WINNING THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM 

By James Mooney

America's war against terrorism is flawed in one very major way. We have chosen to do battle with our enemies without using our most potent weapon.

What would we think of our military leaders if they were to send our fighting men and women into battle, while denying them use of our best weapons of war?

Well I suggest that we, as a nation, are doing just that by not engaging the enemy on the battlefield of ideas where this war is really being fought. This war against global terrorism is first and foremost a war of ideas and we have abandoned this most important field of conflict and left it to our enemies.

The body of ideas which constitute the American philosophy, so well exposed in the declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the storied history of its people, is the most powerful tool we have in defeating the terrorists who wish to do us harm.

Consider the Muslim people who declare their hate towards us. How very few have ever really been allowed to know the ideals which we believe in. We have allowed their minds to be influenced exclusively by the leaders of an evil cause. It would also be shortsighted and bigoted of us to assume that Muslim people are predisposed to accept the "Hate America" message of the terrorists. In fact, the views of the terrorists are very much in the minority in all the countries of the Middle East, yet it is among the citizens of these countries that the terrorists do their fundraising. This is also where the recruiting is done to find the young foot solders. These young men are manipulated in their thinking to carry out the biddings of the terrorist elite, who corrupt the true meaning of the Koran in pursuit of their despotic dreams of power.  The views of the terrorists and those who hate America are portrayed in a sympathetic light daily on television stations such as Al Jazeera. We therefore already know what ideas they are using to pollute the minds of the Muslim people. We can and should confront them with the truths about ourselves.

PROPOSAL

There is only one long-term solution to our problems over there. Common sense tells us that the terrorists would not last two weeks if their views were to become the scourge of Muslim society. Such a thing would cut off their main support system, their resources, and inevitably the entire terrorist network would wither away. We must attempt to influence the common, average citizens of the Muslim world if we wish to have any real expectation of achieving lasting peace in that part of the world. These common tyrants need to have the failings of their philosophy exposed for what it is, a cruel assault against the true meaning of the Koran and all humanity.

What I propose is creating a privately run organization dedicated to creating premium print, television and radio programming which would be distributed and broadcast throughout the Muslim world.  Its purpose:  To inform the people of the Muslim countries of our own nation’s history, the basic tenets of the ideals of individual freedom that America is based upon, our hopes and desires for peace with other nations of the world, and our intentions towards them.

I’m talking about something much more than our government run Radio Free Middle-East, whose programming is only meant to provide news content and which is designed and produced by the same bureaucrats who give us so many forgettable productions. The organization I have in mind would not merely provide relevant news, but intellectual, honest information on ideas.  It would be involved in distributing printed materials, along with purchasing major TV and radio time throughout the Muslim world, with program content being created by the best in the business and featuring the most influential Americans we can imagine. The programs would be made in the languages of the people we wish to inform and influence, with much consideration given to all their cultural sensitivities.

For starters I would print the major documents that establish our freedoms and protect the same; The Declaration Of Independence and the Constitution with Bill of Rights. They would be accompanied by a brief explanation of what our freedoms mean to our society. I might also print and distribute Thomas Pain's "Common Sense"; an excellent explanation of our ideals that not only tells the why of our country's origins, but with a relevance and applicability that they could understand in context with their own core values and religious convictions. Among other things, these profound documents would show that the co-existence of individual freedom and regard for the Muslim religion is possible.

Imagine if you will, a television or radio program, made with the highest production qualities, featuring such notable figures as the President himself, members of his cabinet, of the US Senate and Congress. Americas leaders from business, law, medicine, science, and the clergy; all telling the American story to the people who need to hear it the most.  It is well past the time for us to speak-up for our convictions, not only to overcome those who wish to destroy us, but for our children and citizens here, many of whom are losing sight of our country's values, for these programs would be appropriate for many American audiences also.

The World War II generation of Americans had bond rallies and scrap drives throughout the country to support our troops overseas. What is our generation doing to help ours? This is our chance to contribute. As long as we have brave soldiers dying on the field of battle, it behooves us to provide whatever support we can. It is well past the time when the politicians and citizens back here in America provide this support.

After all, don’t we truly believe in the American ideals? Isn’t this what we are truly defending in this war? Surly we cannot believe that we would lose any open debate to people who advocate murder, oppression, and bigotry.