Fear, Torture, And Neighborhood Patrols

Well we are all aware at what just happened in Brussels, and we all have heard who took credit for the two bombings, and again the world unites with a country under attack. ISIS has become desperate with the ongoing attacks on them by coalition forces and their recruitment campaigns are not as robust as they once were. They promise more dark days ahead in an attempt to deter countries from taking part in the U.S. led coalition that is determined to end their reign of terror. And as if right on cue, the presidential candidates are weighing in on the bombings with Donald Trump calling for bringing back torture to get information, and Ted Cruz is calling for patrols in Muslim neighborhoods. Have we become so afraid that we are willing to alienate the immigrants who have come to America for a chance at freedom just because of fear. What happened to the “home of the brave”? What happened to, “all that we have to fear is fear itself”?

There are a lot of countries who do not have the resources we have to keep themselves safe from terrorism, yet they continue to live without the fears that we have . Or maybe it should be called mass paranoia perpetrated by a hateful, racist, egotistical con-man, who came to be known as a reality show television star, and who thinks that that is enough to qualify him to be the leader of the current un-United States. Donald Trump wants to bring back the torture of water-boarding, a practice that has caused plenty of concern to world human rights groups, and something no leader should ever consider. Not to mention the fact that if we start torturing people, we might as well be prepared for any of our troops who are captured to be done likewise. Of course Trump doesn’t like soldiers who are “captured” so to him it makes no difference. And he has said that he agrees with Ted Cruz on policing Muslim neighborhoods. Does not this sound a lot like racial profiling, something African Americans have been putting up with for quite some time, and it has been the subject of countless legal battles. We love to talk about human rights violations around the world and now we are about to have to take a long look in the mirror.

Republicans like to take Barack Obama to task because he won’t identify ISIS as radical extremist group and won’t commit to an all out war against the Islamic State meaning bringing in thousands of ground troops to compliment the air assaults currently being carried out by coalition forces. Isn’t that how we got ourselves in this mess in the first place, trying to imprint our will on other countries? And when talking doesn’t go our way, we resort to violence. Republicans are always eager to go to war to make a point no matter what the cost. They are clearly the party without honor and one wrong move could bring on world war three which will no doubt be a nuclear war and the end of all things. The upcoming elections could very well tell us if we will go on as the United States, or do we become a country of some sort of martial law where if you come from a country that has terrorist, you will have to live in a confined, heavily patrolled neighborhood. Didn’t we just have a big brew-ha-ha about the NSA collecting data on people according to leaks by Eric Snowden, that unsung hero that has yet to return to the United States to be prosecuted. Funny how times have changed because we are now condoning collecting data on Muslims Americans and any other possible threats. If Mr. Snowden returns and Donald Trump is in the White House, he may well be executed as a traitor.

These are dangerous times around the world and while ISIS may be dangerous, how we respond to terrorism could be just as dangerous. The current approach to handling ISIS seems to be working even though it’s not working fast enough for some politicians. The proof is in the desperate moves ISIS is taking such as the bombings in France and Brussels. The world came together to defeat the likes of Hitler and his formidable military and they were better equipped, and with the right strategy and planning, ISIS can also be defeated.