CAIR Denounces Santorum's Call for Profiling

     One of my Google Alerts was triggered by an article about a CAIR press release demanding that the GOP denounce Rick Santorum's debate answer on profiling. Video of the debate segment is linked below, and embedded where possible.  Play it twice, once to listen and once to watch the facial expressions and gestures, particularly those of Rep. Paul and Herman Cain.  

    The text of CAIR's  press release and my analysis follow the video. Thanks and a tip of the hat to Breitbart!

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the Republican Party to repudiate GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum's call for profiling of American Muslims.

In a debate aired on CNN last night, Santorum was asked if he would support ethnic and religious profiling. CNN's Wolf Blitzer, the debate's moderator, asked Santorum: "So just to be precise, is it ethnic profiling, religious profiling, who would be profiled?"

"The folks who are most likely to be committing these crimes," replied Santorum. "Obviously Muslims would be someone you'd look at, absolutely."

Video: Rick Santorum Calls for Profiling of Muslims

In a statement released today, CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor said:

"Last night, Rick Santorum casually tossed aside every American's constitutional right to equal protection under the law in favor of discriminatory profiling of Muslims. Mr. Santorum's obvious lack of appreciation for the Constitution and for the rejection of profiling by top law enforcement experts raises reasonable questions about his ability to lead our multi-faith nation.

"The International Association of Chiefs of Police and other security specialists reject racial profiling. President Bush called it 'wrong.' In 2009, President Obama pledged to end the counterproductive practice.

"We remind Mr. Santorum that the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), a man of Middle Eastern heritage, would fit his 'profile.'

"It is time for all Republican presidential candidates to reject Islamophobic rhetoric. Just as past candidates have learned the folly of targeting other religious or ethnic minorities, serious presidential hopefuls must reject the use anti-Muslim smears and the exploitation of Islamophobia for cheap political gain."

CAIR also thanked another GOP presidential candidate, Representative Ron Paul of Texas, for rejecting profiling and refusing to sacrifice the rule of law.

A CAIR Legislative Fact Sheet states that profiling is unconstitutional, hinders anti-terrorism efforts and "diverts precious law enforcement resources away from investigations of individuals who have been linked to terrorist activity by specific and credible evidence."

SEE: CAIR Legislative Fact Sheet on Profiling
http://tinyurl.com/7wf3v7y

Earlier this year, Santorum called "Sharia," or Islamic principles, "evil." He told a group in New Hampshire: "We need to define it and say what it is. And it is evil." In a past "lecture on Islam," Santorum falsely claimed the Quran, Islam's revealed text, was written in "Islamic."

SEE: Santorum, GOP Continue Anti-Sharia Campaign
http://tinyurl.com/4ml97xd

Last week, CAIR called on state and national GOP leaders to demand the resignation of a Tennessee lawmaker after he suggested in a radio interview that U.S. Muslims should "go back to where they came from" if they objected to his recent call for the removal of all Muslims serving in the military.

CAIR: TN GOP Rep. Tells Muslims to 'Go Back to Where They Came From'
http://bit.ly/uetuEF

A number of recent reports have documented the disturbing growth and promotion of Islamophobia in American society.

CAIR: Same Hate, New Target
http://tinyurl.com/66enzm8
Center for American Progress: Fear, Inc.
http://tinyurl.com/7cozjxg
Southern Poverty Law Center: Jihad Against Islam
http://tinyurl.com/3qsv2v8
People for the American Way: The Right-Wing Playbook on Anti-Muslim Extremism
http://tinyurl.com/6j9fttw

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857, E-Mail: csaylor@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, or 202-488-8787, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations

called on GOP to repudiate

    The days of the smoke filled room backstage at the national convention are long gone.  The real nominating process belongs to the party membership, not to the hierarchy.  Condemning stands taken by candidates is not the role of the RNC or the state central committees. 

    CAIR is engaging in intimidation tactics, trying to cast terror into the hearts of nervous Nellie political consultants who conceive of political correctness as holy writ.  The RNC, Santorum and the rational candidates should denounce CAIR's political terror tactics and tell CAIR to sit down, shut up and mind their own business.

    I swear that, if the Republican Party surrenders to CAIR's outrageous demand, lifting Allah's tail and inserting their tongues, I will not vote for any Republican candidate who does not explicitly condemn Islam. 

profiling of American Muslims

    That  is a prime example of misdirection.  Attention of security personnel should be focused on Muslims, regardless of nationality.  While 9/11 was perpetrated by foreigners, many of the recent plots involved American citizens.  When you hear hoof beats, do you look for unicorns or horses? 

just to be precise

    Precise questioning is a good thing, particularly in court rooms, but in this case, what appears on the surface, to be  precision is entrapment.  A genuine precision question would not include "precise" in its rhetoric.  I have no doubt that Blitzer was setting Santorum up for this.

ethnic || religious: who would be profiled

    That question misdirects attention away from the real issue.  Terrorism is an intrinsic function of Islam, not primarily linked to nationality or race.  Most recent mass casualty terror attacks have been perpetrated by Muslims.
   
    Islam is neither a race nor a religion; it is a way of life which dictates every facet of human life, spiritual & temporal. Islam has inseverable & interdependent  religious, economic and military components. All of those components involve jihad. Jihad is the preferred alternative to trade & agriculture economies.

    Little old Catholic ladies and Baptist babies do not commit terror attacks, young Muslim men do. That should be a clue for you.  Rep. Paul cites Timothy McVeigh, the exception which proves the rule.  How many nitrate bombs have been planned or planted by lapsed Catholics?  Compare that to the number of improvised explosive devices planned or planted by Muslims.

     Muslims come in all colors.  Eliminate Islam and Islamic terrorism will be eliminated.  If you want travel to be safe, exclude Muslims from mass transit facilities and vehicles.  That would impede but not stop the Times Square Bomber.  To stop the multitude of alternative attack methods and venues, it is necessary to remove and exclude those persons most likely to engage in terrorism: Muslims. 

most likely to be committing: Muslims

    Why would Santorum say that? Baptists,  Buddhists  & Hindus are not turning up in the news for bombings every month, Muslims are. Why is that?  Who besides Moe preached and exemplified terrorism to his disciples?  "Its Islam, stupid!" Why did Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his excellent companions attack us?  Get a clue.

Obviously Muslims

    It is obvious to Santorum why is it not obvious to others?  Is it not common knowledge that Islamic terrorism is perpetrated by Muslims?  Is it not common knowledge that terror attacks are an act of worship?  Is it not common knowledge that Allah commanded casting terror into the hearts of enemies?  Is it not common knowledge that disbelievers are the enemies of Muslims?  Those facts are objectively true, why are they not common knowledge?  The answers are political correctness and intimidation.

constitutional right to equal protection

    Equal protection of the laws means no class distinctions; nobody is punished or immunized based on his social or economic status.  Equal protection  means that Baptists, Catholics & atheists are all protected from Islamic terror attacks by excluding terrorists from places where innocent people congregate. 

    Applying extra scrutiny to those persons most likely to engage in terror attacks does not deny equal protection of the laws. It does not impair anyone's constitutional rights. One bright Tuesday in September, '01, several thousand people had their right to life denied by Muslims who hijacked aircraft.  Keeping those Muslims off of those flights would not have impaired any rights.  Keeping them out of this nation would not have impaired anyone's rights.

appreciation for the Constitution

    The Constitution provides protection for the right to life and the right to free speech. It is CAIR, not Santorum who lacks appreciation for those rights. CAIR demands censorship of all criticism of Islam.  CAIR applies intimidation tactics to close private venues to those who speak out against it.  CAIR seeks to deny effective protection from terror attacks.  This is a prime example of hypocrisy & projection.

law enforcement experts

    Appeal to authority is a logical fallacy.  Terrorism is a military issue, not a law enforcement issue.  Had all Muslims been excluded from all domestic flights as they should be, the Accursed Abomination would have been impossible; 3000 people would be alive and healthy.   Why has Israel not lost any aircraft recently?  How did they stop hijackings and prevent flying bombs?  If you want to stop air based terrorism, consult Israel's experts forst.

lead our multi-faith nation

    How do the leadership requirements vary between monocultural and multicultural nations?  What difference does it make to the Presidency whether we have no, 1, 2 or any number of religions? 

    The President can not lead Muslims. Muslims are commanded not to place themselves in positions subordinate to kuffar. Take a close look at Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:51 Surah At-Taubah 9:33.  Shari'ah declares non-Arabs to be unsuitable marriage partners for Muslimas "because "Allah has chosen the Arabs above others". Get a clue.

security specialists reject racial profiling

    Is Islam a race? Allah has enslaved people of all races, so what race is Islam?  Did race play a role in the acts of the "shoe bomber" & "underwear bomber"? They are different racially but both are Muslim. Get a clue.

wrong

    What Shrub said is not relevant; he is out of office and ineligible to run again. Being a fool who said "Islam is a great religion of peace", he has no probative authority.  Exactly what is wrong with scrutinizing Muslims in the airport lines?  Exactly what is wrong with determining the religious affiliation of persons with Arab & Asiatic appearance in airport lines? 

counterproductive practice

    Four of our aircraft were hijacked and deliberately crashed in '01; how many Israeli aircraft were hijacked in that year?  Exactly what is counter productive about profiling?  If a white man robs a bank do you draw black men into a dragnet?  Get a clue. 

Prophet Jesus ... would fit his 'profile

    The AssWholliness of that blasphemy is outrageous!  Jesus Christ is not a prophet of Islam. Which of his teachings do Muslims teach in the mosques and practice? Jesus Christ did not reveal the obligation of offensive conquest. Jesus Christ did not reveal the need to exterminate Jews.  Jesus Christ neither sanctified nor exemplified terrorism.  Jesus Christ is not a genocidal warlord.

    Jesus was born to a descendant of King David; His heritage is Jewish, not Arab. Jesus Christ taught Judaism in the Jewish Temple, not Islam in a mosque. The place of his birth is Israel, not Falestine.

reject Islamophobic rhetoric

    There is nothing phobic about loathing of Islam which is well founded in objective factual reality. Islam is perpetual war.  Muslims, motivated by Allah's threat & promise, perpetrated the Hindu, Armenian & Assyrian genocides. Those who perpetrated recent atrocities in New York, London & Beslan shouted  "Allahu Akbar", not "Jesus is Lord". Get a clue.

    I swear that I will not vote for any candidate who lifts Allah's tail and inserts his tongue by accepting CAIR's outrageous demand.

profiling is unconstitutional

    Prove it. Show us the constitutional provision which explicitly forbids it.

diverts precious law enforcement resources

    Resources are wasted by searching, scanning and harassing kuffar children and their grandmothers. Resources are wasted by random searches. Resources are wasted by not excluding Muslims from mass transit so that the whole TSA program could be scrapped.

linked to terrorist activity

    "I will cast terror.".  "Allah cast terror...". "...That is because they suffer neither thirst nor fatigue, nor hunger in the Cause of Allâh, nor they take any step to raise the anger of disbelievers nor inflict any injury upon an enemy but is written to their credit as a deed of righteousness....". "I have been made victorious with terror". "...Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment...." Islam is terrorist activity; Muslims are linked to it by Allah's yoke of slavery.

Santorum called "Sharia," or Islamic principles, "evil"

    Santorum spoke the truth. Examine the evidence; see for yourself.  Shari'ah imposes cruel & unusual punishment. Shari'ah mandates annual military attacks against disbelievers. Shari'ah declares that the caliph makes war upon Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians. Shari'ah denies religious freedom, equality and dignity.

Cnn National Security Debate: Candidates fall short

 Wolf Blitzer asked good questions and persevered with follow ups without overt gotcha questions. On the down side, he went to breaks promising to return to the question and get a broader response, then asked a new question after the break.  I wonder whether someone higher up was dictating that behavior or Wolf was being loose with his rhetoric. 

    The major difference between this debate and the AFA debate last Saturday is that the entire debate was devoted to national security issues.  Better late than never.

    I readily admit my opposition to Huntsman, Perry, Paul & Romney, but even a stopped clock is right twide every 24 hours.  Huntsman said that we need to find a balance between security and liberty and that the state and federal governments must cooperate against terrorists. I do not view security against terror attacks and liberty as antagonists. I see the former as a necessary foundation for the latter.  Citizens of states and members of organizations inimical to America should not expect perfect privacy nor should their contacts and close associates.

    When the CIA find names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses on documents in terrorist training camps, or in the possession of captured terrorists, exploiting that information with surveillance, wire taps & intercepts  is not an assault on or threat to liberty, it is essential to national security. That is why I support maintaining and strengthening the Patriot Act. 

    In the most recent bomb plot case, the FBI declined to get involved, leaving the case to the locals. I doubt that FBI participation would have made a major difference, but I don't have all the facts. What would have happened if the NYC PD shared their attitude about the suspect and dropped the investigation?

    Huntsman stated the obvious: that sanctions against Iran & Syria won't work because of Chinese & Russian opposition. He is right about that.  I am firmly convinced that sanctions would fail even if they had global support & cooperation in their enforcement.

    At the end of the debate, Huntsman said named China as the major unrecognized foreign  threat and unemployment & debt as domestic threats stemming from a lack of leadership. He is right about that but events and trends in Latin America, particularly alliance with Iran and Hezbollah also require attention.

    Huntsman favored foresight over hindsight, saying that history will tell the outcome of the "Arab spring". He seemed to be critical of President Obama's neglect of the Green Revolution in Iran and intervention in Libya.  He implied that we should be more deliberate. I say, that when two Islamic enemies of ours fight each other, we should be spectators, not in the corner of either.

    Huntsman said that terrorism is permanent, meaning that it poses a continuing threat for the long term. Of course, he was stating the obvious.  We need to look beyond the burning trees to the burning forest;    bring on the bulldozers,  

    He said that the deficit hampers growth, which is true. Unfortunately, growth is the only way out of the deficit.  Wasteful spending must be stopped.

     Asked about the efficacy of drone attacks in Pakistan in defeating al-Qaeda, Huntsman said that Washington is dysfunctional, that we need a Washington that works and should bring our troops home from Afghanistan. He restated the obvious about Pakistan without proposing a solution. Of course, there is no solution, short of the ultimate solution. which nobody is willing to implement.

    Paul called the Patriot Act "unpatriotic", that it exchanges liberty for security.  Paul wants to know what we'd do if a terrorist looked like Tim McVeigh.  That straw man argument must be refuted. Tim's partner had a Filipino wife; their test bombs did not work until after the partner visited his wife and presumably met with al-Qaeda bomb makers to get technical advice.  The infamous "third terrorist" was described as looking like an Iraqi. 

    How many of the recent terrorists were not Muslims and either Asiatic or Arabian?  Yes, they are recruiting Caucasians, but those terrorists all have one thing in common. They are Muslims.  Profiling is not the answer.  Pat downs are not the answer. Body scanners are not the answer. Identify Muslims and exclude them from mass transit terminals & vehicles.  If you want to prevent terrorism, get the Muslims out of here, away from us.   We need a candidate and nominee who will abandon pc and state the obvious truth.  Islamic terrorism is a function  of Islamic doctrine; texts & teachings, not age, race, gender or national origin.  Allah said that he would "cast terror". Allah said that he "cast terror". Allah said that believers are only those who "fight in his cause", "killing others and being killed".  Moe said that he was made victorious with terror. Muslims get Brownie Points for "any step" taken to "injure or enrage" disbelievers.  What part of that do the candidates not comprehend?  Has any of them read the Qur'an & hadith?  Terrorism is an act of worship! If you need to obtain a clue, read the confession of Khalid Sheik Mohammed & associates.

    Paul said that he would not participate in an Israeli attack on Iran's nuke project, that we need to get out of Israel's way, mentioning their supposed possession of nuclear armed missiles.  Who will be the first to explore the ramifications of that last bit?  Green light, anyone?  That begged for a follow up question,

`   Paul referred to the Iraq & Afghanistan as needless and unnecessary wars.  When a nation sponsors an attack that kills 3000 and does billions of dollars in property damage, retaliation is necessary to deter further attacks. Exterminating the principals who dispatched  the attackers and their support network is necessary to prevent further attacks.   Retaliating against Afghanistan & Iraq was necessary but insufficient.  Peace and security will not be established without the total elimination of the root cause of terrorism: Allah's word and those who believe it.  Unfortunately for those who love to chant "racist, bigot, Nazi, hater, Islamophobe", there is ample evidence to substantiate my statement of objective factual reality.  If you doubt this, obtain a clue from Allah's perfected, immutable word: 8:12, 39,  57, 60 , 65, 9:5,29, 38, 39, 111, 120, 123, 33:26, 27, 59:2, 13, 61:10-12 & Sahih Bukhari 4.52.220 from whence issue war & terror. Reasonable and rational readers will click those links and scroll down to the successive ayat; bigots will not.  I can point a fool to wisdom but I can't make him read. 

    Perry would privatize the TSA and strengthen the Patriot act. Not without a super majority of Conservatives in both houses! He says that we should remain involved with foreign aid, but not write blank checks, apparently feeling heat for suggestions of zero sum foreign aid budgets. He wants to use every possible sanction against Iran, including cutting off the central bank.  The problem is that sanctions do not work. Iran will have enough fissile material to produce a bomb within one year. Sanctions take months to implement, running us out of time without accomplishing anything.

    Romney wants a slower drawdown in Afghanistan instead of a precipitous withdrawal. He wants to drag them toward modernity. He wants to prevent Afghanistan from reverting to a launching pad for terrorism.  If we stay, they bleed us to death in a war of attrition, exploiting domestic impatience.  If we leave, they return to status quo ante.  We are in this bind because Shrub needed to nuke Afghanistan but invaded instead. Romney appears to be oblivious to the fact that nothing can be accomplished while the population and government of Afghanistan remain Islamic.

    Romney cites failed leadership; how about failure to submit a budget?  He says that cutting men and material weakens our defense. Kind of obvious, ain't it? 
    Bachmann says that terrorists should not be Mirandized and that Obama has turned interrogation over to the ACLU.  She calls Pakistan the "epicenter of terrorism" and unstable, mentioning that there are fifteen vulnerable nuclear weapons sites.  She would continue aid but wants more return on investment; no "blank check".

    Bachmann opposes amnesty for illegal aliens and the Dream Act. She favors visas for highly skilled technicians.She agrees with Gingrich on the urgent necessity of energy independence so that we can overcome the threat of oil cut off from Iran. She says that Obama's failed policy of appeasement has changed the course of history. She declares Iran's promise to eradicate Israel to be real, not an idle threat.

    Bachman said that Obama is giving away our victory in Iraq.  She lists al-Shebab as an emerging threat already manifesting in her state. .  .

     Cain. wants to keep and improve the Patriot Act and agreed with Santorum on profiling. He would privatize the TSA. He wants to use every means possible to identify terrorists.  How do you determine which skunk will spray or which snake will bite?  You avoid all of them, don't you?  What common association did all the recent attackers share? 

    Cain's response when asked about helping Israel neutralize Iran's nuclear bomb program was that he would join the attack if Israel had good intelligence on the locations of the facilities, a good plan, good chance of success and definition of victory. He opposes precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan.  He wants clear goals before sending foreign aid, emphasizing priority, efficiency and results.

    Cain says that we know that terrorists have entered from Mexico, so we must secure the border for real. . He says we need to reform the naturalization process and allow states to enforce immigration laws.   Cain won't support a no fly zone over Syria. He lists EMP and cyber attacks among the emerging threats  to be contended with.

    Gingrich emphasized the difference between domestic crime and terrorism, which is war. He would strengthen, not eliminate the Patriot Act. In the matter of Pakistan taking offense at our elimination of bin Ladin, Gingrich said that we should be furious about Pakistan's hiding him.  He said that hot pursuit should be allowed, there should be no sanctuaries.  He would overhaul the CIA.  He said that Pakistan should help us or get out of the way. 

    Europe won't back us on sanctioning Iran because they are dependent on Iranian oil. Gingrich would have us increase domestic production enough to replace Iran's European exports in the case of a boycott.  He would bomb their nuclear program only as a last resort if regime change was an assured outcome. 

    Gingrich mentioned Chili's social security system as a model for entitlement reform using guaranteed private accounts. Will taking  stand on the third rail wreck his candidacy, go unnoticed or serve as a springboard to the White House? 

    Gingrich wants to issue a green card to every foreign student  who graduates in math & science.  Did he consider the fact that many of them are Muslims who come from areas where hatred of the U.S.A. is rampant?  He should be more selective. He would the selective service board system as a model for picking the illegal aliens who should be allowed to stay on a path to citizenship. He mentioned community and church membership as criteria for selection.  He might as well stand between lanes on an expressway, he will surely be hit by both sides on this one. 

       `Santorum  irritated me by  proceeding Islam with "radical", wasting a word when time is critical. the "debate" parallel press conference format does not afford time for wasted words.  "Radical" implies the existence of a :moderate", harmless normative Islam, which does not exist and never will.  The enemy is Islam, not "radical Islam". He mentioned the time and patience factor, that they will wait us out; that Obama is proving them right.  He said that Obama is playing politics with his policy in Afghanistan. That's stating the obvious.

    Santorum supports profiling at airports. Who needs it? Excluding all Muslims from all mass transit vehicles & terminals is the simple solution which would not subject the general public to unnecessary harassment, indignity and delay.   .

    Santorum favors continuing foreign aid, particularly for development.  I agree with Santorum that Obama has poisoned the well of compromise, but I disagree that both sides should compromise more.  Appeasing and yielding to Socialists must come to an end.  Our economy needs a cure, not more poison.

Iowa Debate: No Guts, No Glory

 I missed the debate Saturday night. Monday night I found it on the web, and share the link with you. The program, which began with some introductory speeches and ceremony, runs 178 minutes of which the "debate" takes two hours. 

    This debate differs from the others because the questioners expressed and exercised respect for the candidates and avoided "gotcha" questions.  Civility prevailed. 

    There was plenty of emotion in this debate, and a great deal of deliberateness.  While issues of morality, marriage, abortion, education and health care took up most of the time, I am most interested in the final subject of the night, which begins at 158:36.

    What follows is strictly an amateurish attempt at transcription.  I type very slowly, and my memory is not the best. I take in a few words, pause the video and type what I have heard before restarting the video. Due to system lag, I lose some audio in the process.   My transcription  is not perfect, but it should be good enough to give you a good idea of what transpired in the last round of answers. 

    The final question: "Every one of you talked about the importance of preserving life.  Nothing takes life more than the declaration of war. I would like to hear from you, because nothing frightens a mother more, than watching her son or daughter go off ...Their pride in their country and their fear for their child...what is--can you define the moral justification for war? ...Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria --what is the moral justification? "

• Rep. Paul:  The early church struggled with this, I mean, Christ came  and Christ taught about peace and Christ was to be the prince of peace and we were to defend that.  But early on in the church, struggled with this and St. Augustine came up with the principles of the just war.  I believe in and I think we should follow, from the religious viewpoint, that we have a Constitution that is very clear to guide us to try to prevent these wars and that is that we don't go to war without a declaration .  The wars that we have fought since World War2 were all . illegal, unconstitutional and all were un-winnable and it was tragic-- it was tragic, we did it by failing the rule of law and the tragedy let out of these wars the last ten years, that we have been so ... added ten billion dollars to our national debt, ...Americans have been killed in these wars, 44 thousand have come home wounded and crippled, hundreds of thousands are looking for help and we went to blind ourselves to this.  It is not in our national defense, it is mischief, it is getting involved where we don't need to be involved.  I think it is an utter tragedy in  what is happening.  You wanna talk about a family life --there has to have been somebody in this audience who has been the bearer of news, either a loved one lost or a loved one crippled.  It is on and on  I had one soldier come to me the other day and he was so against the wars, he spent three or four tours over there, that he says "I lost too many buddies and I don'd know why we were there. " And theres no signs of progress over there.  He says "now I'm losing my buddies to suicide."  The wars destroy the family, I'm the ...as does the economic climate-- the bad economics  -- war is the most destructive things to the family and we oughtta concentrate on it and you can't concentrate on the economics unless we look at the business cycle, why we have inflation busts and booms  otherwise we will continue on a downhill path. 
• Rep. Bachmann I am a mother and I have made  the most difficult calls of my live which has been when servicemen and women have lost their lives in my  congressional district and I have picked up that phone and I've called mothers and I've called fathers and I have wept with them over the phone because nothing is more difficult to lose than a child.  [Luntz: "So what is the definition--the moral justification for war?"]  The moral justification for war is if the United States is attacked or we are  threatened with attack, then we have a decision that we have to make because the number one duty of the commander in chief is to secure the safety of the American people, that is the duty, and in order to do that, I have to be convinced as commander in chief that we have a clearly defined American vital interest in that area and I need to know that we have a clear mission to go forward. ... have a plan and an exit strategy and we go in, I will commit overwhelming force and then we get out. Now some situations are ones where you can have special operations forces and then you have to have the tools to be able to deal with interrogation, which we don't have now under Obama.  You have to have the capacity for detention, which we don't have now under President Obama.   But we have to have a clearly defined interest and I think we also have to take advice from George Washington, who told us, rightly so, I'm not an isolationist,  but he said very carefully be very fearful of unnecessary foreign entanglements and if there is anything we have learned from the last twelve years, once you get in, its very difficult to get out.  So you go in wisely.
• Cain: In the declaration where it says "endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights",  and then it delineates three of them: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  It says that among these are those three, I happen to think that there is another that is implied: the right to protect yourself, your family and to protect your property. So the defense of freedom and the defense of liberty I believe, is the moral justification for going to war. Secondly, as commander in chief, I will not send our young men and women into war unless it is clear why --the mission and the definition of victory... And thirdly, I would not send them into war unless I would send my own and daughter. 
• Gov. Perry: As a former individual who has worn the uniform of his country, as the commander in chief of over twenty thousand troops that are my command today,in the state of Texas with our Guard, I've been dealing with this issue for ten years.  And clearly, when America's interests are in jeopardy, there is a time and a place for us to intervene and intervene militarily.  But when we intervene militarily, we best make the decision of how we are going to win and how we are going to win convincingly and quickly.  Send those young men and women with the equipment to win.  Don't let some congressman sitting in an air conditioned office  in Washington DC decide what the rules of engagement are.  Let those war fighters win the war.  Let them come home victorious.  That is what the American military man and woman is all about.  And for us to micromanage them in a civilian way without their commanders truly being in charge, is absolutely irresponsible and as commander in chief of this country I will not let it happen.  
• Santorum: Let me maybe try to drill it down to a more practical application.  We are engaged in what many people call the long war.  Americans are known to have a rather short attention span.  As we are a young country, an antique for us is a hundred years old. In the Middle East its two thousand years old. They have a very  different view of time and history.  As a result, when we are engaged in this long war, long to us is not the same as long to them.  What we are facing right now is a, again, read our history-- is a thousand year conflict between radical Islam and the West that ended only because of the West's great technical superiority that was able to defeat them and drive them back and eventually colonize the Middle East. But that changed with one three letter word: oil.  .  Oil allowed the radical elements within the Islamic world to be able to get access to technology, and now we have in the case of Iran, to drill it down even more, a radical theocracy that has been at war with us since 1979.  It has done more to kill our troops in Iraq and in Afghanistan because they are the makers of the IEDs that are killing our troops.  They've attacked this country on repeated occasions from the Khobar Towers to ...their proxies in Beirut.  They've attempted the assassination of an Ambassador.  They have threatened  openly and repeatedly our closest allies.  They hold conventions in Tehran denyiug the Holocaust-- in fact most of the aea of the Middle East  now believes that the Holocaust didn't really occur so there is no justification for the state of Israel.  They are now developing a nuclear weapon. It is now apparent that they are doing so; international agencies, not necessarily the boldest group of folks have suggested that that is the case.  We have a moral obligation to partner with the state of Israel to make ... to assure their survival and to make sure that this radical regime that wants to spread its virulent form of radical Islam not just throughout the Middle East but throughout the world is stopped from having the ability to do so with impunity because that's the thing a nuclear weapon does, it gives you a nuclear shield.  It must be stopped.  I laid out a plan the other day and I know we are short of time that lists four major things that we should be doing: covert activities, sanctions, overturning the regime but also working with Israel right now to plan a military option to strike and destroy these facilities.  And let the Iranians know, that unless they open up their facilities [to inspection] and shut them down, that that is an option that will be used period. 
• Gingrich: First of all In Christian theology, there is a clear development of a concept of just war. which people like Augustine developed because they were seeing the rise of pagans that wee actually threatening the very survival of the country. In fact, Augustine is buried in Italy because hes body was taken out of North Africa when the Christians lost North Africa.  So these things become very real.  My Dad spent twenty seven years in the Army, I watched my mother through that whole period in WW2, Korea and Vietnam.  . I think what makes us different and what makes us in some ways... much more ruthless and much tougher ... is we don't send soldiers and sailors and marines and airmen to war, we send our children, we send our fathers, we send our brothers and sisters; we send our mothers and therefore there is a preciousness to this decision unlike any other country that I know.  I think our position historically ...the Declaration of Independence was signed by people who were going to fight an eight year war. It was  a declaration of war in effect.  Washington was in the field eight years with one week at Mount Vernon.  These people who wrote those documents understood the grim reality.  I believe we should not go to war if we can avoid it.  And when we have to go to war we should do so decisively,  with overwhelming power to seek the quickest possible victory and we should in fact be prepared to do whatever it takes to win  when we begin an engagement.  But I think that there is no question ...this is the only place where I disagree with some of my friends-- you come into our country and you kill 3100 people and we will do whatever it takes to eliminate your capacity to threaten us ever again and I would be tougher and more decisive and I agree entirely with Senator Santorum--I would say to the government of Iran today: we have a very short time to solve ... and you should solve it on your own or we will solve it for you and frankly, we couldn't care less what the rest of the world thinks ; we're gonna get it done. 

    In my view, Frank Luntz  probed the candidates for their views  on the morality of our invasions of Afghanistan & Iraq and our intervention in  Libya.  The answers seem to center on just war theory in general and how to bring war to a good end. 

    Congressman Paul mixed just enough truth into his spiel to make it attractive to the middle range of Morons.  Its a good thing that I was not in the audience, because I would have violated the decorum of the debate by booing.  The fact that wars should be declared, for good cause and with clearly stated objectives should go without saying, it is simply too obvious.  The jerk elevates my blood pressure too much.

    As I was listening, Congresswoman Bachmann sounded good. As I review the transcript, I get a sense of disappointment.  When America is threatened or attack, the vital national interest is clear on the face of the matter, no divination is required.  Victory is the exit strategy.  Commitment o overwhelming force is the part I liked, lacking in Afghanistan & Iraq, along with a  sane definition of strategic objectives.

    Cain made the right points about cause, clarity and mission definition.  I though his answer was brief and sensible, with just the right amount of emotion, somewhat overstated. I would have omitted the part about sending my own offspring, which would have fitted better if we still had an army of conscripts.

     Gov. Perry spoke with passion and conviction, with slightly clumsy rhetoric initially.  If he brought up the issue of defining victory, I overlooked it.  Since Vietnam, the micromanagement seems to me to be Presidential, not Congressional.  President Obama instituted the suicidal rules of engagement from which our troops are currently suffering.

    I wish that Santorum would drop the R word; it does not belong in discussions of national security issues.  As the wise man said "Its Islam, stupid!".  I think that he knows it, and is pandering to the politically correct crowd.  Of course he is correct about the need to support Israel and prevent Iran's nuclear ascension.

    Like Santorum, Gingrich brought in the theological and emotional elements, adding his own historian's perspective. The good part comes at the end when he said "whatever it takes".

    We got into this bind because, when I was too young to realize what was transpiring, we were terrified of the prospect of nuclear war with Russia & China. We therefore fought a half-assed war in Korea,  unwilling either to suffer an outright loss or exert sufficient force to win. 

    In Vietnam, we got in, sank in the quagmire, and escalated, once again unwilling to risk all out conflict with Ho Chi Minh's powerful patrons.  In the end, we allowed the media to defeat us with propaganda.

    President Carter began digging our grave when he gave Iran to Khomeini. His dithering while our Embassy staff sat in durance vile and his quarter-assed rescue attempt, which cost more lives,  let the enemy smell blood.

    I voted for President Reagan once at least, probably twice, but memory has faded and there is a strong chance that I wrote in Jesus Christ in '84. The Beirut fiasco caused me to demand that my Congressman introduce articles of impeachment.  In my opinion, nothing contributed more to our present situation than
Reagan's suicidal blunder.

    Sending the Marines to save Arafat's bacon was a blunder of momentous proportions.  Arafat was an enemy and his defeat was in our short and long term national interest.  Allowing the Beirut Massacre to go unpunished signaled weakness to the enemy, a fatal error.

    President Clinton dug the grave deeper and wider by affording impunity to Iran in the Khobar Towers bombing & other incidents, Mogadishu not being the least of them. Sending the Marines without the equipment they needed was a bad idea.

    Shrub installed the vault and set up the straps to lower the coffin by failing to recognize and declare that which, with the benefit of hindsight, the debate participants hinted at but failed to openly express. 

    In view of the antagonistic media, which defeated us in Vietnam, world public opinion and the UN allied with the media and our own diminished patience for long wars, common sense dictated the use of such overwhelming force that the war would be over in a few days.  Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq & Pakistan should have disappeared from the globe in a flash of fire.  Disproportionate, overwhelming, terrifying force, signifying exhausted patience and the will to win, immediately and finally was required. 

    Victory is defined, in this conflict, as the extinction of Islam in the nations where the plot was conceived, assisted, expedited & celebrated.  So long as the populations of Afghanistan Iran & Pakistan are alive and Islamic, they will provoke, incite, promote and perpetuate terrorism. No other outcome is possible because of Allah's promise and threat. Go to war; go to Paradise or go to Hell.  For extra credit, injure or enrage the enemy and get more "virgins" & wine. If you doubt this, obtain a clue from Allah's perfected, immutable word: 8:12, 39,  57, 60 , 65, 9:5,29, 38, 39, 111, 120, 123, 33:26, 27, 59:2, 13, 61:10-12 & Sahih Bukhari 4.52.220 from whence issue war & terror.  If they believe, they will terrorize to avoid Hell and gain admission to Allah's celestial bordello. 

    Truth is not hate speech. Advocacy of effective national defense is not warmongering neither is it inciting violence.  Terrorism is not the enemy, it is a tactic. Al-Qaeda is not the enemy, it is a branch of al-Ikhwan al-Muslimeen.  Al-Ikhwan al-Muslimeen is not the enemy, it is a branch of Islam.  Islam is the enemy. This is a fatal fact which the candidates for the Republican nomination seem to lack the courage to clearly state.

    The strategic objective is permanently terminating Islamic terrorism against the U.S.A.  Only exterminating Islam can achieve that objective. While there is Islam, there is war.  If we eliminate Islam in those nations most directly involved, we can temporarily intimidate the remainder so that they will delay the resumption of attacks.  That would buy us some time for the vital task of inducing mass apostasy among the remainder.

    So long as Afghanistan & Pakistan are populated by Muslims, they will host terrorist training camps and export terrorism.  Installing democracy does nothing to change that. Partially defeating the Taliban and al-Qaeda does nothing to change that.  Victory requires their apostasy from Islam or death. No other option exists.  They are not liberated if they are still Muslims; they remain enslaved to the demon who demands "great slaughter".