On a night of celebration and revelry in the French Quarter of New Orleans on New Year’s Eve, terror struck again. Not with a plane or a pressure cooker, but with an American-made Ford F-150 pick-up truck, driven by a United States Army veteran, a United States citizen, and a resident of the great state of Texas. These facts, without more, may lead you to conclude that the alleged terrorist was a member of the group that President Joe Biden is most concerned about:
Throughout his long career, Joe Biden has said many things that, to use a Bidenism, are malarky. This might be one of the biggest piles of malarky that this man has ever uttered, but, then again, there are so many to choose from that it would prove to be an impossible task.
Sadly, this terror attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans was not carried out by a good, ole’ boy named Bo or Luke. No, it was yet another deadly attack by a radicalized Muslim who intentionally killed 15 and injured countless others, using a rented electric vehicle. There was a flag flying from the bed of the pick-up, but it wasn’t the Confederate flag. It was apparently the black flag of ISIS, the well-known Islamic State sponsor of terror founded in 2004 that has been waging a global jihad against non-Muslim infidels for the
As of now, we don’t know when the homicidal driver of the vehicle, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was radicalized, but, at this point, it doesn’t matter. Although he died in a subsequent shoot-out with police, President Biden indicated that the F.B.I. was aware of Jabbar hours before the carnage happened:
It wouldn’t be surprising if, in the days and weeks ahead, we learn that this violent terrorist had been on the F.B.I.’s radar or, even been interviewed by F.B.I. agents, just like what happened in the the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. Whether this is case-by-case incompetence or, more likely, an agency-wide political compromise when it comes to radical Islamic terror, the result is the same: more innocent people killed on American soil.
If I had to guess, I would say that the F.B.I. and other U.S. intelligence agencies have become politically compromised when it comes to radical Islamic terror. This isn’t necessarily a Republican vs. Democrat problem (although Democrats seem to be more willing to downplay Islamic terror as isolated, lone-wolf events), but rather an establishment vs. populist problem. Going back to the George W. Bush years, establishment leaders have gone to great lengths to portray Islam as a “religion of peace.”
Barack Obama, along with his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, would not utter the words “radical Islamic terror” during their watch, and even tried to cover up radical Islam’s link to the murder of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi. During his eight years in office, President Obama seemed to turn a blind eye toward the enemy of radical Islam, even when that enemy came from within.
When Donald Trump assumed office in 2017, he ushered in a new era in dealing with the evil that is radical Islamic terrorism. He began using that term, a clear rebuke of the fecklessness of Obama, Clinton, and Kerry. In 18 days, I expect that President Trump, sworn in for an historic non-consecutive second term (sorry Grover Cleveland), will once again re-prioritize the war on radical Islamic terror. And, none too soon.
From pro-Hamas protests on college campuses and in major cities worldwide to American and Israeli hostages still languishing in captivity long after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Gazan terrorists to one-off terror attacks like New Orleans, we are in desperate need of a President and law enforcement/intelligence community that once again recognizes the evil that radical Islamic terrorism poses to our nation and the civilized world.
You cannot play nice with evil. You cannot co-exist with evil. You cannot appease evil. If World War II taught us anything, it is that turning a blind eye to evil will get six million Jews slaughtered. As the New Year’s Eve attack has starkly reminded us, it is far past time to not only call out the evil of radical Islamic terrorism but to stand against evil no matter where it comes from. Unfortunately, that terror comes more often from within, grown right here in our backyard. May God give us wisdom to fight the good fight against evil in our day.