Dinesh D'Souza is a research scholar at the Hoover Institution and author of many best selling books. In 2007 he wrote what I believe to be one of the most important books on terrorism called THE ENEMY AT HOME The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility For 9/11. It was unmercifully panned by both liberals and conservatives even though it also was a best seller. D'Souza's message, and my thoughts also previous to the book, is that the fundamentalist Islamist hates us because we export our decadent culture to their lands. He says "We undermine their traditional patriarchal family and promote secular values in non-Western cultures." His thesis is summed up on the inside cover where he states, "What traditional societies consider repulsive and immoral, the cultural left considers progressive and liberating."
D'Souza says that liberals think that if we simply leave the Muslims alone....then they will leave us alone. The Right rejects D'Souza's conclusions because they think that we are hated because of our freedoms and because we are good and not because we are what the Muslims see as "Brand America" everywhere. The Left rejects them because they consider thenselves the great defenders of the rights associated with decadence spread around the world.
I in no way mean to detract from the aggressive defense of this country that President Bush has waged. He is the "Churchill" of today, but we have to analyze why we failed to see consequences of what we have wrought. This does not give one iota of legitimacy to the hate, tyranny, murder and quest for world dominance of those who react against it. My only disagreement with D'Souza is that he does not include us all in constructing this society. We cannot demand that others change if we cannot see our own culpability. We will change no one's mind on this if we do not see our own faults. The Left's remedy would be total futility in stopping terrorism and the Right's may stop the terrorist with an explosive in his hands but not the one learning now to take it up later. D'Souza lays at the Left's doorstep, responsibility (to put it mildly) for difficulties in the wars being waged and I concur. Should D'Souza have moderated some of his comments? Possibly, but the book needs read or at least the concept of us "reaping what we sow" needs considered.
D'Souza says that liberals think that if we simply leave the Muslims alone....then they will leave us alone. The Right rejects D'Souza's conclusions because they think that we are hated because of our freedoms and because we are good and not because we are what the Muslims see as "Brand America" everywhere. The Left rejects them because they consider thenselves the great defenders of the rights associated with decadence spread around the world.
I in no way mean to detract from the aggressive defense of this country that President Bush has waged. He is the "Churchill" of today, but we have to analyze why we failed to see consequences of what we have wrought. This does not give one iota of legitimacy to the hate, tyranny, murder and quest for world dominance of those who react against it. My only disagreement with D'Souza is that he does not include us all in constructing this society. We cannot demand that others change if we cannot see our own culpability. We will change no one's mind on this if we do not see our own faults. The Left's remedy would be total futility in stopping terrorism and the Right's may stop the terrorist with an explosive in his hands but not the one learning now to take it up later. D'Souza lays at the Left's doorstep, responsibility (to put it mildly) for difficulties in the wars being waged and I concur. Should D'Souza have moderated some of his comments? Possibly, but the book needs read or at least the concept of us "reaping what we sow" needs considered.
