"Unrest" in the Middle East

This is our flag. If we don't protect it, who will?

Unrest in the Middle East has gone critical these past few days, especially with the targeted assassination of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya. There are, or should be, no surprises there. Ever since the vaunted "Arab Spring" (something we encouraged and in some cases we armed and assisted) and the fall of totalitarian governments which, until then, had held tight control over the populations, the people of Middle Eastern countries have been on a short fuse, quick to form mobs protesting any perceived insult or abuse -especially related to their religion. I use the word mob on purpose, because that is exactly what they are. Angry groups of people loosely controlled by various organizations with differing causes, objectives and purposes.

Have you ever seen a mob? I have. And I have seen how easily the lack of clear purpose and control can turn a mob can turn into an ugly and violent riot (even among normal, everyday Americans right here at home). That is the scene that has been playing out in the Middle East time and time again.

Add to that the simple fact that there are one hell of a lot of Islamic religious fanatics over there that hate America, the West and anything non-Islamic (and who love to take advantage of chaos).

Our State Department and our Intelligence Agencies know this. They have watched it happen over and over.

So, when all this started the other day, why didn't our Intelligence Agencies think to warn anyone that things could get bad, fast? And, with the anniversary of 9/11 added to the mix, why did the State Department even need a "warning" to beef up security?

Has "political correctness" and the need to "not offend" people really made us so stupid? I am beginning to think it has. I think that our State Department and our Intelligence services believe that their job is to promote good relations with other countries without causing any offense. It's not. Their job, their primary job, is exactly the same as every other branch of governments purpose - to keep Americans safe. They forgot that, and our Ambassador and our diplomats paid the price with their lives.

Bureaucratic non-sense and small minded petty government thinking combined with a fear of being accused of political incorrectness cost American lives. It will again. And it will keep costing American lives, until we figure it out.

As for how we should react to the attacks and demonstrations from Cairo to Benghazi?  I don't know. But I do know this. You do not stop an out of control kid having a temper tantrum and hitting other kids by saying "Please stop. Those kids just want to be your friends." You have to take hold of the kid, tightly, slap him on the butt and say "Stop it!" -and you have to be very firm and make him understand that you mean it.

I think it's time for us to stop saying "Please" and  start swatting a few butts and yelling "Stop it! Damn it!"

Live Long and Prosper...