Anniversary of USS Cole bombing

Anniversary of USS Cole bombing (post on 12th)

Primary article for today is from the BBC
Secondary article is on Michelle Malkin’s blog.

Today is the 5th anniversary of the attack on the USS Cole, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer. A small boat packed with explosives was steered by the suicide bombers to the side of the ship, then detonated, blasting a hole in the hull 40 feet wide. Seventeen sailors were killed and at least forty were injured. The ship was severely damaged, but it was not destroyed; it is still on duty today.

This is a reminder to us how long-lasting and continuous the Jihad Muslim’s hostility towards the United States, and Western civilization itself. Only two years before, the US embassies at Kenya and Tanzania were bombed, killing 224 people. The latter half of the 20th century was pierced by terrorist attacks: the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the plane hijackings, the hostage-taking, and more. Very little was done by the US, or any other nation, to stop this Islamic jihad violence. The little action that was taken was to kill or capture those directly responsible, usually no more than a handful of men; this is called, “police action.” Sometimes, no action was taken at all. This emboldened the terrorists, and they continued to plan and carry out attacks and increase their forces. With the 2001 September 11th attacks, the Bush administration decided to do things differently. September 11th was seen as an act of war, requiring a massive military response, not merely a police action. This, I believe, is the wisest way to deal with the problem.

If we take out a few here and there, only those directly responsible for a particular attack, then others will quickly replace them in the terrorist network. However, the continued mass capturing and killing of terrorist leaders and troops would leave terror networks always struggling, and with skeleton forces and resources. As a general once said, “hit hard, hit fast, and keep on hitting.”

The passive resistance of the United States before September 11th is illustrated very well in