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| The ACLJ has launched a petition calling on the U.S. government to "destroy radical Islam." (Reuters photo) |
"Time and time again, President Obama has absurdly and naively stated his belief that terrorism does not pose as large a threat to America as the fear it generates among the American public," he wrote. "While the president frequently reminds his staff that terrorism takes far fewer lives in America than handguns, car accidents and bathtub accidents, it seems clear that the current administration has failed to take a number of concrete steps to protect American citizens from terror."
Hutchison said that raises the question of how many more Americans will have to be killed by ISIS and other radical Islamic terror groups before we realize they are at war with us. In response, he offered a five-step process:
We must focus on protecting human life rather than protecting people from being offended.
Political correctness prevents the nation's leaders from facing the actual threat posed by Islamic jihadists. Accordingly, it is time for our leaders to face the stark realities of the threat we face and prioritize it accordingly.
The Justice Department, the FBI, and all of our law enforcement agencies must be briefed on the radical ideology that permeates terrorist organizations around the world that drives them to focus on killing as many of us as possible and eliminating us from the face of the Earth. This is not the time to cut out references to radical Islam in the briefings of our national security officers. We must focus on the threat we face.
Recognizing the true nature of our enemy is the first step to actually defeating them and saving precious lives in the process.
After making this anti-terror effort a priority and recognizing the true nature of our foe, the U.S. government needs to recognize and fix systemic problems within our intelligence agencies.
Just like the terrorist attacks at Fort Hood, San Bernardino and the Boston Marathon bombing, security failures occurred before Omar Mateen struck Orlando. As The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week, the FBI twice investigated Mateen for quotes (that he did not deny) sympathizing with radical jihadists. The second one in 2014 even centered on possible connections with Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, the first American who traveled to Syria to carry out a radical jihadist suicide bombing.
In both cases, the FBI closed the investigation finding the claims to be inconclusive. The failure to make the determination may be due to Obama Administration DOJ efforts to scrub national security briefing material of terms describing radical Islamic terrorism.
Disturbingly, FBI Director James Comey stated yesterday that he doesn't think there's anything the FBI would have done differently in the case of this terrorist and those previous investigations. This is unacceptable. This must be remedied.
Consistent with this emphasis on improved intelligence, and despite opposition from civil libertarians across the partisan spectrum, the U.S. needs to continue to ramp up its undercover sting operations designed to smoke out ISIS activists.
Since social media has given extremists a cloak of anonymity, these undercover stings — online and in person — are vital to gathering evidence and deterring possible attacks in the United States.
While the FBI has increased its use of this valuable tool, the government should make sure that this tool is widely available in order to thwart attacks by individuals like Omar Mateen despite opposition from defense lawyers, Muslim leaders, and other advocates.
The United States government should take the gloves off in its response to terror, which means that it must be prepared to unleash the full force of its military in order to deprive ISIS of its strongholds in Syria and Iraq.
This does not mean placing tens of thousands of American soldiers in harm's way but it does mean unleashing a vigorous bombing campaign in Iraq and elsewhere against known military targets, just as we have done with prior bombing campaigns.
Such efforts, in addition to targeting combatants, ought to include an aggressive campaign to destroy oil production facilities controlled by ISIS.
As others have said, radical Islamic terrorism requires us to show strength in destroying the hubs of these networks so that the rest of their followers will see them for what they truly are.
The ACLJ calls on U.S. leaders including members of Congress to debate and pass a resolution declaring war on ISIS just as ISIS has declared war on us.
This move would reinforce the notion that this fight is a true priority for all Americans irrespective of their political affiliation.
"These five steps will require fortitude, sacrifice, and will on behalf of the American people," Hutchison wrote. "But after Orlando, we should all be able to come together and agree that there should be no more bloodshed. These are common-sense steps to end this evil once and for all."
Shortly after the article was published, ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow shared it, and included a brief message of his own:
"In the wake of the tragic terrorist attack in Orlando, we're taking our five-step plan to destroy Islamic terrorism directly to Capitol Hill."
The article includes a petition. In just the first two hours, more than 84,000 have signed it.
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