Editor, Times-Union: The Friday, February 8, 2015, Times-Union editorial page contained an editorial by the Tribune News Service titled “Islamists.” This article stressed that defeating Islamic terrorists “is a challenge to unite U.S. and Arab nations.” President Obama now wants to fight ISIS. This would be a continuation of American folly. American involvement has not stopped terrorism abroad. The first Gulf War in 1990-1991 cost the United States about 350 soldiers’ lives and $60 billion. Oil rich Kuwait was delivered at our expense. Then in 2003, U.S. armed forces invaded Iraq. There were 4,491 American soldiers killed in the Iraq war, which cost the United States $1.7 trillion according to a study by Brown University. Terrorists know we are vain enough to become bankrupt fighting this hopeless business. Iraq today is as unstable as it was before we got there in 2003. Ditto for Afghanistan. It was reported by CBS News in May 2004 that the U.S. government under President Bush sent $12 billion in crisp $100 bills to Iraq for the “Coalition Provisional Authority.” The money was flown into Baghdad in 21 flights by C-130 cargo planes, and all of that money subsequently disappeared. By way of comparison, the new World Trade Center, replacing the twin towers destroyed by Islamic terrorists, cost $3.9 billion to rebuild; and was paid for in large measure by New York taxpayers, higher bridge and ferry tolls and high rents. America's involvement fighting Islamic terrorism on foreign soil is fruitless. And many Muslim groups and nations naturally resent the interference of American military in conducting war against Muslims on Muslim turf. Muslims gladly kill other Muslims without our help. Take into account some of the large Islamic oil empires. Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia all have larger per-person gross domestic product (a measure of wealth and purchasing power) than the United States. They have the wealth to muster a military force capable of eliminating all Muslim terrorist groups. But rich Muslim nations do not care. Everyone knows what ISIS will use the wealth for, which they are acquiring through violence and theft. The inaction of Muslims in stopping Muslim terrorism speaks louder than words. Fact of the matter is, Islam is no religion at all. It is a fascist geopolitical ideology that embraces expansion of its influence by violence, threats and demands. As with Hitler's fascism, each demand if granted only leads to more and higher demands. On May 28, 2014, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced the U.S. government was setting up a $5 billion “terrorism partnership fund” to assist other countries in combating “radical extremists.” Note the politically correct wording “radical extremists” rather than the truth. The enemy is Islam, from which we see worldwide Islamic terrorism acts daily. If it bothered Muslims, they could stop Islamic violence themselves. Sadly, American involvement may be a part of God’s judgment of America for murdering unborn babies. Rick Wagner Pierceton, via email
