Welcome!

...and let down your nets for a catch. These words from Pope John Paul II illustrate the need to renew culture today and illustrate his extraordinary ability to transform and renew culture. I hope to write not only about culture, but also religion, politics, current events, sports, and entertainment. I also hope this is not only a one-way narrative but the beginning of a dialogue..


Monday, December 28, 2009

Know Thy Enemy

Timeless Wisdom


“One who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be endangered in a hundred agreements. One who does not know the enemy but knows himself will sometimes be victorious, sometimes meet with defeat. One who knows neither the enemy nor himself will invariably be defeated in every engagement [ . . . ] Thus it is said if you know them and know yourself, your victory will not be imperiled.” (Sun Tzu, The Art of War). Sun Tzu's wisdom seems to be ignored by current U.S. administration. In the wake of the Ft. Hood tragedy and the failed attack on NW Flight 253, can Americans expect their government to protect them from both internal and external threats? Or has political correctness and an inability to streamline intelligence reports with federal watch lists hamper national security?


The main question I want to raise is whether the current U.S. administration recognizes the true nature of our enemy. Do they really believe Al-Qaeda operatives are just "extremists" or are their ideological blinders blurring a correct interpretation of jihadist motivations? I like to believe that President Obama and his administration are still presenting a view of national security that has a correct understanding of the Al-Qaeda network. I like to believe that they have read, studied, thought about, discussed, and will base their future strategy on what Al-Qaeda leaders have said. These sound like basic elements of a sound and successful strategy toward terrorism; yet, the administration does not believe our current global conflict is a "War on Terror" or that Al-Qaeda are terrorists.


Our Current Strategy Must Change


President Obama's U.S. counter-terrorism strategy does not receive praise from many Americans because they recognize that his policies are weakening our national security: for example, Obama's attempt at closing Gitmo, exposing CIA operatives for conducting torture during interrogations, focusing on "right-wing" extremists as the real threats to domestic security, calling Al-Qaeda terrorists nothing more than violent extremists, having terror trials for the 9/11 masterminds in New York, not properly handling an act of domestic terrorism by Al-Qaeda operative Major. Hasan, and believing that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's failed terrorist act is simply an isolated incident. Americans and terrorists alike both recognize these steps are signs of weakness, not strength. They only embolden groups like Al-Qaeda and spread fear among Americans that the U.S. government is not truly protecting them.


Al Qaeda has admitted their responsibility behind the attempted Christmas Day bombing of NW flight 253. The Arabian Peninsula branch of Al-Qaeda claims the attempted bombing was a retaliatory strike stemming from a U.S.-led attack earlier this month on Yemeni Al-Qaeda operatives. Regrettably, this attempted bombing on NW Flight 253 could have been entirely avoided: stopping Umar from gaining access to an international flight by understanding the numerous red flags (him being on a federal terrorist watch list, his dad claiming Umar's radicalism, him buying a one-way ticket with cash and having no carry on bags, etc). We have all heard the list of red flags by now.

Never Forget Who We Fight


What we all must remember is Al-Qaeda's goal of destroying the West, America in particular, by having flexible and ever-changing strategies to avoid detection. No full-body screeners or extra security measures will truly make America and the world safe; only strategies that are based upon the recognition of Al-Qaeda's complex nature will make our world secure. Their whole philosophy of conducting terrorist attacks are linked, not isolated, in that their aims are to economically, pyschologically, and physcially damage their enemies. Their leaders, Osama bin Laden and Dr. Zawahiri, abhor moderate Muslims. They believe that Muslims can kill their own non-Muslim family members, believe it is obligatory to overthrow nations that do not follow Shariah law, and regard offensive jihad as a basic tenet of Islam. Al Qaeda can achieve their goals by pulling off multiple attacks like September 11th, 2001 or a single mission such as the attempted massacre on NW Flight 253. Frank Gaffney, from the Center for Security Policy, accurately explains Al-Qaeda's global mission while Janet Napolitano and President Obama fail to comprehend Al-Qaeda's nature.


Looking Forward


This War on Terror is at a crossroads. Al-Qaeda continues to plan attacks on America and her allies. Their is no denying this. Despite President Obama's idealistic national security strategy toward the Muslim world, Umar's attempt to destroy NW flight 253 shows how young men continue to radicalize. His radicalization is a clear rejection of Obama's attempt to reach out to Muslims. President Obama and his administration must re-think their strategy toward Al-Qaeda and figure out the security/intelligence failures that occurred. We must learn from our these mistakes, hold our government accountable, and demand leadership against terrorism. America cannot fail and it cannot falture. We must work with other countries to prevent attacks from occurring. Our survival depends on it.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Is the Senate Health Care Bill Constitutional?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exericse thereof.." (Amendment I to U.S. Constitution)

So, I have been thinking about the legality of the current health care bill (the Senate version) for weeks. As a Catholic, I follow Church teaching that explicity forbids abortion. In the U.S. Constitution, the first amendment clearly states that Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. Clearly, if the current Senate version becames law and forces taxpayers to pay for elective abortions, isn't this a violation of the 1st Amendment? Or is there some way the Congress can avoid what is explicity stated in the 1st Amendment?

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Lingering Questions about Afghanistan

President Obama’s Afghanistan speech outlined an ill-conceived strategy for our country and only encouraged our enemies to muddle through until late 2011 to once again re-emerge. I support sending more troops to Afghanistan and the pressure he wants to place on Pakistan. Yet, President Obama should have listened to General McCrystal’s recommendation of 60,000 – 80,000 troops to ensure a low-risk strategy.

Also, he should not have explained our game plan to our enemies: when troops will begin pulling out, what markers of progress there will be, and the short time span given to train Afghan police. Our enemies (Al Qaeda and the Taliban) understand Sun Tzu concepts in his masterpiece “The Art of War.” They recognize that they can lay low, wait until American troops withdraw, and then attack after a perceived U.S. victory in late 2011. They know the art of deception; it is their modus operandi.

As far as the Afghan army, how long will it take the U.S military to properly and effectively train them? Will they be able to resist the Taliban if they re-emerge with only 18 (maybe 15 once additional troops actually arrive) months of additional training? Will the Afghan people, whose hearts and minds we seek to win over, continue to support the U.S. coalition? The Afghan people know that as soon as America pre-maturely pull outs of Afghanistan the Taliban will sweep in and once again brutalize them. We can only hope this new strategy accounts for these questions and that we can continue to beat back terrorists who threaten our country, our military, and our values.