MBVD: Unraveling Al-Qa`ida's Target Selection Calculus-Part TWO

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Unraveling Al-Qa`ida's Target Selection Calculus-Part TWO

Unraveling Al-Qa`ida's Target Selection Calculus
Part TWO

To continue:

These instructions given to prospective Jihadis further demonstrate that the primary targets of the al-Qa`ida network are American entities of high economic value such as businessmen and corporations. It should be noted, in particular, that American military targets and soldiers are relegated to secondary importance as potential targets. However, the network does not usually specify in print which specific Western companies or sectors are to be targeted. It is probable that the leadership of al-Qa`ida is being intentionally vague on this matter to make it possible for individual cell leaders to choose appropriate targets on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the availability of targets in their respective theaters of operations.

Two sectors which are sure to be in the sights of al-Qa`ida operatives are the oil and tourism industries. In the past two years the leaders of al-Qa`ida, including Usama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, have specifically called on their operatives to target oil installations in the Gulf to hinder what they refer to as the ongoing "theft of Muslim resources," and have likewise called for attacks on tourist resorts in the Muslim world.[8] Clearly, the message has been received by al-Qa`ida's rank and file and other terrorists inspired by the network, as can be seen from the recent bombings in Egyptian tourist resorts and the constant attacks on oil facilities in Iraq (as well as attempted attacks in Saudi Arabia). In the future, al-Qa`ida operations outside the U.S. mainland are likely to concentrate on similar facilities, in addition to financial districts, buildings of high economic value and Western embassies.
One more primary objective of the September 11th attacks is important to note: the goal of dragging the United States into a wider war through which al-Qa`ida and its allies hope to scatter, isolate and bleed the United States militarily and economically [this is referred to as Harb Istinzaf—a long term war of attrition, i.e., "dragging" and "bleeding" the enemy]. The U.S. invasion of Iraq has provided al-Qa`ida with a prime opportunity to attack U.S. troops within the Arab world, as was stated explicitly by Usama Bin Laden in his message to his supporters in 2005, "Bleeding the United States, which is currently in Iraq economically, militarily and morally, is a golden opportunity that you should not miss or you will regret it . . . concentrate your operations on it, especially in Iraq and the Gulf. This will be their end."[42] The American presence in the Gulf states, coupled with the American occupation of Iraq, is being exploited by al-Qa`ida to rally its supporters to concentrate their efforts on American and Western targets in Iraq, the Gulf (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Oman), Yemen as well as in Jordan

Nevertheless, al-Qa`ida is still likely to attempt to attack the American homeland. Attacking U.S. territory offers al-Qa`ida many advantages, primarily through its symbolic value as well as its indication of the network's reach and perseverance. More importantly, as discussed previously, such an attack would further the goal of stressing the United States economically. Continuously attacking the American homeland also causes further rifts between the United States and its Arab and Muslim allies, an objective which is among al-Qa`ida's foremost strategic goals. This point was argued by Ayman al-Zawahiri, the network's second in command in 2001:

The masters in Washington and Tel Aviv are using the [Muslim] regimes to protect their interest and to fight the battle against the Muslims on their behalf. If the shrapnel from the battle reaches their homes and their bodies, they will trade accusations with their agents about who is responsible for this. In that case, they will face one of two bitter choices: Either personally wage the battle against the Muslims, which means the battle will turn into clear-cut jihad against infidels, or they reconsider their plans after acknowledging the failure of the brute and violent confrontation against Muslims. Therefore, we must move the battle to the enemy's grounds to burn the hands of those who ignite fire in our countries.[43]

Al-Qa`ida's leadership argues that only when military and economic alliances between the United States and its Arab and Muslim allies are broken will the network be able to weaken and overthrow these "apostate" regimes and impose an Islamic state, which is the eventual goal of al-Qa`ida. This is the main reason why al-Zawahiri and bin Laden decided to embark on an external Jihad against the "Far Enemy," i.e., the United States and the West. They opted to attack the West to severe its military and economic support for Arab and Muslim leaders in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and other states seen to have close ties to the United States. Al-Qa`ida's leadership reasoned that direct attacks on U.S. and European territory will force Western leaders to doubt their alliances with Muslim and Arab leaders and will eventually force the West to abandon their regional allies

This approach was a clear departure from the traditional Jihadi strategy of the Muslim Brotherhood and its various offshoots in the Middle East, who in previous decades have opted to wage a long term internal Jihad against the "near enemy," Arab and Muslim regimes. Al-Qa`ida also aims to stretch the United States thin, knowing full well that even superpowers have limited financial and military resources. It is the objective of this network to pull the United States into a third quagmire, in addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, in order to drag, exhaust and further "bleed" the U.S. As stated in a communiqué released in July 2004:

Our Goals in the Next Period . . .

1. Increasing the scope of the conflict by spreading operations all around the world. Dragging America into a third quagmire in addition to Iraq and Afghanistan; let it be Yemen god willing. We have mentioned this in our communiqué of March 11, 2004: "we tell the company of Abu Ali al-Harithi, the leadership has decided that Yemen will be the third quagmire for the hegemon of our era, America. More so, to discipline the collaborating infidel government that is second only to Musharaf."
2. Shaking the confidence of investors in the American economy.
3. Exposing the Crusader Jewish project.
4. Scattering and bleeding [exhausting] the enemy.

Following these steps comes the awaited strike that will break the will of America, who in return will abandon its collaborators and agents, so we can settle our scores with them. Then we launch the caravan to Jerusalem with god's permission.[44]

The Various Phases of al-Qa`ida's Global War and Path to the Caliphate

Ongoing analysis and examination of al-Qa`ida's vast published literature, abundant manuals and endless statements imply the following eight successive phases in the network's plan for a long-term battle against the United States and its allies in the Middle East and Muslim world:

Awakening the Masses: In this phase the network aims to increase the consciousness of the global Muslim community by "exposing" the alleged inherent American and western hostility to Islamic peoples. The network argues this will lead to increased hatred of western influences in Muslim lands and swell the ranks of al-Qa`ida and its affiliates with new volunteers and sympathizers. As important, in this phase "apostate" governments will reveal their alleged "collaborative" nature when they are forced to side publicly with their western "masters" in the aftermath of al-Qa`ida attacks. Furthermore, in this phase other political trends in the Middle East (nationalists, leftists, liberals...etc) will be shown as weak and indecisive, thereby enhancing the image of the Salafis as the only entity in the Arab and Muslim world that is willing and capable to fight on behalf of the Muslim masses and take the fight to the west and to the corrupt "apostate" regimes

"Harb Istinzaf -- A long term war of attrition": In this phase the network aims to "bleed the enemy" until it crumbles. In short, their goal is to make the United States "bleed" economically, militarily, and politically until it loses the desire and the means to fight and withdraws militarily, politically and economically from the Middle East and other Muslim lands

Severing Western/Muslim alliances: In this phase, an American withdrawal from the Middle East will lead to the severing of American alliances with secular and moderates regimes (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, etc). This will entail the end of American military and economic support to Arab and Muslim regimes. Absent American military and economic aid, these regimes will be greatly weakened and will eventually lose their grip on their populations and will lack the ability to resist the global Jihadi movement

"Tasfiyat Hisabat -- Settling Scores": Once Arab and Muslim regimes are weakened, al-Qa`ida and its affiliates aim to overthrow them, and "settle scores" by eliminating the leaders and their security forces.

"Idarat al-Tawahush -- Management of Barbarism": Prolific al-Qa`ida thinker Abu Bakr Naji considers this phase the most dangerous. In this phase the network and its sympathizers will aim to administer and manage Arab and Muslim lands in the intermediary period immediately following the collapse of apostate regimes. At this fragile period rampant chaos will ensue in Muslim lands due to lawlessness and lack of authority.[45]

Establishing Shari`a Law: In this phase the network aims to establish pious Shari`a governments that will rule individual Arab and Muslim states by Islamic law for a temporary period, while awaiting the return of the Muslim caliphate

Removal of All Western Influences from the Region: This phase entails the full liberation of all Muslim lands including Palestine [i.e. the destruction of Israel] and Kashmir, and the retrieval of lands once ruled by Muslims, including al-Andalus [Andalusia, Spain].

Reestablishment of the Caliphate: The final phase will ensue once Shari`a rule has been established in all individual Arab and Muslim states, and following the full liberation and retrieval of all historic Muslim lands. At this juncture the global Jihadi network and its sympathizers intend to reestablish the historic Caliphate which ruled the Muslim community as a single entity for many centuries. The Caliphate is viewed by many Islamists as the golden age of Islamic power.

Currently, we are still in the first three phases of this long and protracted conflict, which the al-Qa`ida network wishes to expand and intensify. In these concurrent initial three phases, the al-Qa`ida network aims to exhaust the United States, sever its alliances with Muslim and Arab governments, and simultaneously escalate anti-Western animosity in the region. The al-Qa`ida network reasons that the best way to achieve the goal of exhausting the United States is through repeated attacks against American and Western targets of high economic value. Some prominent analysts of the global Jihadi movement argue that al-Qa`ida's quest for the reestablishment of the historic Caliphate and the removal of all western influences from the Muslim world is a step toward the networks ultimate goal of establishing" Hakimiyyat Allah -- God's rule over the world", whereby the Caliphate dominates the rest of the world.[46]

In sum, al-Qa`ida's target selection is neither arbitrary nor impulsive. Continuing examination of al-Qa`ida's primary literature and operational manuals reveals that their target selection calculus is governed by a sinister desire to bring down the economy of the United States and other western powers. This targeting strategy is an integral part of the network's overall objective of "bleeding" and exhausting the United States in order to force it to leave the Middle East and abandon its regional allies. To do so, al-Qa`ida will primarily attack facilities of high economic value. The al-Qa`ida network is likely to continue to focus on targets that cause economic disruption within the United States and worldwide, as al-Qa`ida's strategy is to engage the United States and its allies in a long-term war of attrition. As noted in a network communiqué, "The enemy may be patient, but it cannot endure. As for us with our doctrine, belief, and our love for meeting God, we can endure until the enemy crumbles. If this takes decades or centuries, we are charged with fighting them come victory or martyrdom."[47]

Note: This article is drawn in part from the piece entitled "Unraveling al-Qa`ida's Target Selection Calculus," written by Sammy Salama for the Combating Terrorism Center at the United States Military Academy, West Point, in December 2006

Sources:
[1] Nur al-Din al-Kurdi, "The Arenas of Jihad," Dharwat al-Sunam (Peak of the Camel's Hump), Volume 3, p. 27-28 [translation by author].
[2] Akhu Man Ta`a Allah, "What Else is There to Say About September 11," Sawt al-Jihad (Voice of Jihad Magazine), Volume 26, p. 35-42 [translation by author].
[3] Abu Mus`ab al-Najadi, "al-Qaeda's Battle is Economic not Military," October 3, 2005 [translation by author].
[4] "Al-Mubtakkar al-Farid: Li Irsaal al-Safah al-Athiri Ila al-Kafir al-`Anid -- The Unique Invention: To Deliver the Atheric Killer to the Stubborn Infidel," al-FirdawsJihadi Website, October 2005 [translation by author].
[5] Abu al-Usood al-Faqir, "Instances of Radiation Pollution from 1945-1987," al-FarouqJihadi Website, October 2005 [translation by author].
[6] Abi Hajer Abd al-Aziz al-Muqrin, "Military Sciences -- Targets inside the Cities," Mu`askar al-Battar (al-Battar Camp) Magazine, Volume 7, p. 23-27[translation by author].
[7] Ibid.
[8] "The Complete Text of Sheikh Usama Bin Laden's Call Especially to the Muslims of Saudi Arabia and General Muslims Elsewhere," al-Tawhid wal-Jihad Website, December 15, 2005 [translation by author].
[9] Jane Corbin, Al-Qaeda: In Search of the Terror Network That Threatens the World (New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2003), 81-82; "Verdict Reached in U.S. Embassy Bombings Trials," CNN, May 29, 2001.
[10] Ibid., p. 199.
[11] Jason Burke, Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam (New York: IB Taurus, 2004), 199.
[12] Jane Corbin, Al-Qaeda: In Search of the Terror Network That Threatens the World, p.95
[13] Peter L. Bergen, Holy War, Inc: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden (New York: Free Press, 2001), 27-28.
[14] Jason Burke, Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam, p. 265.
[15] "Bin Laden 'inspired Bali attacks,'" BBC, July 10, 2003.
[16] "Al Qaida Trained JI Hotel Bombers," Sunday Mail (SA), August 10, 2003; Simon Elegant, "A New Wave of Terror?" Time, August 10, 2003.
[17] "Hambali caught in Thailand," New Straits Times (Malaysia), August 16, 2003.
[18] Toby Harnden and Amberin Zaman, "Synagogue bombs were ours, says al-Qa`eda group," The Daily Telegraph (London), November 17, 2003; "Istanbul rocked by double bombing," BBC, November 20, 2003.
[19] Damien McElroy and Philip Sherwell, "Bomb attacks were planned in internet cafe," The Sunday Telegraph (London), November 23, 2003.
[20] "Turkey: Charges in Istanbul Bombing," New York Times, February 26, 2004; Sebnem Arsu, "Turkish court sentences militants for 2003 bombings," International Herald Tribune, February 16, 2007.
[21] Hugh MacLeod, "Syria Hands Over Suspects who Fled After Quadruple Suicide Bombings in Turkey," The Independent (London), December 1, 2003; James C. Helicke, "Turkish synagogue bombers 'met bin Laden,'" Jerusalem Post, September 14, 2004.
[22] "Turkish bomb gang defused," The Weekend Australian, December 27, 2003.
[23] "Truck bombs rock Istanbul," Jerusalem Post, November 21, 2003.
[24] Marianne Kearney and Sebastien Berger, "Car bomb explodes outside Australian Embassy in Jakarta," Ottawa Citizen, September 10, 2004.
[25] "Full text: 'Al-Qaeda' Madrid claim," BBC, March 14, 2004; Al Goodman, "Madrid bombings trial: Key defendant denies involvement," CNN, February 15, 2007.
[26] Michael Scheuer, "The London Bombings: For al-Qaeda, Steady as She Goes," Terrorism Focus, Volume 2, Issue 14 (July 22, 2005) p. 5-8.
[27] "Explosion rocks Red Sea resorts," BBC, October 8, 2004.
[28] Roger Hardy, "Tracking down Egypt's bombers," BBC, July 26, 2005; Diaa Rashwan, "Was it Al-Qaeda?," Al-Ahram Weekly, 28 July-3 August 2005.
[29] "'Bomber confession' shocks Jordan," CNN, November 14, 2005; "Bomber's wife arrested in Jordan," BBC, November 13, 2005.
[30] Sharmila Devi and William Wallis, "Al-Qaeda says it unleashed Amman bombers," Financial Times, November 11, 2005.
[31] "Aircraft bomb plot thwarted," Telegraph, October 8, 2006; "'Airlines terror plot' disrupted," BBC, August 10, 2006.
[32] John Ward Anderson and Karen DeYoung, "Plot to Bomb U.S.-Bound Jets Is Foiled," Washington Post, August 11, 2006.
[33] "Details emerge on alleged plot to bomb airliners," MSNBC, August 10, 2006.
[34] David Batty and Mark Oliver, "'Mass murder terror plot' uncovered," Guardian, August 10, 2006.
[35] Op. cit.; John Ward Anderson and Karen DeYoung, "Plot to Bomb U.S.-Bound Jets Is Foiled," Washington Post, August 11, 2006.
[36] "'Airlines terror plot' disrupted," BBC, August 10, 2006.
[37] John Ward Anderson and Karen DeYoung, "Plot to Bomb U.S.-Bound Jets Is Foiled," Washington Post, August 11, 2006.
[38] "Triple blasts rock Egypt resort," BBC, April 25, 2004.
[39] "Egypt bomb suspects 'surrender'," BBC, May 13, 2006.
[40] "Country Reports on Terrorism 2005 - Statistical Annex," United States Department of State, April 7, 2006,<http://www.state.gov/documents/ organization/65489.pdf>.
[41] Ibid., p. 131.
[42] Ibid.
[43] Marc Sageman, Understanding Terror Networks. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004), p. 22.
[44] Abu Hafez al-Masri Brigades [al-Qaeda in Europe], "A Communiqué." July 1, 2004 [translation by author].
[45] Abu Bakr Naji, "Idarat al-Tawahush: The Most Dangerous Phase That The Islamic Nation Will Go Through," The Center for Islamic Studies and Research, as viewed on al-Firdaws Website, October 2005; Stephen Ulph, "New Online Book Lays Out al-Qaeda's Military Strategy," Jamestown, March 18, 2005; an excellent English translation of the book "Idarat al-Tawahush" by William McCants is available from the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, at: http://www.ctc.usma.edu/ Management_of_Savagery.pdf.
[46] Dr. Bassam Tibi, discussion with author, Monterey, Spring 2005; Bassam Tibi, "Jihadism's roots in political Islam," International Herald Tribune, August 30, 2005.
[47] Abu Hafez al-Masri Brigades [al-Qaeda in Europe], "A Communiqué." July 1, 2004 [translation by author]

********************

As noted before, this is an extremely long article from American Congress for Truth. It falls right along the same lines as Islamberg and the Sanctuary Villages being formed throughout the country.

Janet Reno had no compunctions about bombing the hell out of the Branch Davidians and, point for point, the Branch Davidians were nowhere near the violent, insane threat we're now facing.

We have defeatocrats running this country, people who in fact welcome this threat to our society. They will tell you there is no threat here, it's all overseas. Well, they're wrong. DEAD WRONG.

I still want to know why the congressional representatives of the states involved in the Islamberg hamaats aren't focusing on this internal threat, why the residents are able to work in credit card processing centers handling financial records. And why, oh why, aren't these places and people on the terror watch lists.

It's time to pull our collective heads out of the sand and demand, DEMAND these places be put under surveillance and broken up. Not tomorrow, not next time you think of it, NOW. The danger is real. Are you going to face that danger and do your best to overcome it or are you going to put it aside, forget about it and when it's knocking at your door, look like a deer in the headlights and say, "Why didn't anyone tell me?". Your choice.

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SOLDIER"S ANGELS NEEDS YOUR HELP!

The Veterans Hospital in Tucson needs our help!!! They have contacted Soldiers' Angels with a list of needs for their patients. Soldiers Angels needs your help in making some of these come true.

Below you will find just a small portion of needs that are immediate. You can also find this list posted on the Soldiers Angels Forum at www.soldiersangelsforum.com you will be able to find lots of great information there for our deployed and vets.

If you are sending a monetary donation please follow the link and indicate the State you are in.

Donate here;
Ttp://soldiersangels.org/index.php?page=veterans-support

COMFORT ITEMS- $350/MO
Dry Skin Cream
Slipper Socks-No skid
Catheter bag covers
Shaving Cream
Hand Lotion
Baby Shampoo
Hand Soap
Roll on/Spray Deodorant
Denture Cleaner
Underwear (men and women (all sizes)
Toothbrushes
Denture Grip
Socks (white)
Talcum Powder
Nail Clippers
Toothpaste
Ladies hand and body lotion
Backpacks
Disposable Razors
Comb/Brushes
Shawls
Shaving Cream/small
Knitted Caps
Travel Alarm Clocks
Ball Caps
Tote Bags
Shower Shoes
Pocket Size Needle and Thread Kit
Heart pillows for cardiac patients
Lap Robes (3x5 or 5x7)

GUEST SERVICES
30 cup coffee makers
Coffee supplies (reg. & decaf)
Music CDs
Stamps
Writing Paper and Envelopes
Prepaid Phone Cards for patients’

RECREATION
Puzzle books
Crossword Puzzles
Pencils
Video tapes & DVDs (movies, educational)
DVD Player

Sports equipment (basketball, tennis rackets &
Tickets for entertainment & sporting events
Balls, badminton set, Frisbees, football)

If you can send just one item that would be great!!! If each person sends one thing we will make a difference! They are also needing those who can volunteer time at the hospital just contact the Voluntary Services Dept. For information.

Mail Items to:

Department of Veterans Affairs Southern Arizona VA Health Care System – Voluntary Services 9-135, 3601 S. Sixth Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85723

PLEASE HELP US HELP THOSE WHO FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM!

My Favorite Speeches and Other Items of Interest

George Bush's March 28, 2007 Discusses Economy, War on Terror During Remarks to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association;http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070328-2.html
Mitch McConnell's March 15, 2007 Funding For Troops, Not Timelines for Retreat; http://mcconnell.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=270747&start=1
Ronald Reagan's June 12, 1987 Tear Down This Wall Speech; http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/speeches/wall.asp
Vice President Cheney's March 12, 2007 Remarks at the AIPAC 2007 Policy Conference; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070312.html

Winston Churchill Quotes

A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not to kill him.
Although personally I am quite content with existing explosives, I feel we must not stand in the path of improvement.
Although prepared for martyrdom, I preferred that it be postponed.
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter.
Danger - if you meet it promptly and without flinching - you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!
I always seem to get inspiration and renewed vitality by contact with this great novel land of yours which sticks up out of the Atlantic.
I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.
I like a man who grins when he fights.
I was only the servant of my country and had I, at any moment, failed to express her unflinching resolve to fight and conquer, I should at once have been rightly cast aside.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time-a tremendous whack.
In war as in life, it is often necessary when some cherished scheme has failed, to take up the best alternative open, and if so, it is folly not to work for it with all your might.
It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.
Moral of the Work. In war: resolution. In defeat: defiance. In victory: magnanimity. In peace: goodwill.
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
Never, never, never give up.
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism.
One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
The first quality that is needed is audacity.
The nose of the bulldog has been slanted backwards so that he can breathe without letting go.
The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.
There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion.
These are not dark days: these are great days - the greatest days our country has ever lived.
They are decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent.
True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.
Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.
War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you can.
War is mainly a catalogue of blunders.
We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.
We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.
When the eagles are silent the parrots begin to jabber.
When you are winning a war almost everything that happens can be claimed to be right and wise.
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.

Ronald Reagan Quotes

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so."
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.
All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk.
Approximately 80% of our air pollution stems from hydrocarbons released by vegetation, so let's not go overboard in setting and enforcing tough emission standards from man-made sources
Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.
Double, no triple, our troubles and we'd still be better off than any other people on earth. It is time that we recognized that ours was, in truth, a noble cause.
Facts are stupid things.
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.
Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.
Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.
History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.
How can a president not be an actor?
How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.
I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress.
I will stand on, and continue to use, the figures I have used, because I believe they are correct. Now, I'm not going to deny that you don't now and then slip up on something; no one bats a thousand.
In Israel, free men and women are every day demonstrating the power of courage and faith. Back in 1948 when Israel was founded, pundits claimed the new country could never survive. Today, no one questions that. Israel is a land of stability and democracy in a region of tryanny and unrest.
Let us ask ourselves; "What kind of people do we think we are?".
Man is not free unless government is limited.
My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose - somehow we win out.
No mother would ever willingly sacrifice her sons for territorial gain, for economic advantage, for ideology.
Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.
Our forbearance should never be misunderstood. Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will. When action is required to preserve our national security, we will act.
Protecting the rights of even the least individual among us is basically the only excuse the government has for even existing.
Some people wonder all their lives if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem.
The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas - a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.
The United Sates has much to offer the third world war.
There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, I did not take the oath I have just taken with the intention of presiding over the dissolution of the world's strongest economy.
Today we did what we had to do. They counted on America to be passive. They counted wrong.
We are never defeated unless we give up on God.
We have the duty to protect the life of an unborn child.
We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.
We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we will always be free.
Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.
You know, if I listened to Michael Dukakis long enough, I would be convinced we're in an economic downturn and people are homeless and going without food and medical attention and that we've got to do something about the unemployed.