Hugh Hewitt had quite a discussion going on his program this afternoon, regarding Congressman Tommy Tancredo's rash remark on a talk show about bombing Mecca.
The callers who agreed with Tancredo were getting Hugh more spun up than I can recall in recent memory. Many, including military callers, were agreeing with the spirit of Tancredo's hypothetical argument. This left my favorite talk show host extremely agitated and alarmed.
I thought of a question as I listened to all the various viewpoints being called in. What if the Japanese kamikaze warriors of WWII had grown up in Seattle, or San Francisco, or Phoenix? What if they had lived exemplary lives as good students and neighbors, within the bosom of America, and then one day, on a dime, answered the call to suicide bomb us into oblivion?
That's what happened in London on July 7. Young British Muslim men, who had grown up enjoying all the gifts, benefits and riches of Western life, turned on their countrymen and killed them in cold blood. Unbeknownst to their neighbors, they were Islamo-fanatics.
What conclusion can I draw from all this? Well, I certainly don't agree with Tancredo's thoughts about bombing Mecca. I think that was an extremely unfortunate statement by Tancredo, but that's not my issue here. My issue is trust. Until the "vast majority of Muslims who are loyal Americans" that I hear about so often begins to speak up, I will be very careful about what trust I place in anyone of the Islamic faith.
This is not to denigrate that faith. But it is to issue a challenge and a plea to that "vast majority" which thus far has been so silent, to speak out against the insanity of terrorism.
If you stay silent, you make me wonder frightening thoughts. Will I see you one day, on a train or a trolley, and learn too late that you've brought me my death in your backpack?
If I have nothing to fear from you, tell me so. I will believe you. But if you remain silent, I will stay suspicious of your motives. In view of the pain and suffering that this tiny minority of Islamo-fanatics have deliberately, even gleefully, brought into the world, I would be stupid not to be uncertain.
Am I missing something in this equation? If so, please tell me. I and the rest of my countrymen are eager to hear from you.
