The Ideology of Bricks

If there were ever a better explanation of the false dilemma war vs. law enforcement, here it is from Mark Steyn in the Spectator, U.K.:
(Yes you have to register with the Spectator. Do it!)

"That’s why I regretfully have to disagree with the editor of this great publication in his prescription of the current situation which appeared in these pages a week or two back under the headline ‘Just don’t call it war’. As you’ll have gathered, the boss objects to the language of ‘war, whether cultural or military.... Last week’s bombs were placed not by martyrs nor by soldiers, but by criminals.’
Sorry, but that’s the way to lose. A narrowly focused ‘criminal’ approach means entrusting the whole business to the state bureaucracy. The obvious problem with that is that it’s mostly reactive: blow somewhere up, we’ll seal it off, and detectives will investigate it as a crime scene. "

And he makes very clear the differences-the Jihadists have an ideology:

"...by designating something as other than a war, you tend to make it peripheral, and therefore loseable."

"the Islamists’ most often-stated goal is not infidel withdrawal from Iraq but the re-establishment of a Muslim caliphate living under Sharia that extends to Europe; and there’s a lot to be said for taking these chaps at their word and then seeing whether their behaviour is consistent. "

" Fifty years ago, Nigeria lived under English common law; now, half of it’s in the grip of Islamic law."

"If the jihad has its war aims, maybe we should start thinking about ours. What would victory look like? As fascism and communism were in their day, Islamism is now the ideology of choice for the world’s grievance-mongers. That means we have to destroy the ideology, or at least its potency — not Islam per se, but at the very minimum the malign strain of Wahabism..."

What ideology does Tony Soprano impose by force? What are the positions of drive by shooters on the in-dwelling spirit? The theology of the stick a gun in your face then shoot you anyway because $5 wasn't enough does not extend past the blend of ammonia and cold medicine he's lived on the past weeks. And shouting "Now you know how Rodney King felt!" while smashing a brick into Reginald Denny's head was not videotaped for future sales on the internet. There was no "Triumph of the Brick" documentary to recruit brick heavers and sell more bricks. Koreans with 45's firing over the crowds' heads repulsed the mob. The FBI's done a pretty good job on the mob. This Wahhabist mob must be smashed. They 'hate us' because their ideology tells them to. Tell them all you wish you 'understand how they feel', the will still take your head off with a dull brick. It's a war