Hiding In Plain Sight

With the occurrence last week of yet another attack upon Americans by an Islamic fundamentalist shouting "Allah Akbar", the question arises will our nation's leadership address the problem of Islamic fundamentalism, or will we continue to hide from the truth.

Highlighting the issue was the Frankfurt airport attack in which an airport employee drove himself to the airport, located a bus of unarmed US military personal and started shooting. The result was four US Servicemen being gunned down, two shot dead at the scene while the other two were seriously injured. The attack came to an end when the assailant's gun jammed and he ran off to hide in the terminal. He was caught there and dragged down by one of the air-force personnel and two German security officers. A few weeks earlier here in the states a college student from Saudi Arabia "studying" chemical engineering was arrested after buying a large quantity of explosive chemicals online. It was part of his plan to hide bomb materials inside dolls and baby carriages to be used to blow up dams, nuclear power plants and the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush.

It is difficult, the administration says, to determine if these individuals are terrorists.

This must be some tough club to get into. If what went on above doesn't cut it, one wonders what a guy has to do to qualify. Our failure to recognize a pattern and put a name on underscores our timidity and inability to defend ourselves and our way of life.

Muslim Americans are not part of the terrorism problem facing the U.S. - they are part of the solution, a top White House official said Sunday at a Washington-area mosque.

So said Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough, who was looking to poke his finger in the eye of Republican congressman King before King could begin his committee hearings on the issue.

McDonough said that instead of condemning whole communities, the U.S. needs to protect them from intimidation.

Yes, that is a big problem isn't it? We keep hearing about the terrible backlash against Muslims in the US, but it is a conceptual backlash in the minds of the liberal media more than one involving the actual actions of US citizens.

The administration has tried to strike a balance on the thorny issue, working to go after homegrown Islamic extremists without appearing to be at war with the Muslim world. There has been an effort to build stronger relationships with Muslims - internationally and in the United States.

Sheesh.

During his remarks Sunday, McDonough called the mosque a "typically American place" and said it reminded him of his Catholic parish where he grew up in Minnesota.

His Catholic parish?! It does not remind me of my Catholic parish.

"Being religious is never un-American. Being religious is quintessentially American," he said.

Yes, religion per se is not a problem, but a religion that preaches to kill the infidel is. It is an idea that is quintessentially un-American, and not being able to voice that fact is a mark of weakness and insufficient moral courage.

He commended the mosque's members for taking "an unequivocal stand against terrorism."

"You've sent a message that those who perpetrate such horrific attacks do not represent you or your faith, and that they will not succeed in pitting believers of different faiths against one another," McDonough said.

Right. Outspoken critics of their fellow Muslims? Have yet to hear it. Michele Malkin wrote a summary piece back in November that reviewing the number of times some guy named Mohamed came to the conclusion it was time to start killing people he didn't even know. She titled it "Just another Bomb Plotting Jihadist Yelling 'Allahu Akbar'".

Nice. Meanwhile:

The White House is close to finalizing a strategy for countering violent extremism.

Close to? We are stilling searching for a strategy?

He also promised further efforts to dispel "misperceptions about our fellow Americans who are Muslim."

This doesn't look very promising.