Originally published May 1 2013
Defense Secretary Hagel admits U.S. is engaged in terrorism world wide
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) Fewer than 12 hours after two bombs exploded at the tail end of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injured dozens of others in what may be the latest attack on the U.S. homeland by an international terrorist group, President Obama, according to his former top advisor, refused to call it terrorism, hinting instead that it could have been related to "tax day."
But Obama's newly appointed defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, was bolder (and more accurate, considering that regardless of who is responsible, such acts are by their very nature terrorism), calling the twin bombings a "cruel act of terror" in promising that whomever was responsible would be held to account. Per The Associated Press:
Testifying on Capitol Hill, Hagel was the first Obama Administration official to refer to terror or terrorism after the bombings Monday killed three and wounded more than 140 people Monday afternoon (April 15).
President Barack Obama, in his own brief statement at the White House late Monday, made no mention of terrorists or terrorism as a possible cause of the bombings. A White House official speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still unfolding did say the attack was being treated as an act of terrorism.
No more war on terror but did anyone inform the terrorists?
You can tell Hagel is new to this administration, because he uses the "T" word to describe such cowardly acts of murder and destruction. Obama and his team have long since refrained from describing terrorism as terrorism because, you know, such language could offend some Islamic terrorist somewhere, and anyway, the administration doesn't use the phrase, "war on terror," any longer, though clearly it continues to wage one.
"As the president said yesterday, we still do not know who did this and why, and a thorough investigation will have to determine whether it was planned or carried out by a terror group, foreign or domestic," Hagel told the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, saying that any attack in which explosives are used in the manner in which they were used in Boston was clearly a terrorist attack.
Despite the White House's reluctance to label terrorism as such, other lawmakers were not so squeamish. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, was among them.
"You can describe it in a lot of different ways, but it was a terrorist attack of some sort. ... There's just not enough information at this time" to pin in on someone or some particular group, Boehner told reporters Tuesday at a news conference.
"We just don't know enough about it, but I have no doubt that we will. ... The president and I had this conversation last evening. He'd like to know more, I'd like to know more. The American people would like to know more. Unfortunately we don't, but I am confident that we are going to get to the bottom of this."
If it looks, smells and acts like terrorism...it's terrorism
The fact is, regardless of the verbal dodging and weaving taking place, the U.S. clearly has been, and remains engaged in, fighting a war against terror, and that goes whether Hagel, the president or any lawmaker wants to admit as much or not. The Boston attacks were just the latest reminder that, regardless of whether our side adopts a head-in-the-sand, politically correct approach to the issue, our terrorist enemies - whomever they are and wherever they come from - aren't paying much attention. They just keep on plotting, keep on planning, and keep on attempting to disrupt our lives in any deadly way they can.
If you doubt the U.S. is still fighting a global war on terror, then ask yourself what the drone-strike program the president has approved, and the Pentagon carries out, is really all about. The point is, words matter. Appearing weak, even if you really aren't, invites attack.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.weeklystandard.com
http://www.npr.org
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