CENTRAL VIEW for Monday, March 31, 2003

September 11th: the day that ripped off the scabs

Ever since the Reagan Era, America’s political orientation has shifted slightly from liberalism toward conservatism. Even so, many institutions are still in the hands of the liberal Left. For example: the Hollywood Left, the Media Left, the Public Education Left, the Arts and Public Radio/Television Left, the University Left, the Feminist Left, and the Left wing of the Democrat Party. Then, there are the Marxist-Socialist groups, the major funding sources for the current series of anti-war, anti-American protests being staged around the nation and overseas.

While about ten percent of the protestors are probably dedicated pacifists, it appears the majority of the protestors are affiliated with one or more of the leftist groups enumerated above. This means about 90 percent of the protestors are not true pacifists but are simply anti-American and/or anti-Administration and doing everything in their power to undermine the original Bush strategy which was to get Saddam to disarm short of war. The protestors succeeded in making a shooting war inevitable.

With perfect hindsight, we now see how the tragic events of September 11, 2001, mark a major watershed in the political life of America and the World. The loss of over 3,000 Americans ripped the scab off some sores that have been festering under the surface in this country and abroad for a long, long time.

As the Iraqi crisis rushes toward resolution, the depth and putrefaction of these sores become more evident each day. While the foreign “envy-America-sore,” is understandable by those with unworkable economic and political systems, the other sores were just lurking down in the dark basement of history.

Historically, France, Germany and Russia are countries with horrible histories of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism plays a key role in their support of Saddam’s refusal to disarm. Domestically, we have seen members of our own Congress, such as Democrat James Moran of Virginia, saying it is only America’s support of Israeli that is driving the effort to disarm Saddam.

The Left ascribes two other dark motives to our efforts to disarm Saddam. The most ridiculous claims our primary interest is gaining control over Iraqi oil. Ironically, France Germany, Russia and China have concluded oil deals with Saddam. If Saddam is removed, France, alone, could lose $700 billion dollars.

Others claim we want to possess Iraq. When U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, appeared on an international TV call-in program, a European caller asked why some Europeans consider America to be the "Satan of contemporary politics?" Here’s what Secretary Powell replied:

“Far from being the Great Satan, I would say that we are the Great Protector. We have sent men and women from the armed forces of the United States to other parts of the world throughout the past century to put down oppression. We defeated Fascism. We defeated Communism. We saved Europe in World War I and World War II.

“And when all those conflicts were over, what did we do? Did we stay and conquer? Did we say: Okay, we defeated Germany. Now Germany belongs to us? We defeated Japan, so Japan belongs to us"? No. What did we do? We built them up. We gave them democratic systems which they have embraced totally to their soul.

“And did we ask for any land? No, the only land we ever asked for was enough land to bury our dead.”

Anti-war protestors just vandalized a 9/11 memorial created by some grief-stricken Californians, That vandalism speaks volumes about how the tragic deaths -- that united most Americans in an effort to rid the world of terrorists and state-supported terrorism -- mean nothing to those with a different political agenda.

When Iraqi air-defense missiles fell back down on Baghdad, the Media Left couldn’t wait to blame the U.S. For further examples, just listen to the hostility and the anti-U.S. assumptions underlying many of the questions being asked by reporters at the Pentagon, Central Command and White House briefings.

William Hamilton, a nationally syndicated columnist and featured commentator for USA Today, is the co-author of The Grand Conspiracy and The Panama Conspiracy – novels about terrorist attacks on Colorado’s water supply and on the Panama Canal, respectively.

©2003. William Hamilton

Dr. Hamilton can be contacted at:

Email: william@central-view.com