Mark Steyn at his brilliant best
Mark Steyn is a hero of mine. His writing cuts through with wit and humour. More importantly, it lays bare the blatant stupidity of our times.
He is at his brilliant best in his latest piece in the National Review Online. Steyn writes that:
On December 7, 1941, the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor was attacked. Three years, eight months, and eight days later, the Japanese surrendered. These days, America’s military moves at a more leisurely pace. On November 5, 2009, another U.S. base, Fort Hood, was attacked — by one man standing on a table, screaming “Allahu akbar!” and opening fire. Three years, nine months, and one day later, his court-martial finally got under way.
He finishes his piece with this point – we are at war but we don’t know who the enemy is. No other civilisation has been so stupid as to make that mistake.
The response to Nidal Hasan helps explain why, in Afghanistan and elsewhere, this war is being lost — because it cannot be won because, increasingly, it cannot even be acknowledged. Which helps explain why it now takes the U.S. military longer to prosecute a case of “workplace violence” than it did to win World War Two.
To read the entire piece, click here.
Despite the might of the US military, it harbours enemies in the ranks. Australia’s military is no different. It is seeking to recruit from a segment of society that prefers to send its sons off to fight with jihadists. And it also brands those who question Islam as racist and subjects them to ongoing and seemingly never-ending investigation.
The ‘War on Terror’ perfectly summarises the last ten years of wasted effort. It’s the kind of name you choose when it’s easier to lose a war than identify the enemy.
