Quick Roundup 47

A couple of readers have made my life easy this morning by drawing my attention to some excellent reading on the current war.

The April Issue ...

... of The Undercurrent, is loaded with good articles about the war. I'd read Felipe Sediles's article awhile back, but had not gotten back there. And then commenter G. Davis drew my attention to this outstanding piece by John Lewis on the moral goodness of the atomic bombing of Japan that ended World War II.

The bombings marked America's total victory over a militaristic culture that had murdered millions. To return an entire nation to morality, the Japanese had to be shown the literal meaning of the war they had waged against others. The abstraction "war," the propaganda of their leaders, their twisted samurai "honor," their desire to die for the emperor--all of it had to be given concrete form. This is what firebombing Japanese cities accomplished. It showed the Japanese that "this"-- point to burning buildings, screaming children scarred unmercifully, piles of corpses, the promise of starvation -- "this is what you have done to others. Now it has come for you. Give it up, or die." This was the only way to show them the true nature of their philosophy, and to beat the truth of the defeat into them. [bold added]

In fact, the table of contents is itself thought-provoking reading. I reproduce here just the parts pertinent to the war.

• Death to "Diplomacy" With Iran, by Elan Journo
• Domestic Security Secures our Demise, by Felipe Sediles
• The Moral Goodness of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, by John Lewis
• World Peace Requires World Freedom, by Audra Hilse
• The Backward Strategy of Democracy, by Rebecca Knapp
• The Roots of the Hamas Victory, by Corinne L. Bloch

If, like myself, you've been too busy or preoccupied to give this issue a good going-through, do so at the next available opportunity.

A Warning from the "Future"

And Hannes Hacker pointed out (via Paul Hsieh) this excellent science fiction piece by Dan Simmons, also on the need for America to fight the current war ruthlessly.

The Time Traveler shook his head. "You've understood nothing I've said. Nothing. Athens failed in Syracuse -- and doomed their democracy -- not because they fought in the wrong place and at the wrong time, but because they weren't ruthless enough. They had grown soft since their slaughter of every combat-age man and boy on the island of Melos, the enslavement of every woman and girl there. The democratic Athenians, in regards to Syracuse, thought that once engaged they could win without absolute commitment to winning, claim victory without being as ruthless and merciless as their Spartan and Syracusan enemies. The Athenians, once defeat loomed, turned against their own generals and political leaders -- and their official soothsayers. If General Nicias or Demosthenes had survived their captivity and returned home, the people who sent them off with parades and strewn flower petals in their path would have ripped them limb from limb. They blamed their own leaders like a sun-maddened dog ripping and chewing at its own belly." [bold added]

The time traveller does not just provide a history lesson, though. He also warns of the consequences of our country failing to show the Islamists what their creed of jihad means. Namely, that we will be forced to live by it or under it ourselves -- to suffer the consequences ourselves.

"Under sharia -- which will be the universal law of Eurabia," persisted the Time Traveler, "the value of a dhimmi's life, the value of your grandchildren, is one half the value of a Muslim's life. Jews and Christians are worth one-third of a Muslim. Indian Parsees are worth one-fifteenth. In a court of the Eurabian Caliphate or the Global Khalifate, if a Muslim murders a dhimmi, any infidel, he must pay a blood money fine not to exceed one thousand euros. No Muslim will ever be jailed or sentenced to death for the murder of any dhimmi or any number of dhimmis. If the murders were done under the auspices of Universal Compulsive Jihad, which will be sanctioned by sharia as of 2019 Common Era, all blood money fines are waived."

If this doesn't pique your interest, I don't know what will. It's long, but very readable. In fact, since it also explains what such terms as "dhimmi" mean and provides some historical context, it might be a good way to get someone you know up to speed on what they mean. Read it. That way, I won't have to tell you to bookmark it.

Iranian Threats

Iran, which wants the bomb so it can threaten Europe and incinerate Israel, is threatening us with suicide bombers if we do anything about their nuclear ambitions. Cox and Forkum provide a roundup of pertinent commentary.

War is upon us. Will we fight back? Or will we permit the Iranians to give to us what they deserve to get themselves?

-- CAV

Updates

4-18-06: Added link to Dan Simmons.