Cycles of Muslim Violence & Cycles of American Stupidity
by John Riet

While they certainly haven't forgotten about our soldiers, the current wave of violence in Iraq seems to have turned more tribal. The Shiites are extracting retribution for 30 years of Sunni dictatorship… and the Sunnis are seeking retribution for that retribution. The latest "Sunnis 1, Shiites 0" act was when a sacred Shiite shrine was bombed causing major damage. Federal deficits be damned, our response was pretty predictable:

"Given the historic, cultural and religious importance of this shrine, this attack is a crime against humanity," the U.S. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and the commander of U.S. forces Gen. George Casey said in a joint statement. "The Shrine should be rebuilt and the United States will contribute to its reconstruction."

This statement is quite amusing. It implies that if it had been almost any other shrine that was attacked, U.S. assistance would not be an option. But because it was this one, we must do whatever we can to rebuild it!

I have news for you Mr. Ambassador and General Casey - every single shrine, mosque, and statue has equal cultural and religious importance to these people. It isn't as if another religious structure down the block could have been blown up and the Shiites would have just sucked it up and said, "Oh well… Welcome to Baghdad!"

The reason why every single religious monument is equally "sacred" is simple; they don't have anything else! Islam is their lifeblood. They've spent the last 1300 years preserving this way of life in defiance of all the evolving cultures around them. They have no major economy outside of oil, and no lives outside of their religion. They literally have nothing else to live for. This life is simply a waiting room for the afterworld.

That's why this shrine, and others like it, is such a meaningful target. It represents everything the Muslims are. And I have more bad news for Ambassador Khalilzad and General Casey… it isn't going to stop. The Shiites will blow up some Sunni mosque in retaliation. And of course, to show that we aren't playing favorites, we will gladly volunteer to help rebuild that mosque. But then the Sunnis will seek vengeance on the Shiites, the Shiites back on the Sunnis, and the dance will continue as it has for centuries.

But it doesn't matter. We'll just keep rebuilding them. Just as we are now obligated (ever since Hurricane Katrina) to rebuild the homes of those who live in hurricane, tornado, flood, and earthquake regions of our own country, we are likewise bound to fix the damage inflicted in the disaster area known as the Middle East. Even though we know, like clockwork, the damage will never end, our government has nevertheless committed itself to be the Mr. Fix It of planet Earth.

As we've been telling our own "poor" for the past 80 years, America is now telling the Iraqis that it doesn't matter how they behave, we will keep throwing money at them until their problems are solved. But just like our own "poor," the problems are more than just a matter of money. There are cultural and behavioral factors that underlie their inability to produce a stable society and a prosperous economy.

They have devoted the past 5,000 years of their lives to warfare and martyrdom. They would rather kneel before Allah five times a day and learn how to make car bombs than engage in a lifestyle that creates wealth. They would rather concentrate on eradicating the Jews from Israel than policing themselves into a stable society. They will spend their days wallowing in victimism and oppressing women rather than producing goods and services.

As with our "poor," we will soon realize that you can't keep enabling a certain kind of behavior and expect different results. And like our domestic situation, we will probably continue this pattern in the face of all the obvious evidence.

The next time we have a problem with a Middle Eastern country (looks like Iran is next), how about this - no invasion. No attempt to install democracy. Let's just do what we probably should have done with Iraq. Bomb them. Bomb them until they have neither the will nor the capability to fight back. And if they regroup and pose another threat… bomb them again. And keep bombing until they get the message. No matter how long it takes.

At least that's what I'd say if I wasn't a civilized person.