Hillsdale education vs. Islamic threat
Cody Ewers
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: Opinion
In a recent visit to Hillsdale College, syndicated columnist Mark Steyn gave a lecture in which he suggested the real antagonist in America's War on Terror - ourselves. He said the terrorists do not intend to win the struggle through conventional military might; instead, they plan to survive in their mountains long enough for us to tear ourselves apart through argument. This is already happening and it is dividing our population, leaving our "home front" in a state of desperation. These times call for desperate measures, which rarely end up being popular decisions and further complicate the situation. Just look at good ole' Franklin Roosevelt's fix for the Great Depression.
This leads us to the reality facing the Western powers that the threat of Islamic terrorism is a worldwide attack on freedom. These terrorists offer the Western world two options: We can either accept and assimilate Islamic ideals into Western culture or deny them and suffer sporadic terrorist attacks. Evidence of this ultimatum is present around the globe. For example, in Madrid, Spain, train bombs killed 191 people and injured more than 1,500 in 2004. In 2005, bombs hit London, England, killing 52 people. These, and many others, were terrorist attacks believed to be a response to the support and involvement of these countries in the 2003 American campaign in the Middle East. If so, this is a kill-or-be-killed situation in which America must fight to turn their world into ours before they turn our world into theirs; otherwise, our freedom will surely be lost.
How can we, as members of the Western world and citizens of its greatest country, prevent the internal combustion the terrorists await?
It is the duty of each person enjoying the benefits of our free world to stand by freedom and fight for its preservation. Therefore, the responsibility of winning the war falls on the shoulders of each American. All citizens must educate themselves in the basic principles of liberty. They must understand how the American Constitution preserves them because ultimately, the citizens check the government's power.
This leads us to the reality facing the Western powers that the threat of Islamic terrorism is a worldwide attack on freedom. These terrorists offer the Western world two options: We can either accept and assimilate Islamic ideals into Western culture or deny them and suffer sporadic terrorist attacks. Evidence of this ultimatum is present around the globe. For example, in Madrid, Spain, train bombs killed 191 people and injured more than 1,500 in 2004. In 2005, bombs hit London, England, killing 52 people. These, and many others, were terrorist attacks believed to be a response to the support and involvement of these countries in the 2003 American campaign in the Middle East. If so, this is a kill-or-be-killed situation in which America must fight to turn their world into ours before they turn our world into theirs; otherwise, our freedom will surely be lost.
How can we, as members of the Western world and citizens of its greatest country, prevent the internal combustion the terrorists await?
It is the duty of each person enjoying the benefits of our free world to stand by freedom and fight for its preservation. Therefore, the responsibility of winning the war falls on the shoulders of each American. All citizens must educate themselves in the basic principles of liberty. They must understand how the American Constitution preserves them because ultimately, the citizens check the government's power.
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