the Centrist

Al Qaeda Nukes – a clear and present danger
When I search for a subject to research each week I look for one in which I feel passion. I tried to get interested in the ‘Rove thing’, but that is so contrived I couldn’t get hooked … yet. Then there’s the new nominee for the Supreme Court … but one hasn’t as of this date been named, and it should be a ‘no-brainer’ after all Bush ran both of his campaigns on the platform he would appoint strict Constitutionalists to the bench. So that leaves me with a story which won’t die … on the Internet at any rate. It is referred to as the “American Hiroshima” and purports to be the al Qaeda plan for nuclear holocaust against the United States
The only difference between the Cold War opponents of the United States, the Soviets, and the jihad, is that the Soviets were a tangible enemy. They could easily be located and were subject to mutual intimidation … they feared our retaliation, as much as we feared theirs. During the cold war the name of the game was to simply be ‘bigger and badder’ than your adversary. True the Soviets were despots, but rational, all be them vicious, despots. Thus, the stalemate worked. When one understands that socialism, no matter its sincerity, does not work … it is no surprise that their economy collapsed around their attempt to militarily keep pace with our capitalistic system.
A nuclear threat from al Qaeda is different. Islamic fanatics are void of borders and western logic. They have no rational ethic … as they routinely target the most innocent in even their own societies … children. They view Western Civilization is their ‘great satan’, and America is the leader of that Civilization.
Americans have a problem with short term memory. It would be wise to remember the joy 9-11, 3-11, and 7/7 brought to many Moslem Nations. It is not a coincident that there has been almost a total lack of apology from all but a handful of clerics. The question then becomes two fold … do they have nuclear weapons? And … if they have them would they use them?
After the revelation that the London bombers were home grown and educated kids … logic dictates: if British nationals were capable of bombing there, then there is at least a good possibility that American Islamic Nationals may do it here. That is why it is paramount that the radicals never get nuclear technology.
Until recently I truly believed that they did not have either the access or the technology to procure them. Yet several experts claim that al Qaeda has smuggled and deployed them in the United States. According to Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin: “Al-Qaeda’s plans, known as “America’s Hiroshima” … calls for the multiple detonation of nuclear weapons, already in the possession of Osama bin Laden’s operatives currently inside the U.S.” Furthermore, Paul L. Williams, an investigative reporter and former FBI consultant as well as the author several books on terrorism, corroborates Farah’s report: “The attack is designed to kill at least 4 million Americans … Al-Qaida has obtained at least 40 nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union … At this point, the next attempt to attack America at home is just a matter of when, not if.” The plan is to detonate these bombs simultaneously bringing the United States to it knees. Retaliation would be useless because al Qaeda is not a nation. The question would be: Who would you hit and how would you hit them without leadership?
The second question is equally alarming … if they had them would they use them? Tragically this is one area in which most experts agree … yes. There simply is no doubt that radical Islamist mean to kill us with any means available.
Thus, with innuendo and cowardly acts they try to intimidate us. Bombing of the innocent, threats to cripple our economy, and now nuclear holocaust. They may have forgotten the bases and submarines we have stationed around the world ready and able to respond to such a scenario. It is time to put these scare tactics to rest and remind them that we are Americans. President Reagan put it best when he said: “Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or weapon in ‘any’ arsenal in the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.” We are free and we are courageous … because we are Americans. God bless those in our military who chose to put their very lives in harms way to ensure our freedom.