White House Official: Don't Be Afraid of the Terrorists or They Will Kill You
Oh, good! I was wondering when the new administration was going to start embracing yet another of the least attractive aspects of the Bush administration…
In an oped in USA Today, John Brennan — Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism — responds to critics of the Obama administration's counterterrorism policies by saying "Politically motivated criticism and unfounded fear-mongering only serve the goals of al-Qaeda."
Yeah, because anybody who would use "politically motivated" rhetoric to show a rival in an unfavorable light is an obvious terrorist. In fact, that's one of the main weapon of the terrorists: politically motivated criticism and dirty bombs.
Brennan writes that, "Terrorists are not 100-feet tall. Nor do they deserve the abject fear they seek to instill."
Actually, I kind of wish they were 100-feet tall. It'd be a lot easier to spot them in airport security.
Although, that would probably open up a big debate about dimensional profiling.
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Terrorism is a tactic which works best against cowards. Fear is the whole point. Unfortunately, the GOP and al-Qaeda have made common cause in pushing fear in America. They are allies in this.
Criticism is not a problem, but fear-mongering is. At the very least, it is playing into the hands of our enemies. Well, we Americans have seemingly become hopeless cowards these days. Can you think of any other reason we'd go along with torturing prisoners?
But which is the cause and which is the effect? Has the constant fear-mongering of Republicans made us cowardly, or have they (and al-Qaeda) adopted fear as a tactic because we are cowards?
He does have a point.
The fear is ratcheting up, and you'd think these terrorist dudes were 100 feet tall and superhuman to hear some people talk.
Hasn't our legal system already prosecuted terrorists? Don't we already have them on our soil?
It was ridiculous to watch Orrin Hatch and Olympia Snowe wagging their fingers at the intel guys, grandstanding and trying to score political points with Fox News, apparently so blinded by their own fear, that they don't seem to get it, even though the intelligence experts are before them, telling them – terrorists are already on our soil.
We're going to need to deal with them, just like we've always dealt with them.
Are they saying that our max prisons aren't tough enough for these punks?
Please. The underwear bomber is some kid. As are so many other aspiring violent extremists, who are mainly kids who want to wimp out on life and die to go to Paradise so they can get virgins.
They would be eaten alive in our prisons.
Why are these senators showing so much fear?
Even the sheik guy, is some soft palmed plotter. Your fear is what is giving him power.
Our own intel experts are telling you point blank – closing Guantanamo will shut down a giant recruiting tool for these false prophets who would have these kids believe that violence belongs in Islam.
Real scholars will come out against jihad. That is not Islam. Islam is supposed to be about peace. Right?
Unlike Guantanamo, and Abu Graib, which represents being above the law, and torture, we will show that you need not give up human rights, to get information.
As the Obama team proved, when they got the kid to talk, after bringing in his father. No torture necessary.
Just as Reagan did, we can show the world that justice can be served on our soil, just as it would for anyone else who was caught on our soil, who committed a crime.
Perhaps they will be classified more as war criminals and therefore receive a heavier punishment, but we should be able to flex our muscle and prove to the world that we have the best legal system in the world.
Yes, we have problems in our legal system, where murderers like O.J. do get off the hook, but perhaps both sides could come to some sort of compromise.
No, they don't have to be right in the middle of Times Square in NYC, so those who suffered have to have salt rubbed in their wounds, but I'm sure there's a place in this country where they could have some sort of high security trial, where the press could not be allowed, and it would not turn into a circus.
Let Kaleed Sheik Mohammed be treated like any common criminal and don't give him a stage. Take him down a notch. Stop giving him so much power, just to score political points.
Do you people not understand that we are in crisis, and everyone needs to do everything we can to fight these people, and you should be LISTENDING TO THE INTEL GUYS – not using your CSPAN stage to position yourself for the next election by grandstanding and wagging your finger at them.
Stop giving these terrorists the power to scare you witless. Best thing you could do, would be sentence the Sheik through our legal system, with all the rights of anyone else, than let him rot in some scary prison and never get to be a martyr.
That would be the biggest punishment. For someone who sees glory in death.
Personally, I'd put him to work at hard labor, building schools for girls in Afghanistan.
