In this the day of political spin, the aim of which is to disguise, obfuscate, prevaricate, or outright lie, it is refreshing to read the opinions of honest, intelligent writers who think and speak with moral clarity. Five such men are: Victor Davis Hanson, Charles Krauthammer, Andrew McCarthy, Thomas Sowell, and Mark Steyn. These five will never be accused of being politically correct, and we are in their debt for that. If you listen to those who speak for the current administration, you will understandably be confused as to whether we are, in fact, at war, and, if we are at war, who it is we are fighting (this is still true even after the president recently deigned to mention the words "war" and "al qaeda" in the same sentence). The columns by each of the above five writers leave the reader laboring under no such confusion. Examples of their work can be accessed by clicking on their names above. Here are some clips:
Much of radical Islam’s posture is predicated on our expected response. When we did nothing during the Iranian hostage crisis, more or less whined after the Marine-barracks bombing, sent a few cruise missiles after the East African embassy attacks, litigated the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and forgot the USS Cole, bin Laden concluded that the West was the “weak horse” and pressed on.
Victor Davis Hanson
This is a fanatical religious sect dedicated to establishing the most oppressive medieval theocracy and therefore committed to unending war with America not just because it is infidel but because it represents modernity with its individual liberty, social equality (especially for women), and profound tolerance (religious, sexual, philosophical). You going to change that by evacuating Guantanamo?
Charles Krauthammer
The FBI and the rest of our Islamophilic government have their story, and they’re sticking to it. The terrorists’ siege on our nation has nothing to do with Islam. It is the work of al-Qaeda, and al-Qaeda terrorists — so the catechism goes — are not true Muslims. Sure, Osama bin Laden & Co. accurately quote Islamic scriptural injunctions to wage jihad against non-Muslims. But never mind that: Islam is an irenic, unmitigated good; in fact, it is one of our best weapons against terrorism.
Andrew McCarthy
In ways large and small, domestically and internationally, the West is surrendering on the installment plan to Islamic extremists.
The late Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn put his finger on the problem when he said: "The timid civilized world has found nothing with which to oppose the onslaught of a sudden revival of barefaced barbarity, other than concessions and smiles."
Thomas Sowell
What did the Pantybomber have a membership card in? Well, he was president of the Islamic Society of University College, London. Kafeel Ahmed, who died after driving a burning jeep into the concourse of Glasgow Airport, had been president of the Islamic Society of Queen’s University, Belfast. Yassin Nassari, serving three years in jail for terrorism, was president of the Islamic Society of the University of Westminster. Waheed Arafat Khan, arrested in the 2006 Heathrow terror plots that led to Americans having to put their liquids and gels in those little plastic bags, was president of the Islamic Society of London Metropolitan University.
Mark Steyn
