Obama's War on Terror

[George Gardner Jr]

Barack Obama recently gave a speech at the National Defense University. The intentions of his visit were to discuss the use of Drones, however his remarks concerning the global war on terror and his desire that America abandon this effort were far more interesting, at least to this listener. It goes without saying that perhaps the President’s deeper motive lingered in the hope that such a long winded speech, more than 45 minutes, complete with Code Pink heckler insisting on the immediate closure of Guantanamo, would distract the nation from three or four disturbing scandals currently surrounding the Obama administration. But few headlines that afternoon or the following day confirmed any success.

The President made strong remarks regarding the deterioration of Al Quaeda’s leadership,  and made every effort to reassure Americans that the terrorists were on a ‘path to defeat’. In short, Obama told us that we are safer today than before 9/11, and also that our ‘standing’ in the world is stronger than ever before.

Redefining Terrorism

If all that is true, we have nothing to worry about, right? Well, not really. It seems the President is far more concerned about ‘radicalized’ individuals right here in the United States. Though he swapped the term ‘Terrorist’ for ‘extremist’, he pointed out that, in his words, “Deranged or alienated individuals – often US citizens or legal residents – can do enormous damage,”.

I suppose if one could ignore the current scandals under investigation, the President’s concern over ‘home grown’ terrorism might be shared without hesitation by both Republicans and Democrats, Tea Partiers and Conservatives. But here’s the problem, despite the President’s attempts to ignore and distract from the current IRS and Deptartment of Justice scandals, they still exist. Each day brings new information further confirming efforts seemingly coordinated between the Internal Revenue Service and Obama’s administration to not only thwart conservative group activity, but smash those groups altogether. Ironically, a seemingly simple investigation into the Department of Justice’s unlawful seizure of AP News records expanded into revelations of focused DOJ assaults upon the rights of particular news agencies, specifically Fox News, a distinctively conservative news organization. Fox, incidentally, is the only media outlet that began and continues to report on the Benghazi attack which resulted in the loss of four American lives. Although Congress appears, for now, to be engaged in an unrelenting pursuit of the facts related to these scandals, any rational conservative must be more concerned about their own safety in light of the world’s most powerful and far reaching government’s disapproving glare upon right-sided politics and  activism.

Barack Obama – “We need all elements of national power to win a battle of wills, a battle of ideas”

Altough the President pre qualified his statement with a reference to the ‘misunderstandings’ of the Muslim faith, his remarks smacked of preemptive justification for still more attacks upon the rights and activities of politically engaged American citizens and journalists alike, all in the ‘interest’ of national security. How better to undo the opposition than to unleash the full weight of the federal government upon them? The Department of Homeland Security’s Director Janet Napolitano’s 2009 statements regarding ‘right-wing extremists played an important though disturbing role in re-casting the American image of domestic terror. In a 2009 DHS report entitled ‘Right-wing Extremism; Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment’, the premise was made that the recession as well as the election of America’s first black President was instrumental in right-wing recruitment. The report begrudgingly confessed to have no evidence of violent intentions from these growing conservative groups, but the groundwork was laid, conservatives would be considered more dangerous than ever before, particularly to an administration with such an extreme left-wing agenda.

And the Terrorist is…

Since then, and despite real terror attacks that have taken real lives such as those in Benghazi and Boston, right-wing America has been systematically identified by this administration and a multitude of low information Americans as a far more dangerous and radical group than even the most active Al Quaeda terror cell. That’s right, Margie Goldblatt has decided to skip bingo night and instead create flyers and petitions to defend and preserve the Bill of Rights. Cindy So and So has traded in the tranqility of quilting for weekly meetings explaining the US Constitution, and in so doing, both have unwittingly joined the ranks of potential homegrown terrorists who could easily become the next high value target on the DHS hitlist. Under an administration whose leader is still fully convinced of his own ability to keep America ‘safe’, the very idea of strategically targeting any ‘threat’ to national security delivers more as intimidating than vague.

Those who are opposed to current administrative policies are considered obstructionists, those who succeed at debunking a plethora of Presidential half truths and reveal administrative deceptions are conspirators and anarchists. To this administration and it’s followers, the (R) no longer means Republican, but Radical. With these fresh, left-handed interpretations, coupled with clear evidence of federal overreach and intimidation tactics perpetuated upon Americans who label themselves as Patriots, the new ‘Terrorist’ has emerged. His location in caves and desert training camps has been replaced with a modest dwelling and a yard full of kids. He knows nothing about explosive devices, but is known to be quite skilled at Photoshop and other image editing software. He carries no bombs, but is known to have a pocket full of petitions. His radical ideology includes such ramblings as smaller government, fewer taxes and full time work. He insists upon choosing his own healthcare and rejects the Administration’s encouragement of gender confusion among children. He believes all life is sacred and must be preserved, even at the expense of a mother’s convenience. He demands accountability, not only from the government, but from individuals as well. He opposes Amnesty of any kind and mocks the government’s desire to flood an under employed nation with low wage workers.

If you share any or all of the views expressed above, be advised; you too may fall within the newly defined parameters of ‘threat’ to national security. While it is reasonably safe to assume no harm will come to you in the short term, this twisted interpretaion of domestic terror certainly leads to concerns of future conservative activity. And isn’t that what real terrorism is all about? Instilling terror in the minds of a usually unsuspecting public has always been the goal of any terror group, large or small. The unfortunate event of 9/11 snuffed the lives of some 3000 souls, but the attack’s success came with the immediate upheaval of America life as we knew it. The goal of radical Islam, though encouraged by the murder of countless infidels or non-believers, is to convert the world, not destroy it. They celebrate the loss of life, but only as a necessary component to the ‘changing’ of worldview.

It seems to me that if there is any actual threat to national security, it is found in the profound, but subtle attacks upon the nation from a leadership commited to the complete annihilation of foundational American values. The battle has begun, and now is the time to choose a side. Even as I finish this article, I am imagining the voices of so many Patriots that chose to stand for America. None were ignorant of the risk. All assumed eventual death in signing our Constitution.  But still, they stood. I am convinced that when all is put back together, it will come with no lives lost on either side of the debate. However, given the President’s comments regarding the use of drones on American citizens in foreign lands, we will forego any thoughts of a European vacation for now.

God Bless, and Stay RIGHT!

George Gardner Jr