Saturday, September 6, 2008

Sarah Palin and National Security




John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as a running mate has brought hope to many who understand our most important issue: national security. There are many others who dread the possibility that Palin may one day become the first female U.S. president… aside from Hillary Clinton, who undoubtedly loathes the idea. After all, that was supposed to be her title.


Even as vice president, Sarah Palin will undoubtedly have a tremendous role in foreign affairs. Sam Harris, atheist author of Letter to a Christian Nation and The End of Faith writes: “McCain not only has thrown all sensible concerns about good governance aside merely to pander to a sliver of female and masses of conservative Christian voters, he has turned this period of American history into an episode of high-stakes reality television: Don’t look now, but our cousin Sarah just became leader of the free world! Tune in next week and watch her get sassy with Pakistan!


Harris’ assumption that Palin is nothing more than a “girl next door” is amazingly naïve. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those who dread Palin fail to comprehend the nature of our national security issues. Liberals suggest that those in the Middle East hate us for many reasons. Let’s look at a few.


From an article submitted by Linden on DanielPipes.org: “Muslims dream of a lost empire and see the wealth the West enjoys. They blame the West for their poverty.”


From Reader’s Digest: “There is a vast American imperial presence in the Muslim world… But this hatred of America should be seen for what it is: a scapegoat for the ills of an Islamic world in the throes of a deep, historic crisis. The dream of modernity in the Arab heartland of Islam has been thwarted.”


A very common misconception as to why we are hated by the Arab world is articulated clearly by one blogger: “Unless I'm mistaken, Bush invaded Iraq under the premise that Saddam had WMD's, when in reality it was to protect Israel and secure the oil fields so Halliburton could build a pipeline from Iraq to Kuwait. Now all of Islam hates us.” Yes, you are mistaken.


One website lists 87 things the U.S. has done wrong that have led to Middle Eastern animosity toward America. (http://www.isometry.com/usahate.html)


One blogger even suggests the Middle East hates us because we’re too fat! “The Middle East doesn't hate us because George Carlin dropped the F-bomb one too many times. No they hate us because we have become a nation of couch potatoes. It's true, there is an epidemic spreading across this country and pretty soon the new fashion statement will be WIDE LOAD printed on the back of a pair of Daisy Dukes.” Okay, he must be kidding... right?


Liberal pundit Andrew Sullivan, whom Sam Harris “debated” several months back on Beliefnet.com, suggests that “With Sarah Palin, America has taken one very large leap toward a completely theocratic politics.” Yet this is hardly accurate. The personal beliefs of one member of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government do not override the U.S. Constitution, under a system of checks and balances in which Congress carries the biggest stick. (One could hardly call the Harris-Sullivan dialogue a “debate” since Sullivan also did not accurately represent the majority view of evangelical Christians. He and Harris had far too much in common. )


Ultimately, the fundamental reason that Muslims in Arab countries hate America is not that they desire what the West has. They despise Western decadence. The fundamental reason Muslims hate America is that their holy book, the Qur’an, teaches that they are to seek the creation of a worldwide caliphate, a theocratic governing body ruled by Shari’a Law. Radically consistent Muslims, who strictly adhere to Qur’anic teachings, desire not only a “completely theocratic politics,” but also one that is completely unknown to most people in the West, especially Barack Obama and Joe Biden.


The Islamic doctrine of taqiyyah allows Muslims to practice deception and to outright lie if their end goal is the furtherance of Islam. This is especially true amongst the Shiite Muslims of Iran. What does this suggest regarding Barack Obama’s plan to unconditionally sit down with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Will Mahmoud negotiate a peaceful arrangement with America, the country his hero and mentor, Ayatollah Khomeini, dubbed “the Great Satan”? Will Mahmoud suddenly recant his threats to destroy Israel and America when he sees Barack smiling at him across the diplomacy table? Think again.


Sarah Palin may not yet fathom the depths of Islamic deception, but her Christian background will offer her a greater understanding of the challenges we have ahead of us.
by RC Metcalf

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