I’ve been so focused, I must admit, on the evils of the Bush administration that I haven’t really considered the Islamic threat. It exists, and might even pose more of a threat to us than our current regime. There are those who would treat Islamic militants like hornets, pointing out that if we leave them alone, they’ll reciprocate. If we stop supporting Israel and meddling in other Middle Eastern affairs, they won’t hate us. Indeed, the mistreatment of Iraqi’s and Palestinians at the hands of Americans and Israelis paints an ugly picture, and by no means do I condone the actions or current policies of the West. However, unlike the old cowboy movies, the bad guys don’t always wear black hats. Both parties, in fact, might be the bad guys.

Jihadists only resemble bees in that they can sting. Bees, however, sting either out of self-defense or pure instinct, whereas Islamic militants suffer from an infection. The militant lives only to spread this infection, using any means necessary. It’s ironic how, when the Pope spoke of violence inherent in Islam, certain Muslim leaders called for his death. Even if we immediately distanced ourselves from Israel and became isolationist, as before WWI, these radicals would no more stop trying to spread their infection than would the Jehovah’s Witnesses who go door-to-door trying to sell their literature.

What scares me is that it’s only a matter of time before Pakistan shares its nuclear research with other muslim countries, perhaps some that are extreme. Or a military coup, in which radicals have control over all that nation’s weapons. At least when the Soviets had warheads pointed at us, we knew who we were dealing with. Not so with these radicals. I don’t think many would hesitate destroying a nation of infidels.

Islamic militants care nothing for religious tolerance, as other religions are routinely attacked in Islamic nations. Unfortunately, Bush’s shouting and pounding his war drums drown out the real dangers of this “war on terror.” His constant shredding of the Constitution distracts us, and even causes us to feel some empathy for those who would see us destroyed.