Snowflake[Rumsfeld]: “Make sure the American people realize that they are surrounded by violent extremists.” This same useless propaganda is the basis once more for a presidential election as perceived by the prominent candidates of both parties, though the Republicans will relentlessly pursue it—particularly Giuliani if he wins the nomination. This same rhetoric was played out during the Korean and Vietnam wars in the guise of the domino theory and before then the McCarthy era to whip up a frenzy of a communist takeover.

In Rumsfeld terms, instead of communism it is Islamic fascism. Israel, too, for fifty years has resorted to the same fearful strategy without considering that Israel itself might have helped contribute to its causation.

Islam’s fascism is fact of life in most Middle East countries that have reverently protected their authoritative institutions under the aegis of Islam but are not necessarily terrorists. “Extremists are those who want to perpetuate terror and breakdown these authoritarian rules flirting with modernity so that these thugs can return the people to the rule of sandy tents of medieval and ancient time warps. Any Euro-US influence in Muslim regions further inflames their gang war mentality. However, it is hardly a systematic worldwide threat beyond what a few lowlife angry cells can wreak in isolation of a greater mythological schemed concocted by al Qaeda, owing to its surreal success of 9/11, but downhill ever since. The recent surge of al Qaeda and the Taliban is due only to the ambivalence of the Afghans between going modern or retaining its old warlord ways. Al Qaeda’s Iraq infiltration was because of its pretense of aligning with theretofore hated Baathists as an excuse to kill Shia and Americans. Lately and fortunately the Sunnis have realized the alliance as counterproductive in their need to hang onto what little modernity left in tact before the Shia’s dismantle it completely.

Essentially, then, extremists are a much greater threat to Islamic regions than globally. And only when the West intervenes in the regions do “Muslims--resorting to their trump card--realize they are surrounded by violent extremists.”