#3 This is a classic âactive shooterâ scenario, the difference is the Chechen Islamic terrorists are covering all the tactical response options: (1) if you kill one of our people (slime buckets)â¦we will kill a bunch of kids, (2) if you wound one of our peopleâ¦we will kill a smaller bunch of kids, (3) if you attack in forceâ¦we will kill everyone!
The only reason they havenât blown up the school yet is because they are getting the publicity they want and successfully moving public opinion. The terrorists realize the Russian parents are pressing Putin to hold-off, and they may actually release one child or two, read a statement calling for an independent Chechnya and wait.
Putin is now between a rock and a hard place. If he stands by the âno negotiation with terroristsâ plank of the Russian security program itâs obvious more Russians will die. To remain strong, his best bet is to rapidly move forward with a plan to rescue the hostages and let the cards fall where they may, followed by a redoubling of the military effort against the Islamic terrorists in Chechnya. Once again, more Russians will die.
For their part, the Russian people will count the number of deaths in the past week, estimate additional military loss of life not worth it and press Putin to announce a move toward Chechen autonomy. To do so will only encourage Islamic terrorists to continue their ever-expanding drive to conquer by the sword, what they cannot realize by the ballot.
What the Russian people, many EU nations and a slice of the American public refuse to realize is that this is a war. Not a war pitting Christians against Muslims, but rather freedom against totalitarianism. These radical Islamic terrorists are driven by a belief in their religion that is medieval in its underpinnings and barbaric in its repression of basic human rights and freedom. Given the opportunity, all rational peoples would choose freedom of choice over blind obedience to dogma, in whatever shape that may take. There will always be extremists at each end of the pendulum, what we must not fail to recognize is that by retaining a solid middle we can keep the two apart. Itâs time for the âsilent majorityâ among all peoples and religions, to join together, support their duly elected governmental officials and remove this blight from our midst.
Sadly, what we are witnessing in Russia today, Iraq lo these many months and across the planet well before even 9-11, is the most rabid among the believers of Islam taking their twisted view of Godâs wrath and making it their own, to be employed against those they consider non-believers. At some point, the terrorists holding the school will begin killing one or more hostages at a time to force Putinâs hand. Thatâs been their intention all along!
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