The call for Jihad by prominent Muslim leaders such as Osama bin Laden has echoed throughout the international Islamic community, and continues to resonate in the hearts and minds of Muslims everywhere on earth – including those who live here in the United States. As much as it is a call to the future, Jihad is also a call to return to the past. As this global conflict continues in the years ahead, the time will come that every Muslim (specifically, those in the US) will be forced to make a choice. The choice they will be confronted with will be between their loyalty to the country they live in, verses their loyalty to the Islamic Ummah (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ummah ).

Stage One: In modern terms, we could call Stage One Jihad the period of establishment and growth under generally peaceful conditions. The new (largely immigrant) Islamic community is too small to exert very much direct influence on the majority government and/or the majority culture. Public relations and propaganda are the two main tools used in this form of Jihad.

Stage Two: In modern terms, we could call Stage Two Jihad the period of civil unrest. Though still in the minority, the Islamic community is now well established (somewhere between 15-20 percent of the population), and it begins to exert a great deal of pressure on the majority government and/or civilian culture. Usually, one of the first things to happen during this period of civil unrest is the demand for the government to recognize at least some parts of Sha’ria law (as in France, for example). Crime rates also tend to increase rapidly as disenfranchised and alienated young Muslims begin acting out their frustration and anger within the surrounding non-Muslim community.

Stage Three: In modern terms, we could call Stage Three Jihad the period of civil war. At this point, the Islamic community is no longer in the [political] minority, and it begins to overtly attack the established government, as well as any “unbelievers” who do not accept Islam. The Islamic community (or, in some cases, the local Islamic government) unilaterally imposes Sha’ria law, often with violent consequences leading to the killing of civilians (usually Christians and/or Jews) and civil war (as in Nigeria, for example). In turn, Sha’ria law justifies Jihad, which leads to a rapidly escalating cycle of violence.

Stage Four: In modern terms, we could call Stage Four Jihad the period of full-scale war & genocide. At this point, Sha’ria law has been fully imposed, and Islam is the only religion permitted in the land. Non-Muslim influence (either by people of other faiths, or by people of other ethnic groups) is held in great contempt and is not tolerated by the ruling authorities – even Muslims who do not appear to fully accept every portion of Sha’ria law are severely punished. The Taliban government in Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the situation in Darfur (Sudan) are three current examples of Stage Four Jihad. The history of Islam – from the time of Muhammad until the present day – offers innumerable other examples.

Article provided by Dr. Terri K. Wonder. Dr. Wonder has a Masters Degree and Ph. D. from the University of South Florida. Terri has studied at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. She is an intelligence analyst for a private security agency’s anti-terrorism unit charged with protection of critical infrastructure (e.g., power plants), including special investigations of suspicious activity tied to extremist networks in Tampa Bay and other regions. She does strategic intelligence estimates for a private defense contractor on potential reaction by jihadist adversaries to changes in armed forces doctrine.

Today the Sarasota Herald-Tribune again uses the war against Radical Islam to bash President Bush and his administration.

In their editorial, "Connecting the dots", they tell the same old story that, "Before the war in Iraq, President Bush and his chief associates claimed they knew about a solid link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, the international terrorist organization that attacked New York and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001." This statement is meaningless, irrelevant and myopic.

What the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, liberals, anti-war proponents and the Democratic Party are missing is that Radical Islam is at war with the West. Radical Islamists want to kill you and me. The question is will we fight back or capitulate.

Tom Trento, Director of the Florida Security Council put it best when he said, "When 'obsessed' people supported by historic precedent and philosophic foundation proclaim war against you and plot your death and destruction you better damn well take them seriously. Sadly, Americans are divided, some for political reasons, some out of ignorance, as to whether radical Islamism is indeed America’s number one problem."

"This division hastens our demise." says Tom.

Tom points out, "In order to be victorious in this global war on terror - which has two primary targets, the 'Great Satan,' America and the 'Little Satan,' Israel - we need a unified and united effort by a majority of Americans over a protracted period of time."

Tom goes on to say, "Currently, there are a significant number of Americans who understand this ideological battle and fully comprehend the deadly desires of our Islamist enemies and the catastrophic consequences of not properly responding at all required levels. Conversely, there are a significant number of Americans who do not understand this ideological battle, have no real comprehension of the related cataclysmic consequences and do not believe our Islamist enemies either desire or are capable of our complete destruction."

"As with most controversial issues, a considerable number of Americans are in the middle trying to figure out if we should conform ourselves to a cultural mindset that attempts to appease and befriend our enemies, or if we should adapt a resilient transformational posture preparing for an ideological war underscored by military battle," according to Tom.

Those who oppose the war do so at the risk of America and Israel. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune editorial board, either out of ignorance or ideology, have "no real comprehension of the related cataclysmic consequences and do not believe our Islamist enemies either desire or are capable of our complete destruction."

Radical Islam looks at Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Palestine, Europe, Israel and the United States as simply fronts in their global war against western ideals and ideas. When we stop focusing on minor past details and come to grips with the global nature of this "clear and present danger" can America and our allies win. Otherwise we are doomed.

The war has already come to our shores. If we leave Iraq and Afghanistan the next battle will be in our homeland. Radical Islamists have said so. We must listen to them.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune editorial board has an excellent piece titled, "Recruits with a record - Don't jump to conclusions about the military's felony waivers".

The editorial rightly points out that, "Last year, the Army granted 511 felony waivers, more than double the 249 granted in 2006. The Marine Corps' waivers increased from 208 to 350.While these are large [percentage] increases, the waivers represent a tiny fraction of the more than 180,000 active-duty recruits who joined the military in 2007."

They also state, "The military says it is extremely judicious in granting waivers. Applicants for waivers must submit character references, are personally interviewed by commanders, and must be approved for enlistment by a brigadier general or a higher ranking general."

Let's put this in perspective.

At the February 2008 meeting of the Sarasota County Veterans Commission, Florida Senator Mike Bennett talked about his run ins with the law when he was a young man. He told about how a judge gave him the option of jail or joining the U.S. military within 24 hours. Senator Bennett went downstairs from the court room and joined the Navy. Senator Bennett voluntarily served four tours in Vietnam, distinguishing himself in combat operations. He went on to start a successful business and of course run for the Florida Senate.

At the same meeting Eugene (Top) Harrison, USMC (Ret.) came to the podium and said he joined the Marines under similar circumstances. Top Harrison is a highly decorated veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam. He taught in and retired from the Sarasota County School District. Top Harrison taught at risk kids in the dropout prevention program at Venice High School. Top Harrison's son is an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel currently serving in the Middle East.

We miss the time when judges had the option of sending troubled youth to the greatest institution on this earth, the U.S. Armed Forces, rather than the worst institutions, our prisons.

The U.S. Military has the ability to transform bad behavior into good behavior. It has done this for centuries. Military training and service provides structure and discipline to those without it. Military service instills duty, honor and personal responsibility in our youth.

Now for the liberal hypocrisy.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Democrats in Congress question, "whether the number of waivers is being increased for the right reasons, and whether that change is affecting the military's performance."

What does this mean. Right reason? Isn't putting criminals to work in an honorable profession the right reason?

We know of a company in St. Louis, Missouri that employs thousands of criminals, including felons (murders, etc.). This company provides one third of the pay to the prisoner to purchase personal items, puts one third of the pay into an interest bearing account for the prisoner so they have a nest egg to draw on when they finish serving their sentence, and the final third is paid to the State of Missouri. The annual payout to the State of Missouri for this program is approximately $15 million.

Doesn't it makes sense to put properly screened felons to work. If they are not working then they will fall back on the only skill they know, crime. That costs all of us. Would it not be better that they be given the chance to redeem themselves by serving our nation?

You would think that the liberal Democrats in Congress would be looking for ways to turn more criminals into loyal soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune wants questions answered about these 861 Army and Marine recruits. Having the military follow these soldiers and marines around to collect data on them just makes matters worse. Putting more pressure on them needlessly can do more harm than good.

Don't worry, if they fail the military will take care of that. I trust our military leaders to make the right decisions on who enlists and who does not. I personally believe that giving someone on the road to disaster a better road to travel is both moral and good public policy.

What do you think?

In yet another one of the most amazing articles in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune titled, "Showdown in Sadr City", the editorial board is finally worried about the people of Iraq.

That is the good news. We as Americans must help our Iraqi friends bring peace and prosperity to all neighborhoods in Iraq. We fully agree. What ever it takes we must win against the evil that has infected Iraq. This evil is Radical Islamists like Al Qaeda, Al Sadr and militias backed by the Iranian theocracy.

The bad news is the Sarasota Herald-Tribune blames the Iraqi government when it says, "While U.S. and Iraqi troops continue to fight for control of Sadr City, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has so far failed to fulfill a promise of a multimillion-dollar program to restore the battle-scarred sector."

Let's see now, Iraqi troops are battling for control of Sadr City and the Iraqi equivalent of Waste Management has not gone in to pick up the garbage. Gee, I wonder why not?

That is like blaming the Mayors of some of our largest cities because their Waste Management trucks will not go into certain areas of Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles or Detroit because the gangs control the neighborhoods and shoot at them. I don't think our garbage collectors make enough to face Radical Islamist militias armed with rocket propelled grenades provided by Iran.

What is ever so elitist is the quote by New York Times reporter Michael R. Gordon that, "some parts of sprawling Sadr City have been under U.S. and Iraqi military control for weeks..." implying that the Iraqi government should turn on a dime to fix the sewers, provide electricity, pick up the garbage and open the schools. A high standard by anyone's count. Maybe we should hold the Mayor of New Orleans to the same standard.

Let's get real. The evil doer is Mookie Al Sadr and the Iranian Quds Force backed militias. They are keeping the battle going in Sadr City. They are the ones keeping the money from flowing into Sadr City. They are the ones who have not reconciled with the Iraqi government to allow money to flow into Sadr City to fix the sewers, provide electricity, open the schools and pick up the garbage.

Why, because they want to keep power and control by keeping the people of Sadr City poor, angry and suffering. Mookie and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard do not want money to flow into Sadr City. If it did Mookie and Iranian Quds forces would no longer be in control. With them out of control peace would follow. Money would flow and services would be restored.

The people of Sadr City need an "awakening" like the one that occurred in Anbar province and Baquba, Iraq. Only when the people of Sadr City realize that peace and prosperity mean more than killing innocent men, women and children to implement Sharia law, will things change in Sadr City.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune editorial board gets it totally wrong blaming Prime Minister al-Maliki.

Does it ever occur to you that liberals always side with the enemies of America, freedom, liberty and peace? Sadly, again, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune is pushing its political agenda by not attacking our real enemies but rather attacking our friends and allies.

The Iraqi people and those that live in Sadr City deserve better. What do you think?

UPDATE from the Multi-National Corps, Iraq:

Iraqi Army provides first aid supplies to Sadr City residents.

BAGHDAD - Iraqi Army soldiers conducted a combined medical assessment in the southern portion of the Sadr City district of Baghdad. The operation was supported by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National-Division - Baghdad, and provided citizens with essential medicines and personal hygiene supplies at Joint Security Station Tharwa 1. For the assessment, Iraqi Security Forces provided military and civilian doctors to ensure visitors received medical supplies and were not in need of immediate or critical medical care. Citizens ranging from the very young to the elderly received medical attention at the station. Dealing directly with the ISF, the Iraqi people living in Sadr City witnessed the ability of Iraqi Forces to care for them. More than 400 citizens received medical care in less than two hours, making the event a successful one. "It really turned out good. It was successful and turned out better than I thought," said Capt. Ryan Mendenhall who serves as the fire support officer. Mendenhall said he was surprised by how quickly the people reacted and came to the project.

Well it must be Presidential election time. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune editorial board in its column, "Rational for abuse, Congress should examine legal opinion's impact on interrogations" goes after our soldiers, the Department of the Army and of course the Bush administration.

What a great way to change the subject from Senator Barack Obama's pastor saying Sunday our founding fathers (that's Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, et. al.) “planted slavery and white supremacy in the DNA of this republic.” Senator Obama saying of small town Americans, "they get bitter, and they cling to guns, or religion, or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment, or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." Or Senator Hillary Clinton saying she dogged bullets when visiting Bosnia - a lie.

The anti-war left wingers love it when the liberal media brings up a new conspiracy theory.

First of all it is always good to point out the falsehoods in the liberal media's editorial. Let's start with, "Congress should explore whether Yoo's reasoning was extended to the military interrogation of prisoners at Abu Ghraib."

There is no reason to explore whether or if Yoo's memorandum was involved in the Abu Ghraib incident because an investigation of influence by the then Chain-of-Command was done by the Army. Allegations of "improperly communicating interrogation policies" was a clear part of that investigation.

By the way. I do not think any member of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune editorial board has any experience in the Inspector General Corps and investigating General Officers. Well I have. I was the Deputy Inspector General of the U.S. Army Western Command (now U.S. Army Pacific Command) from 1985 till 1990 when I retired. I have investigated General Officers, assisted DAIG investigations, and know the procedures. They are thorough and exacting. If any criminal activity is found it is immediately turned over to the local office of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and Judge Advocate General for action and prosecution.

Let's look at the findings of the Army's investigation into Abu Ghraib available on the Army website. Here are excerpts from a May 5, 2005 Army press release on the investigation:

Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, then commander Combined Joint Task Force 7 (CJTF7), was investigated by the Department of the Army Inspector General (DAIG) for the following allegations:

1. Dereliction in the performance of duties pertaining to detention and interrogation operations

2. Improperly communicating interrogation policies

The DAIG found each of the allegations unsubstantiated. Lt. Gen. Sanchez is currently serving as the Commander of V Corps, headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany.

Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, then Deputy Commander Combined Joint Task Force 7 (CJTF7) was investigated by the DAIG for the following allegation:

1. Dereliction in the performance of duties pertaining to detention and interrogations operations.

The DAIG found the allegation unsubstantiated. Maj. Gen. Wojdakowski currently is serving as a Special Assistant to the Commanding General U.S. Army Europe headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany.

Maj. Gen. Barbara G. Fast, then C2 intelligence officer Combined Joint Task Force 7 (CJTF7), was investigated by the DAIG for the following allegation:

1. Dereliction in the performance of her duties

The DAIG found the allegation unsubstantiated. Maj. Gen. Fast currently is serving as the commander of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, then Commander 800th Military Police Brigade, was investigated by the DAIG for the following allegations:

1. Dereliction of duty

2. Making a material misrepresentation to an investigating team

3. Failure to obey a lawful order

4. Shoplifting.

The DAIG found two of the allegations unsubstantiated, while the allegations of dereliction of duty and shoplifting were found to be substantiated.

Based upon the DAIG investigation, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Dick A. Cody issued Brig. Gen. Karpinski a memorandum of reprimand and directed that it be filed in her Official Military Personnel File. The Commander of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, formally relieved Brig. Gen. Karpinski from command of the 800th Military Police Brigade on April 8.

Today, the President approved a recommendation to vacate the promotion of Brig. Gen. Karpinski from her rank of brigadier general. This action was in response to a recommendation by the U.S. Army Reserve Command commander, the Chief of Staff of the Army, and the Secretary of the Army to the Secretary of Defense and the President. This decision reduces her rank to colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Though Brig. Gen. Karpinski’s performance of duty was found to be seriously lacking, the investigation determined that no action or lack of action on her part contributed specifically to the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib.

Col. Marc Warren, then Staff Judge Advocate for Combined Joint Task Force 7 (CJTF7), was the subject of a preliminary screening inquiry (PSI) conducted by the Department of the Army’s Office of the Judge Advocate General for allegations of:

1. Professional impropriety under lawyers ethics rules

2. Dereliction in the performance of his duties.

The Office of the Judge Advocate General found the allegations to be unsubstantiated. Col. Warren currently is serving at Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C.

To date, the Army and the Department of Defense have conducted 10 separate comprehensive investigations examining all aspects of detention operations. The major inquiries are based on more than 1,700 interviews and more than 16,000 pages of documents. Additionally, over 360 criminal investigations examined allegations of detainee mistreatment. Thus far, allegations against more than 130 military members have been addressed in courts-martial, non-judicial punishments, and other adverse administrative actions.

Regarding officer accountability, roughly 25 percent of the adverse punishments to date have been applied against officers, who make up about 16 percent of the total Army force. While there are still officer cases that remain open, to date, the Army has taken the following actions against officers in the ranks of brigadier general to warrant officer:

Brigadier General - Promotion vacated, relief from command, one letter of reprimand

Colonel - One non-judicial punishment

Lieutenant Colonel (four officers) - Two letters of reprimand, two non-judicial punishments

Major (three officers) - Three letters of reprimand, one non-judicial punishment

Captain (10 officers) – Three courts-martial, one other than honorable discharge, five letters of reprimand, one non-judicial punishment

1st Lieutenant (four officers) – Two courts-martial, one letter of reprimand, one non-judicial punishment

2nd Lieutenant (two officers) - One other than honorable discharge, one letter of reprimand

Chief Warrant Officer 3 - One court-martial

Chief Warrant Officer 2 - One court-martial.

Investigations into detainee abuse allegations are rank immaterial and will continue until all cases are completed. Investigators are persons of integrity, are under no undue command influence, and are charged to proceed wherever the truth leads in assessing accountability. Detainee abuse is not tolerated. The Army is committed to ensuring all Soldiers live up to the Army Values and the Law of War regardless of the environment or circumstances.

I for one have had enough of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune making political hay by attacking our Army simply to distract the public from the real and present danger of Radical Islam.

Their call for an investigation of our Army is both politically motivated and unnecessary. If they want to know what happened then read the full Army report.

The liberal media keeps pounding on our involvement in the war against radical Islam. There are four major fronts in this war: Africa, Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan. America is directly involved in three of these fronts, NATO in one, and our ally Israel is fighting for its life in the fourth.

Liberals are so risk adverse and so afraid of doing something that can cause us to use our military power, treasure and blood that they want to prohibit the U.S. from getting involved in anything. This is called isolationism. Isolationism cut our military by one third during the 1990s and got us 9/11. So much for isolationism.

Liberals have used a series of arguments since the war against radical Islam began to get us to disengage from the war against radical Islam specifically and the world stage in general.

However, after 9/11 the liberals did a turn around. It was a huge bi-partisan majority in Congress that approved going first into Afghanistan and then Iraq.

When the war in Iraq began going badly we saw the liberals do another turn around, some say for political gain.

We saw a series of liberal arguments over time to disengage from the war on radical Islam: the death toll of U.S. troops in Iraq (even though the toll was the lowest of any previous war), the civil war in Iraq (it ended with the surge), the government in Iraq not reconciling (they now have passed a series of laws that reconcile the parties), and the cost of the war (even though Congress continues to fund the war on a bi-partisan basis).

Now we have a new liberal argument to disengage from the war against radical Islam - the health and welfare of our soldiers and their families. Finally, we get to something we can all agree to. Taking care of our troops.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune uses this argument in its editorial, "Shorter combat tours are a start" to get us to disengage from the war against radical Islam. This is the first time that we can remember that the editorial board has been interested in the health and welfare of our soldiers and their families. Someone correct us if we are wrong.

It would be nice if they really meant it, history tells us they don't. We have not seen the Herald-Tribune cover any of the Sarasota County Veterans Commission meetings. We have never had them ask what legislative initiatives veterans support to take care of our troops and their families. We have not seen them give front page, above the fold coverage to veterans issues, unless it is something a soldier did bad. We have not seen them care enough to send reporters to the annual Veterans Day and Memorial Day parades and give large scale front page coverage to these events. We have not seen the Sarasota Herald-Tribune editorial board take up the cause of any veterans issue until today.

My concern is they are using this as simply another ploy to convince American's we should take care of our troops by losing the war.

We fully support shorter combat tours for our soldiers. Certainly combat tours are stressful and lead to various psychological issues including PTSD. Every war has had the same issues. WWII saw millions of our citizens serve 3 or more years in combat in the Pacific and European theaters. They turned out to be the "Greatest Generation". If you want to know about multiple combat tours ask Florida Senator Mike Bennett. He volunteered for and served four combat tours in Vietnam. If you want to know about combat tours ask County Commissioner Paul Mercier, Colonel USMC (Ret.) John Saputo, Master Gunnery Sergeant (Ret.) Eugene (Top) Harrison, or any of the over 53,000 veterans living in Sarasota County.

According to Lee F. Kichen, VFW Veteran Service officer at the VA Medical Center, Bay Pines, FL, "Length of tours have little impact on severity of PTSD. Severity may or may not be predicated on the intensity of the combat stressor. WWII vets had in some cases 34-36 months of sustained combat showing the the same symptomology as someone who experienced one isolated mortar attack of two rounds. Apparently, the Herald-Tribune is falling prey to a lot of urban mythology without looking at what is still emerging science. Quite frankly we can't make any generalizations, like those in the editorial."

The real problem is the size of our forces. We currently have approximately 760,000 soldiers in the Army, which was the end strength of the Army after operation Desert Storm in 1992.

If the Herald-Tribune and its editorial board really want to help our soldiers, help fight the war against radical Islam and protect America they would campaign for a major increase in troop strength in our Army and a larger Marine Corps. They would also fight for an increase in the national defense budget to recruit, train, deploy and sustain a 1,000,000+ man Army.

You cannot have pre-9/11 troop levels and expect us to meet the global threats facing the United States.

We await tomorrow's editorial supporting our soldiers, veterans, their families and orphaned children.

Well Fidel Castro has stepped down but, unfortunately, not out. Communist Cuba is now under the iron hand of brother Raul.

The biggest policy mistake made by any President was John F. Kennedy's decision to abandon the Cuban freedom fighters at the Bay of Pigs. His mistake brought us to the brink of WW III with the Cuban Missile Crisis and has kept the people of Cuba under communist rule ever since. Over the decades they have suffered under a failed Communist system. Castro has not embraced capitalism at the expense of his people.

What is interesting is the liberal media's love of Castro and hate of the United States. You can already see it via their "concern for the people of Cuba". In an article by a local liberal paper, "Castro out but not down" they call for us to "Lift the embargo".

Their rationale is, "In light of the financial success experienced by many Cubans who emigrated to the United States, economic engagement, rather than punishment and isolation, seemed the more humane course and the most likely strategy to have toppled Fidel. And, perhaps, the U.S. could have filled a vacuum that has recently led Venezuela and China to invest in Cuba....But for decades, America let dogma get in the way of good sense, just as the former president of Cuba did."

Let's look briefly at recent history when we have economically engaged with dictators.

Let's start with Adolf Hitler, we tried to appease him with the Sudetenland and that led to WW II. We tried to appease Japan by looking the other way when they invaded Korea and China and it led to Pearl Harbor. We tried to appease Joseph Stalin with detente and it got us the Cold War.

Now let's look at more recent attempts at economically engaging dictators.

President Clinton signed an agreement with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il. We gave them economic aid and oil to keep the North Korean people from starving. The outcome, Kim kept the money for his cronies and millions of his people starved to death or died in concentration camps. He developed a nuclear weapon and sold the technology to Iran and other nations.

How about the West and UN dealings with Saddam Hussein? The UN Oil for Food Program was exactly what liberals call "economically engaging". With the "economic engagement" money Saddam built palaces, murdered and tortured his people. The program became corrupt and Iraqis suffered. There was no food for the oil!

Today we have another form of economic engagement going on with Venezuela and Iran. The Western nations buy oil from these countries on the open market. Billions flow into these countries. Do their dictators use those monies to raise the economic standards of their people? Both countries use their revenues to shore up their regimes and spread communism and radial Islamic terrorism around the world.

We engage economically every day with China and Russia. Both those countries have used our "economic engagement" to become less democratic, more confrontational, more militaristic and their people suffer more and more.

The only thing dictators understand is power and the use of power to get what they want. What the West must do, led by the United States is, to confront this evil, not subsidize it.

Liberals never learn from history. They constantly want to "economically engage" with evil in hopes of appeasement. Consistently we get the same result - our dollars are used against us, like they were on 9/11.

  The following is a recent conversation overheard between two journalists named Daryl and Tom who work for the New York Times Company.

"Have you noticed that profits are down 20-30% at the Los Angeles Times and Boston Globe this year? Did you know that the San Diego Union-Tribune eliminated more than 100 jobs, one-tenth of its work force. The Chicago Sun-Times began a major round of newsroom layoffs, then put itself up for sale, and publishers in Minneapolis and Philadelphia warned that tough economics could force cuts there? "

"Shush, don't say anything or we could get fired. I heard that the big wigs in the New York Times company, who owns the LA Times and Boston Globe, are getting big salaries and bonuses while us peons get laid off."

"Why do you think our profits are down so much?"

"I don't know. Maybe it is because we make our money off of the pain and suffering of others and people are tired of reading about it."

"No, that can't be it. People love to read about rapes, murders, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes and suicide bombers. People love watching train wrecks, we are just giving them what they want. Remember our motto, 'if it bleeds it leads'."

"Well if it isn't the bad news maybe people don't like it when we coerce people in government to sell us national security secrets about wire tapping and prisons in Europe that undermines our ability to fight terrorists and harms our government."

"No that can't be it. I get great e-mails from my friends from Berkeley, the Daily Kos, Code Pink, MoveOn.org, the Huffington Post, Hugo Chavez, Vladimir Putin, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Osama, and the Democratic National Committee. They say keep them coming. They really love us in Congress because they use our stories as an excuse to hold hearings. If they didn't hold hearings what would they do? Win the war on terror, fix Social Security, cut taxes and reign in government spending? Don't be silly."

"Well maybe we need to print more bad news about the War in Iraq?"

"That would be great and sure would get our readership up but unfortunately we are winning in Iraq. There isn't any blood and gore that we can put on the front page. It is so bad in Iraq that even the grave diggers are facing a recession because of the drop in body count. It is so sad. It seems our fortunes go as does the grave diggers in Iraq. Strange isn't it?"

"How about we bash Bush?"

"No, Nancy, Harry, Hillary and Barack are doing that for us. Old news!"

"Well maybe we need to go to the files and pull out the "this economy is the worst since the great depression" stories we published during the 2004 Presidential elections and reprint them?"

"No, that won't work. We have already milked the "we are in a recession" story line already. We need to be much more creative."

"I got it. Let's talk about the obscene profits made by other companies to hide the fact that we are going under?"

"That's a great idea. Let's see now, who can we pick on? I know, our favorite - big oil."

"That's a great idea. Big oil is always worth a headline or two. They make lots of money because they provide us with always available, cheap fuel to heat our homes, run our cars, our factories, our hospitals, our schools, our power plants, and keep just about everything else in the economy chugging along."

"I'll call one of our editors right now and tell him we are doing a story on big oil profits."

"Great we need the work."