Anyone who believes that we are winning the so called “Global War on Terrorism” has not endured an airport screening lately. Winning the peace would mean that you could board a plane as stress free as you did before 9-11. No, what we see and feel in today’s America is not what peace looks like. This is what continuous war feels like, and it appears that our side is further from victory than we were in November of 2001 when Kabul fell to U.S. backed Northern Alliance. The strategy to win this long war is yet to be designed. Apparently there are no strategists in the Pentagon. Our generals operate at an operational level at best or perhaps even worse, as recent revelations concerning retired General Petraeus would indicate, maybe today’s generals make love not war.
Before FAOs can develop and implement strategies, the ruling class must first have the courage to identify and name the enemy. Did killing Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden help you to sleep more comfortably? Probably not, because by ridding the world of these two evil monsters we did little to weaken the enemy’s center of gravity. But who is the enemy and what is his center of gravity? More than ten years after 9-11 and that question remains unanswered, even unasked.
Do Salafists, as commanded by their Koran, mean to either convert non-Muslims to Islam, make us dhimmis (second class citizen with no real rights), or failing that, kill us? If so, they should be named as enemies of the United States. On the other hand if you believe that Salafists will choose to violate this fundamental precept and let non-Muslims live and let live, there is no reason to continue reading this post. The center of gravity in this long war is the support that certain regimes provide to Salafism. FAOs will develop strategies that cause those regimes to cease providing that support or replace them with regimes that will not.
This must be an “all in” commitment by our citizens and politicians, not just another forgotten police action fought by our soldiers and Marines. We escaped relatively unharmed from the wars in Vietnam and Korea because our enemy was not motivated by religion. The American people, by and large, do not understand the Islamic-supremacist ideology. Prospects for defeating this enemy would be enhanced if Congress would debate the nature of the threat and declare war on regimes that actively support anti-American jihad. America is in a long war not of her choosing. In order to ensure the long term support of the American public during this clash of civilizations, the ruling class needs to get serious.
ST UnWoked & UnVaxxed! 
The ruling class will never get serious, but that is why Trump. The ruling class you speak of is being overthrown, and Thank God for that.
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Leaving the political elements aside – as I must, for my own sanity – I say: Huzzah! to seeing this again in all its glory; and Amen! to Congresscritters, et al. “getting serious”.
Just now finished stuff for the office: Whew! May I decompress at the corner table for a bit, ST?
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P. S. ‘Political elements’ refers to any mention, by me, though not by anyone else, of any particular office-holder. I choose this stance to avoid the “ever/never” armed camps of the legacy site, neither of which fit. Go for it, JaC!
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Thanks for the decoder ring.
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Sure. Thanks for the corner table….It’s been a day.
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P.P.S. I still don’t see the “edit” button for comments, otherwise I’d use it more often….smile.
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“Anyone who believes that we are winning the so called “Global War on Terrorism” has not endured an airport screening lately.”
2 stories:
1. Boarding a flight at CDG, I was stopped and frisked by an openly rude Muslim woman. I still believe that in a busy, international environment, there are “tells” and I can assure you as a 5′ 3″ blonde American, I didn’t have any but two young Islamic men with full Taliban beards waltzed right through to their seats. I thoroughly objected and managed to get the always competent French security to drag me into their back office for interrogation. I almost missed my flight and my husband was none too happy avec moi!
2. I was cranky to begin with because before this flight, my favorite Sephora tweezers were seized from my carry-on because they were considered dangerous weapons. Since they cost me $48 dollars, I was p***ed.
I think I’ll stay home.
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Thank you! That is my primary measuring stick for “not letting the terrorists win.” What a joke! Every airport that I fly through reinforces for me the fact that the mohamedans (but I repeat myself and/ or find it redundant to call them Islamic terrorists) are winning/ have already won.
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Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed.
There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants
to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!
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That is not exactly what a four-year-old would be expecting from her mommy. Thanks for commenting here. BTW there are no off-topic comments on ST Unleashed!
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I mean Winning the Peace – ST Unleashed!
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You might add a related video or a picture or two to get people excited about everything’ve written. Just my opinion, it would bring your posts
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Thanks for the great comment and wonderful advice, Felica.
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