IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray
#146
“Dangers of Complacency”
It has been a difficult week for all Americans as they watched Boston deal with an unimaginable terrorist attack. Suddenly, today’s history shouted not “The British are coming,” but “The terrorists are here!”
Awakening on a Sunday, it is unfathomable to us that any religion can espouse killing innocent people to further belief. It begs a question and underscores the fact that the very freedoms we cherish put us at risk in a dangerous world.
Dr. Zuhdi Jasser’s is a voice that many Americans never hear. A valued contributor on FOX News Channel, he is appalled that there is no outcry from Muslims across the nation. The silence is deafening. He appealed to peaceful followers of Islam to step forward and demand an end to the violence.
The constant coverage of the Boston Bombing should prod each of us to take the threat seriously. Moreover, there is a terrible reality to our lives in this country. The very freedoms that we cherish put us at risk in a very dangerous world.
Envy and greed are prime motivators. When mixed with extremist religious beliefs, the result is mayhem. I recall a column written shortly after 9/11. I felt then, as I do now, that a nationwide series of timed attacks in ordinary places of business and sports venues would wreak havoc.
If we are lucky — and that is a question in itself — the Boston Marathon Bombing is not the precursor to more attacks. Urging one another to be vigilant is but a first step. Internalizing the threat without a degree of panic looms as a serious way of life now.
Israel knows the game. We hear lawyers scream “profiling” as if it were a curse word. Israelis profile everybody. Not only do they search belongings, they interview El Al passengers and consider body language and all manner of behaviors that telegraph danger.
The fact that someone had a bomb in his shoe initiated shoe removal at all airports, body searches for hidden explosives, and cost millions of man-hours of productivity for business people and wasted vacation time for travelers as all of them endured the delays.
Don’t tolerate commentators describing the Boston Bombers as “boys.” They weren’t “boys,” folks. They were men hell bent on killing innocent people to further a mindset that Islam should rule the world. Trained by a cadre of people who use women and children as shields, they shine as prime examples of evil.
Our troops protect women and children. Theirs sacrifice them without a second thought. Remember that these men came as youngsters with their families and we gave them political asylum. With that designation comes monetary help. We funded this family and were repaid with an attack of unprecedented horror.
So long as we allow the government to soft pedal the profiling, we ask for more Bostons. Take a lesson from Israel. Take the offense. Don’t sit back and wait for another attack. Terror is a form of power play that fuels importance in small-minded people. It attracts advocates among us. What better way to get at the American psyche than to recruit from among our citizens.
To believe that all Muslims are terrorists is false, yet many are Muslim. That fact alone should bring pressure to bear on the religion as a whole and its leadership.
Hate crimes are more than bent thought processes. They are a calling to those who wish to end the American way of life. Control is at the core of such movements. To allow them to gain even a small amount of control is to cede to their tactics. Fear is their friend. We must counter that fear with resolve.
Think about what the two of them did on Monday. They sauntered down the sidewalk attired casually — all the while intending to murder innocents. The younger bomber placed a bomb behind eight-year-old Martin Richard then calmly walked away. Martin died. His little sister Jane lost a leg. His mother Denise was severely injured. Dad Bill and older brother Henry were not hurt. Pray for that family and the families of Krystle Campbell and Lü Lingzi. No family deserved this. Don’t forget Sean Collier’s family. He died in the line of duty, and I’m sure that MIT never expected one of their own to die at the hands of terrorists. Such is the atmosphere in America today.
We listen to those in Washington bantering about “separation of church and state,” and yet the terrorists’ mosque received $225,000 in tax subsidy. What’s behind that? I wonder if Massachusetts will answer that question in the coming days? Any idea that a Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish house of worship had the same chance at government money?
Sorry to be cynical, but my comment would be “Fat chance!”
Wake up and smell the coffee folks. Monday is one day away. We will go about our business as usual, but it should be anything but usual. We cannot dive back into a life of complacency.
Sadly, our society is at great risk. We must push ahead to insure our safety and that of our fellow citizens. It is time that we begin to live with a different view. We are at risk and we need to be vigilant.
I always encourage readers to thank members of the armed services when encountered on the street. I now, with a great deal of apology, add our men in blue — policemen, firemen, and members of the FBI, CIA and other agencies that put their lives on the line to keep us safe. Thanks to all of you! Take a moment to thank them. They deserve it.
Again, the question surfaces. We give incoming immigrants every avenue for success. We do not discriminate against their belief systems and welcome their houses of worship. Shouldn’t they harbor some responsibility for the actions of a few? Why aren’t their leaders speaking out against this? Given their freedom in this country, where is the Muslim community in America? Think about it.