The U.S. could have decisively obliterated all of Afghanistan within the last few months of 2001 if the nation still fought wars the way they should be fought. But the country doesn’t do that any longer because political correctness has weakened the U.S.–turned public opinion against the nation achieving decisive victory through overwhelming force and destruction. Therefore, the Department of Defense has adopted the counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy and Rules of Engagement (ROE) that America uses in Afghanistan. Hence, the Armed Forces now nation build for people that hate America. But all this could easily change if the country had more people like Ann Barnhardt.
You may have heard of Barnhardt through Diana West, Andrew Bostom, Roger Kimball, or another source. Barnhardt said what needed to be said about Terry Jones’s right to burn the Koran (Part 1; Part 2). The U.S. needs more people like her to speak out on Islam and to speak out on how America should use its Armed Forces.
A civilian army full of people like Barnhardt could demand that the U.S. fight its wars for victory instead of nation building. It could demand that the government worry about obliterating American enemies instead of fretting over “civilian” casualties. It could demand that the government reverse all the social engineering nonsense it has imposed on the Department of Defense in the past few decades. In short, a civilian army full of people like Barnhardt could sway public opinion, and thus the government, to change military policy.
A portion of this nation praises Servicemen for being willing to fight for America. That’s a good thing. But Servicemen alone cannot protect the country. I’m a Soldier in the Army Reserve and while I have an opportunity to comment on a limited basis about Terry Jones and other politics, most other Servicemen do not–not without fear of reprisal, anyway. So while some people may feel that they don’t have a role in defending the country if they aren’t in the Armed Forces, they are wrong. They have just as an important role to play in keeping this nation safe as Servicemen do–and that role is countering the subversion that occurs at home.
An individual civilian can help counter subversion on his own. But a coalition would be better. And a coalition of the willing that included the families of Servicemen would be better yet. Military families would bring valuable knowledge and be able to use that information to monitor and beat back the incessant political correctness that pervades the Department of Defense.
The bottom line is that the U.S. needs millions more like Ann Barnhardt if the nation ever hopes to win a war again. And those millions are available if military families and civilians choose to know their role and know their place here at home. After that, American Servicemen will be able to destroy the enemies of the nation with ease.