A terrorist threat in our midst?

Today’s Washington Post has several articles that are grist for thought for the American people but especially for those of us who have worn the American uniform.  As we turn toward war escalation in western Asia for reasons that seem shakey and not-completely-forthright at best (I am being charitable to the President here) violence is showing its potential here at home.

In an article entitled A terrorist threat in our midst? Colbert King tells us of the five Northern Virginia men arrested in Pakistan for attempting to get training for jihad against the USA.

We will have more and more of this as we expand our involvement into the Muslim Wars of the Reformation uninvited.  If we cannot keep our nose out of this worldwide Muslim infighting over theological matters that do not concern the West, the participants will find a way to break it for us.

In a related article, Arrests suggest U.S. Muslims, like those in Europe, can be radicalized abroad , we learn what American Muslims are attempting to do here at home to counteract the radicalization of the young.

In this article, Five from Northern Virginia had months of contact with Taliban, officials say we learn that these young men seemed to be the very soul of peace loving citizens.  Great. 

This is only the tip of the iceberg.  There is more of this to come if we continue to instruct Muslims on how to wage their own internecine holy war against each other overseas.  Will we ever learn?

As we are about to launch a very expensive war escalation effort in western and central Asia we have an article in the Post entitled Nations’ mounting debts worry global investors with a subtitle that reads Greece’s troubles are a particular concern after bonds took a tumble  that tells us another side to the story.

As more money gets poured into a useless war we are less able as every day goes by to assist other countries in warding off global economic disaster.  It is actually quite simple. The more money we spend on war, the less we have to spend on getting ourselves and the world out of financial hell.  This defies reason as to why we are jumping into a war that we cannot afford and in which the world cannot help us monetarily due to weakened financial markets around the globe.

And the final story I will post from the Post is entitled Full participation for our ‘sisters-in-arms’ which speaks to the problems of the over 22,000 women who have already served in the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

We need to be involved in these wars like we need a plate of rubber spaghetti to serve to our holiday guests.  It just makes no sense.

Get informed and stay informed.  An informed veteran is a comfort to his friends and a danger to his adversaries.

CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)