“Freindly Fire Zone”

“This is the way the world ends ...Not with a bang but a whimper."

Does that famous quote aptly describe America’s future? Time will tell, but indications are that this nation, the most powerful, benevolent and fair in the world, is crumbling before our very eyes. Like Rome, it isn’t falling from outside invasion, but within. 

 And one of the biggest culprits is political correctness.

It’s all around us, but especially this time of year, as the assault on “Merry Christmas” accelerates.
 
It used to be a standard greeting, and people would reciprocate with a smile. Your religious denomination didn’t matter, or whether you even had one.  It was simply a friendly expression in a nation where the vast majority celebrated Christmas. And for those who didn’t, most returned the sentiment anyway because it was just a nice thing to do during the jovial season.

But all that changed as Americans’ sense of entitlement exploded. And yes, that included being entitled not to feel “offended” because something may not be to your exact liking.

“Merry Christmas? Well, I celebrate Hannukah or Kwanza or am an atheist, so how dare you presume to wish me your holiday? How offensive and rude!”

But it doesn’t stop there.  Hypocritical retail stores woo Christmas shoppers --- you know, the 95 percent who do celebrate Christmas and spend a half-trillion dollars doing so  --- but won’t put the word “Christmas” in their ads or on their displays.

It’s the Nativity scenes that are increasingly barred from public places. It’s residents who call the ACLU because a development hangs simple white lights on its trees. It’s office Christmas parties becoming a relic, replaced by generic “holiday” events. And yes, it’s Mayors like Michael Nutter who last year deliberately removed the word “Christmas” from the holiday retail complex near City Hall (but subsequently was forced to replace it).

All of it a brazen attempt to make America a more secular society through political correctness, and those who dare question it are labeled “bigots.” 

Several important points need to be addressed:

1) The push to make all things politically correct has been successful, as it is now entrenched in all aspects of society. Everyone gets a trophy in most youth sports leagues, we don’t keep accurate score when one team is winning over another, and all things must be racially, culturally and ethnically homogenous.

The problem is that’s not how the real world works. And it’s the basic principle that the Occupy movement doesn’t understand. You have to work hard and fight for things you want, but when they are bestowed upon us --- without merit --- from those who worship at the altar of political correctness, things go downhill fast.  Need proof? Just look at those who engage in PC the most ---Europe and the United States. Enough said.

2) This is a not call for “Thought Police” to mandate that everyone say “Merry Christmas.”  Quite the opposite. It’s a call for the silent majority to wake up and shove it right back at the small but extremely loud minority who shout “I’m offended” at every single thing. Saying Merry Christmas behind closed doors doesn’t take guts.  Saying it because you truly believe it and not worrying that such an innocuous greeting will offend does --- insane as that is.

3) Most important, Americans need to remember that actions have consequences. And until we connect the dots and see the error of being so PC, those consequences can, and will, have devastating results.

When good folks start looking over their shoulders before saying Merry Christmas for fear of "offending," it all begins to unravel.
 
Think the PC stops at that?  Well, think about the fact that the next time you step foot on an airplane, it may be your last day on Earth because your government --- we the people --- absolutely refuse to non-invasively profile the very folks who openly state their intentions to blow up said aircraft.  And it gets better, as the Transportation Security Administration just announced that children under 12 don’t have to take off their shoes for screening, and will not be subject to routine pat-downs like everyone else

Here’s the $64,000 question. What do we think al-Qaeda will do now? Here’s a wild guess. Start flying a lot more with children? What’s next? Not screening foreign children at all?
 
So when your wife gets incinerated two minutes after takeoff, and the wreckage of a jumbo jet falls on your child’s school because a terrorist put the bomb in his 11 year old's shoe, courtesy of the red carpet we provided, perhaps we shouldn’t wonder why it happened.

Or when your son gets his skull sliced in half by a bullet that emanates from a Mosque in Afghanistan which is "off limits" for retaliation for fear of offending the very people who don’t like us anyway, maybe we should think about where it all started coming apart.
 
Did it start from the reluctance to say Merry Christmas or the refusal to put a Christmas tree on a courthouse plaza? Did it originate from the refusal to acknowledge Christmas on a public school calendar while other religions’ holidays are clearly labeled as such?  It’s impossible to pinpoint, but it really doesn't matter.  That mentality is here, and has in large part led to the Great Decline.
 
So when the inevitable tragedy happens again --- one that could have been prevented --- and dumbfounded Americans stand around asking "How and why did this happen?", well, you'll know why.  The 40's and 50's were certainly not perfect, but people spoke their minds, were respectful, and America was a powerhouse. That attitude put a man on the moon a mere 60 years after the Wright brothers took flight but is now a fleeting memory.  Which is what happens when you bow to the wrong principles.
 
When Rome was at its zenith, it adhered to the simple principle that the well-being of its citizens was paramount. All of them.  In fact, so fervent was that belief that the Romans would literally go to the ends of the Earth to hunt down any thug that violated the rights of just a single Roman. They didn't let political correctness rule the day, and the Republic thrived.  But when it abandoned that principle, it all came crashing down.
 
They said Rome would never fall, but it did.  Many say the same about America.   Yet the whimper is at our door.

So if we are to ever return to our former glory, perhaps that path could begin by good folks jettisoning political correctness and saying two small but incredibly joyous words without reservation:

Merry Christmas!
 

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television/radio commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com  His self-syndicated model has earned him the largest cumulative media voice in Pennsylvania. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

After ten long years, the wait is finally over. 

Osama bin Laden --- Public Enemy Number One --- had eluded capture for over a decade, casting doubt that justice would ever be served.  It was only natural to think he either died anonymously or blended so well into his surroundings that his fate would never be realized, and that America’s most painful wound would never fully heal.

But all that changed after a gutsy operation inside Pakistan led to his demise.  The massive celebrations around the nation left tears of joy in the eyes of millions, as unity once again took hold across America.  Notch a huge win for the good guys.

But at risk of putting a damper on the euphoria, it is clear that U.S. still is not wholly committed to winning the War on Terror. A glaring example is the debate over whether waterboarding and other “enhanced interrogation techniques” should be used on terrorists hell-bent on destroying us.

There are conflicting reports as to whether the waterboarding of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed provided information about an al-Queda courier, who ultimately led the U.S. to bin Laden’s Pakistani hideout.

One question: who cares?  Common sense tells us that waterboarding works, and has no doubt saved lives by obtaining intelligence that would have otherwise not been uncovered.  Whether that method was directly responsible for extracting the courier information may never be known, but debating that point misses the big picture entirely.

We are at war.  And when at war, you pull out all stops until victory is achieved --- Vietnam was supposed to teach us that. When you fight not to lose, the enemy becomes emboldened. 

Where we are right now is a perfect example of the adage “we have met the enemy, and it is us.”
We have allowed our security to be unnecessarily compromised, and, despite bin Laden’s death, the threat against the Western world remains high.

And it’s all done in the name of political correctness.

The blame cannot be directed just at President Obama, who officially discontinued waterboarding in 2009.  Under the Bush Administration, both the CIA and the military had effectively ended the practice years earlier.  And it was Republican John McCain who offered an Amendment prohibiting the U.S. from engaging in humiliating or degrading treatment of captured terrorists.

By way of explanation, waterboarding is when water is poured over the face of an enemy combatant, simulating the feeling of drowning.  If you're waiting for the rest of the description, you'll be sorely disappointed, because that's it.  Don't misunderstand---it's very effective, but derives its success due to psychological stress rather than physical harm.  No one gets hurt, and no one dies. 

But somehow that’s degrading, so despite its effectiveness, we stopped it outright. Does anyone really believe that if we politely ask our detainees for sensitive information, like their financial network, comrades' whereabouts, and the battle-plans to kill Americans, they will just tell us?

If the goal is to ensure that terrorists feel comfortable, then we were right to ban waterboarding.  But if we want to be seriously engaged in a global war against those who aggressively advocate our destruction, we must reconsider how we handle detainees, (who, incidentally, are afforded fantastic medical care, food reflective of their ethnicity, and prayer time).

Maybe we should ask the survivors and victims’ families of the 9/11 massacre, the Madrid train attacks, the London subway bombings, and a host of other atrocities if they care whether a prisoner, with possible knowledge of an impending attack (potentially nuclear, chemical or biological), has some water poured on his face, or feels humiliated.

Cutting through the PC, does the average American, or European for that matter, really believe such interrogation methods should be banned, putting the prisoner's well-being ahead of their own?  Are they really willing to jeopardize their children's future because a combatant's “dignity” is affected?

When Americans are captured, the enemy doesn’t feel compelled to reciprocate that dignity. Need a quick refresher?  Just look at the videos of Americans --- civilians and military --- being decapitated, dragged through the streets, burned, dismembered and hung from bridges.

Because we coddle prisoners, refuse to profile, won’t construct a border wall and tie our troops' hands behind their backs because of PC politics, we have become a paper tiger.  And the sigh of despair you hear?  That's the silent majority of Europeans who live on the front lines, too scared to publicly support anti-PC measures because their cultures have become the embodiment of appeasement.  They used to nod in admiration that at least one country still had the guts to take it to the enemy. Sadly, that is no longer the case.

We should use every means necessary to extract information that could save lives, and waterboarding is clearly one of them.  Just as Americans call for domestic drilling only after gas hits $4 per gallon, there will undoubtedly be loud calls to bring back enhanced interrogation techniques --- after the next attack.

But by then, it will be too late.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative
reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries
and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including
The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick
Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in
Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national
television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

During a television interview, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was asked how a bomb-laden car could be driven into Times Square, and how to prevent such a recurrence.

He answered, correctly, that, since we live in a free society, such terrorists attacks can never be fully prevented.

The corollary to that answer is obvious --- planned attacks can be thwarted by good intelligence, competent personnel, and, perhaps most important, common sense.

But instead, we have come to rely on luck and the bumbling incompetence of terrorists --- not exactly a recipe for success.

The law of averages dictates that Lady Luck’s repeated generosity to America must soon come to an end. 

Unfortunately, this seems to be a foreign concept to those charged with protecting us --- bureaucrats, agents, and most of all, elected officials.

The arrest of “Jihad Jane,” a white American woman accused of plotting with known terrorists, is both good and bad.

Good, of course, because those associating with terrorists should be brought to justice. (Colleen LaRose, Jane’s real name, showed her genius by publicly posting her intention to kill Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who had drawn Mohammed in a way she found offensive).

So yes, she’s a freak, and was a threat. Enough said.

But bad, because of all the politically correct morons who have once again come out of the woodwork, ranting that “profiling” is racist and doesn’t work. After all, they tell us, LaRose was one of us, and didn’t fit a terrorist profile, so therefore all profiling should cease.

It’s truly incredible how seemingly intelligent people can be so obtuse.

No one who lived through the Great Depression called it the Great Depression. That designation wouldn't come until years later.

In the same vein, I wonder if we are living in the middle of the Last Crusade. My gut tells me we are. And that means the West must once again draw swords.

It begins in Europe.

Too long has the continent played patsy, rolling over backwards to accommodate the very people who seek its destruction. Wide-open borders, political correctness, fear of being labeled and negative birthrates have produced a dying Europe. While the majority still believes in Western values, they remain silent; the only sound heard is radical Islam trying to snuff out the last remnants of European identity. The mosques are full, and the churches are empty. Is hope lost?

Diminished, yes. Lost? Not just yet.

You may remember the flap two years ago when a Danish newspaper published cartoons that depicted the prophet Muhammad - cartoons that some Muslims deemed offensive. While most Muslims simply ignored the row, the extremists rioted in Denmark and around the world, Danish embassies were stormed, and lives were lost. Some Muslims even issued a death warrant on the cartoonist and issued a fatwa against the papers that printed the cartoons.

The situation has not improved, as it was recently revealed that there was yet another alleged plot by Muslim terrorists to kill the Danish cartoonist.

In a show of support for both the cartoonist and free speech, our colleagues in 15 Danish newspapers just re-printed all of the cartoons. Take a wild guess what happened after that.

Muslims rioted. What a surprise.

This latest transgression against the West has been going on for over a week, with rioters spreading out from Copenhagen to other Danish cities. Hundreds of cars and trucks have been torched, police have been attacked, and a school was set ablaze.

Will this finally be the wake up call for Europe? Will it have the courage to declare its own fatwa against the Muslim infidels who overtly threaten its stability and existence? We can only hope.

Europe needs a good proctologist to find its head. Only a complete repudiation of all things politically correct can be an enema for its soul. It needs new leaders to exhibit uncommon valor in defending what is good, right and just about Western civilization. Above all, its people must start having children again. To paraphrase Dickens, if this last concept is not understood, nothing good will come of this.

How does Europe achieve these goals? With conviction. Bold leadership is needed to start the ball rolling on the second point. On the first, the solution is simple but not easy. Muslim infidels - those extremists who disparage true Islam and disrespect the very prophet they purport to follow - must be met with a zero-tolerance wall of fire. Non-citizens who are apprehended rioting should be deported immediately, never to return. There should be stiff penalties for all others engaging in violence and subversive activities against Western freedoms. Intimidation and threats must be dealt with in a manner ten-fold harsher than the offense. Unfortunately, the only code these people recognize is brute force coupled with an unwavering resoluteness.

Up until this point, the extremists have exploited Europe's weakness of trying to be all things to all people. The irony is that the only ones being served by this policy is the enemy.

Today's Europeans will be judged on whether they had the intestinal fortitude to resurrect themselves, rising up from the abyss to take back what is morally and rightfully theirs. The barbarians are at the gate, and the time to fight is now.

Since the victors always write history, who will be writing the epilogue of today's battle?

My first reaction was to ask Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, where he bought his happy pills. After all, this is the man who just called for Islamic Shariah law to be implemented in England. I assume, since all Muslims simply adore British citizens and their Western culture, that this was Archbishop Williams' way of continuing the Golden Age of World Peace in which we find ourselves.

Hey, appeased terrorists and their sympathizers make the best neighbors.

After reading more of Arhbishop Williams' comments this week, however, it's obvious that it's not medication talking. It's much more dangerous. It's a man in a significant position of power - he leads over 80 million in the Anglican Church - who naïvely advocates positions that place Britain, as well as his own flock, in physical and spiritual jeopardy.

Pakistan's leader, General Pervez Musharraf, has just declared a state of emergency.  In doing so, he suspended the constitution, ousted the country's top judge, baned public meetings and rounded up opposition leaders.  Parliamentary elections were also halted for the foreseeable future.  Democracy, if that's what you pretend to call Pakistan's system of government, has taken a backseat to authoritarian rule.

And guess who, once again, is sticking its nose where it doesn't belong?

The United States is leading the charge in condemning Pakistan for its actions, calling it a setback for democracy.  Apparently, we don't support Musharraf's “extra-constitutional means” by which he governs, so now we are thinking about cutting off billions of aid  to one of our staunchest allies in the War on Terror.

When will we ever learn that this is precisely why we are hated in many parts of the world?  We continually impose our values on everyone else, and do so in such a morally superior way that it generates results opposite of our intentions. Our actions are, at best, politically naive, and, at worst, downright dangerous.