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 The War On Terrorism: Phase Two or Phase Ridiculous?
By Phillip Hartman
While the fighting in Afghanistan settles into a long, and possibly costly, mop-up operation, the second phase of the war on terrorism is moving ahead swiftly. US Special Forces are already in the Philippines training and equipping Filipino troops and accompanying them on combat missions against Muslim guerrillas. Although the US government claims Abu Sayyaf--the most vicious Muslim group--has links to bin Ladens al Qaeda, it has never explained what these connections are beyond saying a few of their Filipino members attended an al Qaeda training camp. We do know that Abu Sayyaf is composed of approximately one hundred dizzy fanatics who reside in the deep jungles of the Philippines and whose philosophy is a weird bent of religious fantasy and bloody reality. We know its revenue comes from kidnapping for ransom and be-heading if payments are tardy. We know, then, Abu Sayyfaf is genuine jungle Mafia. Instead of wearing expensive Italian shoes and slurping pasta, these nasty Tarzans strut around in recycled Michelin rubber sandals and chew coconut husks. But the thirst for blood is the same. We also know that Abu Sayyaf does not possess the capacity to attack New York. This is important. Abu Sayyaf even lacks the expertise and resources to assist other terrorist groups to attack New York. Nearly as important. Which brings me to this conclusion: if Americans avoid the far jungles of the Philippines, they will not be kidnapped and they will not be decapitated. Well, by Abu Sayyaf. There is still the Bronx. The harebrained wisdom spewing from the Pentagon, that is, normal military self-interest peddled as national need, claims Americans have the inalienable right to inspect jungle foliage anywhere, without losing their heads. So the US has deployed more than 500 highly trained US soldiers and sent $130 million in military aid to the Philippines to assist Filipinos hunt down approximately 100 beheading jungle lunatics. Im not very good at math, but I just figured out this is more than one million dollars for one dead lunatic. Which brings up the question, who are the real loony ones? As the war on terrorism moves beyond Afghanistan, the US needs to decide upon a criterion for deploying troops and shelling out military aid. If the wars goal is to eradicate every fringe lunatic with a hatchet, then the Pentagon must be rejoicing because it has stumbled upon one fantastic budget-generating substitute for the Cold War. As long as there is inequality on this planet and hostility toward the wealthy and the powerful, there will be losers who want to eliminate the fortunate ones. And Americans are fortunate ones. On the other hand, if the goal of the war on terrorism is to take out only those who possess the potential to seriously harm America, the Pentagon might be forced to forgo bankrupting the nation and actually focus on national defense. That is, if the US military restricted itself to legitimate foreign targets, it could kill the enemy and enable the nation to survive with economic prosperity. This would be a policy for true national defense. What needs to be done, then, is to separate these two groups of lunatics: those who droll heavy envy and spit fiery rage yet lack the capacity to inflict harm on America, and those who possess this capacity. Targeting the larger group would allow our Potomac bumpkins to spend the US military around the globe, searching and destroying every nook and cranny to drain the worlds cesspools. This would be a serious mistake. Because eventually the US would fall into a quagmire that wouldnt let go. Such is the history of the United States in the Vietnam War, where we were the ones drained. If the goal is to eliminate only those that can hurt America, those who possess the intention and capability to strike America, then the military can forget the jungle lunatics and desert crazies. Although distasteful, they are not genuine threats and therefore should not be targets. This concoction of losers fuming hatred is certainly not worth more foreign military disasters, more American lives lost, especially when national security has become a truly pressing concern. US troops, then, should not be in the Philippines housecleaning the jungle of Abu Sayyaf; US aid should not be subsidizing Filipino generals and their mistresses. Instead, the US military should be killing those who are motivated and capable of attacking America. The US military should be doing everything it can to make America secure. Phillip Hartman lives in Manhattan and seldom sets foot in the Bronx, and never in the jungles of the Philippines. He prefers his New York bunker and vacations only in Miami Beach.
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