Moors S’Mores Summit

My Spanish ancestors fought against the Moors. THE MOORS!!! Before 711 A.D., the Greeks and Romans fought against their forebears in the pre-Islam Mideast kingdoms. Then as now, Islamic extremism cannot be pacified by empty rhetoric; most certainly, it should not be coddled and ignored as anything other than the threat it has been for more than a millennia. They are blindly fighting on faith a centuries-old conflict that can end only one way in their mind:  the eventual destruction of Western civilization, and the world under the rule of a restored caliphate. With the rogue proliferation of weapons of mass destruction throughout the unstable region, such a goal is more achievable than ever before.

Yet, as many including myself have stated, the majority should not be blamed for the few. In my opinion, Islamic extremists are no different than Christian extremists. They are fringe groups that make the whole look bad, each spewing hatred aimed at the other without compromise that neither reflects nor adheres to their overall respective religion. Any generalizations based on their actions are dangerous reminders of a society’s innate prejudices and xenophobia that can cloud our judgment and course of action.

But the belief we can sit around the campfire singing kumbaya and toasting s’mores in harmonious accord is a misguided one. Several past presidents flatly stated that the United States does not, and will not, negotiate with terrorists or their sponsors. Now, they are read their Miranda rights, locked up with three square meals a day and given an apology in an impotent conciliation effort that is steadily disengaging the U.S. from the battlefield and endangering allies. While might may make right, victory, and ultimately peace, can only be achieved by bringing it fully to bear – because you do not bring dialogue and diplomacy to a gunfight with fanatics unwilling to come to the table.

How dumb of a species are we, though, that we are still fighting the religious wars of our ancestors in the 21st century?

©2012 Steve Sagarra