War Like No Other

Tomorrow, June 6, is the 75th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious assault in history, and the bloodiest.  It was the beginning of the end of World War II, at least in the European Theater, as over the next eleven months Operation Overlord liberated Europe from Nazi occupation.  Most of the veterans of that war are no longer with us, but the enormity of that single day can been revisited through excellent - and accurate - movies such as Saving Private Ryan and The Longest Day, as well as the portrayal of the ongoing war in Europe through Patton.

By any measure World War II was a war like no other.  It was prosecuted on a global scale, as fighting occurred on every continent.  In the United States alone, there were over seven million men under arms.  In contrast, major military conflicts arising since that time involving the United States - such as Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan - have been limited to relatively confined geographical areas.  Even the Global War of Terror, which is still underway but essentially sporadic in scope, is geographically confined.

Which brings us to an interesting situation in the twenty-first century: how we define "war."  In the twentieth century, two world wars were fought, and they were clearly wars between identifiable nation states.  The enemy was easily definable:  mainly Germany, Italy, Japan in the second world war.   But today we fight - not nation states per se  - but the ideology of totalitarianism in all its evil manifestations.  Specifically, I'm referring to Islamism, Marxism, and Statism.  These ideologies are belief systems, and by their own declarations, are our enemies.  But they aren't necessarily an embodiment of a  particular race or national culture, although they do take residence in certain identifiable nations.

These "isms" are an idea.  And how do you fight an idea?  Invade its shores?  Bomb its cities?  No, you can't.  We must fight - and kill - the very purveyors of this hideous cancer that eats away at human liberty and dignity.  If we don't, they will kill or enslave us.  They have told us they will. To me, that's an easy choice.

But collectively and individually practitioners of these ideologies have declared war on Western culture and values in general, and on the United States in particular.  Islam is a global menace that infests nearly every country on the planet, except perhaps Hungary and Myanmar, where Islam and its adherents are simply banned. And rightly so.  Other countries, like Poland and Japan, have measures that ensure that their citizens are protected from the ravages of the insane seventh century death cult.

But contrast that to the US, where our politicians worship at the alter of political correctness.  These folks hold the view that all ideas - except conservatism and Christianity - get equal time and equal weight.  Yet the countries that have banned or limited Islam have escaped the violence and death brought on by Muslim ideology.  The US hasn't.  In fact, we elect them to the halls of congress.  The cause and effect seem pretty clear.

The un-elected bureaucrat statists here in the US, known as the Deep State, have employed Marxist doctrines for years, and they seem to find a kindred spirit in Mohammedanism; any concept that threatens the idea of individual freedom and liberty is viewed as an ally to them.

So we free citizens of the US face a threat - a war - on three fronts:  the existential threat of Islam usurping American culture and sovereignty from within; the threat of communism and socialism attacking the US from such nations as Russia, China and even Cuba; and the internal threat of political subversion from corrupt and venal un-elected statists attempting to overturn a duly elected presidents.

So by any measure this conflict will become this generation's war.  The enemy, while known, is vague and elusive.  This war will need to be fought with an iron will and a steely resolve.  It's a war of ideas, and the first battle will be cerebral: identify the enemy, assess his weakness, apply it and destroy him.  It will be different than the wars of the past, and we had better be up to the task.

Truly, it will be war like no other.