Calling good evil, and evil good = not good.

There's a reason this blog title references common sense. It's a very simple concept that usually keeps those who practice it out of trouble whether they be individuals or even whole nations. Whether it's a frat guy being challenged in a binge drinking game, or a girl asked out on a date alone with a stranger without telling her friends or family, or even a country punishing it's heroic defenders while trying to appease it's enemies, the loss of common sense can have devastating consequences.

Lest anyone forget, we as a nation have given more to the world than any other country in history. Though we are not perfect, we are as a whole a caring, compassionate, and generous people who have been a beacon of freedom and hope and a fountain of prosperity and advancement. We have defeated armies and nations in the past, only to immediately help them and lift them up to be better than they were before. We have welcomed with open arms those looking to make a better life for themselves (as long as they come through the front door), and we have shared our good fortunes with unmatched charity to the less fortunate of the earth. America truly has much to be grateful for and proud of. We are a great nation, but we are in danger of losing ourselves. Common sense seems to be slowly being replaced with a poisonous, twisted logic that if we continue to tolerate, could lead to our destruction.

The logic I refer to goes something like this: America has been a bully. We have been the world's lone superpower too long and we've arrogantly trampled and meddled too much. Our own military has been abusive and inconsiderate of foreign lands and customs, and that is why the terrorists and others hate us so much. Islamic extremists and communist dictators are simply misunderstood. They are the true victims of American imperialism!

How did common sense get so completely abandoned? I think, like many horrific things of the past, this logic started out with good intentions. Fueled by policitical correctness, the "cast the beam out of our own eye first" approach does on the surface have validity, and surely I don't suggest that every person or nation not in lock step agreement with us be considered the enemy. Trying to understand other's point of view, and checking our own interests before we act can only be a good thing, but it has gotten way beyond that to the point now where PURE evil is cast as the victim, and heroes as the aggressors.

Two recent cases illustrate this point; First off, Nidal Hasan, the islamic extremist US military officer who killed 13 people in a murderous rampage in Texas. The media and others were quick to cast this guy as a victim suffering from traumatic stress, when in reality he was a flat out evil terrorist. In case one thinks i'm overreacting, consider the facts:
-Hasan has been linked to the same radical Iman that taught 3 of the 9-11 hijackers.
-Emails were discovered linking him to islamic extremist clerics.
-He gave a horrific speech to fellow medical providers defending scuicide bombers.
-Many co-workers described him as a ticking time bomb, but were too afraid to speak out in the fears of being labeled a racist.
-He never actually saw combat, so i'm not sure what sort of traumatic stress he was supposed to be a victim to.
And after all this, the American public was told not to "jump to conclusions". In other words being vigilant about our security would make us racist. It's like were being told that we're too stupid to know that most muslims are good, peaceful people and to not start a witch hunt. The fact is we know that most muslims are good, peaceful people. But political correctness got in the way of common sense and 13 people died. Let me be clear. I am not suggesting any kind of witch hunt. Not only do I think that no race or ethnic group should be needlessly harrassed in the name of national security, but I do think that our diversity of cultures is truly a strength and blessing to our country. What I am suggesting is a return to COMMON SENSE. While no particular race or ethnicity is evil, some individuals are, and we need to be on our guard to stop them. If a van full of muslims with tinted windows pulls into a dark alley at nite, maybe you should pay more attention to them than a van full of boy scouts pulling into a McDonalds at lunchtime. And if a doctor, or nurse, or construction worker in the future hears a co-worker, whether they be muslim, white, black, or whatever, calling for the death of the infidels and defending scuicide bombers, hopefully common sense will trump political correctness and lives can be spared.

Second, the Navy Seals being charged for roughing up a terrorist. Once again, the evil SOB is painted as a victim of American brutatlity and our heroes who put their lives on the line in ways we can't even comprehend are labeled as thugs. Ahmed Hashim Abed, a true scumbag and mastermind of the capture and murder of 4 American contractors, recently complained that he was punched by his captors, a small team of Navy Seals. Let me give you the details again. No this was not some random innocent Iraqi street vendor picked on by some testosterone filled SEALS and beaten to near death for the thrill of it. This was a known terrorist and murderer of Americans who claims he was punched in the mouth and got a freakin bloody lip and cried like a little baby. These terrorsists are not stupid. They have figured out they can bang their face against the wall during a prisoner transport for instance, when no American laid a finger on him, come out banged and bruised, and get sympathy from frankly idiots in our own media and in Washington who care more about our image to the world and appeasing those with unfavorable opionions of us than of backing up our own troops. These heroes just apprehended a major threat to our national security. I personally couldn't care less if they did hit the guy a couple times, but my point is it doesn't matter if they did or didn't. Poor Abed has a bloody lip and because PC has trumped common sense, the Seals are gonna pay!

We cannot afford to underestimate the threats against us. The terrorists are smart, well organized, and very patient. They have infiltrated our communities and even our military ranks for crying out loud. They know how to use our compassion and our cultural sensitivity against us. We cannot abandon those great principles, but we can't abandon common sense either. JRD