Piece by Columnist Lewis H. Goldstein
As I view the horrendous advances and actions of ISIL I call for the Beheading of its leadership.
Not necessarily in the heinous way that they murder innocents but meaning that their leadership has to be destroyed, and those followers who have been brainwashed must also be eliminated. The threat is beyond possible it is real not only in the Middle East, but in our homeland and that of so many other nations. We are looking at a threat by extreme religious terrorists who in reality are not part of any true religion.
I view some of what is needed with trepidation. The liquidation of ISIL needs to be mostly dealt with by the nations in the Middle East. Their troops need to confront these terrorists On The Battlefield. The West and its allies need to join in potent air strikes. We need to be cautious in giving weapons to governments or to the rebels of governments in that area. Too many of the leaders in that area have turned on this nation and others with Our weaponry. I look with much suspicion at the so called “moderate” rebels in Syria.
Under the present situation we should Not Put Boots on the ground. Too many of our young men and women have died needlessly in wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. We will never know if one of them might have written the greatest novel or the greatest poem. We will never know if one of them would have discovered a cure for cancer or have invented the greatest medical machine to help the disabled. We will never know if one of those who died would have painted the greatest painting. Putting boots on the ground against ISIL has to be the very last resort. The war against ISIL is not like the wars in Vietnam, Iraq or Syria. It is more like the war we fought and won against the Nazis. We are fighting against an unspeakable horrible and maniacal enemy. Countries including Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and — yes Iran — must provide the ground forces. Our military leaders and our President and Congress must see that the Middle East nations are losing. Then, and only then, we must seriously consider troops on the ground. We need to take steps to prevent any of our citizens or residents who have traveled to that part of the world from being allowed back without an exhaustive background before allowing them to return. ISIL knows how to indoctrinate. Our lives depend on that.
As Congressman Eliot Engel (NY-16), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said regarding the steps needed to destroy ISIL: “First, building a credible international coalition. It’s critical that our partners in the region play a leading role combating ISIS. But the entire international community has a stake in this effort. Thousands of foreign fighters from dozens of countries have poured into Syria to join ISIS, and these battle-hardened extremists could launch attacks when they return home. I look forward to hearing about your progress with leaders in the Middle East and Europe in addressing the foreign fighter issue, and building an international coalition to degrade and destroy ISIS.”
Congressman Engel’s words of wisdom should be heeded, as we move forward.
Let us act quickly to “Behead” ISIL for the sake of our future.
Follow Us