JDR asks:
And what is your view on the “military necessity” question in respect of the few million muslims in this country, many if not most of whom have directed hardly a scintilla of criticism at islamic fanatics that are commiting mindless attrocities 24/7? Did 9/11 give rise to such a military necessity? Will the next islamist attack on our soil do so?
This raises a fair point. On the one hand, technological advances have significantly increased the striking power of a small group of men, or even an individual, while rendering conventional military defenses relatively useless. To a certain extent, the very notion of “military necessity” is not applicable, as massed troops are more appropriately classified as potential targets than preventative measures. And the lack of criticism is indicative of nothing in and of itself; this, too, has no relation to military matters.
Carroll Quigley, in Tragedy And Hope, wrote of the cycle of martial technology. His theory was that as individuals obtain armaments that are basically the equivalent of professional arms, the power of central government declines. Governments, of course, fight this, but fighting against the technological imperative is always doomed, for governments as it is for individuals, businesses and societies.
My belief is that the next large terrorist attack, whatever the source, will have the result of inflaming the American populace, but unexpectedly, a part of its anger will be focused against the government and its failure to even consider the immigration issue, in addition to the resident illegal aliens. It will not have the expected effect of creating an increased demand for an expansion of external warfare. The old rules are changing, but as Prechter states, government is reliably the last institution to realize this. Therefore, I suspect that the next major attack will cause the administration to initially advocate more war, but the frightened public, having lost its faith in offensive war as a reliable defense, will instead cause/allow them to focus on further destroying civil liberties.
I have no problem with deporting aliens, legal or illegal, of any race, creed or color, but I am 100 percent opposed to allowing the government to disobey the law and violate the rights of its citizens under the aegis of security. That way lies the unleashing of the red hand.