Why we are losing the war on terror

Despite what our politicians are saying, we are losing the war on terror.

To understand how we are losing, it is important to understand how we won the Cold War.

In 1980, the East and West were at a stalemate. Small battles were won and lost along the way. The Korean War and the Vietnam War were small battles in a larger, global war. The USSR and the Eastern bloc countries on one side. The USA and the western bloc countries on the other. A large military budget(on both sides) was in the middle.

President Reagan understood an important component that others did not. He understood Communism was a poor economic model that lacked incentive and invention. Freedom, and empowering individuals, created incentive to produce.

President Reagan inspired people to produce, not just in America, but around the world. He inspired people to make the most of their lives and reach higher than they thought they could. To accomplish this, he told people the truth. He told the world that Communism was evil. Freedom was possible.

Then he unleashed the secret weapon. He set out to bankrupt the enemy. He invested in new technologies and weapons systems, which required the Soviets to spend money they didn't have in order to keep up. America outspent the Soviets and their economy suffered, creating great unrest among their people. The most vulnerable countries in the Eastern bloc started to crumble as people started to demand change.

Osama bin Laden, through the network of Al Queda, has unleashed the Reagan secret weapon. In the six years since September 11, 2001, he singlehandedly has pushed our country to the brink of bankruptcy. We have spent trillions on the war on terror and the whole Western economy is about to collapse under the weight of energy costs.

In the coming years, our country is going to see a real recession. Not the kind of recession that President Clinton, in 1991, claimed was "the worst in 50 years", but rather the worst we have seen in centuries. Nearly every industry in the West has been shaken to the foundation because of the war on terror; banking, transportation, housing, investments, real estate, travel and leisure, manufacturing and retail have all been hit hard. The value of the American dollar is nearing an all time low.

Oil, the life blood of western progress, has become our Achilles heal. Energy costs are draining our pockets and lining the pockets of tyrannical dictatorships around the world. Oil rich nations such as those in the Middle East, Venezuela, and Russia have become wealthy and are once again in a position to utilize the proceeds from oil to rebuild the East West Cold War. This is a war between the "have's" and "have not's".

And we are losing this war. We are addicted to what our enemy has for sale. Ironically, we finance their war against us. The more we need. The more we pay. The more they make. The more power they have.

This is a battle to protect our way of life. When we are dependent on another for our survival, we are no longer free. And Osama bin Laden sits in a cave somewhere knowing that a single attack has brought America to her knees and must laugh when Mrs. Grandma Anderson is getting patted down at the airport.

Welcome to the 21st Century War on Terror.