Through the Looking Glass—Part ?

In the through-the-looking-glass world of the American Left, every problem we face, every threat that rears its head, every attack that actually occurs can in some way be connected to a failing on our part. Well ... not on all our parts, but rather on the part of those who refuse to go through the looking glass.

In the aftermath of the Orlando terror attack by a radical Muslim who was "inspired" by ISIS, those who have stepped through-the-looking-glass do what they always do—try to blame those who haven't. Barack Obama did it yesterday when he threw a tantrum because Donald Trump asked blunt questions about why Obama refused to name our enemy—yes, "radical islam" is our enemy. You'd think Donald had called Obama a "war criminal"—oh wait, many on the left did just that with the previous President and Vice President, but no one in the through-the-looking-glass crowd seemed in the least concerned about that blunt assessment. No one worried that comments like that would help Islamists around the world. But Trump suggests that "something is going on," and that's beyond the pale.

Here's a typical example of the through-the-looking-glass mindset from David Ignatius in the WaPo:

The strongest remaining force that propels the Islamic State is the Islamophobia of Trump and his European counterparts, argue senior intelligence strategists for the U.S.-led coalition. Inflammatory, xenophobic statements about Muslims reinforce the jihadists' claims that they are Muslim knights fighting against an intolerant West. Trump unwittingly gives them precisely the role they dream about.

Trump doesn't seem to understand that the real danger for the West is not the isolated acts of terror by disaffected youths, such as Mateen's massacre in Orlando. That's a threat to Americans, but one that can at least be mitigated some with better security and intelligence. The bigger nightmare happens if Muslims, as a whole, conclude that their community is under threat and respond as a group.

Let's spend a moment deconstructing this idiocy. Ignatius claims that Trump's "islamophobia" is "The strongest remaining force that propels the Islamic State ..." Really? A fanatic belief in Sharia law, a virulent hatred of all things Western and non-Muslim, the tacit support of millions of Muslims sympathizers all shrink beside the "Islamophobia" of Donald Trump. If it wasn't for Trump, ISIS would stop its barbaric behavior, wouldn't it? And other Islamist groups—gosh, they would sit down with us and begin to sing "Imagine." It's all Trump's fault!!!

And then ... Ignatius drops this through-the-looking-glass bombshell: "The bigger nightmare happens if Muslims, as a whole, conclude that their community is under threat and respond as a group ..." But wait, I'm certain Ignatius would be the first to tell us that Islam is a religion of peace and that all Muslims (well, almost all) are moderates. Regardless, he concludes that a few non-PC comments will turn members of the religion of peace into blood thirsty savages who join other Islamist groups to eradicate the infidel. Isn't that a "racist" conclusion? Oh ... never mind. And besides, isn't Islam under threat by Islamists who according to moderate Muslims and Barack Obama himself, are perverting their religion? Or may Ignatius thinks that Muslums are too Stupid to differentiate between condemnation of a radical element and blanket condemnation of all. Again, isn't that just a little "racist?" At least as "racist" as Donald Trump.

But none of that matters for the "through-the-looking-glass" crowd. No matter what, they need someone to blame, but NEVER those who actually are to blame. After all, that would force them the return through-the-looking-glass, give up their fantasy world view, and face reality.