Global War on Terrorists revisited

As you read, keep this picture in your mind. It is Libyans trying to pull the U.S. Ambassador to safety.
US Ambassador to Libya killed
US suspects jihadists in Libyan attack
Strike in Libya suspected to have been coordinated
Not all agree that all are Anti-American
Some help evacuate ... but four die
For those who thought the Global War on Islamic Terrorists was over: Think again.
This war probably is just beginning. As Winston Churchill said after the climax of the Battle of Britain in 1940: This is not the beginning of the end, but it is probably the end of the beginning.
The Islamic terrorists basically won the prelims and round 1 (9/11), with the US basically winning on points round 2 (we got Osama Bin Laden and a few others of the top leaders of the Al Qaeda gangs), as well as knocked Saddam Hussein out of the box (yes, he was supporting Islamic terrorists, just not Al Qaeda Islamic terrorists, directly). However, that does not mean the fight is over.
The question, now, is where do we go from here? Well, as the latest 9/11 attacks on 9/11/12 indicate, the forces wanting to do harm to the United States are still organized and still capable of organized and well executed attacks. Anybody who thought differently needs to reevaluate their perspectives.
Having said that, it would be easy to go off the deep end and blame all Muslims for what transpired this week, when obviously that would be untrue. Just as those in the Islamic world blame all Americans and all Christians for all the evils that they perceive in the world also are mistaken.
Still, whatever percentage of the Muslim world it is, the number of jihadists and fanatics that see the world through a prism that allows only Islam to shine through is very large and very dangerous. Whether it was the demonstration at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, or the demonstration/attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, there are those in the Islamic world who are willing if not to use violence, then to threaten its use, to protest speech that is protected in other parts of the world and in a more perfect world would be protected in their own parts. However, the tolerance necessary for that to happen apparently is not available among these people.
So, how do you impose tolerance on people. Force rarely works. It just tends to piss off people who weren’t pissed off in the first place but got caught in the crossfire. The U.S. has plenty of experience with that racket and we never seem to learn from it.
Of course, the object is to make it in the enlightened self-interest of those who live in the area where it is unsafe to be an American or a Christian come around to the point of view that making life unsafe for Americans or Christians, or for that matter any minority, definitely is not only not in their own interest but also not in the best interest of those contemplating acts which make it unsafe for Americans or Christians.
We hope that the governments in Egypt and, especially, Libya have already gotten that message. All the things I said in my post “Something wrong here” hold very true. But it is time for the new regimes in Libya and Egypt to step up to the plate and demonstrate that they have gotten the message. Libya appears to be making the appropriate noises, while the new president of Egypt seems to be blaming the victims. That is not appropriate.
No, I feel our Arab Muslim friends need to get themselves out of the playpen or schoolyard mentality or they just might get treated like children.
I have said before and reiterate here, the Islamic world is in desperate need of a rapid period of reformation and enlightenment, much like the Christian west went through three to five centuries ago.
If modern Muslims can get past the violence that is in much of the Quran (just as there is much in the Christian bibles – mainly in the Old Testament, however), then possibly the impending clash of civilizations won’t happen. Still, if only 1 percent of the billion or so Muslims in the world hold to the ways of Islamic Jihadists, we are talking about 100 million people. That is an awful lot of people bent on making war.
The words you see now coming from Americans is merely frustration and exasperation. I would dare say that most Americans really don’t want to go to war with Islam or its radical jihadists. Nope, we would rather sit home and enjoy our family lives, just like most Muslims would like to do the same.
The problem, apparently (on the Muslim side of the equation), is that the religious and political leaders keep stirring the pot. There comes a point, unfortunately, when following people like that becomes counterproductive, if not downright unhealthy, particularly if you are messing with the 900-pound gorilla.
If the gorilla loses its temper (to really mix clichés) it is going to be like the bull in a china shop and a whole lot of things are going to get broken, hurt, killed, etc. that don’t have to get killed, hurt, broken or destroyed. It is not going to be a pretty sight.
The problem is with the Islamic jihadists, no matter how they try, they are not going to kill the 900-pound gorilla without a whole lot of the world suffering. It then behooves the rest of the world to choose sides.
Now, I am not saying this 900-pound gorilla is perfect, or ever will be a perfect gentleperson, but it can be reasoned with and it can willingly reach mutual accommodations. It is, however, not a pacifist. It will strike out when wounded or angered, just like any human or any other animal.
The question then becomes in this Global War on Islamic Terrorists, does the rest of the world want to sit on the sidelines and hope the big guy doesn’t get so mad that he starts doing things that he and they will regret. Remember, despite what you think, there are no Roger Rabbit bullets yet … they still are Dumb-Dumbs.
I don’t have the answer, other than to say to the rest of the world: I suspect that American patience and tolerance is wearing thin. Whether you want to admit it or not, but the Americans have been asked to play global constable and firefighter for the last 70 years and I suspect that a lot of Americans are about ready to hang up those badges.
Some of you might want to say “great, just want we want,” but be careful for what you wish for. Without the restraints of the badge, Americans might turn out to be just like you … only with a lot more firepower. Is that what you want? As much as I hate having to have had carried that badge, I would rather we operate under its restraints than without it. It could get awfully ugly and I hate that type of ugly even more.
We would really rather see all those people, Muslim and not, who don’t agree with the Islamic jihadists to stand up and take back their neighborhoods. It is their town. They have to live in it and if they don’t want to see it smashed flat because some big hammer came crashing down to smash some bad guys, then maybe they should take care of the bad guys.
Just some random thoughts here; I won’t venture to say they are coherent, but they are one American’s reaction to the world.

Post Script: You want a clue about what happened in Libya ... watch the movie "Rules of Engagement", it came out in 2000.