The crisis in Somalia is not a famine. It is genocide.
When the Allies liberated Nazi concentration camps in Europe, scores of emaciated Jews and other persecuted groups were found, along with bodies of those killed by the Nazi war criminals. These people were walking skeletons barely clinging to life, but not because there was not enough food. The evil Nazi regime was murdering people by starvation. The world was shocked to see these images and how evil and cruel man can be.
The humanitarian crisis in Somalia began as a famine, but it has now ceased to be a famine. It is genocide. Muslim terrorists are intentionally blocking aid groups from delivering food to people in desperate need of it. For more, see recent stories in the Washington Post, CNN.com and the BBC's website.
Generally, comparisons to Nazi Germany are frowned upon. Because what the Nazis did was so unspeakably evil, we should be careful to not water down the term by using it recklessly. But the horrific war crimes being committed by Muslim terrorists in Somalia are no different than the unspeakable atrocities committed by the Nazis. Words simply cannot describe how evil these terrorists are.
Back in 1992, President George H. W. Bush sent the military into Somalia to stop another act of genocide. In response, evil terrorists slaughtered American troops in what is now known as the Mogadishu Massacre, prompting the US to leave the battered country. These monsters dragged the corpses of American soldiers through the streets of Mogadishu, gloating about their war crimes on worldwide television.
I do not believe we should have ever been in Somalia to begin with. But once we were there, withdrawing in the face of these modern Nazis was a terrible mistake. By showing weakness, we encouraged Muslim terrorists to strike at us. Osama bin Laden himself mocked our weakness, demonstrating that the road to September 11 goes through Mogadishu. Today, Somali pirates terrorize ships near the horn of Africa, feeling invincible.
Generally, I am not in favor of using the military for humanitarian ends. But given the fact that our enemies in Al-Qaeda are very active in Somalia and given the threat to Western ships from Somali pirates, it may be time to consider going back to Somalia to put an end to the genocide being committed by these modern Nazis. But we must never treat genocidal Muslim terrorists as legitimate. If we go in, we have to treat this as a war, and the genocidal terrorists should be expected to surrender or be exterminated.
And as a special bonus, we can look to get a little payback for the Mogadishu Massacre.