood of ugly consequences.  I can assure you
that the US is not going to passively wring its hands hoping for mercy from
these modern-day Middle Eastern Nazis.   A united stand by the West would leave
no chinks for them to exploit, and would make Armageddon a lot less likely...
Unfortunately, I have little confidence that anyone other than Britain and
their Commonwealth allies will help.  A pity....

Incidently, your remark about "minority presidents" misses the important point
that regardless of their party affiliation, the overwhelming majority of
Americans support Bush's policies.  One might make a flip remark about LePen
winning his party's nomination, but that would be equally pointless, wouldn't
it?.

I eagerly anticipate reading your well-reasoned geopolitical
counter-explanations!

Best regards,

Joe Erkes

***********************
Sinclair wrote:

> Dear Gaynor,
>
> There is no justification and never will be for 11 September.  America is
> not asking for help. The American President is asking for a total commitment
> to his worldview.  America has a minority president, who lost a popular vote
> in which a disinterested electorate of less than 50% of America's eligible
> voters took part, who may engulf the world in flames.
>
> America did bash Europe's struggle 1939 to 1945. America entered WWII only
> after it was attacked.
>
> America First Committee had Four Principles before the United States entered

[ Excess quotations omitted. ]


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