Are we on the verge of losing the war against Islamic terrorism?

The moment of truth has come, and it looks like we blinked. If the war on terror was a poker hand, our actions gave away our hand. Unless there is a miracle, the Islamic Jihad that we have been fighting on and off since 1991 is close to the tipping point – and we could end up on the losing side. There are those who are for the war, and those against, but now is the time for us to focus on what the world – and our own lives – could look like if we don’t reformulate a response to Islamic extremism.

If you are wondering why I am suggesting such a pessimistic proclamation, I have a one-word answer – Hamas (and the limp wrested global response). The world seems to be in denial that the election of Hamas is something other than what it is…the choice of the Palestinian people to openly display their desire to destroy Israel AND elect an Islamist group to govern them. Our response? To debate the REAL MEANING of the election; they had no other choices, the Abbas regime didn’t improve their lives, they are the only responsible party that looks after the welfare of the Palestinians, etc. If anything, this is grasping at straws. They voted in a terrorist organization. Period. Hitler came into power democratically, and Hitler’s apologists at the time used the same lame excuses to not confront a man who was obviously hell bent on causing a world of trouble. Now, the world is debating whether to continue funding the Palestinian authority with Hamas as the helm! The reasoning behind those who want to continue funding:

1) They don’t want to punish the Palestinian people for the sins of Hamas.
A: Why not cut off funding? After all, they DID elect Hamas
B: We don’t fund North Korea and the North Koreans didn’t even elect their leader Kim Jong Il.
C: Obviously, the billions that the world has given the Palestinians ever since 1948 has only served to enable them to continue along their self-destructive path – and now we are going to fund them while they admit they want to destroy Israel?
2) They don’t want to “drive” Hamas into the hands of Iran.
A: Hamas (and Hezbollah) are ALREADY in bed with Hamas

How about looking for reasons NOT to fund Hamas?

1) They are terrorists. If we are fighting a war on terror, funding Hamas doesn’t make sense.
2) They have openly (and honestly) admitted that they want to destroy a United Nations member state. Theoretically, that should get any country kicked out of the UN.
3) Even though they were elected democratically, we need to motivate the average Palestinian to moderate their political views. Funding them sends the wrong message.
4) Just as the Palestinians made their choice, the rest of the world has a choice too. There is no moral or legal obligation for the Western world to fund the Palestinians.
5) There is no guarantee that the funds will be any better managed than before. To the contrary, there is likelihood that Western aid will be used against Israel.
6) There are no assurances that aid will help anyone BUT Hamas.

Democracy is not a destination - it’s a journey, and the Palestinians have a long way to go before their version of democracy has the characteristics that will allow them to join the rest of the civilized world. If we allow the legitimization of the Hamas government, then we deserve whatever comes our way.