Sunday, June 7, 2009

America's Enemies

By Alan Caruba

Listening to President Obama one might think that America doesn’t have a single enemy that could not be turned into a friend if only he was given the opportunity to just talk to them. He is a great believer in diplomacy even though diplomacy has rarely stopped a war if one party was determined to wage it. War doesn’t need the consent of both.

Perhaps because I was born just prior to the outbreak of World War II and grew up aware of terrible things happening in both Europe and Asia, followed by having an older brother who served during the Korean War, plus my own service in the U.S. Army, my attitude about wars has been shaped by a lifetime in which I cannot recall a minute when America wasn’t at war, engaged in a war, or threatened by a war.

To this day I have considerable antipathy for “peaceniks” and war protesters even though, as the ill-fated Vietnam War dragged on, I joined a march or two. If ever there was a wrong war in the wrong place, Vietnam was it. For those unfamiliar with it, it was essentially a civil war into which the U.S. inserted itself due to a “domino theory” that, if Vietnam fell to communism, all the other Asian nations would as well. At the time, the Cold War was still raging since the end of WWII and Chairman Mao was still in charge of China.

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t plotting against you, so it’s always a good idea to take a very general survey of those nations who wish us ill.

After a slow start, the U.S. is contemplating putting North Korea back on its list of terror-sponsoring nations. I suspect many Americans with no memory of the Korean War during the 1950s dismiss North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile capability. Not only will this thugocracy sell its WMDs to anyone, but the renewal of the Korean War is never more than 24 hours away. The U.S. is committed to intervene.

Iran, despite being on the other side of the globe, is working toward having its own nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems. As far as the Middle East is concerned, that’s a war just waiting to happen.

Americans seem to have forgotten that Saddam Hussein fought a war with Iran for eight years, settled for a stalemate, and then invaded Kuwait. If ever there was a good reason to fight a war to rid the region of this troublemaker, I cannot think of one. Now the problem has shifted to Pakistan, under attack from an enemy of its own making, the Taliban. Since Pakistan has nukes, it cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of fanatical Islamofascists.

Right next door India keeps a wary eye on Pakistan. Bordering Pakistan to the north is Afghanistan, a nation of tribes that, though occupied over and over again, has resisted all invaders for centuries. Just because 9/11 was planned there doesn’t mean the U.S. needs to maintain a military presence there. The prospect of an effective central government is quite distant despite the money, military manpower, and other efforts the U.S. is making.

So the enemies we can identify include any and all Muslims who support the view that Islam must rule the entire world. There are more than a billion of them.

Russia is no friend to the United States, but Russia is no friend to Europe or China either. Almost entirely dependent on the export of oil and natural gas, its fate rises and falls with the cost of a barrel or cubic foot of both. The fall of the Soviet government and the loss of its satellite nations in Eastern Europe have not significantly brought about a change of attitude in the Kremlin although much of the population would be more than happy to embrace the free market capitalism of the United States.

China is no friend either even though it is highly dependent on its ability to manufacture and export its goods to the United States. Our current economic woes worry the Chinese who own billions in U.S. treasury bills along with the fact that Americans aren’t buying as much of their stuff lately. China has perhaps the largest espionage effort regarding the U.S. of any other nation in the world.

Americans have been slow to respond to yet another enemy, Mexico. The U.S. has been literally invaded by Mexicans though they came looking for jobs and a better life. The result, however, has been enormous financial burdens on all aspects of our society from schools to hospitals to welfare and to crime. There are an estimated 12 million illegal Mexicans and others from south of the border and Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leaders, wants to push through another amnesty bill.

The last amnesties only resulted in a greater rush to enter the U.S. Only a handful in public office will address the fact that the Mexican government has openly encouraged this invasion because the money sent home is a significant part of its economy. It is a major trading partner, but it looks to become totally controlled by the narco lords.

We have been slow to say or do anything about Venezuela, led by the dictator, Hugo Chavez. This likely has much to do with the oil that nation exports to the U.S. Chavez, however, is closely allied with Hezbollah which, in turn, is allied and controlled by Iran. Chavez has been buying up a lot of weapons of late and it has nothing to do with defense and everything to do with his bad intensions. Once a democracy, Venezuelans are now totally under the control of their government.

The U.S. just got around to arresting two former members of the State Department who had allegedly been spying for Cuba for thirty years. President Obama wants to lift restrictions on that dictatorship that have been in place for at least 50 years. Since the Soviet Union fell in the 1990s, Cuba has fallen on hard times, but it is still an enemy.

Africa is fairly dormant though Somalia has fallen to the Islamofascists. The U.S. has conspicuously done little to relieve the horrors in Darfur, inflicted by the Muslim Sudanese government. Overall, there is little likelihood that the U.S. will become embroiled in a war in Africa. It too is a significant source of oil.

If there is a common theme to our present threat levels, it is oil and, more precisely, the failure since the 1970s of the U.S. to access the abundant reserves of our own oil in the interior of the nation and from its offshore continental shelf. Since the Obama administration is hell bent on covering the U.S. with wind turbines and solar panels, we shall remain hostage to oil-producing nations.

The enemy that is only beginning to make himself known to Americans is President Barack Obama who has swiftly created an administration that ignores its many cabinet departments in favor of “czars” that have been ceded power over all elements of our nation. They rarely hold any press conferences, nor do they seem responsive to the inquiries of Congress. The only function of the cabinet secretaries appears to be to stand behind the President when he makes various announcements. No wonder he greeted Hugo Chavez with a big smile.

Taking control of automobile companies is unconstitutional. Giving bailouts to them is unconstitutional. Permitting the Federal Reserve to print money without regard to the inflationary impact this will have is reckless. Voting for a “stimulus” bill without reading or even debating it is reckless. Running up the national debt is reckless. Putting the value of the U.S. dollar in doubt is criminal negligence.

Trying to take over the nation’s health systems and to require all Americans to purchase health insurance flies in the face of free market capitalism and cedes control over the most intimate aspects of our lives to the government.

We now have a Homeland Security Department that identifies any American who disagrees with the Obama administration as an “extremist.” This includes people who oppose abortions, oppose illegal immigration, support the Second Amendment right to own and bear weapons, and veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Terrorism is no longer part of its vocabulary, but “man-caused disasters” is.

If Americans don’t besiege and change Congress to reverse these assaults on the economy and the Constitution, this nation will fail and our liberties will be memories.

10 comments:

commoncents said...

Love your page! Keep up the great work!!

COMMON CENTS
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com

ps. Link Exchange??

Alan Caruba said...

Common Cents ala Jenny....

Patience, patience while I get to know your site better. Meanwhile, keep up the good work.

Red said...

Any idea just how 9 to 5 working Americans are supposed to rise up against these innumerable violations of our Constitutional rights? Save for TEA Parties,and calling/writing our representatives, I'd love to know if there was another more effective way to preserve our individual freedoms while rallying for smaller government.

Alan Caruba said...

Organizing events, writing letters to the editors, and voting are the options available, along with contacting one's Representatives and Senators.

The courts, too, represent an option but look how long it is taking to get challenges to Obama's birth certificate? On the other hand, the SC will consider Wisconsin's challenge to the Chrysler sale.

Longstreet said...

The country is in deep trouble and even deeper danger. When the next attack comes, how can we say we didn't see it coming?

It is true "There are none so blind as those who WILL NOT see!"

Hang in there!

JDL

Red said...

All good ideas and works in progress surely but this administration is ever blatant in it's complete disregard for due process and our constitutional rights. The constitution isn't even recognizable to them anymore.

Rich Kozlovich said...

For those of us in our 60’s it is kind of interesting to see the grass roots reaction to all that is going on. Because of what I do for a living I have the opportunity to meet and talk to a great many people from the entire social strata.

While working this Saturday I met a young man who is the local representative of a "liberty" group of some kind. I forgot the name right now, but I do believe that they are making a national name for themselves.

He actually understood what the 16th and 17th amendments of the Constitution were and what their impact was.

He is organizing their efforts here in Northern Ohio. He also is a really young married guy with an infant child. I mention this not as a way of promotion or criticism. I mention this because I do believe that there is a ground swell of discontent out there that permeates all levels of society that may become a tidal wave.

The "silent majority" that Spiro Agnew talked about is now another generation that is better informed than the previous generation because of the internet. As a result of the internet they have been able to learn what is going on and what really went on in the past. They have access to information that lets them know what to read in order to become much better informed and how to think critically. They really do understand that the Great Depression was caused by the policies of FDR, which drove the country into that economic quagmire. They understand how those policies have lingered till this day and they can tell you why it is so.

It isn't difficult to see the long range impact of that. Once people see that they have been lied to by the information deliverers (the main stream media and the public education system) they have the tendency to get angry.

dee dee said...

my name is a.k.a. margi lewis and I am unaware of americas enimies please in form me through e-mail.

Alan Caruba said...

Ms. Lewis, if you are unaware of any enemies of America, you are proof that ignorance is bliss.

paully12345 said...

24 yr old recent college grad(tucson,az)

I believe smaller government would be better but unfortunately, as things stand in the world today, it is just not possible.
The bailout was absolutely essential. Without it, the very foundation of our economy would crash and burn....
our troubles began 9/11~
not just the people who died or the ideals which were attacked, but the blow to our economy was hefty...
follow this with 2 very long term costly wars, katrina, and the largest oil spill in US history and it makes sense that we are spending money like crazy....

NOW add to this mess Iran's nuclear ambitions and the threat of a new war, north koreas' aggression towards south korea which entail another threat of a new war, and Mexico's extreme drug lords causing upheavals right on our border.

Lets not play the blame game here and lets not pretend the left or the right will have any solutions for these massive problems....

lets instead use these forums to brainstorm a solution ourselves and then..as it is meant to be..we can tell our representatives what must be done