The Hateful Heart Of Terrorism – It lurks in the shadows and strikes without warning
This has been a horrific week for America as once again we were reminded that we should never take our liberties and freedoms for granted. There are and always will be people who hate us just because of who we are and what this great country, America, represents.
All of us here at PJ Media, PJTV and Next Generation TV convey our heartfelt condolences and sincere blessings upon those who lost loved ones and have been seriously injured, psychologically scarred or horribly maimed by Monday’s terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon.
I will not regurgitate my sentiments about that specific attack in this week’s newsletter.You can view them in the commentary we released the following day.
We also learned this week of the toxic chemical substance ricin being mailed to Senate offices and the White House. This form of terrorism again creates fear, panic and hysteria in good Americans who are simply serving their country. These staffers are moms, dads, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters – Americans.
Terrorism is a tool of the weak to wreak fear upon the strong. The inhumane use secrecy and simplicity to intimidate their adversaries and alter how their enemies live. Terrorists intend to restrain our freedoms, to make us feel less secure. It is truly death by a thousand cuts, slowly bleeding the victims until they are dead.
What dies? A society, a dream, a nation that was created as a beacon for those who seek a better way, opportunity, not just for themselves but for the next generation.
Terrorism says, “We cannot take you head on, but we will hide in the shadows and instill fear.” Our response: We try to rationalize, to understand, and we may even make insidious excuses that only embolden terrorists in their objective, which is irrational.
I will never forget the killing of Leon Klinghoffer, who was pushed, wheelchair bound, off the Achille Lauro into the Mediterranean Sea. Terrorists behave this way, as my friend Brigitte Gabriel titled her book, “Because they Hate.”
The progressive path to economic servitude
This week also marked the 100th anniversary of the personal income tax. What began in 1913 as a supposedly temporary revenue measure has expanded into a tax code that is onerous, complex and confusing – and more than 75,000 pages long.
We released a commentary on the state of taxation in America.
This weekend I will speak at the Rawhide Circle retreat held at the California ranch of former President Ronald Reagan. The topic is, “Can free enterprise survive for future generations?” The short answer is, not if we continue down the path of progressive taxation, which has become a weapon to undermine more of the hard-earned capital of American taxpayers. We will not have economic growth under heavy taxation; we will have economic servitude.
A threat to the military chain of command
Another point of concern for me this week springs from an April 13 New York Times article by Thom Shanker. The article suggests that the military for the first time may require first-time generals and admirals to be evaluated by their peers and the people who they command on qualities like personal character.
U.S. Army Ranger school currently includes peer evaluations. However, each evaluator is a Ranger school student; no peer commands another.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey is leading this new effort as part of a broad overhaul of training and development programs for generals and admirals. He believes that “evaluations of top officers needed to go beyond the traditional assessment of professional performance by superior officers alone” and that these changes are necessary “to assess both the competence and character in a richer way.”
This initiative breaks down the chain of command and discipline in the military. We cannot believe that the few instances of “misconduct” warrant a complete altering of the command relationship in the military.
This truly will threaten the “good order and discipline” of the military. A system of inspectors general exists to report illicit behavior of commanders. We certainly do not need any system that creates “political officers” in our units.
A week of mourning
We bid farewell to the Iron Lady this week, Baroness and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The world will miss her; however, she will always be remembered for her strength, resolve and vision.
We here in America also lost an iconic figure, professional football legend, Hall of Famer and broadcaster Pat Summerall. Many of us have fond memories of growing up with Summerall and his NFL commentary. Along with former Oakland Raiders coach John Madden, he was one-half of the greatest duos in sports commentary. Farewell to Pat Summerall, a football legend and a great voice.
And our country endured yet another tragedy three days after the Boston terrorist attack – a deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas. I offer my condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured in that tragedy.
Steadfast and Loyal,
Allen B. West
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