Rick Santorum Cites 'Jihadist Training Camps In South America' In Arguing For Border Crackdown

Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator and prospective Republican 2012 presidential candidate, argued this week that the southern borders needed to be secured in part to protect from "jihadist training camps in South America."

Speaking at a Tea Party meeting in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Wednesday night, Santorum suggested that a porous U.S.-Mexico border was leading to greater threats of terrorism.

Islamic Jihadists "realize they have to have some kind of foothold near us in North America. That's why there are jihadist training camps in South America," he said, according to the Myrtle Beach Sun News.

While the presence of some number of Islamic extremist groups in South America has been documented as a potential threat, Santorum, who has been known to back unfounded claims of threats posed by Islam, went on to more revealingly discuss his view of the larger role of the religion as far as national security is concerned.

"'The War on Terror,' that's just not true. Terror is a tactic used by an enemy," he said, according to the Sun News urging people to "talk about who the enemy is."

Santorum then claimed it was "a lie" to say Islam had nothing to do with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"They're fighting us because they fundamentally disagree with us. They want to eliminate us," he said. "We have two different ideas of what god is, two different ideas of what humanity is, two different ideas of what social justice is."

Comments

[Ergon]

05:42 PM on 02/06/2011

Omigawd, if we have 'jihadist training camps' just south of the border, we'll have to move the game way up North!
Say, Montreal, Quebec? :)

[LittleMs Random]

04:13 PM on 02/06/2011

We have just as much to fear from Fundamentalist Christians...who have training camps all over the country.

[TRex86]

01:20 PM on 02/06/2011

How is it that the most overwhelmingly Catholic region of the world is a breeding ground for Islamic "Jihadists?" There are more Muslims in Michigan. The party of simpletons has replaced the Red Menace with the Jihadi Menace as the boogeyman du jour. It is tragic that the USA has lost its way in a time that should have been the best in our history. We've become neo-imperialists destroying ourselves tramping around the planet chasing a handful of religious wackos. But of course our own religious wackos don't want to share the planet with them. Where's Johnathon Swift when you neeed him?

[Ergon]

05:44 PM on 02/06/2011

He would only hurt our very sensitive feelings.
 

[ron071]

12:37 PM on 02/06/2011

Bad apples such as Santorum NEVER seem to go away.  What is the definition of a leech?  Who is interested in anything more that Ricky has to say?

[GerryOregon]

12:27 PM on 02/06/2011

There is no lower life form on this earth than politicians that sow hate, fear, division and spew absolute lies as a means to rise to power. Santorum is an insult to the other insects he crawls under the rocks with.

[GerryOregon]

12:18 PM on 02/06/2011

Fear, hate, divide, bomb things. There are coming for us. Increase military spending. The Muslims are coming, the Muslims are coming. USA, USA. Vote Santorum

[Baird Campbell]

11:46 AM on 02/06/2011

How DARE Rick Santorum even think of uttering the words "social justice" unless they are immediately preceded by the words "I hate" or "Total lack of."

[WheelsOnFire]

04:19 PM on 02/06/2011

Santorum is a roving Christian jihadist camp. We need a border crackdown on him -- as in, toss him over the border and keep him out.

[TC Mits]

10:38 AM on 02/06/2011

Well, he now joins McCain and O'Donnell having super sensitive intell information that no one else has. Ramping up the fear, typical Republican.

[eagle17765]

10:22 AM on 02/06/2011

All of the three major religions in the world pray to the SAME G0D. That's a FACT

[AmericanDoughboy]

10:14 AM on 02/06/2011

I am kinda surprised he didn't locate them in Cuba and collect a 2fer. btw, are Christians supposed to obey Leviticus or did they decide to ignore that part of God's law? Kinda reads like Sharia to me.

[eagle17765]

10:44 AM on 02/06/2011

and Deuteronomy also reads like sharia.

Did you know that the Koran is identical to the Old Testament -- including the part where we are all descendant of Abraham -- including the part about Moses. That's right all 3 major religions are identical in the god they pray to - they even all 3 acknowledge that Moses & Jesus were prophets of god.

My point - the Old Testament, Koran & Torah ALL say the same things & all read like Sharia.

[AmericanDoughboy]

11:14 AM on 02/06/2011

So it seems to me as well. I wonder if proponents of anti-Sharia legislation realize the ramifications of banning large swaths identical law be it Judeo-Christian or Sharia. Isn't that a disregard & abandonment of God's literal word? And if it is, does that mean that Christians have abandoned to Scripture and Muslims are actually more righteous than Christians? Just askin' for a reasonable explanation on how folks reconcile these discrepancies.

[eagle17765]

10:09 AM on 02/06/2011

I find it strange that Rick et. al. wants the USA to go to w@r to "spread democracy" .... think about that ....

and yet, those who they are at w@r with (/sIams) to "spread democracy" are the very people they d3m0nize by spreading false pr0paganda - like - their g0d is different.

Why does Rick want to spread democracy to people he H8s? hmm... what's in it for him?
Answer: OIL & Natural gas

[rodeman]

10:05 AM on 02/06/2011

How come the MSM is once again not doing it's job? They allow these regressives to spew their bile while failing to question the specifics of said bitterness. The sky is truly falling.

[ron071]

12:40 PM on 02/06/2011

It seems that the media has lost any standards by which to operate.  Lies and fear mongering without any factual basis is allowed to be put out with NO analysis.  One great propaganda machine is what the media has become.

[apiazza]

09:36 AM on 02/06/2011

Fear merchant.

[katylied]

09:27 AM on 02/06/2011

Well, it looks like the pubs have settled on a ticket for the next election - Fear/H_8 in 2012