At the end of World War II, the world became witness to the most horrific acts of genocide against a specific race of people, a series of events collectively referred to as “the Holocaust.” Shortly after the failed military offensive into Russia, Adolf Hitler ordered the systematic murder of Jewish men, women, and children, which would constitute a crime not only against the human race, but against God. It is estimated that between 5.5 and 6 million Jews were killed. The death toll for all persons, both Jewish and non-Jewish, is approximately 12 million. Nearly seventy years later, the horrors are still fresh for many of the survivors and their families.
If there was ever a time when the spell of evil cast a shadow of darkness fell over the earth that was it. Politicians and nations publicly denounced the Holocaust and promised to never again stand idly by while crimes against humanity were being committed.
Fast forward to Operation Iraqi Freedom and the war in Iraq in 2007. During this conflict, Al Qaeda operated in Iraq and became known as Al Qaeda in Iraq or AQI led by Abu Bakr Al- Baghdadi. Over the next few years coalition forces defeated AQI. For the most part, Al Qaeda left Iraq and set up shop in nearby Syria.
Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was released from a U.S. Detention Center in 2009. His parting words to U.S. personnel were an ominous warning: “I’ll see you in New York.” However, once President Obama announced the full withdrawal of Combat Forces in December 2011, it created a vacuum that both Iran and Al Qaeda were ready to fill.
During Al Qaeda’s presence in Syria, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi became known for his overly harsh and extreme tactics, prompting his expulsion from Al Qaeda. He immediately returned to Iraq, and established the Islamic State of Iraq – Syria (ISIS) and seized the western cities of Ramadi and Fallujah. President Obama likened ISIS to a “JV team” which had just put on Kobe Bryant’s jersey, but was not to be taken seriously.
ISIS marched across Iraq, destroying everything in its path and unleashing a reign of terror throughout the land. Reports of beheadings, crucifixions, mass rapes, and human trafficking have been confirmed by intelligence agencies.
There are reports that the White House grossly underestimated ISIS, failing to take seriously the intelligence reports regarding the spread of this clear and present danger. In a Breaking Defense article by James Kitfield, Lieutenant General Michael Flynn stated the following:
JK: Did you ever feel like a lone voice in the administration warning that the terrorist threat was growing, not receding?
Flynn: I think we collectively felt that way. We said many times, “Hey, we need to get this intelligence in front of the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the National Security adviser! The White House needs to see this intelligence picture we have!”
We saw all this connective tissue developing between these [proliferating] terrorist groups. So when asked if the terrorists were on the run, we couldn’t respond with any answer but ‘no.’ When asked if the terrorists were defeated, we had to say ‘no.’ Anyone who answers ‘yes’ to either of those questions either doesn’t know what they are talking about, they are misinformed, or they are flat out lying.
As the world watches this human tragedy unfold near Irbil and atop Mount Sinjar, we are again reminded of the Holocaust. American exceptionalism defeated the Axis of Evil and got the world back on a course to peace and prosperity. The pictures below bear an eerie similarity to photographs of the Holocaust. We must ask ourselves: Will we tolerate such behavior because of President Obama’s progressive ideology and ignore this genocide, or will we take the moral high ground and bring to bear the full weight of the free world’s ire upon the perpetrators of this evil?
German soldiers herding Jewish people ISIS terrorists herding Christian men
German marking of Jewish businesses ISIS marking of Christian houses
German executions of Jewish people ISIS executions of Iraqi men
Untold numbers of people are dying but the White House is turning a blind eye to this developing human catastrophe. It is clear that political motivations to avoid involvement in this crisis are the driving factors. One look at the below picture of Yazidi men, women, and children fleeing ISIS is akin to Moses and the Israelites fleeing into the desert with the Egyptians in hot pursuit.
If we do not save our brothers and sisters from these mass killers, then we have failed as a people and a nation. On every account, ISIS has stated that they plan to establish a caliphate state here in the United States. Whether we like it or not, we have to fight. The question is not if, but when.
