How is it that the American government got caught so flat-footed on 11 September 2012? As Americans observed the eleventh anniversary of the worst terror assault in their country’s history plans were being implemented half a world away for violent protests against anything American.

The US State Department had overlooked the seemingly obvious precaution of bolstering security in world trouble spots around this important date. Intelligence failures would appear to be at issue as well.

Why has this happened? Out-of-context “hope and change” is not enough to protect civilized people from the savages who crawl over this earth.

Pretext For Savagery

On the pretext of offense taken by Islamists at some two-bit web video there are more violent protests in North Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Indonesia. Egged on by the leaders of Afghanistan, Egypt, Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood these savages have taken the primitive violent response to anything they find offensive: kill the Americans! The fact that more Muslims than Americans are usually maimed or killed is just overlooked.

Given the history of these stupid outbreaks we can assume that the violence and protests in the streets will spread and more casualties will be racked up. We have of course heard the same old story many times. Whether it’s the Pope, a novelist, cartoonist, film producer, soldier, athlete or thousands of people working in a modern high-rise, as symbols of modernity and western progress they are potential targets for savage, envious attacks by those who have failed at civilization.

There are as many pretexts for violent protest as there are Islamists.

Weak Defense

A feckless US foreign policy based on appeasement, political correctness and moral equivalency accounts for the “success” of continuing violent protests and morbid threats.

Thus, official statements are couched in terms that express concern about the feelings of Muslims. The mantra about Islam being one of the world’s great religions is uttered as a platitude while no official mention of “Islamic terror” can be heard. Tributes to the cultural contributions to human progress are overstated and grant a moral stature the Islamists do not possess.

Since about 1991, the US found itself the only world superpower and regrettably seems incompetent to handle the responsibility. This was despite being no stranger to the wrath of the primitives in Iran with the 444-day hostage crisis.

By the time the Soviet regime collapsed it was then evident to even the US State Department that Islamism was the biggest threat to civilization.

Misguided Foreign Policy

Where the US officials went wrong was in thinking that Islam and particularly Islamism are compatible with democratic principles. They clearly are not, since they are hybrid political movements. Most manifestations have as an ultimate goal the establishment of some variation of a theocratic regime or caliphate.

It is one of the fundamental tenets of a more secular civilization that religion and the state be separated. Since there are so many religions, they cannot all be right in their conception of a god; they are all different. That is why freedom of expression and religion in a culture are so important; it helps to maintain a civil society to keep religion out of politics.

Proper Response to Savagery

The proper response by the US in the face of violent protests against embassies or other western interests and the murder of American citizens is first to condemn forcefully and without reservation; stand up for the principles of western civilization rather than apologize for aberrations of free speech.

Immediate overwhelming military force should be deployed to back up the condemnation and protect any remaining personnel facing probable threat from the savages.

Foreign offices should be closed indefinitely until some sense of civility can be expected. It should go without saying that all foreign aid should be suspended for similar cause.

The generalized hope that Islamists can help to advance the cause of democratic change in the Islamic world is an insufficient plank in US foreign policy.

©Copyright 2012 Edward Podritske