Collective responsibility
By Robert T. Smith
web posted June 12, 2017
Islamic terrorism has struck Great Britain again and we are reminded that we are at war with an enemy who hides among us. We cannot identify the Islamic terrorists because the “uniform” they wear into battle is indistinguishable from the uniform every other Muslim wear. Thoughts are the sole distinguishing characteristic of the Islamic terrorists; the term radicalization is the vernacular excuse of the politically correct. How do we fight such an enemy?
The notion of suddenly being radicalized is a bit of a bizarre theory. It is difficult to imagine how an individual suddenly converts from living a peaceful, bucolic lifestyle, enjoying the benefits of modern society, to suddenly contemplating killing as many innocent men, women, and children as possible in as medieval a manner as can be conceived as a tool to terrorize. Sudden onset radicalization currently appears a bit more endemic to a certain group than others.
Because of their small numbers and being ill equipped to militarily take on an entire nation, the Islamic terrorists use the notion of collective responsibility against innocents in an attempt to achieve their religious goals. Certainly the killing of innocent women and children with a bomb at a concert, on a roadway with a truck, or in a public setting with a knife cannot be justified in any other application other than to attack the western and/or Christian societies as a whole. Acquiescence to their cause is the goal, accomplished by their draconian methods. As reported by those who have interrogated the terrorists, the terrorists believe that their god provided us our modern notions of liberty and religious freedom to be used against us as a weakness, so that we may be defeated by them, by their exploiting what we believe to be virtuous.
Unafraid of repercussions from their host country western governments, the Muslim population in which the terrorists hide themselves appears to provide uniform cover, and active or tacit approval of terrorism, otherwise we should be witness to an inter-Muslim community cleansing of staggering proportion. As a Christian, I would be on the front lines of identifying to the authorities any possible terrorist in my church or local community who I knew was using my Christian religion as an excuse for terrorism, since they denigrate the members of my church and all Christians in general. Why then does this not happen with the Muslim community?... it seems in almost every instance that others had known about the terrorists among them.
To great effect during America’s Civil War, the north used collective responsibility against the people of the southern states. As example, General Sherman had difficulties subduing confederate snipers who blended in with the general population. His response was to use collective responsibility to attack the civilian population, burning towns and taking civilian hostages.
During World War II the bombing of the City of Dresden by the allies was a strike at the heart of the German people, not the German military. The city was destroyed and tens of thousands of civilians killed. To great effect the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan’s civilian population brought the grind of the war with Japan to a quick end. Collective responsibility is brutish, but effective.
Individual and society existential issues should call for the application of collective responsibility when fighting this Islamic terrorist enemy, in order to bring an end to the barbarian’s activities. According to the Democrat party, the Islamic terrorists pose no existential threat to the United States as a national entity and we are constantly admonished to not consider the common group source of the terrorists, multiculturalism and not Americanism being of paramount importance to the Democrat. Consequently, this is and has been a law enforcement issue and not a nation at war issue to the Democrats. In American-think terms, the Islamic terrorist existential threat to any individual is clear and the preservation of Americanism is paramount, we are at war with an ideology antithetical to the virtues of our people and country.
Since we cannot identify the Islamic terrorists among us from the Muslim non-terrorists, and this group does not seem inclined to help with this endeavor, perhaps it is time for a bit of collective responsibility to be applied. You are either with your fellow citizens, or you are an enemy living in their land and on the side of the terrorists. 
Robert T. Smith is an environmental scientist who spends his days enjoying life and the pursuit of happiness with his family. He confesses to cling to his liberty, guns and religion, with antipathy toward the arrogant ruling elites throughout the country.