Part I
On Friday evening, November 13, 2015, Muslim terrorists struck at the soul of Paris, and wounded the hearts of millions of French citizens as well as those of us who detest random violence for violence sake, but who knew an attack was possible at anytime, anywhere. Muslim terrorists have attacked on a grand scale elsewhere in the world, most recently blowing a Russian airliner out of the sky over Egypt's Sinai Peninsular killing all 224 passengers and crew, and have vowed openly to dramatically expand to the West, at the earliest opportunity, their barbaric campaign for a world-wide caliphate. Paris was the first major attack of consequence conducted by ISIS outside of the confines of the Middle East and seems to signal a new, more robust strategy of jihad on a global scale.
Eye witnesses report that they were attending a concert by the American group Eagles of Death Metal at one of Paris's most popular music venues, the Bataclan, when unexpectedly four men wielding AK-47 assault rifles stormed the hall. They shouted "Allahu akbar" just before opening fire, and for about twenty minutes thereafter a massacre ensued. One survivor described it as "ten horrific minutes" and others say the assailants shouted, "This is for Syria!" Another heard them bellow, "What you are doing in Syria, you are going to pay for it now!"
At that instant, as the news of the murderous attack spread to those outside the Bataclan via social media initiated by those in the concert hall--and in the line of fire--Paris was stunned. Just prior by twenty minutes, at the soccer stadium north of the city where France and Germany were playing a match--with the French president attending--the attacks were begun by bombers when they struck at least twice outside that facility. Shortly later and prior to Bataclan, several restaurants and shops in downtown Paris were targeted and people were murdered there also.
Speaking to French citizens and the world at large from the Élysée Palace later on Friday evening, French President François Hollande said, "War Has Been Declared on France!" and called the terrorist attacks, "... an act of war that was committed by a terrorist army, a jihadist army, Daesh (ISIS), against France... an act of war that was prepared, organized and planned from abroad... our response will be merciless"
This war is not yet deemed to be World War III, but is global in nature. It was not begun on the grand scale of a German blitzkrieg nor the surprise Sunday morning ambush by the Japanese on our largest, most forward naval base in the Pacific Ocean, Pearl Harbor--declared by President Franklin Roosevelt to be "a day of infamy." But "World War III," if we now choose to label it that, actually has been in progress for twenty or more years commencing with Al Qaeda and other radical Muslim extremists, and now increasingly and more persistently, ISIS. It has no front lines, no huge armies battling for beachheads in Europe, nor for islands in the Pacific, no atomic bombs or Jewish extermination camps. But it is a world-wide campaign for Muslim extremist ideology and domination of Christianity and Judaism. It is also characterized by a long-term strategy in contrast to our impatient insistence on short-term, quick-fix solutions.
This war was expanded on this November Friday evening by what appears to be eight lone fanatics, assisted by an unknown number of logistical supporters in the area--apparently headquartered nearby in Belgium--who were most likely trained and equipped by ISIS in Iraq or Syria.
These evil acts, synchronized and well-coordinated assaults using only AK 47 rifles and hand grenades, effectively paralyzed an entire nation, a state which will prevail to some degree for an extended period. All attackers were rigged with suicide bombs belted to their bodies containing the sophisticated explosive TATP indicating the involvement of a major sponsor, trainer, and provocateur. All eight were obviously intent on dying for the ISIS cause. Though small in number, their sacrificial attack resulted in the death of no fewer than 129 innocent noncombatants and injured more than 350 others, nearly 100 critically. Those who perished were all normal people like you and I, who, until the moment of their deaths, had been out for an enjoyable Friday evening eating in restaurants, attending a concert, and shopping in Paris.
This war was furthered using one of the oldest weapons known to the human race-terrorism. The objective of their attack on France's major city was neither to snuff the lives of those souls in range of their weaponry--that was merely deemed to be unavoidable collateral damage, but vital to the desired end result--nor to bring down immensely tall and stately buildings as in the case of New York's World Trade Center, nor destroy national treasures such as the Eiffel Tower. The objective of the terrorist is to create such crippling panic, such chaotic disorientation, and such wide-spread fear as to paralyze a nation and her citizens for a prolonged period with little effort.
Can you imagine being a resident of Paris now, especially after the brutal attack on the newspaper in January of this year? That attack was revenge for the paper's continuing to publish what was considered anti-Muslim cartoons making fun of the Prophet Muhammad. Many considered that incident as not a threat to them individually. That was not a terrorist attack no matter how barbarous. Friday's was.
Fear hangs in the air of Paris like coastal fog. People are panicked, everyone's lives have been changed perhaps forever, and nagging uncertainty and suspicion will affect the social interaction of all. Serenity was a casualty of these attacks as sure as was life itself.
The psychological impact of a terrorist attack far exceeds the physical damage-even considering the deaths of a multitude of people. France's recovery, emotionally and mentally, as individuals and as a nation, will be years hence--if ever. That is the value of terrorism to a rogue nation (Korea) or group of radical extremists (ISIS)--large rewards for little effort. Life to the Muslim extremist is not a valuable commodity, not something we in our culture cherish. The fact that the assailants all died--seven of them self-destructed by activating the bombs attached to their bodies--is inconsequential to the long-term goal of Muslim radicals to establish a world-wide caliphate to rule the entire earth under Muslim law and religiosity.
Do not, even for one minute, think it cannot happen here in the United States. It already has--in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on July 16, 2015, with the murder of five American servicemen by a Muslim assassin. At that time I wrote in an article:
It has been a week since a crazed Muslim fanatic attacked two military locations in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I am still in shock. Not so much for the terrorist attack; that is part of today's world. We are at war with a dangerous and deadly foe--radical Muslim extremists worldwide, including right here at home regardless of whether or not our feckless president recognizes the threat, which he does not.
The leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, when released from prison in Iraq in 2009, said to his American captors, "I'll see you guys in New York." He then got into his waiting transportation, and drove confidently away. Me, personally--I would not bet against his brash assurance of a visit-whether in person or by his ISIS terror squads-to the city that bore the brunt of an Al Qaeda attack on September 11, 2001.
As for ISIS, we must recognize the threat and cope with it. They have declared Israel and Western civilization their enemy, stated their intentions to annihilate us, and are planning just that globally. They are clear and uninhibited in expressing those intentions. They have also now ratcheted up their intensity committing in Paris their first, most violent, most blatant large scale act of war outside the Middle East region. We, and all our allies, including Middle East Muslim countries, must join the battle against Muslim extremism wherever it exists, and commit to defeat them, not contain them. However, we need leadership at the national level to do so.
As currently as Friday morning, November 13th, President Obama professed ISIS as "contained," just hours prior to the attacks in Paris. As reported in the November 13, 2015, issue of The Daily Caller, while being interviewed by George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America," Obama proclaimed that ISIS was not gaining strength. "We have contained them. We've always understood that our goal has to be militarily constraining ISIL's capabilities, cutting off their supply lines, cutting off their financing," he said.
How out of touch can you be, Mr. President? Even if you were correct--and that is doubtful--that is not a statement our president should be making! Any military officer will tell you--if you would only listened to them--that the leader of the free world does not go on television and announce such ludicrous estimates of the strength or lack thereof of the enemy's war-fighting capabilities. That information is sensitive and should be kept a military secret. Our enemies will go to great lengths to prove you wrong--every time!
"Contain" is never a strategy for victory in a war. Even Hillary Clinton knows that and said so, emphatically, during the Democratic debates on Saturday evening, November 14th. We did not endeavor to "contain" Adolf Hitler nor Emperor Hirohito of Japan. We devoted all of our national resources, including personnel, committed our nation to war, and no final outcome short of victory was ever considered.
Mr. President, what makes you think any less will be required in this war?
Have you lost sight of the most basic requirement every president swears to in his oath of office: "... preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." I interpret that as you being inherently responsible for my safety as a well as all citizens of this country. I depend on you to keep me free from what occurred to the 129 people killed in Paris. More importantly, "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States... " Are you telling the Joint Chiefs of Staff to go easy on ISIS, that you do not want any major confrontations to stain your last year in office. Are you really satisfied to "contain" those murderous, evil extremists?
Yet, despite these clear dangers to us here in our country, ignoring the obvious, clear signals from ISIS to attack us in our homeland, President Obama still advocates that we admit Syrian refugees in who-knows-how-many numbers--he insists upon 10,000 by years end--when the best, most obvious action would be to delay any such transfer of Syrian refugees until we have a detailed, fool-proof plan to properly vet them.
To conclude Part I: On Sunday, November 15, a mere 48 hours after Paris, the Obama administration announced the release of five Yemeni detainees to the United Arab Emirates for their supervision from the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, where the worst-of-the-worst captured terrorists from around the world are being held. This despite common knowledge that of those released previously, more than one third return to the battlefields to join the Muslim extremists to fight again. One expert explained this release program precisely: "Every time you do this, you restock the management of the terrorists unit in whatever country they are released to."
Regarding Syrian refugees, Obama, on Monday, November 16, speaking from the G-20 meeting in Turkey: "I hear folks say that maybe we should just admit the Christians but not the Muslims," Obama said during a press conference. "That's shameful. That's not American. That's not who we are. We don't have religious tests to our compassion." (True! And admirable of our nation--except in times when our own citizens are at risk of being murdered in large numbers and at numerous localities as were those in Paris four days ago.)
This despite the intelligence reports released from Paris acknowledge that at least one of the Paris killers was a Syrian refugee admitted to France, and recently intercepted ISIS communications confirms their intent to exploit the vast numbers of Syrian refugees deluging Europe by implanting their own ISIS terrorists among the refugees to easily slip into the West and await orders to attack there.
No hint by Obama of considering a moratorium, nor any other mitigation to admitting possible terrorists disguised as refugees to the United States.
That man's stubbornness is supreme!
This concludes Part I. In Part II, I will further address the attack and how it will or should affect our immigration policies in general and the plan to allow up to 100,000 Syrian refugees into the United States--10,000 by year's end.
Major Dennis Copson is a retired United States Marine and is a resident of Oceanside, California. He is a freelance writer and editor.
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