Yes, Virginia, There is a War on Terror

Dear Editor,

I am 28 years old. Some of my friends say that the war on terror is a mistake, and furthermore "terror" is an abstract noun, it's not a country, and you can't wage war on an abstract noun. My friends, especially Peter Wilkins, say that there is no war on terror, it's just an excuse to manipulate and terrify the American public. I kind of agree with Peter, who's also very cute. My father though says I'm full of crap, and a slut, and have been misled by the liberal media as well as by my stupid friends. My father said I should write my question to this newspaper, and then accept the answer and shut up. So, Wall Street Journal, please tell me the truth, is there a war on terror?

Virginia O'Bannion.

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except for what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, his intellect nothing as compared with the intelligence gathered by the government's warrantless wiretappings. Big Brother listening in? Perhaps. But big is good, and brother is good, so there is no problem. If we have nothing to hide, why do we want to hide it?

Yes, Virginia, there is a war on terror. It exists as certainly as Islamofascism and media bias and a turning away from the truth of Jesus Christ exist. It is an unhappy truth, but it must be faced, Virginia.

How dreary would be the world if there were no war on terror! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias or South Dakotas or no Texases. There would be no childlike faith in the words of our leaders. There would be no war in Iraq, no threatening of Iran, no enhanced interrogation techniques, no foreign adventures or bravery or patriotism. The idealistic shock and awe by which America promises to impose democracy on the world would be no more.

Not believe in the war on terror! You might as well not believe in fairies. And what about Santa Claus? You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus.

So it is with the war on terror. It is hard to see, it is hard to pinpoint, but it is all around us at all times, hiding on planes and in toothpaste tubes, but your little friends say these dangers are not real. Your little friends really annoy me, they are little in spirit and mind and body. For the most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Depending on who you live next to, perhaps you have. Oh the times, oh the mores. We are going to hell in a hand basket, and it is foolish in all regards to be seated in a flammable basket while descending toward a furious pit of fire.

No war on terror! Thank God it lives and lives forever. It will truly go on forever, or at least until a few minutes before the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse come charging down Pennsylvania Avenue with Chuck Norris and Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham all seated like spectres on their steeds, preparing the way for Jesus Christ to descend from heaven minutes later and finally make clear who is right is this world and who most damnably is wrong, they're wrong, they're wrong.

Yes, Virginia, there is a war on terror. Now turn your back on your little, 'ittle friends, and tell them they are wrong. And tell your father he is right, and beg his forgiveness and wash his feet with your hair, which the women did in the gospels, so I don't mean anything odd by it. Thank you for writing, Virginia, and Merry Christmas and Happy War on Terror.

Read more holiday-themed posts from HuffPost bloggers.

Comments

[MrCoffeeCup]

Virginia, please repeat after me: "There is no war on Terror". Relax, breath deeply, listen to the words and say "there is no war on terror". Good now listen closely...
Virginia, what you experienced was a tear in the matrix! It wasn't real. Zion is not being attacked. Cleo and the rest are just a bunch of wierd neo-cons, anti-gay, pro-lifer, judgementalists. They believe in the 10 commandments of luv, they actually believe that they should not lie!! Can you belive it..cannot lie! Virginia, ask yourself a question: Where would the media, the government, the liberals+neo-cons and POLITICS BE if we could not lie? Ridculous isn't it!
Virginia, Mrs. Bhutto was not killed, she just resigned and left Pakistan. Virginia, the Twin Towers are still there; trust us! Virginia Iran loves Israel. Russia loves the USA and China. And Last of all Virginia, Madonna, Britney, Paris,Hillary and Ellen are still virgins! Well, maybe not Ellen! Now when I count to three you will wake up and feel good about the world. One...two.....

[Reaper2006]

Before you all start the new year being just as moronic as you have been most (if not all) of your lives.... go over to Iraq, see what's going on there, talk to the Iraqi people and find out if they want and need us there. Talk to not only the American troops, but the multi-national troops that are there, find out why we go over there and risk OUR lives, yes OUR lives, not yours not our parents, OURS. If we want to risk our lives in some other country to help bring order and stability, that is OUR decision, NOT YOURS. So, either thank us for doing what you are too affraid to, or leave us the hell alone.

[FlowerGirl]

I see that there is indeed a war on terror. It is being fought by those of us opposed to Bush, his allies and handlers. The illegal, immoral, and ultimately unprofitable invasion of Iraq is a case in point. The unnecessary bloodshed and destruction of this disaster had nothinng to do with reducing the level of terrorism in the world. It was in fact itself an act of terrorism. The proof of that is in the name chosen for its first phase: "Shock and Awe." Shock and awe are the purposes of terrorist attacks. The idea is to cow others into accepting the terrorist's agenda, or his inevitable victory. Bush is a terrorist.
Now if you would like to start the conversation over again -- with the correct observations of fact, logically applied, then perhaps we could begin to find ways of reducing the level of terrorism in the world. I hope sincerely that you will join in that effort.
Part of the problem we have in our struggle is the censorship faced by those of us who refuse to deny the evidence, who call things by their right name, and who therefore are opposed to the chief terrorists on earth. We all too often have our truth blocked by biassed supporters of the MSM and government approved terrorism.

[Plowboy]

Dear Virginia,
Your friends are right. Your father is a fartheaded bum. And this C. Durang is totally off base.
There is a war. Unfortunately. But it is not a war on terror, but a despicable war for hegemony. Note who were the leaders in selling the war and getting it started. What intelligent person can fail to see the possibility that they were pursuing other interests than the best for America? When so much lying is going on, there must be something rottenn in the product being pushed. When so much abuse of humanity is carried out, the perpetrators cannot be deemerd to have the highest of morals. When so much crooked profits are raked in, there must be at least some suspicion that the politics of the gamer are dirty.
Virginia, please observe and act. There is too much willful ignorance and even arrogant stupidity in America. We need intelligent and moral leaders who will begin to undo the damage done us -- and the world -- by recent leaders with neither the intelligence nor the morality necessary to lead.
Thank you for your concern. I hope this messaage reaches you and helps you in your search for truth. Please help us make justice our number one political aim.

[AngelsofMercy]

Our Wounded Need Your Help

While Americans debate the War in Iraq – many times more bitterly than intellectually – we have forgotten our wounded men and women who are recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other military hospitals around the Country.
Every week plane loads of seriously wounded military arrive in the United States for medical treatment and recovery – often staying over a year in a hospital. They arrive with few, if any, of their personal possessions. Many are amputees who make the hospital their home-away-from-home while learning to move forward with their lives with the aid of outstanding medical, physical therapy and occupational therapy staffs.
In 2003, the Angels of Mercy Program was founded to help these wounded men and women and their families. In 2004, Newman’s-Own named the Angels the best volunteer program in American supporting our military. The Program provides clothing suitable for rehabilitation, comfort items, and a broad range of support for young family members who have uprooted their lives to be with their loved ones at the hospital. We need help to keep this non-political, all volunteer program going. Our total effort is on helping those who have given so much, and letting them know their Country cares about their sacrifices.
The web site www.SupportOurWounded.org contains many background details, and suggests ways Americans can help. The Angels of Mercy Program can also be reached by phone: [phone]. Our wounded need your help.

Jay Edwards
Angels of Mercy Program

[Deltoid]

"What I'd like to know is, how do people on the left define the events of 9/11/01 and the other attacks on American interests since the 80's, "teen angst"?"

It's called retaliation. When the U.S. helped Britain conduct "regime change" in Iran in 1950, it tended to upset juuuuust a few people. From then on, well, do a little research and you'll understand why it was retaliation on 9/11 and not an attack.

[drblack]

Security and safety are illusions. Life is dangerous.
There are always people and entities which want to cause harm to other entities and individuals, but cowering in fear and making fear the basis for all decisions is the most cowardly response to danger.
The USA should become MORE FREE and the government should be more open and transparent.

Live Free Or Die. Are you willing to die for Freedom? I am . This is why I will NEVER allow my fears to destroy my Freedom as the neoCONS , bushites, and many democrats have done.

[drblack]

great piece of snark.
Nothing is more frightening then a war on inanimate objects(some drugs) an emotion(terror) or a made up day (xmas...which was Mithra's birthday originally, though that was made up as well).
The War On Some drugs has been the most failed Domestic policy in US history, and has made drugs more dangerous and left millions of suffering people in severe pain when they could find relief if it were not for the insane beliefs of some people.

The War On Terror is an extension of the War On Some Drugs. They are both designed to extend the control of the government over American citizens and to destroy American Freedom.
The War On Terror And The War On Some Drugs are designed to make large companies a lot of money.
Both of these made up wars increase the problems they are supposedly aimed at.

Drug use has never been more dangerous, children have never been more likely to abuse drugs and sick people have never had pain relief so denied to them.
The War On Terror is a much bigger threat to American Freedom than religious extremists that it is supposedly aimed at. It actually creates terrorists as well.
Both of these wars and all the laws that sprang up around them have to end if the United States Of America is to be a Free country.

[HearNoWeasel]

Take a look at the new "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act", S 1959.

This effort is going to protect us from the use, planned use, or threatened use of violence by a group or an individual, born or operating in the US, to intimidate or coerce our government (or us). Our legislators know that some citizens may be "adopting or promoting an extremist belief system" for a violent purpose. They know it, in part, from reading the internet. The bill finds that:

"The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process in the United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens."

Clearly, the proposed Commission will have to create new laws to address this uncensored internet and other phenomena that could lead to violent coersion, because "[t]he potential rise of self radicalized, unaffiliated terrorists domestically cannot be easily prevented through traditional Federal intelligence or law enforcement efforts, ..."

The bipartisan bill is expected to pass the Senate, maybe because of Finding #8 stating that any measure taken "should not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights, or civil liberties of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents."

The President is expected to sign the bill. I assume he'll issue a signing statement that takes care of Finding #8.

[3rdCitizen]

Oh, let's be fair to our right-wing friends. No one is really stupid enough to believe in a "War on Terror." (Then they'd have to be waiting for the day that the headlines would read "Terror Surrenders!" or "Body of Terror Found Dead in Bunker!") No, no -- "War on Terror" is just a shorthand expression for "War on TerrorISM." And since terrorism clearly exists, and since massive military force and previously unAmerican activities are surely the best way to deal with it, that's much more sensible. So, we must give the President the power to do anything he wants anywhere in the world to win the War on Terrorism. It doesn't matter that terrorism is at least as old as civilization. It doesn't matter that there is no internationally (or, for that matter, nationally) agreed upon definition of exactly what is and isn't "terrorism" (vs. "freedom fighters," "collateral damage," "stopping the bad guys," etc.). It doesn't matter how costly and logistically immense a task it would be to capture or kill every single "terrorist" on the planet. All that matters is that we have the will to do it! And then, when it's finally over, all the liberties and the constitutional guarantees and the ethical standards we sacrificed can finally be restored by our great-grea­t-great-gr­eat-great-­great grandkids! Won't that be a lovely day!

[kfdan]

Chris, good bit of humor! The War of Terror being waged by the Bush administration certainly threaten Santa's mid-night flights as they will be interpreted as terrorist actions! I for one hope Santa can come up with a new stealth devise to confound the damn idiots of the neo-con persuasion but don't discount the dastardly tenacity of the unitary Presidency world domination crowd presently fostering themselves on the good people of the US. Will the terrorist be successful ... I hope not!

[Aily]

The joke is on us all--there's at least half of the people in this country who actually believed (believes) the crap that the Bush administration stands for. They voted Bush/Cheney not once, but TWICE! Unbelievable and Unthinkable!

It's been so unreal...the past seven years. Where were all the voices of reason? What befuddles me most is that the Democrats have gone along with a lot of Bush's agenda--Iraq war, no-child-l­eft-behind (what does it suppose to mean, anyway!), condemnation of Iran, and the list goes on. Where were Hillary, Biden, Edwards, Reid...?

Edwards now dismisses the term "war on terror", but he was much apart of it back when he was in Senate and in 2004.

Sadly, I'd still bet that the majority of the people in this country still believes in it all. So, Virginia...there IS a Santa Claus, and there IS a GOD. And of course, THEY are both pro-American , Anti-gun control, Anti-Islam­icfacists, Anti-tax, pro-big corporations, pro-Guantanamo (in fact, they are for expanding it). And they are STRONG SUPPORTERS of the war on terror!

[beck]

No Virginia, it is really a war OF terror against the American people. The moment the American people are not afriad we are reminded to be TERRIFIED.

[llozano]

War on terrorism, war on drugs, war on poverty, war on gangs, crime, fat, skinny, homelessness, etc. We have lost or are losing more wars than I can name in this post. The only ones winning are the corporations who are making money off these concocted wars. It gives someone in Washington the illusion of really doing something and it helps us, the people, think our government really cares about us. However, the problems persist, nothing seems to change except the size of the wallets and bank accounts of our so-called protectors and representatives. Real change will come only when we take it and not leave it up to our current corrupt system to fix.

[MinerSam]

War on "Terra" is a Republican construction so they can take over our country for -- to quote Karl Rove -- "the next 100years."

They call it "the long war." How long? 100 years?

Unfortunately the safety and security of our nation is the last thing on the mind of the REAL republican base, as they loot the treasury of the United States and destroy our ability to protect ourselves smartly.

They sent our first responders to do quick trigger URBAN battle where the difference between friend and foe is unclear...only to return with Post Traumatic cyndrome.

They have erroded the equipmen of our military so their biggest supporters can suck us dry with brand new weaponry. They have increased the worldwide arms race to level never seen in history.

They have destroyed the power of the Iranian moderates and empowered the radicals, and turned the agencies American pay to protect their interests into Central Headquarters for the Republican Party.

Problem is that there is Al Quaeda out there which the Republicans HAVE DONE NOTHING ABOUT. that wants to continue to harm us..but the Republicans have managed to trash those who would work behind the scenes against them..from the police, to intelligence, to leaders of many nations.

And the only Fascists in the picture is the American Fascist Republican Party.

Fascism: A system of government that excercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism. American Heritage Dictionary.

Do not believe the lies upon lies of those who are looting our treasury with tax cuts that 30% went to 130,000 people.