This endless war...

 

 

"War has existed since Cain and Abel, and will continue so long as evil walks among us..."

 

Last night the reluctant warrior became the Commander in Chief. Just as George W. Bush had to do thirteen years ago on 9/11, Barrack Obama had to become the "War Fighter". As much as Obama hated the wars he inherited in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the ugly reality of our world has finally sunk in. As the 9/11 Report intimated, "we did not know we were at war with them, but they knew they were at war with us". 

 

So what is this "War on Terror"? We have tried everything to make it go away. After 9/11, we went after this rag tag group called the Taliban to eliminate any Al Qaeda elements they may have been harboring. Tons and tons of bombs were dropped all over Afghanistan. It was a much different of battlefield then we were used to. Not jungles, not desert - this time mostly mountains. However, we adapted, got much better at it, and almost got Osama in the battle of Bora Bora. We also learned something about this new asymmetrical warfare. The enemy of my enemy may not be my friend. In fact, your enemy may be your friend one day, and your enemy the next. Friendships and alliances shift like the desert winds.

 

Historians are already trying to determine when exactly the "War on Terror" really started. Some say it started in 1980 with the Mujahideen during the Russian incursion into Afghanistan. Others say it started even earlier with the fall of the Shah of Iran and the rise of the Mullahs. Biblical historians say it really started with the rivalry between Isaac and Ishmael. In this country, many think it really started in 1993 with the first World Trade Center bombing. Whenever it really started, we are now in it, and nobody has a clue on the end date.

 

I am going to shock some of my friends by what I am about to say. I agree with the President when he referred to ISIS as "JV". They were "JV" as they were very new and just starting to feel their oats. Al Qaeda shunned them as (believe it or not), they were too radical for the now established terror organization. However, ISIS came up the ranks quickly. They terrorized the locals by using the shock and awe of unspeakable brutality. They capitalized on the Sunni and Shia conflict in Iraq to establish "safe zones" in towns they took over. It seems like overnight, ISIS was occupying territory in Iraq and Syria the size of Maryland. 

 

So last night the President threatened death and destruction to this "JV" group who is suddenly world class in the realm of terrorism. But it is not just ISIS - if, and I mean if, we can put this genie back in the bottle, there will be others. Radical Islam, which will tort their religion for unintended and evil purposes, is the real enemy. When will this "War on Terror" end? Maybe never. We can't wish it away, or ignore it. We can learn to live with it, becoming more and more isolated by giving up our more and more of our precious freedoms, or fight to the death to protect our liberty.

 

Buckle up and get ready for a rough ride folks. As has been said before, this will be a long, tough slog. It will get messy. It will be confusing. It will not be over soon - maybe not even in our lifetime. This could be our first endless war...