Cocoon of Denial

Following in the long tradition of those who believe that words matter more than actions, the Obama administration has banned the phrase “War on Terror” and has replaced it with a more politically correct, non-offending euphemism. If words were all that mattered, I’d agree with Obama. Afterall, it’s been pointed out that you can't be at war with a tactic (terrorism is a tactic employed by Islamic Jihadists in many countries and in many contexts).

But I think the elimination of the phrase has a much deeper meaning. Many on the Left refuse to believe that 9/11 was anything but a one-off event, that terrorism would evaporate if only the West would mollify the grievances of Islamists, that 9/11 was really our fault, and Jihadists are doing nothing more than fighting their imperialist, capitalist oppressors.

Maybe if we don’t mention terrorism, the people who want to kill us will, well, maybe they’ll see the light.

So the Obama administration bans the use of the word “terror” and at the same time, broadens the definition of “torture” so that it can investigation and ultimately prosecute CIA officers who worked to extract crucial information from terrorists (oops, sorry, oppressed Islamic freedom fighters).

The evil Dick Cheney has the audacity to question the wisdom of this strategy and is castigated by Left-leaning media and the Whitehouse.

But what if Cheney is right? That's the question Douglas MacKinnon of The Baltimore Sun asks when he writes:

The health-care debate? Cash for clunkers? Rising unemployment? None of that will matter if we lose an American city to terrorism. An intelligence operative told me that if terrorists successfully detonate a nuclear weapon on our soil and kill and wound hundreds of thousands of Americans, "the thin veneer of civilization will be ripped from our nation in an instant, and we could very well descend into barbarism. Neighbor against neighbor as we fight to survive in a country where government ceased to function and law and order became of thing of the past."

Impossible? Difficult to hold that idea in your head? Better just to pretend the threat does not exist and vilify the man who warns of this nightmare of destruction. To those who think that way, I offer up another Einstein quote: "The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

Over the years I’ve written about the Left and the proverbial three monkeys—the ones that hear, speak, and see no evil. I honestly believe that some on the left, when faced with an idea that’s “difficult to hold in your head” prefer to act like the three monkeys and retreat into a cocoon of denial or delusion. Terrorism, nah, if it exists its our fault and we can stop it through better behavior. It just the Right trying to frighten us – no need the think about it or defend against it, or heaven forbid, act aggressively to eliminate it.

So when Dick Cheney comes along as asks grownup questions, he’s attacked with a ferocity that is fascinating to watch. MacKinnon continues:

Why do some on the left hate Mr. Cheney so for trying to do something about this?

A week from today will be the eighth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. At 8 a.m. on the East Coast on that fateful day, the sun was shining, the sky was a vivid blue, and the normal worries and joys of life occupied most minds as people began the day. Forty-six minutes later, the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City was struck. By 10:28 a.m., both towers had collapsed, killing almost 3,000 innocent people. Terror, panic and a feeling of hopelessness gripped the nation.

Eight years later, complacency perilously rules the day. Most have forgotten. Most have forgotten the terror, forgotten the hate, forgotten the indescribable pain and destruction, and forgotten the lessons. Most - but not Mr. Cheney. He refuses. At the risk of his reputation, he has made it his life's work to never forget. For to forget is to condemn our nation to much worse.

The evil that resides in the sick minds of these terrorists can't be reasoned with, can't be bought off and can't be appeased. What if Mr. Cheney is right, and those who hate him on the far left are wrong?

There are no second chances in this debate. We remain vigilant or we pay an unimagined price.

In the real world there are no second chances, but in the cocoon of denial, there’s no reason to worry. None at all.