Libertarianism vs. Radical Islam

The classic libertarian response to terrorism is to dis-inspire terrorists with incentives to "love" us. They (the terrorist peoples) are welcome to come here and work to build their own coffers and our nation, and we will not send troops to their lands (except, perhaps, for humanitarian efforts), and when they get here they can worship as they please (and even smoke pot, play poker or visit prostitutes if they like). Bottom line: we are only enemies to those who attack us, and never to foreign business or immigration.

Sadly, the mindset of terrorists is that they only are "people" and we are not. It seems insane to our presuppositions to not only jeopardize children, but to actually laugh about shooting them in the back as they flee a fire. But they are only insane by our moral perspective. To their way of thinking from cultural immersion in bitter religious extremism, we are not "people" and it pleases their deity to "weed the garden" of our polluting existence.

I am not trying to be insulting to Islam as a whole, especially mainstream Islam that does not support terrorism and the slaughter of innocents. I am recognizing that, by their own lights, WE are insane ... and enemies to their perverse theology.

We can reason with Catholics and Jews and Protestants relatively easily because all three religions accept that "Thou Shalt Not Commit Murder." And each of these faiths believes that every human made by the Creator is a "person" not to be murdered. But we cannot reason with ideological extremists because we do not have a common "language" of world view.

So, not being able to reason with the terrorists, what option is left?

Libertarianism is not about "peace at any cost." The use of violence to defend against violence is not only acceptable, but is required in a "moral" society. So, even as a libertarian, I am forced, reluctantly, to recognize that negotiations with sharks being ineffective, killing the sharks is the only defensive recourse.

It is impossible to kill everyone who has an ideological hatred. It IS possible, though, to kill as many of the violent as possible ... and to work on the other end of the issue by teaching the violent culture that we are NOT aggressors, invaders, usurpers and conquerors.

That's tough to teach, however, if it isn't strictly true....