Terror In Tennessee
How many times are we going to watch this play out?
Once again, unarmed U.S. servicemen were gunned down by a radical Islamist, this time in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We have seen this tragedy too many times -- Fort Hood and the Little Rock recruiting center (Did you forgot about that one?). We have seen attacks on soldiers in Canada and in the streets of London, where a soldier was beheaded. Other planned attacks were thwarted.
We have learned that one of the Marines murdered yesterday fought twice in Iraq and was decorated for his service. Because this Marine had been betrayed by the left's radical anti-Second Amendment agenda, one inexperienced jihadist succeeded in doing in Chattanooga what trained Islamists could not do in Iraq.
But if you need a reminder of how committed the Obama Administration is to doing everything it can to prevent us from understanding the dangers we face, ponder this: It's the last day of Ramadan. We were told to expect attacks over the July 4th holiday. Alerts went out warning soldiers and police officers to be careful.
The jihadist is 24 years old. His name is Muhammad. He's from Kuwait. He is a Muslim. His father was once on the terrorism watch list. As a high school student he complained about being discriminated against. He became increasingly devout.
Yet, this morning there were streaming headlines on every channel saying that the FBI is still searching for a motive and can't find a link to terrorism.
Over the years, I have had the greatest respect for the brave men and women in the FBI. There is no way the FBI I have known my entire life would put out public statements suggesting that they have no clue what this is all about. If the FBI is so clueless, we should shut it down because it would be worthless.
I'll make the same observation I have made many times over the last seven years: Why aren't more good Americans resigning their government positions rather than becoming tools of this administration's propaganda machine?
Obama's Reaction
In recent years when young African Americans have been killed in confrontations with police, the president has rarely hesitated to cite the death as an example of the racism that still exists in American society and law enforcement.
When a thug in North Carolina shot members of a Muslim family, the president said it was a likely hate crime and evidence that some people in this country still do not accept their fellow Muslim citizens.
The president yesterday seemed simply to be going through the motions. He could have easily said, "We are still investigating, but this was a young Muslim man, and it is the end of Ramadan. Common sense tells us that there is a major problem within Islam that must be addressed."
But the words "Muslim" or "Islam" were never mentioned during his measured and halting response.
Think about this: One demonic bigot who posed for a picture with a Confederate battle flag kills nine God-fearing black Americans in a church and Obama and the entire left-wing establishment use that act to wage war on Southern culture.
Beyond removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina capitol grounds, there is now talk of tearing down statues, sandblasting mountains and literally digging up graves.
The same president tells us time and again that the Muslims killing us are not Muslims, are not speaking for Muslims and have nothing to do with Muslims.
I saw a photo of a Marine handing a folded American flag to a Chattanooga police officer yesterday as a gesture of thanks for coming to the rescue of our Marines. I don't think the left has any idea what that symbolism means to most Americans.
If only we could get the left to wage war on the radical Islamists who want us all dead with the same vengeance they deploy against conservatives, ISIS wouldn't stand a chance!
From a public policy standpoint, let's at least do the easy thing: Let the young men and women we send to fight on foreign battlefields have their weapons! One Islamist thug can kill four Marines in the heartland of America because not one of them had a way to fight back.
Obama's Bad Deal
A new Associated Press poll finds that most Americans disapprove of Obama's approach to dealing with Iran. According to the poll:
· 77% of Americans want sanctions against the Iranian regime to remain in place or be strengthened. Only 19% believe the sanctions against Iran should be reduced or eliminated, which is exactly what Obama's nuclear deal does.
· 86% of Americans consider Iran to be an enemy or unfriendly.
· 60% of Americans disapprove of Obama's handling of Iran.
With that in mind, here are some brief talking points regarding the Iranian nuclear deal that I hope you will find useful in the days ahead as you talk with friends and family members.
10 Quick Reasons to Oppose the Iran Deal
1. Iran has a long history of cheating.
2. The inspections allowed are not adequate to catch their cheating.
3. Iran receives $100 billion as soon as the deal is implemented.
4. Iran keeps its nuclear facilities and equipment.
5. Iran can continue its nuclear research and we even promise to help them.
6. Sanctions are lifted on the Iranian military, including forces who killed U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
7. Iran is not restricted from funding terrorist groups including Hamas and Hezbollah, who hate Israel and the U.S.
8. The deal will set off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and a make war more likely.
9. The deal abandons Israel and our other allies while we embrace Iran.
10. The fate of Americans held in Iranian jails on false charges were not included in the deal.