Obamination: Future of our Fight against Terrorism
Then,
on September 11th 2001, we were shaken out of complacency. Thousands
were taken from us, as clouds of fire, metal and ash descended upon a
sun-filled morning. This was a different
kind of war1. No armies came to our shores,
and our military was not the principal target. Instead, a group of terrorists2
came to kill as many civilians
as they could3.
And so our nation went to war4. We
have now been at war for well over a decade. I won’t review the full
history. What’s clear is that we quickly drove al Qaeda out of Afghanistan5,
but then shifted our focus and
began a new war in Iraq6. This
carried grave consequences7
for our fight against al Qaeda8,
our standing in the world9,
and – to this day – our
interests in a vital region10.
Meanwhile, we strengthened our
defenses – hardening targets11,
tightening transportation
security12,
and giving law enforcement new tools to prevent terror. Most of these
changes were sound. Some caused inconvenience. But some, like expanded
surveillance, raised difficult questions about the balance we strike
between our interests in security and our values of privacy13. And in some cases, I
believe we compromised our basic values – by using torture to
interrogate our enemies14, and detaining individuals15
in a way that ran counter to the rule of law.
After I took office, we stepped up
the war against al Qaeda, but also sought to change its course. We
relentlessly targeted al
Qaeda’s leadership16. We ended the war in Iraq17,
and brought nearly 150,000 troops home. We pursued a new strategy in
Afghanistan, and increased our training
of Afghan forces18. We unequivocally banned
torture, affirmed our commitment
to civilian courts19, worked to align our policies with the rule of
law20, and expanded our
consultations with Congress.
Today, Osama bin Laden is dead21, and so are most of his
top lieutenants. There have been no large-scale attacks22
on the United States, and our
homeland is more secure23. Fewer of our troops are in harm’s way24, and over the next 19 months
they will continue to come home. Our alliances are strong25,
and so is our standing in the world. In sum, we are safer26
because of our efforts.
Now make no mistake: our nation is
still threatened by terrorists27.
From Benghazi to Boston, we have been tragically reminded of that
truth. We must recognize, however, that the threat has shifted and
evolved from the one that came to our shores on 9/11. With a decade of
experience to draw from, now is the time to ask ourselves hard
questions – about the nature
of today’s threats28, and how we should confront them29.
These questions matter to every
American. For over the last decade, our nation has spent well over a trillion dollars
on war30 exploding our deficits31
and constraining our ability to nation
build here at home32. Our service-members and their
families have sacrificed far more on our behalf. Nearly 7,000 Americans
have made the ultimate
sacrifice33. Many more have left a part of
themselves on the battlefield, or brought the shadows of battle back
home. From our use of drones34
to the detention of terrorist
suspects35, the decisions we are making
will define the type of nation36
– and world – that we leave to our children.
– and world – that we leave to our children.
So America is at a crossroads. We
must define the nature and
scope of this struggle37, or else it will define us,
mindful of James Madison’s warning that “No nation could preserve its freedom
in the midst of continual warfare38.”
Neither I, nor any President, can promise the total defeat of terror.
We will never erase the evil that lies in the hearts of some human
beings, nor stamp out every danger to our open society. What we can do
– what we must do – is dismantle
networks that pose a direct danger39, and make it less likely for
new groups to gain a foothold, all while maintaining the freedoms and ideals that we defend40.
To define that strategy, we must make decisions based not on fear, but
hard-earned wisdom. And that begins with understanding the threat we face41.
Today, the core of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and
Pakistan is on a path to defeat42. Their remaining operatives
spend more time thinking about their own safety than plotting against
us. They did not direct the
attacks in Benghazi or Boston43. They have not carried out a successful attack on our homeland
since 9/1144.
Instead, what we’ve seen is the emergence of various al Qaeda
affiliates. From Yemen to Iraq, from Somalia to North Africa, the threat today is more diffuse45,
with Al Qaeda’s affiliate in the Arabian Peninsula – AQAP –the most
active in plotting against our homeland. While none of AQAP’s efforts
approach the scale of 9/11 they have continued to plot acts of terror,
like the attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day in 2009.
Unrest in the Arab World46has
also allowed extremists to
gain a foothold47 in countries like Libya and
Syria. Here, too, there are differences from 9/11. In some cases, we
confront state-sponsored
networks48
like Hizbollah that engage in acts of terror to achieve political
goals. Others are simply collections of local militias or extremists
interested in seizing territory. While we are vigilant for signs that
these groups may pose a transnational threat, most are focused on
operating in the countries and regions where they are based. That means
we will face more localized
threats like those we saw in Benghazi49,
or at the BP oil facility in Algeria, in which local operatives – in
loose affiliation with regional networks – launch periodic attacks
against Western diplomats, companies, and other soft targets, or resort
to kidnapping and other criminal enterprises to fund their operations.
Finally, we face a real threat
from radicalized individuals50
here in the United States. Whether it’s a shooter at a Sikh Temple in
Wisconsin; a plane flying into a building in Texas; or the extremists
who killed 168 people at the Federal Building in Oklahoma City –
America has confronted many forms of violent extremism in our time.
Deranged or alienated individuals – often U.S. citizens or legal
residents – can do enormous damage, particularly when inspired by
larger notions of violent jihad. That pull towards extremism appears to
have led to the shooting at Fort Hood, and the bombing of the Boston
Marathon.
Lethal
yet less capable al Qaeda affiliates. Threats to diplomatic facilities
and businesses abroad. Homegrown extremists. This is the future of
terrorism. We must take these threats seriously, and do all that we can
to confront them. But as we shape our response, we have to recognize
that the scale of this threat51
closely resembles the types of attacks we faced before 9/11. In the
1980s, we lost Americans to terrorism at our Embassy in Beirut; at our
Marine Barracks in Lebanon; on a cruise ship at sea; at a disco in
Berlin; and on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie. In the 1990s, we lost
Americans to terrorism at the World Trade Center; at our military
facilities in Saudi Arabia; and at our Embassy in Kenya. These attacks
were all deadly, and we
learned that left unchecked52,
these threats can grow. But if dealt with smartly and proportionally53,
these threats need not rise to the level that we saw on the eve of 9/11.
Moreover, we must recognize that
these threats don’t arise in a vacuum. Most, though not all, of the terrorism we face is fueled by a
common ideology 54– a belief by some extremists that Islam
is in conflict55
with the United States and the West, and that violence against Western
targets, including civilians, is justified in pursuit of a larger
cause. Of course, this
ideology is based on a lie56
, for the United States is not
at war with Islam57;
and this ideology is rejected
by the vast majority of Muslims58 , who are the most frequent
victims of terrorist acts.
Nevertheless,
this ideology persists, and in an age in which ideas and images can
travel the globe in an instant, our response to terrorism cannot depend
on military or law enforcement alone. We need all elements of national
power to win a battle of wills
and ideas59 . So let me discuss the
components of such a comprehensive
counter-terrorism strategy60 .
First, we must finish the work of defeating al Qaeda61 and its associated forces. In
Afghanistan, we will complete our transition to Afghan responsibility for security62.
Our troops will come home. Our combat mission will come to an end. And
we will work with the Afghan government to train security forces, and
sustain a counter-terrorism force which ensures that al Qaeda can never
again establish a safe-haven63
to launch attacks against us or our allies.
Beyond
Afghanistan, we must define our effort not as a boundless ‘global war
on terror’ – but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to
dismantle specific networks of
violent extremists64 that threaten America. In many
cases, this will involve partnerships65
with other countries. Thousands of Pakistani soldiers have lost their
lives fighting extremists. In Yemen, we are supporting security forces
that have reclaimed territory from AQAP. In Somalia, we helped a
coalition of African nations push al Shabaab out of its strongholds. In
Mali, we are providing military aid to a French-led intervention to
push back al Qaeda in the Maghreb, and help the people of Mali reclaim
their future.
Much of our best counter-terrorism cooperation66
results in the gathering and sharing of intelligence; the arrest and
prosecution of terrorists. That’s how a Somali terrorist apprehended
off the coast of Yemen is now in prison in New York. That’s how we
worked with European allies to disrupt plots from Denmark to Germany to
the United Kingdom. That’s how intelligence collected with Saudi Arabia
helped us stop a cargo plane from being blown up over the Atlantic.
But despite our strong preference for the detention and
prosecution of terrorists67,
sometimes this approach is foreclosed. Al Qaeda and its affiliates try
to gain a foothold in some of the most distant and unforgiving places
on Earth. They take refuge in remote tribal regions. They hide in caves
and walled compounds. They train in empty deserts and rugged mountains.
In some of these places – such as parts of Somalia and Yemen – the state has only the most tenuous reach into the territory. In other cases, the state lacks the capacity or will to take action.68 It is also not possible for America to simply deploy a team of Special Forces to capture every terrorist. And even when such an approach may be possible, there are places where it would pose profound risks to our troops and local civilians– where a terrorist compound cannot be breached without triggering a firefight with surrounding tribal communities that pose no threat to us, or when putting U.S. boots on the ground may trigger a major international crisis.
In some of these places – such as parts of Somalia and Yemen – the state has only the most tenuous reach into the territory. In other cases, the state lacks the capacity or will to take action.68 It is also not possible for America to simply deploy a team of Special Forces to capture every terrorist. And even when such an approach may be possible, there are places where it would pose profound risks to our troops and local civilians– where a terrorist compound cannot be breached without triggering a firefight with surrounding tribal communities that pose no threat to us, or when putting U.S. boots on the ground may trigger a major international crisis.
To put it another way, our operation in Pakistan against Osama
bin Laden cannot be the norm69.
The risks in that case were immense; the likelihood of capture,
although our preference, was remote given the certainty of resistance;
the fact that we did not find ourselves confronted with civilian
casualties, or embroiled in an extended firefight, was a testament to
the meticulous planning and professionalism of our Special Forces – but
also depended on some luck. And even then, the cost to our relationship
with Pakistan – and the backlash among the Pakistani public over
encroachment on their territory – was so severe that we are just now
beginning to rebuild this important partnership.
It
is in this context that the United States has taken lethal, targeted
action against al Qaeda and its associated forces, including with
remotely piloted aircraft commonly referred to as drones. As was true
in previous armed conflicts, this new technology raises profound
questions – about who is
targeted70,
and why; about civilian
casualties71,
and the risk of creating new
enemies;72 about the legality of such
strikes under U.S. and
international law; about accountability and morality73.
Let me address these questions. To
begin with, our actions are
effective74.
Don’t take my word for it. In the intelligence gathered at bin Laden’s
compound, we found that he wrote, “we could lose the reserves to the
enemy’s air strikes. We cannot fight air strikes with explosives.”
Other communications from al Qaeda operatives confirm this as well.
Dozens of highly skilled al Qaeda commanders, trainers, bomb makers,
and operatives have been taken off the battlefield. Plots have been
disrupted that would have targeted international aviation, U.S. transit
systems, European cities and our troops in Afghanistan. Simply put,
these strikes have saved lives.
Moreover,
America’s actions are legal. We were attacked on 9/11. Within a week,
Congress overwhelmingly authorized the use of force. Under domestic
law, and international law, the United States is at war with al Qaeda,
the Taliban, and their
associated forces75.
We are at war with an organization that right now would kill as many
Americans as they could if we did not stop them first. So this is a
just war – a war waged proportionally, in last resort, and in
self-defense.
And
yet as our fight enters a new phase, America’s legitimate claim of
self-defense cannot be the end of the discussion. To say a military
tactic is legal, or even effective, is not to say it is wise or moral76
in every instance. For the same human progress that gives us the
technology to strike half a world away also demands the discipline to
constrain that power – or risk abusing it. That’s why, over the last
four years, my Administration has worked vigorously to establish a
framework that governs our use of force against terrorists – insisting
upon clear guidelines, oversight and accountability that is now
codified in Presidential Policy Guidance that I signed yesterday.
In
the Afghan war theater, we must support our troops until the transition
is complete at the end of 2014. That means we will continue to take
strikes against high value al
Qaeda targets76,
but also against forces that are massing to support attacks on
coalition forces. However, by the end of 2014, we will no longer have
the same need for force
protection77, and the progress we have made
against core al Qaeda will reduce the need for unmanned strikes.
Beyond
the Afghan theater, we only target al Qaeda and its associated forces.
Even then, the use of drones is heavily constrained. America does not
take strikes when we have the ability to capture individual terrorists
- our preference is always to detain, interrogate, and prosecute78them.
America cannot take strikes wherever we choose – our actions are bound
by consultations with partners, and respect for state sovereignty79.
America does not take strikes to punish individuals – we act against
terrorists who pose a continuing and imminent threat to the American
people, and when there are no other governments capable of effectively
addressing the threat. And before any strike is taken, there must be
near-certainty that no
civilians will be killed or injured80 – the highest standard we can
set.
This
last point is critical, because much of the criticism about drone
strikes – at home and abroad – understandably centers on reports of
civilian casualties. There is a wide gap between U.S. assessments of
such casualties, and non-governmental reports. Nevertheless, it is a
hard fact that U.S. strikes have resulted in civilian casualties, a
risk that exists in all wars. For the families of those civilians, no
words or legal construct can justify their loss. For me, and those in
my chain of command, these
deaths will haunt us81
as long as we live, just as we are haunted by the civilian casualties
that have occurred through conventional fighting in Afghanistan and
Iraq.
But
as Commander-in-Chief, I must weigh these heartbreaking tragedies
against the alternatives. To do nothing in the face of terrorist
networks would invite far more civilian casualties – not just in our
cities at home and facilities abroad, but also in the very places –like
Sana’a and Kabul and Mogadishu – where terrorists seek a foothold. Let
us remember that the terrorists we are after target civilians, and the death toll from their acts of
terrorism against Muslims82 dwarfs any estimate of
civilian casualties from drone strikes.
Where
foreign governments cannot or will not effectively stop terrorism in
their territory, the primary alternative to targeted, lethal action is
the use of conventional military options. As I’ve said, even small
Special Operations carry enormous risks. Conventional airpower or
missiles are far less precise than drones, and likely to cause more
civilian casualties and local outrage. And invasions of these
territories lead us to be viewed as occupying armies; unleash a torrent
of unintended consequences; are difficult to contain; and ultimately
empower those who thrive on violent conflict. So it is false to assert
that putting boots on the ground is less likely to result in civilian
deaths, or to create enemies
in the Muslim world83.
The result would be more U.S. deaths, more Blackhawks down, more
confrontations with local populations, and an inevitable mission creep
in support of such raids that could easily escalate into new wars.
So yes, the conflict with al
Qaeda, like all armed conflict, invites tragedy. But by narrowly
targeting our action against those
who want to kill84
us, and not the people they hide among, we are choosing the course of
action least likely to result in the loss of innocent life. Indeed, our
efforts must also be measured against the history of putting American
troops in distant lands among hostile populations. In Vietnam, hundreds
of thousands of civilians died in a war where the boundaries of battle
were blurred. In Iraq and Afghanistan, despite the courage and
discipline of our troops, thousands of civilians have been killed. So
neither conventional military action, nor waiting for attacks to occur,
offers moral safe-harbor. Neither does a sole reliance on law enforcement85
in territories that have no functioning police or security services –
and indeed, have no functioning law.
This
is not to say that the risks are not real. Any U.S. military action in
foreign lands risks creating more enemies, and impacts public opinion
overseas. Our laws constrain the power of the President, even during
wartime, and I have taken an oath to defend the Constitution of the
United States. The very precision of drones strikes, and the necessary
secrecy involved in such actions can end up shielding our government
from the public scrutiny that a troop deployment invites. It can also
lead a President and his team to view drone strikes as a cure-all for terrorism86.
I
believe, however, that the use of force must be seen as part of a
larger discussion about a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy.
Because for all the focus on the use of force, force alone cannot make us safe.87
We cannot use force everywhere
that a radical ideology takes root;88 and in the absence of a strategy that reduces the
well-spring of extremism,89 a perpetual war90 –
through drones or Special Forces or troop deployments – will prove
self-defeating, and alter our
country in troubling ways91.
So the next element of our
strategy involves addressing
the underlying grievances and conflicts that feed extremism,92
from North Africa to South Asia. As we’ve learned this past decade,
this is a vast and complex undertaking. We must be humble in our
expectation that we can quickly resolve deep rooted problems like
poverty and sectarian hatred. Moreover, no two countries are alike, and
some will undergo chaotic change before things get better. But our
security and values demand that we make the effort.
This means patiently supporting transitions to democracy93
in places like Egypt, Tunisia and Libya – because the peaceful
realization of individual
aspirations94 will serve as a rebuke to
violent extremists. We must strengthen the opposition in Syria, while isolating extremist elements95
– because the end of a tyrant must not give way to the tyranny of
terrorism. We are working to
promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians96
– because it is right, and because such a peace could help reshape
attitudes in the region. And we must help countries modernize
economies, upgrade education, and encourage entrepreneurship – because
American leadership has always been elevated by our ability to connect
with peoples’ hopes, and not simply their fears.
Success
on these fronts requires sustained engagement, but it will also require
resources. I know that foreign aid is one of the least popular
expenditures – even though it amounts to less than one percent of the
federal budget. But foreign assistance cannot be viewed as charity. It
is fundamental to our national security, and any sensible long-term strategy to
battle extremism.97 Moreover, foreign assistance
is a tiny fraction of what we spend fighting wars that our assistance
might ultimately prevent. For
what we spent in a month in Iraq98
at the height of the war, we could be training security forces in
Libya, maintaining peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors,
feeding the hungry in Yemen, building schools in Pakistan, and creating
reservoirs of goodwill that marginalize extremists.
America cannot carry out this work
if we do not have diplomats
serving in dangerous places. Over the past decade, we have strengthened security at our
Embassies, and I am implementing every recommendation of the
Accountability Review Board which found unacceptable failures in Benghazi.
I have called on Congress to fully fund these efforts to bolster
security, harden facilities, improve intelligence, and facilitate a quicker response time
from our military if a crisis emerges.99
As
I said earlier, this threat is not new. But technology and the Internet
increase its frequency and lethality. Today, a person can consume hateful propaganda100,
commit themselves to a violent
agenda101,
and learn how to kill without leaving their home. To address this
threat, two years ago my Administration did a comprehensive review, and
engaged with law enforcement. The best way to prevent violent extremism102 is to work with the Muslim
American community – which has consistently
rejected terrorism103
– to identify signs of radicalization, and partner with law enforcement
when an individual is drifting towards violence. And these partnerships
can only work when we recognize that Muslims are a fundamental part of
the American family104.
Indeed, the success of American Muslims, and our determination to guard
against any encroachments on their civil liberties, is the ultimate
rebuke to those who say we are at war with Islam.
Indeed,
thwarting homegrown plots presents particular challenges in part
because of our proud commitment to civil liberties for all who call
America home. That’s why, in the years to come, we will have to keep
working hard to strike the appropriate balance between our need for
security and preserving those freedoms105
that make us who we are. That means reviewing the authorities of law
enforcement, so we can intercept new types of communication, and build
in privacy protections to prevent abuse. That means that – even after
Boston – we do not deport someone or throw someone in prison in the
absence of evidence. That means putting careful constraints on the
tools the government uses to protect sensitive information, such as the
State Secrets doctrine. And that means finally having a strong Privacy
and Civil Liberties Board to review those issues where our
counter-terrorism efforts and our values may come into tension.
All
these issues remind us that the choices we make about war can impact –
in sometimes unintended ways – the openness and freedom on which our
way of life depends. And that is why I intend to engage Congress about
the existing Authorization to Use Military Force, or AUMF, to determine
how we can continue to fight
terrorists without keeping America on a
perpetual war-time footing.106
The AUMF is now nearly twelve years old. The Afghan War is coming to an end. Core al Qaeda is a shell of its former self. Groups like AQAP must be dealt with, but in the years to come, not every collection of thugs that labels themselves al Qaeda will pose a credible threat to the United States107. Unless we discipline our thinking and our actions, we may be drawn into more wars we don’t need to fight, or continue to grant Presidents unbound powers more suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states. So I look forward to engaging Congress and the American people in efforts to refine, and ultimately repeal, the AUMF’s mandate. And I will not sign laws designed to expand this mandate further. Our systematic effort to dismantle terrorist organizations108 must continue. But this war, like all wars, must end. That’s what history advises. That’s what our democracy demands.109
And that brings me to my final topic: the detention of terrorist suspects.
To repeat, as a matter of policy, the preference of the United States is to capture terrorist suspects.110 When we do detain a suspect, we interrogate them. And if the suspect can be prosecuted, we decide whether to try him in a civilian court or a Military Commission. During the past decade, the vast majority of those detained by our military were captured on the battlefield. In Iraq, we turned over thousands of prisoners as we ended the war. In Afghanistan, we have transitioned detention facilities to the Afghans, as part of the process of restoring Afghan sovereignty. So we bring law of war detention to an end, and we are committed to prosecuting terrorists111 whenever we can.
The glaring exception to this time-tested approach is the detention center at Guantanamo Bay. The original premise for opening GTMO – that detainees would not be able to challenge their detention – was found unconstitutional five years ago. In the meantime, GTMO has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law. Our allies won’t cooperate with us if they think a terrorist will end up at GTMO. During a time of budget cuts, we spend $150 million each year to imprison 166 people –almost $1 million per prisoner.112 And the Department of Defense estimates that we must spend another $200 million to keep GTMO open at a time when we are cutting investments113 in education and research here at home.
As President, I have tried to close GTMO. I transferred 67 detainees to other countries before Congress imposed restrictions to effectively prevent us from either transferring detainees to other countries, or imprisoning them in the United States. These restrictions make no sense. After all, under President Bush, some 530 detainees were transferred from GTMO with Congress’s support. When I ran for President the first time, John McCain supported closing GTMO114. No person has ever escaped from one of our super-max or military prisons in the United States. Our courts have convicted hundreds of people for terrorism-related offenses, including some who are more dangerous than most GTMO detainees. Given my Administration’s relentless pursuit of al Qaeda’s leadership, there is no justification beyond politics for Congress to prevent us from closing a facility that should never have been opened.
Today, I once again call on Congress to lift the restrictions on detainee transfers from GTMO. I have asked the Department of Defense to designate a site in the United States where we can hold military commissions. I am appointing a new, senior envoy at the State Department and Defense Department whose sole responsibility will be to achieve the transfer of detainees to third countries. I am lifting the moratorium on detainee transfers to Yemen, so we can review them on a case by case basis. To the greatest extent possible, we will transfer detainees who have been cleared to go to other countries. Where appropriate, we will bring terrorists to justice in our courts and military justice system. And we will insist that judicial review115 be available for every detainee.
Even after we take these steps, one issue will remain: how to deal with those GTMO detainees who we know have participated in dangerous plots or attacks, but who cannot be prosecuted116 – for example because the evidence against them has been compromised or is inadmissible in a court of law. But once we commit to a process of closing GTMO, I am confident that this legacy problem can be resolved, consistent with our commitment to the rule of law.
I know the politics are hard. But history will cast a harsh judgment on this aspect of our fight against terrorism, and those of us who fail to end it. Imagine a future – ten years from now, or twenty years from now – when the United States of America is still holding people who have been charged with no crime117 on a piece of land that is not a part of our country. Look at the current situation, where we are force-feeding detainees who are holding a hunger strike. Is that who we are? Is that something that our Founders foresaw? Is that the America we want to leave to our children?
Our sense of justice is stronger than that. We have prosecuted scores of terrorists in our courts. That includes Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to blow up an airplane over Detroit; and Faisal Shahzad, who put a car bomb in Times Square. It is in a court of law that we will try Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is accused of bombing the Boston Marathon. Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, is as we speak serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison here, in the United States. In sentencing Reid, Judge William Young told him, “the way we treat you…is the measure of our own liberties.” He went on to point to the American flag that flew in the courtroom – “That flag,” he said, “will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag still stands for freedom.”118
America, we have faced down dangers far greater than al Qaeda119. By staying true to the values of our founding, and by using our constitutional compass, we have overcome slavery and Civil War; fascism and communism. In just these last few years as President, I have watched the American people bounce back from painful recession, mass shootings, and natural disasters like the recent tornados that devastated Oklahoma. These events were heartbreaking; they shook our communities to the core. But because of the resilience of the American people, these events could not come close to breaking us.
I think of Lauren Manning, the 9/11 survivor who had severe burns over 80 percent of her body, who said, “That’s my reality. I put a Band-Aid on it, literally, and I move on.”120
I think of the New Yorkers who filled Times Square the day after an attempted car bomb as if nothing had happened.
I think of the proud Pakistani parents who, after their daughter was invited to the White House, wrote to us, “we have raised an American Muslim daughter to dream big and never give up because it does pay off.”
I think of the wounded warriors rebuilding their lives, and helping other vets to find jobs.
I think of the runner planning to do the 2014 Boston Marathon, who said, “Next year, you are going to have more people than ever. Determination is not something to be messed with.”
That’s who the American people are. Determined, and not to be messed with.
Now, we need a strategy – and a politics –that reflects this resilient spirit. Our victory against terrorism121 won’t be measured in a surrender ceremony on a battleship, or a statue being pulled to the ground. Victory will be measured in parents taking their kids to school; immigrants coming to our shores; fans taking in a ballgame; a veteran starting a business; a bustling city street. The quiet determination; that strength of character and bond of fellowship; that refutation of fear – that is both our sword and our shield. And long after the current messengers of hate have faded from the world’s memory, alongside the brutal despots, deranged madmen, and ruthless demagogues who litter history – the flag of the United States will still wave from small-town cemeteries, to national monuments, to distant outposts abroad. And that flag will still stand for freedom.
Thank you. God Bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.
The AUMF is now nearly twelve years old. The Afghan War is coming to an end. Core al Qaeda is a shell of its former self. Groups like AQAP must be dealt with, but in the years to come, not every collection of thugs that labels themselves al Qaeda will pose a credible threat to the United States107. Unless we discipline our thinking and our actions, we may be drawn into more wars we don’t need to fight, or continue to grant Presidents unbound powers more suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states. So I look forward to engaging Congress and the American people in efforts to refine, and ultimately repeal, the AUMF’s mandate. And I will not sign laws designed to expand this mandate further. Our systematic effort to dismantle terrorist organizations108 must continue. But this war, like all wars, must end. That’s what history advises. That’s what our democracy demands.109
And that brings me to my final topic: the detention of terrorist suspects.
To repeat, as a matter of policy, the preference of the United States is to capture terrorist suspects.110 When we do detain a suspect, we interrogate them. And if the suspect can be prosecuted, we decide whether to try him in a civilian court or a Military Commission. During the past decade, the vast majority of those detained by our military were captured on the battlefield. In Iraq, we turned over thousands of prisoners as we ended the war. In Afghanistan, we have transitioned detention facilities to the Afghans, as part of the process of restoring Afghan sovereignty. So we bring law of war detention to an end, and we are committed to prosecuting terrorists111 whenever we can.
The glaring exception to this time-tested approach is the detention center at Guantanamo Bay. The original premise for opening GTMO – that detainees would not be able to challenge their detention – was found unconstitutional five years ago. In the meantime, GTMO has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law. Our allies won’t cooperate with us if they think a terrorist will end up at GTMO. During a time of budget cuts, we spend $150 million each year to imprison 166 people –almost $1 million per prisoner.112 And the Department of Defense estimates that we must spend another $200 million to keep GTMO open at a time when we are cutting investments113 in education and research here at home.
As President, I have tried to close GTMO. I transferred 67 detainees to other countries before Congress imposed restrictions to effectively prevent us from either transferring detainees to other countries, or imprisoning them in the United States. These restrictions make no sense. After all, under President Bush, some 530 detainees were transferred from GTMO with Congress’s support. When I ran for President the first time, John McCain supported closing GTMO114. No person has ever escaped from one of our super-max or military prisons in the United States. Our courts have convicted hundreds of people for terrorism-related offenses, including some who are more dangerous than most GTMO detainees. Given my Administration’s relentless pursuit of al Qaeda’s leadership, there is no justification beyond politics for Congress to prevent us from closing a facility that should never have been opened.
Today, I once again call on Congress to lift the restrictions on detainee transfers from GTMO. I have asked the Department of Defense to designate a site in the United States where we can hold military commissions. I am appointing a new, senior envoy at the State Department and Defense Department whose sole responsibility will be to achieve the transfer of detainees to third countries. I am lifting the moratorium on detainee transfers to Yemen, so we can review them on a case by case basis. To the greatest extent possible, we will transfer detainees who have been cleared to go to other countries. Where appropriate, we will bring terrorists to justice in our courts and military justice system. And we will insist that judicial review115 be available for every detainee.
Even after we take these steps, one issue will remain: how to deal with those GTMO detainees who we know have participated in dangerous plots or attacks, but who cannot be prosecuted116 – for example because the evidence against them has been compromised or is inadmissible in a court of law. But once we commit to a process of closing GTMO, I am confident that this legacy problem can be resolved, consistent with our commitment to the rule of law.
I know the politics are hard. But history will cast a harsh judgment on this aspect of our fight against terrorism, and those of us who fail to end it. Imagine a future – ten years from now, or twenty years from now – when the United States of America is still holding people who have been charged with no crime117 on a piece of land that is not a part of our country. Look at the current situation, where we are force-feeding detainees who are holding a hunger strike. Is that who we are? Is that something that our Founders foresaw? Is that the America we want to leave to our children?
Our sense of justice is stronger than that. We have prosecuted scores of terrorists in our courts. That includes Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to blow up an airplane over Detroit; and Faisal Shahzad, who put a car bomb in Times Square. It is in a court of law that we will try Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is accused of bombing the Boston Marathon. Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, is as we speak serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison here, in the United States. In sentencing Reid, Judge William Young told him, “the way we treat you…is the measure of our own liberties.” He went on to point to the American flag that flew in the courtroom – “That flag,” he said, “will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag still stands for freedom.”118
America, we have faced down dangers far greater than al Qaeda119. By staying true to the values of our founding, and by using our constitutional compass, we have overcome slavery and Civil War; fascism and communism. In just these last few years as President, I have watched the American people bounce back from painful recession, mass shootings, and natural disasters like the recent tornados that devastated Oklahoma. These events were heartbreaking; they shook our communities to the core. But because of the resilience of the American people, these events could not come close to breaking us.
I think of Lauren Manning, the 9/11 survivor who had severe burns over 80 percent of her body, who said, “That’s my reality. I put a Band-Aid on it, literally, and I move on.”120
I think of the New Yorkers who filled Times Square the day after an attempted car bomb as if nothing had happened.
I think of the proud Pakistani parents who, after their daughter was invited to the White House, wrote to us, “we have raised an American Muslim daughter to dream big and never give up because it does pay off.”
I think of the wounded warriors rebuilding their lives, and helping other vets to find jobs.
I think of the runner planning to do the 2014 Boston Marathon, who said, “Next year, you are going to have more people than ever. Determination is not something to be messed with.”
That’s who the American people are. Determined, and not to be messed with.
Now, we need a strategy – and a politics –that reflects this resilient spirit. Our victory against terrorism121 won’t be measured in a surrender ceremony on a battleship, or a statue being pulled to the ground. Victory will be measured in parents taking their kids to school; immigrants coming to our shores; fans taking in a ballgame; a veteran starting a business; a bustling city street. The quiet determination; that strength of character and bond of fellowship; that refutation of fear – that is both our sword and our shield. And long after the current messengers of hate have faded from the world’s memory, alongside the brutal despots, deranged madmen, and ruthless demagogues who litter history – the flag of the United States will still wave from small-town cemeteries, to national monuments, to distant outposts abroad. And that flag will still stand for freedom.
Thank you. God Bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.
- This is a complex war, with
a diffuse & complex aggressor some of whose elements act by
proxy. This is an asymmetrical war, with an aggressor relatively weak
in conventional armaments, who can not stand up to our military force
in open warfare.
The primary enemy is Islam, the secondary enemies are a handful of Islamic theocracies and the mass of enemy combatants are Muslim Believers.
This is a war of attrition, death by a thousand cuts, with each cut calculated to draw maximum blood without provoking existential retaliation. It is designed, as were the Barbary Wars, to bankrupt us and wear down our will to resist.
- The Magnificent
Nineteen constituted the invasion force; the spearhead of the Army of
Islam. Their strategy was to weaken our will & resolve while
doing maximal economic damage so as to reduce our ability to mount an
effective defense. They targeted highly symbolic structures for maximal
psychological impact.
- They targeted civilians for maximal emotional impact.
- Our
President, a G'd'd Traitor, lied to us about the identity and nature of
the enemy. Instead of applying a nuclear eraser to Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Iran Saudi Arabia & Iraq as a wise and patriotic leader
would do, Shrub mounted half-assed invasions, with insufficient force
and suicidal rules of engagement. Instead of removing the true
cause of the conflict: Islam,
Shrub allowed it to be perpetuated and
enshrined in the Constitutions of the 'rebuilt' nations he had so
unwisely invaded and occupied.
- Al-Qaeda is not the
enemy, it is one enemy battalion.
Many of its personnel relocated to Pakistan and other places. Shrub
should have obliterated them while he had the opportunity.
- The
invasion of Iraq was not a new war, it was a second front. The enemy is
Islam, not Afghanistan and
not Al-Qaeda. Wherever Muslims are dispersed
over the face of the earth is a separate battle front in this war until
Islam is eradicated.
- Our fight is against Islam: Muslims; Al-Qaeda is one complex
member of that set.
Afghanistan & Iraq should have been nuked, both were invaded, on
the cheap, with drastic consequences and nothing gained. Because
their populations and governments remain Islamic, every dollar, every
drop of blood, every limb and every life expended in the effort was
wasted. Wasted because Islam
still exists in Afghanistan &
Iraq.
- Al-Qaeda is not the
enemy, any more than the Panzers were the enemy in WWII. Islam is the
enemy. Terrorism is its tactic; the various terrorist groups are
divisions of its army, not separate enemies.
- Anyone who gives a damn
what any foreigner thinks of us; who is concerned about "our standing
in the world"; who denigrates the morality of our self defense-- is
mentally & morally unfit to call himself an American and should
renounce his citizenship & emigrate.
- Our
interests in the region are: to maintain the flow of energy, and
eliminate Islam; to induce the maximum possible incidence of apostasy
or death. Neutron bombs are the obvious weapon of choice for Iraq.
- There are few fixed targets to
harden. There is no way to harden office towers against the impact of
hijacked aircraft.
You can not harden our food or water supplies. You can not harden the
Boston marathon. Obamination sells a false sense of security
where no security exists or can exist without the complete exclusion of
Islam & Muslims.
Because of WMD and rockets capable of
delivering them over great distances, there can be no security without
the total eradication of Islam.
- Frisking
and strip searching innocent civilians does nothing to enhance
transportation security. If you want enhanced security, simply exclude
all Muslims
from all public transit venues & vehicles. If you want
homeland security, get them and keep them out of this
country entirely.
- Privacy is for citizens,
not for enemy combatants communicating with them by cell phone to
construct their plans and implement their plots. Tracing
terrorist's contacts is not a violation of the right to privacy; there
is no right to get off Scott free.
- Our basic values: Life, Liberty,
Property & Prosperity [pursuit of happiness]. A carefully
defined & controlled system of government is required to obtain and
maintain those values for citizens. Swift
and impartial trials without self-incrimination are for citizens
accused of domestic criminal offenses, not for enemy combatants
attacking and killing us or our armed forces in an attempt to destroy
our way of life.
The prohibition of cruel & unusual punishments and torture are for citizens, not for Khalid Sheikh Mohammad & Co. They love death as we love live because death at the hands of their enemy is their ticket to Allah's celestial Bordello; their Get Out of Hell Free Card. Water boarding is not torture; it does no permanent damage; it just makes them sense greater proximity to Shaheed status.
- Catch & releasing
is for sport fishing, not war. Those who shoot at us should be
permanently removed from the battlefield; preferably placed under it.
Accepting locals taken from the streets and handed over by 'allies' in
Afghanistan & Iraq was not a good idea, they may be victims of
private quarrels.
- Targeting
leaders creates temporary dislocation at best; it does not win the war.
Usama bin Laden has been replaced, as have lower echelon leaders. If
you kill or capture Ayman al-Zawahiri, he, too will be replaced and the
war will continue until there are no more living Muslims on the face of
the earth. .
- We ended our
participation in combat, we did not end the war. Iraq is not the
war; it is one battlefront. Iraq remains populated and governed by
Muslims: we ended a battle, not a war, and we ended it in defeat. Worse
yet, it was an intentional, engineered defeat.
- Only a damned fool trains
his enemy. If they are Muslims, they are enemies, not allies. Get a Godblessed clue for Chrissake!
- Civilian
courts are for citizens accused of domestic offenses, not for
foreigners at war with us; trying to kill us and destroy our way of
life. Enemy combatants should be killed on the battlefield, not tried
in court.
- Islam
is not a signatory to the Geneva Accords. There is no caliph; no
central governing authority responsible for its entire fighting force.
Muslims do not abide by the Geneva Accords; there is no reason why we
should when fighting them. Obamination is not advocating a higher
moral position, he is echoing enemy propaganda because he is one of
them, not one of us.
- Is he really dead?
When, where and how did he die? Prove it! What difference does it make?
Ayman al-Zawahiri is running the show now. Leadership is
replaceable. This war will not end until the existence of
Islam ends. So long as there are Muslims on the face of the earth, they
will repopulate, regroup, rearm and renew their attacks. Islam is the
war.
- The scale of the
attacks is insignificant. Terrorism is designed to cause maximum
societal disruption at minimal expense. Each and every terror
plot, whether successful or
frustrated, increases the level of fear & insecurity. The
next large scale attack can come on any day; at any hour of the enemy's
choosing. The Boston Marathon bombs could have killed many more
victims if properly placed and timed.
The legless, burn victims & shrapnel victims suffer just as much and will face just as much expense without regard to the scale of the bombing. What difference does the scale of the attack make to those who lost loved ones?
- More secure?
Prove it!!! Four people are dead and more than 200 maimed because
you allowed the Brothers Tsarnaev to re-enter and remain in this
country. The homeland can never be secure while the enemy's fifth
column is present. Security will not exist until all Muslims are
expelled and excluded.
- None
of our troops would be in harms way if we had nuked Afghanistan, Iran,
Iraq, Pakistan & Saudi Arabia off the face of the earth immediately
after the Accursed Abomination which they co-sponsored.
- We do not have
Muslim allies or partners! Muslims are expressly forbidden to form
equal and inferior relationships with infidels. I disrespectfully
direct doubters, dissenters & deniers to the following Ayat: 3:28, 3:118, 4:89 , 4:139 , 4:144, 5:51, 5:57.
- We are safer only to the extent that
there are fewer live Muslims on the face of the earth.
- Terrorists are Muslims: believers who attempt to obey Allah and emulate Moe.
I disrespectfully direct doubters, dissenters & deniers to the
following list of relevant ayat & ahadith to obtain a Godblessed
clue:
3:151, 8:12,39,57,60,65,67, 9:5,29,38, 39,111,120,123, 33:26,27, 47:4,49:15, 59:2,13, 61:10-13; Sahih Bukhari 1.7.331 & 4.52.220.
Allah said that he would cast terror and did cast terror. Allah commanded Muslims to strike terror. Moe said that he was made victorious by terror. Moe also dictated and dispatched threatening extortion letters to his intended victims.
- The strategic threat is
one of imperialistic conquest & domination. The tactical
threat is anything they can do to injure or enrage us. I
disrespectfully & contumaciously direct doubters, dissenters &
deniers to the following relevant tafsir & ayah; obtain a
Godblessed clue, for Chrissake!
http://www.islam-universe.com/tafsir//2.3156.html
http://www.islam-universe.com/tafsir//48.49630.html
http://www.islam-universe.com/tafsir//3.9075.html
http://www.qurancomplex.com/Quran/Targama/Targama.asp?nSora= 9&l=eng&nAya= 120# 9_ 120
- Islam
can never be defeated, it must be destroyed; completely eliminated
because its damnable doctrines are permanently and immutably enshrined
in the Qur'an. 8:39 & 9:29, cited in #27
above, are
open ended, outcome oriented fight until loops with neither geographic
limits nor expiration dates. Those ayat are the primary jihad
imperatives, confirmed in Sahih Bukhari 1.8.387 and codified in Reliance of the Traveller, O9.8.
After reading O9.8 & 9.9, scroll back to O9.1 to read about the
communal obligation of offensive Jihad. If it is possible but not
performed, all who know of the obligation are in sin. You will
find 9:38 linked in #27 above; click through and read 38 & 39. Go
to war or go to Hell. Every Muslim has a Get Out of Hell Free Card,
explained in 61:10-13, also linked in # 27. Go to war and go to
Paradise.
To fully comprehend what believers are and what they do, you must read 8:1-5 and explore the context. Go to the home page linked at the top and search for "go out" and "spend" without the quote marks; read all the matching records.
Turn next to 9:111, also linked in #27 above. Read and re-read it until you understand it. Who are believers; what do they do? Turn next to 49:15 likewise linked. Believers are "only those who" doubt not but strive with their wealth and their lives for the Cause of Allâh.
Islam presents a continuing,. persistent threat because believers must wage Jihad in fear of Hellfire. If they desire to collect on Allah's promise of perpetual virgins and rivers of wine & honey, they must participate in Jihad.
- What
price Liberty? Can you put a price tag on it? What price
security? How much cheaper would it have been to nuke the
principal sponsors of the Accursed Abomination instead of mounting
invasions? What have we accomplished with those invasions?
- Who exploded the deficit
more, You or Shrub?
Slick Willy's failure to retaliate for previous attacks invited the
Accursed Abomination by demonstrating weakness & lack of resolve;
was that a good idea?
- This nation was built in
1778, there is no need to build or rebuild it; to recast it as a
Socialist tyranny.
- The
limbs & lives of those servicemen who were injured and killed were
sacrificed by traitors to the demon of political correctness,.Carter,
Reagan, Bush, Slick Willy & Shrub were not willing to acknowledge
the fatal facts laid out above: the identity & character of the
enemy and the fact that it must be eradicated to restore peace
& security because they falsely equate eradicating Islam, an
implacable predator and continuing war crime against humanity with the
unjustifiable Shoah. Obamination perpetuates their treachery
because he is one of the enemy, not one of us.
- Using
drones to usher terrorists into Hell saves American lives and money, it
is a good practice which should have been implemented much earlier and
more intensely.
- Muslims
are terrorists, not suspects. Those captured on the battlefield do not
require trials. Catch and release is for sport fishing, not for
war. Why release them to kill again?
- A
world containing Islamic institutions and Muslims is a world at war,
with constant terrorism and threat of mass casualty attacks. When
Iran finally obtains suitable nukes and ICBMs, they will use them
without hesitation. Allowing the continued existence of Islam on
the face of the earth leaves a legacy of suffering and death.
- We
can not define the scope, scale & nature of the war; those are
defined by the enemy who declared and is prosecuting the war against
us. We must acknowledge the fact that this war is permanent, starting in 623 and unending until the
last Muslim is dead or apostatized or until the last Jew is murdered.
Until Iran can combine nukes with ICBMs, this war is asymmetrical and
low intensity. This is an existential conflict, terminable only
by extinction of the aggressor.
- If
we can't preserve our Liberty in the context of permanent war, then we
must exterminate the aggressor in order to terminate the war and
preserve our Freedom.
- Islam
is an existential enemy posing an unending, genocidal threat of
terrorism & war. Belief in Allah, his imperatives, threat &
promise motivates Muslims to engage in imperialism, extortion &
plunder. While there are believers, there is permanent war. Only
the extinction of Islam
through mass apostasy or death can end the
threat.
- Islam, al-Ikhwan-al-Muslimeen,
Al-Qaeda, etc. etal are one: ISLAM.
Quit playing the name game; acknowledge objective factual reality.
- Know
your enemy: begin by reading its canonical texts: the Qur'an, Sahih
Bukhari's books of Jihad, Khumus & Expedition and The Life of
Muhammad. Or take the short course: The Prophet of
Doom. If you need more links to texts, visit http://www.crusadersarmory.tk/ .
- Islam
can never be defeated without destroying the faith of the believers. I
disrespectfully direct doubters, dissenters & deniers to page 60 of
The Quranic Concept
of War to obtain a Godblessed clue. While one believing Muslim remains alive, Islam is not defeated!
- The
attacks are directed by Islam;
Allah & Moe through
the Qur'an,. Sunnah & Shari'ah. Believers attack
because Allah commands it; Moe exemplified it, and threatened
them with eternal damnation if they refuse to follow his example.
The existence of independent operators not directly guided by any
specific terrorist organization other than the top level group: Islam, does not contradict
the fatal facts. Islam is
permanent war. The
war ends when Islam no longer
exists; when there are no more living
believers; not before.
- The
willfully blind can not see the forest for the trees. With no
trees, there would be no forest. With no Islam or no believers to
implement it, there would be no Islamic terrorism. With Islam and believers to implement it,
with or without Al-Qaeda, there is Islamic
terrorism.
- The threat comes from Islam, always has; always will. All
the rest is just a diversionary name game.
- The
Accursed Abomination came before the "unrest". The contest for
occupancy of various thrones and a re-established caliphate is not a
cause of terrorism against us.
- There
are no extremists; only believers.
Believers fight in Allah's
cause,
which is to make Islam dominate the world. They kill others and are
killed. Obamination funded and armed the blood thirsty believers who
have taken over Tunisia, Libya & Egypt and are waging war in Syria.
- State
sponsored or independent, Shi'ia or Sunni, they all have something in
common: they are Believers.
Are you entirely clueless?
- The only good Muslim
attack is one that kills only Muslims. Regardless of where they
happen and their scope & scale, terror attacks on non-Muslims are
war crimes against humanity.
- [extremists, radicals,
fundamentalists, terrorists, Mujahideen]: the set of Believers.
There
is no radicalism. There is no extremism. There are only men who believe
in Allah's imperatives, threat & promise and attempt to implement
the imperatives to realize the promise. Muslims are not
radicalized; they learn the content of and develop belief in the
damnable doctrines of their execrable war cult.
- Low intensity
warfare: "How hard can we push before they wise up and eradicate us? ".
How many casualties are you willing to tolerate? One or two at a time
with guns or knives? Thousands with aircraft flown into office
towers? Hundreds at the Marine Barracks? Dozens at Embassies? how
many sailors did the Barbary Pirates abduct, enslave and murder before
we fought two Barbary Wars? Do you want peace & security or do
you want Muslims in the world? You can not have both; choose wisely.
- Which attack was not left
unchecked? Which attack did we retaliate effectively against?
Which retaliation resulted in the termination of the threat?
- Proportionally?
When a wasp stings you, what do you do? Swat one wasp and his nest
mates will retaliate. You destroy the entire nest. So it is with
Islam. Open your Qur'an to 5:32 and read it carefully. Killing one innocent
person is equivalent to killing all of humanity. Follow up with Ibn Kathir's tafsir of that verse. Only
Muslims are innocent: all others are in rebellion against Allah;
deserving to be killed. When any infidel is killed by Islamic
terrorists, proportionate response requires the extinction of Islam;
destroy the nest and its inhabitants.
Offensive Jihad is fard al-Kifaya: a communal obligation binding upon all eligible adult male Muslims until a sufficient number have reported to the front. When we retaliate, Jihad becomes fard Ayn: individually binding upon all Muslims, including women, sheikhs and children.
- Islamic terrorism
is a function of belief in Islamic ideology enshrined in the Qur'an and
exemplified by Moe's Sunnah.
- Only Allah has the right to be worshiped. 3:2
- Only Allah has the right to legislate & rule, which he delegated to Moe and his successors. 33:36
- Jihad is ordained for Muslims. 2:216
- War must be waged against pagans until only Allah is worshiped on a global scale. 8:39
- War must be waged against Jews & Christians until they are subjugated & extorted. 9:29
- Acts of terrorism are credited to the terrorist as righteous
good
deeds. 9:120
- The blood and property of infidels ain't sacred to Muslims. Infidels only acquire human rights when they become Muslims. Bukhari 1.8.387
- The basic penalty for "waging war against Allah and his Messenger" is execution. 5:33
- "waging war against Allah and his Messenger" includes disbelief http://www.islam-universe.com/tafsir//5.13751.html
- When this nation became
independent from England, the Barbary Pirates sacked our shipping.
Paying tribute nearly bankrupted the new nation. Thomas Jefferson and
J.Q. Adams asked Tripoli's Ambassador to England by what right they
attacked us. He replied:
that [the right] was founded on the Laws of the Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise." http://memory.loc.gov/master/mSahih Bukhari 4.52.386 informs us that Umar sent his army to the great nations to "fight the pagans". When a Persian General asked why, he got this answer, which you should compare to that given by the Barbary Pirates.ss/mtj/mtj1/005/0400/0431.jpg
Our Prophet, the Messenger of our Lord, has ordered us to fight you till you worship Allah Alone or give Jizya (i.e. tribute); and our Prophet has informed us that our Lord says:-- "Whoever amongst us is killed (i.e. martyred), shall go to Paradise to lead such a luxurious life as he has never seen, and whoever amongst us remain alive, shall become your master."
- Islam
is a lie, told by a liar and perpetuated, supported, protected &
promoted by liars. Moe
did not have a pipeline to God, he had Epileptic seizures, accompanied
by hallucinations. When receiving revelations, Moe fell to the
ground, lost consciousness, sweated profusely, moved his & tongue
rapidly and snorted like a young camel. Moe feared that he
was losing his sanity and was demon possessed. He even attempted
suicide.
Worse yet, Moe recited situational scripture to give divine sanction to his lusty lifestyle. Proving these fatal facts of Islam is beyond the scope of this post. I disrespectfully & contumaciously refer doubters, dissenters & deniers to the following references.
- http://www.soebratie.nl/religie/hadith/IbnSad.html#01.1.45.5
- http://www.soebratie.nl/religie/hadith/IbnSad.html#01.1.46.3
- http://www.muslimaccess.com/sunnah/hadeeth/bukhari/001.html#001.001.001
- http://www.muslimaccess.com/sunnah/hadeeth/bukhari/060.html#006.060.311
- http://sunnah.com/search/was-revealed
- The best professional liars mix in a little truth to enhance believability, Obamination is no exception. Islam is at war against us, but we are not reciprocating. If we had a President instead of a cowardly Traitor in 1993, we would have declared war against Islam immediately after WTC1.
- No Muslim can
abjure terrorism without signing his own death warrant as an apostate. Islam is a bundled package deal; all
or nothing.
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. 2:85
Islamic law lists 20 items which entail apostasy, these are included in that list.
- (6) to be sarcastic
about Allah's name, His
command, His interdiction, His promise, or His
threat; - (7) to deny any verse of
the Koran or anything
which by scholarly consensus (def: b7)
belongs to it, or to add a verse that does not belong
to it; - (14) to deny the
obligatory character of
something which by the consensus of Muslims
(ijma', def: b7) is part of Islam, when it is well
known as such, like the prayer (salat) or even one
rak'a from one of the five obligatory prayers, if
there is no excuse (def: u2.4);
- First, we must
identify the enemy, second, we must accurately describe its character;
then we must identify and counter the ideas which constitute its ideology. Carter, Reagan,
Bush, Slick, Shrub & Obamination refused
to take any of those steps. The doctrines listed in #54
are absolutely intolerable because they deny our lives & liberties
yet no President has acknowledged them, much less attempted to counter
them.
- First
and foremost: expel and exclude all Muslims
from the borders of Western
Civilization. Terrorism can not be countered while the enemy has a
fifth column on our territory. Second, locate and identify every
terrorist training facility on the face of the earth and carpet bomb
them with Daisy Cutters. Third, bomb & strafe the funeral
procession of every terrorist you usher into Hell. Fourth, make a list
of Islamic cities, beginning with Mecca & Medina and destroy one of
them immediately after each subsequent terror attack. Fifth, do
everything Constitutionally possible to counter the movement to destroy
the Christian faith and remove it from the public square. Sixth, utter
and publish in the face of the Ummah the fatal facts which can destroy
their faith: Moe was an impious fraud and Allah is an impotent idol.
Google "The
Innocence of Muslims" + "true or false?" and read the
first blog post in the serps.
- The
enemy is Islam, not Al-Qaeda,
which is only one division of the
enemy. The conflict is existential; victory requires extinction.
While there is Islam &
believing Muslims, the war will continue.
- The
population and government of Afghanistan are Muslims. Only a
damned fool thinks they will fight off the Taliban and prevent a
return to their former status as a state sponsor of terrorism.
- Only a damned fool thinks
that terrorists will restrain terrorism. While Afghanistan remains
Muslim, it remains terrorist.
- "Its Islam, Stupid!". There is
no extremism; there are no extremists; only
believing Muslims. The war will not end and will not be won until
there are no more believing Muslims on the face of the earth.
- Muslims are expressly forbidden to be
our friends, partners or allies. Refer to #25 for the details.
- Islamic regimes may
hand over the occasional rebel seeking to overthrow them, but they are
not likely to engage in serious cooperation against terrorists.
Terrorism is an act of war, to be punished by the total destruction of
the state sponsors, not a domestic crime to be prosecuted and punished
by jailing the terrorist.
- Islamic
terrorism is not a bank robbery or purse snatching, it is an act of
war. Terrorists must be ushered into Hell, not into court. Money
spent on courtroom security, lawyers, prosecutors and judges in
terrorism trials is entirely wasted.
- Islamic
states are state sponsors of terrorism; part of the problem, not part
of the solution!
- The
fact that Usama was under the state protection of Pakistan
confirms the fact that we should have immediately nuked that Hell hole
off the face of the earth.
- Known enemy
commanders, officers and large concentrations of troops should be
targeted. U/B.L. should have been taken out with a drone strike.
- If they are
Muslims, they are not civilians; they are terrorists. The wives and
children of terrorists must not serve as human shields. This war ends
in victory when there are no more believing
Muslims, not before.
- Islamic terrorism
is doctrine driven, not grievance driven. New enemies pop out of the
wombs of Muslim women every day, they are not created by anything we
do.
- Since
when is it illegal or immoral to eliminate enemy combatants using
tactics and weapons designed to minimize collateral damage and risk to
ourselves?
- Picking off
a few dozen high value targets does not win the war, while necessary,
it is insufficient and by itself, no cause for celebration or bragging.
This war will only end in victory when Islam
becomes extinct.
- "Its Islam,
Stupid!". Islam declared and is prosecuting war against us.
Restoring peace and security requires the extinction of Islam, an
implacable predator which will never stop attempting conquests so long
as it exists.
- The enemy
is Islam! Al-Qaeda is only part of the problem, not the entire problem.
Eliminating Al-Qaeda entirely would not end the war with victory.
- Nuking
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq & Saudi Arabia immediately after
the Accursed Abomination would have precluded the need for force
protection.
- Detention & trial are
for domestic criminals, not for enemy combatants. Just kill them on the
battlefield or drown them in the nearest hog farm holding tank. No use
wasting time and money on trials for Islamic terrorists!
- How
can you respect the sovereignty of a failed state that willfully gives
aid and comfort to those who attack us? Afghanistan & Pakistan made
themselves fair game and should have been nuked in '01.
- They
are Muslims; associates and families of those would maim and mutilate
us; they are fair game, not civilians. They should have been erased
from the face of the earth in '01.
- They want
us dead because we are not Muslims. Because we are not them, they must
torment and kill us. They perceive a divine mandate to kill or
enslave us. They deliberately set out to mutilate and maim as many
of us as possible; to maximize emotional and economic shock to
our system. They believe that their god has commanded them to
attack and conquer us. They believe that he will damn them to eternal
Hell fire if they do not try and will reward them with eternity in his
celestial bordello if they do. If we do not eradicate them, the war
will continue forever until we are finally conquered. Wheresoever
the enemy is gathered; whenever they meet to forge their plots, there
let our bombs and bullets fall like a warm spring rain! With and
without their friends and families; usher them into Hell. Old Harry
knew how to end the War in the Pacific and he did it. Emulate him
without remorse.
- Islam
is tyranny; tyrants have rivals for power. Sunni & Shi'ia are in
conflict over occupancy of their various thrones and ultimately, the
caliphate if they can re-establish it. When they kill each other,
it is a good thing, not a tragedy. Ex-Muslims are the best kind;
dead Muslims are second best.
- Islamic
terrorism is doctrine driven, not grievance driven. Only the
wombs of Muslim women create terrorists; they are born, not made.
- If they are
Muslims, they need to kill us; they are under a demonic mandate to
conquer the entire world for Allah and perceive us as the biggest
obstacle to global conquest. The Barbary Pirates attacked our shipping
because it "was written in their laws".
Can you get a clue? Peace
and security can only be obtained by making Islam extinct. Islam can
not be reformed. It can not be pacified. It can not be placated. It can
not be rendered harmless without eliminating it entirely.
- Islamic
terrorism is not a law enforcement issue; it is a battle tactic. The
issue is war. The issue is the continued existence of people who
believe that they have a divine mission to conquer and enslave us.
While they believe that Allah will damn them if they avoid fighting and
bless them if they attack us, we can have no peace without ushering
them into Hell.
- Islamic
aggression can only be ended by making Islam
extinct. Invasions won't
do it. Occupations won't do it. Drone strikes won't do it.
Prosecutions won't do it. No combination of those tactics will do
it. Only the complete extinction of Islam will end the war.
- Only the extinction
of Islam can make us safe. A
world without Islam is a world
without Islamic aggression including terrorism.
- There
is no such ideology; there is only Islam,
which declares that only
Allah has the right to be worshiped and the right to legislate &
rule. Islam declares that
Allah's rights must be secured by global
conquest; that all who do not worship Allah must be killed or enslaved.
While men harbor those ideas, peace is impossible. While men believe
that Allah will bless them for going to war or damn them for sitting
passive at home, they can not be stopped from terroristic conquest
short of extinction.
- Extremism
is a lie! Jihad; genocide & terrorism are normative Islam, not
extreme. They were legislated and exemplified by Moe who said that he
was made victorious by terror and wealthy by conquests. Obtain a
Godblessed clue for Chrissake! Islamic aggression flows from the Qur'an
& Sunnah, not from poverty, ignorance, hunger, oppression,
repression or anything else.
When the Barbary Pirates sacked our merchantmen, there were no boots on
the ground in the Hijaz and Israel was occupied by the Ottoman
Empire. We did not provoke attack by anything more than not being
Muslim.
Islamic law says that infidels may be attacked without provocation. Can you obtain a Godblessed clue for Chrissake?
http://www.shariahthethreat.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/reliance_of_the_traveller.pdf#page=622
http://ia700204.us.archive.org/10/items/hedayaorguideac00hamigoog/hedayaorguideac00hamigoog.pdf#page=154
- The war is perpetual, declared in
622 and ending only on Judgment Day. Obtain a Godblessed clue for
Chrissake!
http://www.muslimaccess.com/sunnah/hadeeth/abudawud/014.html#014.2526
http://www.muslimaccess.com/sunnah/hadeeth/muslim/041.html#041.6985
- By
stupidly ignoring several attacks and engaging in weak, ineffective
retaliation for others, we displayed weakness and lack of resolve to
the enemy, inviting them to hit us again. Any outcome short of the
extinction of Islam will leave us vulnerable and eventually
conquered. We need to eliminate Islam, as quickly and as cheaply
as possible.
- Extremism
is a lie! Islam's genocidal, terrorist war of conquest is not extreme;
it is normative. What part of "Fight them until" do you not
understand? What part of "I will cast terror" do you not
understand? What part of "Allah cast terror" do you not
understand? What part of "I have been made victorious with
terror" do you not comprehend? Islam is doctrine driven, not grievance
driven. U.B.L:. & A.Z. were wealthy professionals, not
paupers. Law, medical & engineering students have engaged in acts
of terrorism.
Allah punishes pacifism and rewards terrorism; can you obtain a Godblessed clue for Chrissake?
http://www.qurancomplex.com/Quran/Targama/Targama.asp?nSora= 9&l=eng&nAya= 38# 9_ 38
http://www.qurancomplex.com/Quran/Targama/Targama.asp?nSora= 9&l=eng&nAya= 120# 9_ 120
- Malignant Malarkey!!!
Islam and democracy are polar opposites. Only Allah has the right to
rule; man made law is the antithesis of Islamic theocracy. The
transition is from one dictator to another.
- There can be no
realization of individual aspirations in an Islamic theocracy except
for the aspirations of the theocrat who occupies the seat of
power.
- There are no
extremists; there are only believers. We do not have a dog in that
fight, let them kill each other!
- Only
a damned fool believes there can be peace between Muslims and
Jews. Only a damned liar says it is possible. Obtain a Godblessed
clue, for Chrissake!!!
http://www.qurancomplex.com/Quran/Targama/Targama.asp?nSora= 9&l=eng&nAya= 29# 9_ 29
http://www.qurancomplex.com/Quran/Targama/Targama.asp?nSora= 7&l=eng&nAya= 167# 7_ 167
http://www.qurancomplex.com/Quran/Targama/Targama.asp?nSora= 13&l=eng&nAya= 41# 13_ 41
Israel is living proof of the fact that Allah is an impotent idol whose promise and threat are vain. Muslims will never tolerate that!!!
- "Its
Islam, Stupid!". There is
no extremism; genocidal, terrorist conquest
is normative Islam, commanded
by Allah and exemplified by Moe.
Induce as many Muslims to apostatize as possible and usher the recalcitrant believers into Hell. There is no other way.
- A demagogic
combination of the myth of alternative spending and malignant maundery.
Muslims are not security forces!!! Peace agreements between Muslims and
Israel are not worth the paper they are written on.
A hungry Muslim who starves is one less Muslim we need to kill on the battlefield. What do they teach in those Pakistani schools?
- Of all the stinking piles of turd,
this takes the brass plated prize. Obamination rejected pleas for
enhanced security, When the attack came, he turned a deaf ear to pleas
for assistance and fired two Generals and an Admiral who tried to send
aid.
- Muslims are not radicalized, they only
become familiar with normative Islamic doctrines and increase their
faith. It makes no difference whether the process is facilitated
by videos, books, chat rooms, message boards or in direct contact with
an Imam. Islam is what
it is: genocidal terrorism; permanent
war. It is that way by design because Moe made his living by
plunder and extortion.
- The
violent agenda is part of normative Islam.
Why does the Qur'an
have a chapter named 'The Spoils of War"?
Why does each of the
six canonical hadith collections have a book of Jihad?
- The
best way to terminate the existence of Islam
is to induce mass
apostasy: cause Muslims to cease believing in Allah, and his
imperatives, threat and promise. Provide them evidence of the
fact that Moe was a false prophet; a profiteer and Allah is an impotent
idol.
- Muslims
can not reject terrorism because it is an intrinsic sacrament of Islam.
If they abjure any part of the Qur'an, they apostatize, risking the
death penalty. Allah said
that he would and did cast terror,
describing the results. Moe said that he was made victorious with
terror. Methods of casting terror included assassinations, such as
those of Kab Ashraf and Asma bint Marwan, genocide of a settlement that
surrendered and burning date palm groves.
- Muslims
are not part of America, they are an occupying force: an enemy fifth
column outbreeding us for eventual demographic conquest in the long run
if other methods fail. The doctrines of Islam are not compatible with
our founding documents.
- We
can not have security and Muslims. We must choose one. We can not have
liberty and Islam. We must choose one. I choose security and liberty.
Expel and exclude Muslims!
- Domestically:
expel and exclude Muslims. Internationally: nuke them off the face of
the earth. No Islam; no
Islamic terrorism. While there is Islam,
there
will be terrorism.
- The
threat comes from Islam;
through the Qur'an & Sunnah. It
results from what Allah said and Moe did for Muslims in all ages to
emulate. They do not need to kill or maim anyone to induce
terror. Every foiled plot is evidence of the fact that Muslims
are plotting to harm us. Every individual act of random Islamic
assault whether by fist, knife, gun or vehicular assault reduces
perception of security and trust.
- Thee
is one terrorist organization: Islam.
Eliminate it if you seek peace.
- Ours is a
Representative Republic, not a Democracy, but that makes no difference
in the need to end the war in victory as swiftly and
inexpensively as possible. In 1805 and 1815, we did not have the means
to exterminate Islam; now we
do.
- We
need to change that damn fool policy.
- The crime/punishment model
must be abandoned. Terrorism is an act of war, not a domestic criminal
issue.
- How much would it cost to
hog tie each one and toss them into the holding tank of a hog farm?
- His favorite demagoguery: the
myth of alternative expenditures. He
has more alternatives than dollars to dump on them. There would
be no need for Gitmo if we had nuked Afghanistan immediately after the
attack.
- Appeal to
authority is a logical fallacy, and I put no stock in McCain in any
case.
- They need no more than a swift
tribunal and a swift execution; minimal waste of time and money.
- This scenario
punches a big hole in the crime/punishment model. They are enemy
combatants, not citizens holding up a convenience store.
- What
did they do? How did we obtain custody of them? Why did we
bother? Why did we not just nuke Afghanistan and be done with it?
- None
of those listed, with the exception of Tsarnaev, deserves or has a
right to a trial. Establish
identity: Muslim &
action, then have a summary execution.
This is a war in which no prisoners should be taken. Tsarnaev was not
caught in the act and he is a citizen.
- We did not
overcome Communism, except in the short term. It has not been
eradicated and it can bounce back.
Muslims believe in a divine mandate to conquer us and seize our
wealth. They are blessed if they do and damned if they don't.
They will never cease from attacking until they are dead or apostates.
- Political
exploitation of that quote illustrates with great clarity the
bottomless venality of the demagogue. 80% second and third degree
burns are often fatal and always extremely painful and expensive to
treat. That
suffering was intentionally imposed by the servants of Satan seeking to
kill & maim as many of us as possible and destroy our
civilization. There is no Band-Aid cure for those burns and
none for the damage done to our economy. This trivialization exposes
Obamination's venality as nothing else can.
- There is and can be no victory over terrorism until the ideology which motivates it is completely eradicated. So long as one believing Muslim lives, he will breed more, and the violence will continue. There is no victory without extinction in an existential war.
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