Obama still refuses to connect terrorism's dots

When television journalist Tom Brokaw was retiring from the news business in 2004, he was asked by a TIME magazine interviewer if there was a story he ever regretted not reporting.

The newsman lamented, referring to Sept. 11, 2001, “I regret that we did not connect the dots earlier on terrorism.”

In fairness to Brokaw, there was much less evidence to go on twelve years ago to enable him to connect those dots. That is not the case today.

In the aftermath of two independent terrorist attacks by Muslims occurring in the U.S. thousands of miles apart—involving explosives in the New York City area and knife attacks on victims in a shopping mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota—one can only wonder why President Barack Obama still refuses to connect the dots.

President Barack Obama speaks at campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, at Eakins Oval, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

In his remarks after these most recent attacks, Obama urged Americans not to succumb to fear “terrorists” and “violent extremists” are trying to instill. He made no mention, despite a continuous chain of terrorist attacks by Muslims, of the word “Islam.”

In Obama’s effort to ignore Islam’s link, it would be interesting to have him break down into sub-groups all those he considers to be violent extremists so as to give us a better idea exactly whom it is among them we have most to fear. He would be hard-pressed to name any violent extremist attacks lacking a connection to Islam.

Interestingly, in 2009, the Department of Homeland Security—one today unwilling to mention “Islam” and “terrorism” in the same sentence—exhibited no similar concerns about specifically identifying our returning war veterans as potential “rightwing extremists.” In a slap to the face of our brave warriors fighting on foreign battlefields to protect the homeland from Islamic extremism, Obama chose to turn the extremist spotlight on our veterans, refusing to illuminate a much more potent hatred source.

Under Obama, this spotlight has shone light on every source of violent extremism save Islam.

Last year, Assistant Attorney General John Carlin announced creation of a new position within the Department of Justice to investigate violent extremism. Hopes this investigative arm would extend to Islamists were dashed as Carlin shared he was talking about “combating domestic terrorism, which the FBI has explained as ‘Americans attacking Americans based on U.S.-based extremist ideologies.’ The threat ranges from individuals motivated by anti-government animus, to eco-radicalism and racism. Homegrown violent extremists can be motivated by any viewpoint on the full spectrum of hate. Anti-government views, racism, bigotry, anarchy and other despicable beliefs. When it comes to hate and intolerance, no single ideology governs…racial hatred motivates many of the violent extremist attacks.”

He added, “Attorney General [Loretta Lynch] noted this summer that these kinds of hate crimes are the original domestic terrorism. Among domestic extremist movements active in the United States, white supremacists are the most violent.”

Listening to Carlin, one would have no cause even to suspect Islam was a possible source of hatred responsible for any form of violent extremism within the U.S. today.

Obama has never really demonstrated a true love of country or an appreciation for the military that defends it. But more worrisome is that he continues to maintain the loyalty of so many others drawn into his web of anti-Americanism—leaders choosing to remain blind to the clear and present danger Islam poses both internationally and domestically. Obama has proven he is a vortex, capable of spinning Islam’s negativisms positively, sucking his minions into that vortex as well.

Internationally, Obama, aided and abetted by Secretary of State John Kerry, touted a nuclear agreement with Tehran would improve U.S. relations with the mullahs. But in a deal with Iran—a country committed to our destruction—these two "wise" statesmen not only gave it the nuclear means of doing so in what history will undoubtedly record as the most one-sided (in favor of another nation) agreement ever negotiated but also shifted the regional balance of power in Iran's favor. Meanwhile, Tehran has become ever more aggressive.

Empowered by an America weakened by its leadership, Tehran has doubled the number of unprovoked naval incidents in the year since the deal was negotiated—now even threatening to shoot down U.S. spy planes in international airspace.

Meanwhile, domestically, Obama, aided and abetted by the Nation’s top law enforcement officer, has rushed to silence those criticizing Islam in the wake of attacks in which Muslims have murdered non-Muslims, as their religion encourages.

In December 2015, the day after two Muslims murdered fourteen non-Muslims in San Bernardino, California, Attorney General Lynch said her “greatest fear” was the “incredibly disturbing rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric” that “edges toward violence.” (One wonders if Friday prayers given in mosques around the world, including the U.S., praying to defeat all non-Muslims would cause her similar concern.)

It is inconceivable, as Muslims kill non-Muslims in streets across America, Lynch expresses more concern about non-Muslim speech edging toward violence against them than the actual (or prayed for) violence upon non-Muslims by Muslims.

Obama is also aided and abetted by a Department of Homeland Security director who, while admitting a link exists between various terrorist acts and Islam, astonishingly says he cannot acknowledge it.

Following a July 2015 bloodbath in which five U.S. military recruiters were killed by a Muslim gunman, this time in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Director Jeh Johnson refused to call it Islamic terrorism—not because it wasn’t but, rather, out of respect for the Muslim community. Johnson said this was necessary to “build trust” with that community—ironically a community that fails to return that respect, refusing to cooperate with law enforcement.

Over two millennium ago, the Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero observed, “The safety of the people shall be the highest law.” This is the most basic of laws for any nation’s leaders to follow.

Sadly, we have put our ship-of-state into the hands of incompetent leaders unwilling to connect the dots—dots that would map out we are navigating treacherous waters, laden with Islamic shoals ahead. Remaining oblivious to this, our ship-of-state—like the Titanic—awaits her ill-fated encounter with disaster.

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