Recently a friend gave me a collection of Disney DVD’s called “On the Front Lines.” It’s the cartoons that Walt Disney produced during World War II to help Americans understand just exactly who they were fighting and how to aid our military in the fight. The animation, of course, is excellent. All the Disney characters are there making us laugh as well as think. What is stunning to me is that Disney (and the rest of Hollywood) completely understood the threat to freedom by the German Nazis, the Italian Fascists, and the Japanese Imperialists. Some of the cartoons were not funny at all. They clearly pointed out the savage intent of the Axis forces in no uncertain terms. The best film of all was called Victory Through Air Power. I have seldom seen such a masterful production on film explaining to the public the enemy’s strategy well as our counter-strategy. I was also stunned that the entire series was unashamedly patriotic. America was right. The Nazis, Fascists, and Imperialist were evil and had to be eliminated.
Fast forward sixty-plus years to today. Now we are engaged in a Global War Against Terrorism. Not just any terrorism. Specifically–Islamic terrorists have targeted and attacked the U.S. and our allies. However, our own current Administration cannot bring itself to saying that certain elements within Islam are behind this. Eric Holder, the Attorney General, still cannot bring himself to publicly declaring that Islamic terrorism would be the motive behind the failed Times Square bomber. When I read media reports–I see terms such as “militants, fighters, gunmen,” and “insurgents,” being thrown around to describe the people who are out to murder us. But the word “terrorist?” Hardly ever. It’s as though the people who want to destroy the U.S. and impose Sharia Law are merely another political party with an agenda and a slightly different attitude from the rest of us.
Yes, I completely understand that not all Muslims are terrorists. I believe that most are not, and I understand we do have plenty of Muslim allies in Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Afghanistan and elsewhere who are helping fight al-Qaida, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the like. However, why can’t we identify the terrorists as “Islamic-fascists?” It’s what the terrorists ARE.
In contrast to our fight for civilization in World War II, there has never been an organized marshaling of our population to fight those who are determined to murder us. Where are the films–the advertisements–the encouragement from our government explaining and teaching who is against and how we can achieve victory? (SOMEBODY is going to win. Shouldn’t we make up our minds what victory looks like and how we can get there?) How long can we survive when we cannot even correctly identify the enemy?