SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Tuesday accused critics of the Bush administration’s Iraq and counter-terrorism policies of trying to appease “a new type of fascism.”
In unusually explicit terms, Rumsfeld portrayed the administration’s critics as suffering from “moral and intellectual confusion” about what threatens the nation’s security and accused them of lacking the courage to fight back.
In remarks prepared for delivery to the American Legion’s national convention, Rumsfeld recited what he called the lessons of history, including the failed efforts to appease the Adolf Hitler regime in the 1930s.
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Robert Burleigh said,
September 14, 2006 @ 2:41 am
I have a serious question for you all, no matter what political party you may follow, or what you may believe in, this question, although it may not appear to have any relevance to you on the future of our nation, it really does: If you had consistent fires in your home and after an investigation is was discovered that those fires were caused by an electrical issue, would you find out what was causing the issue and fix it, or would you purchase more water to put the fires out? If you believe in the later, you agree with the current administration’s views and objectives on the War on Terror. I am asking this question on a special date of relevance, September 11, 2006, the 5th year anniversary of the destruction of the two World Trade Center towers.
Shouldn’t we be asking why this happening to us is? What is the root cause of this issue and how can we solve it? Why does that sound so logical? But is not actually occurring. Many of my friends and family believe that the individuals that hate us is due to them being jealous of our freedoms and standards of living. Those thoughts could be no far from the truth. If anything the people of the world respect us for what we have obtained in such a short period of time. And they are especially proud because in reality we are a collective consolidation of them.
They are upset at us because we are trying to push our culture and way of thinking upon them. And that we think they are living their lives all wrong. All cultures have their differences, that’s what makes the world so interesting. The problem is, sometimes those differences divide us. Because we can’t understand each other.
Living in South Florida, as I happen to be right now, as an American, it is very difficult. There are times and places where I sometimes feel I am not in my own nation. I am also open minded enough to realize that this could just be a cultural change which I must accept. But it’s not easy, believe me. The history of the world shows us that cultural changes occur. And every single time issues have arisen because of it. You would think that after a period of time that the issues would lessen and lessen, as this occurs. But for some reason they haven’t.
Today in the Middle East, you have multiple nations at war, no matter whether it is legally declared, or not. Those nations are in two basic separate groups, the Muslims and the Jewish people. The actual issue deals with whose land is whose? For thousands of years, we humans migrated from one area to another. For this reason, it made it very difficult to establish the property ownership of land between anyone. When the culture of the world started to shift towards clanship of nationality and race, lines were drawn and borders were formed.
I have been to Israel, their culture and their country is amazing. Their people are probably some of the most beautiful people on earth. I have much respect for them and what they have endured. But I also can’t forget that following World War II, the British drew up some lines and established a State of Israel for all Jewish people to reside. What about the Palestinians? Weren’t they there at least at the same time? It is a very difficult question that many scholars have different opinions on. But the mere fact that opinions vary should be a sign that any kind of variance is possible. America’s staunch support of the State of Israel is not the only issue at hand. The world can take observance of that established state and understand its necessity and meaning, but why are we ignoring completely a significant other view.
I truly believe these people can live in harmony, but it is not going to occur by force. It is going to occur by the entire world coming together and assisting both sides in understanding how to deal with this issue. And especially respecting each side as an equal entity to resolution.
Some of the most conservative people of our great nation believe that if terrorists strike us hard enough, it may change our civilization that we live in. Isn’t this enough for us to ask ourselves, how can we avoid this possibility, even if very remote? We have been very lucky since September 11, 2001; we haven’t experienced any major catastrophic events. What are the possibilities that the people who hate us are watching to see this November, to see if we collectively say, we are not so sure we completely agree with our present leaders today. Maybe they will look at us and say, “Maybe we should give these people another chance, they aren’t so bad after all”.
I refer you back to my original question. Ask yourself, truthfully answer, and decide if you have the ability to accept responsibility for what is occurring in this world. We can’t constantly complain about our leaders if they are in power because of us. Doesn’t that fact alone, being a Democratic nation, being free to elect leaders to represent us, make us responsible?
Robert Burleigh
Fort Lauderdale, Florida