It is an uncomfortable topic. Being politically incorrect usually is. But we can have this conversation in the new normal of post 9/11 America, or we can continue to ignore it and hope it goes away.

And, it’s not going away.

And that leaves only an alternative of reaction (or over-reaction) to the next attack on the homeland by the jihadists.

Gingrich tried to begin the conversation a few days ago to the predictable howls of civil libertarians. Another opportunity has risen with the release of a letter by Rep Virgil Goode (R-VA). The howlers are back, with cries of “jingoism”, and “right-wing race haters.” Obviously Goode didn’t get the CAIR sensitivity training being given to our FBI field agents. Both Gingrich and Goode are addressing a problem shrouded in the veil of political correctness, and protected by first amendment rights.

Regardless of whether or not we recognize it, there are people who are at war with us. They want to kill or subjugate us, and see themselves as a having a religious mandate to do so. The common thread between all of the jihadists is the point of contention between Gingrich’s proposals and Goode’s letter on the one hand, and the recognition that not all muslims are terrorists on the other. It’s a problem that doesn’t have an easy solution for a society that values openness and personal freedom. I contend that it is the responsibility of peace-loving muslims to fully separate themselves from the Caliphate, and to identify those who seek to subvert the Constitution with the imposition of Sharia law.

The political left will not acknowledge the threat, to the peril of us all. Their reasons are several. Some are convinced that the entire war on terrorism is a sham - a ploy for power and to control the middle east oil fields. Others are pacifists, convinced that the jihadists can be reasoned with. Some, a minority, but a very vocal minority, are convinced that America is an evil imperialist power that deserves a comeuppance. Almost all have adopted a policy of vehement disagreement with whatever proposal is made by the political right. Those that have sought to work with the right have become pariahs within their own party.

First amendment concerns are valid and of utmost concern to all Americans. And, whatever path we as a country decide to take, it is my passion to remain on the side of unfettered liberty, described in our founding documents as inalienable: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Without these, there can be no debate over the limits of governmental encroachment upon the others outlined in our Bill of Rights. It is these inalienable rights that we on the political right see threatened. We will be happy to join our political opponents on the left to remain vigilant against governmental encroachment on the Bill of Rights once our inalienable rights are secured.

other good reading: toyin’ with genocide at RT’s, Do you feel safer at Right Truth, Cage-Oslo rape statistics, Pirate’s cove on AP’s headline fudging, C-T Blog on India’s Terror Posture, budsimmons on the arab race for the bomb, Melanie Phillips saying the unsayable, Brussels Journal: Dispatch from the Eurabian Front, Chester on The Road to anti-Qaeda, Hill Chronicles unabashedly Santorum, HotAir on the Clinton Legacy, Angel on Unveil Evil,