August 18, 2014—On Organizing Principles . . . Really!

Amb. Henry F. Cooper, Chairman Lt. Gen. Daniel Graham, Founder

High Frontier . . Building Truly Effective Defenses . . . Reagan’s Vision Lives!

E-Mail Message 140818

On Organizing Principles . . . Really!

By Ambassador Henry F. Cooper

August 18, 2014

“Great nations need organizing principles, and ‘Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle.” ~Private Citizen Hillary Clinton, The Atlantic, August 10, 2014 . . . “What difference at this point does it make?” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, January 23. 2013. Indeed???

The above two quotes are among the most memorable from Ms. Clinton, now angling for the 2016 Presidential campaign. Although they both are taken out of their original context, they bookend a serious matter, deserving—and receiving—serious consideration by commentators from all sides of the political spectrum.

The questions bear not only on the House Select Committee examining the Benghazi fiasco, but also the urgent need for viable U.S. strategy to guide our path in a world more dangerous, in my opinion, than during the Cold War.

I await results from Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) and his select committee to learn the truth about Benghazi, including the role of then Secretary of State Clinton. But there’s more of concern.

On Strategic Nuclear Matters?

I am also curious about what more we might learn about then Secretary of State Clinton’s role in formulating and promoting President Obama’s foreign policy, e.g. recall her prominence in promoting the administration’s ill fated, if not stupid, “reset policy” with Russia.

This “reset” accompanied the Obama administration’s negotiations of a New START Treaty that really should have been called New SALT because it legitimized a major Russian build up while reducing our strategic forces which were atrophying—just like SALT II sought during the Carter years. In that case, the Senate refused to go along, and the Reagan administration subsequently instituted a major strategic modernization program and the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) before negotiating true reductions in nuclear forces on both sides.

But the Obama administration had no such strategy to accompany its first-term arms control-for-its-own-sake agenda and pushed the New START Treaty (which legitimized a Russian build-up while cutting U.S. strategic forces, through the January 2012 “lame duck session” of the Senate, because it would not have been ratified after the current Senate was sworn in. Several foolish Republicans joined all the Democrats in consenting to the Treaty, presumably because they believed the administration’s commitment to modernize our strategic forces in return for their vote. Tch, tch!!!

There are serious deficiencies in the verification provisions of the New START Treaty—which departed from those achieved by the Reagan-Bush-41 negotiators. And note that recently the Obama administration belatedly called the Russians for cheating on the 1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Not much to cheer about there either. All on Ms. Clinton’s watch.

Sure would be good to return to Ronald Reagan’s “Peace through Strength” agenda.

On the Jihadi Threat?

Of even greater concern to me is our apparently nonexistent strategy for dealing with the growing jihadi threat to all we hold dear. Indeed, it appears that we have an added burden in that this threat is largely unrecognized by most Americans. They were misled by our leaders’ characterization of Islam as a “religion of peace” in the immediate wake of 9/11, even though that dastardly deed was immediately cheered in the streets throughout the Middle East and in other Muslim communities.

This perspective has not since been rectified, while we in vain wait for “moderate” Muslims to speak out bravely against jihadi terrorism, even in the face of recent atrocities committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Though moderate Muslims might want to speak out, they fear for their lives if they do. ISIS lacks any tolerance against Muslims who do not join with them in brutally massacring all those—men, women and children—who hold any different view, especially if they refuse to submit and convert to Islam.

As we approach the 13^th anniversary of 9/11, we should recall the existential threat that such jihadi elements could create to bring havoc to our American homeland very soon, if not today.

Remember that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS = ISIL = Islamic State = Caliphate (considered to be an extremist as compared to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda) recently threatened, “We’ll see you in New York.” So rest assured they are coming.

And we once had al-Baghdadi in custody for an extended period, but let him go in 2009 . . . cheeezz!!!!

Then There’s Iran . . . and Russia?

It’s important in addressing any conflict to identify one’s adversaries and to understand their possible strategies in confronting us. The ISIS threat may seem remote—though it’s not. Consider Iran, with whom some want us to ally in combating ISIS. You know, according to the adage, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Some friend.

Since the Shah of Iran was displaced by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, Iranian leaders have reverted to strict adherence to Islam’s seventh century tenets and openly seek the death of the Great Satan America and the Little Satan Israel.

Iran seeks to implement this objective directly and through surrogates, such as supporting Hamas in its current war with Israel. And Iran is allied with Russia in supporting Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Syria—where some 170,000 Syrians have died at Assad’s hand. Remember Russian President Vladimir Putin rescued President Obama from his “Red Line” boasting to block Syria’s chemical weapons programs? Part of the “reset” and “leading from behind” . . . you think?

Iran engages other jihadi groups and individual terrorists to implement its strategy toward ultimately destroying Israel and America, including via the cacophony of proliferation to gain and employ weapons of mass destruction.

So, Iran—where the Persians invented Chess—considers us as the Great Satan and is seeking to destroy us. It might be worth considering how they might do that, don’t you think?

With few exceptions, we Americans don’t play much chess. So this might be difficult for us to have the patience to understand the games they could play.

The Existential EMP Threat!

But I assert again, they have or could soon have the means to send America back to the 19^th Century, without the benefits of the then existing agrarian society.

Don’t just take my word for it, consider last week’s Wall Street Journal article by my colleagues R. James Woolsey and Peter Vincent Pry—“The Growing Threat From an EMP Attack” (Click here.), which lays out how North Korea and Iran (and/or their surrogate terrorists) could pose this threat via an existential electromagnetic (EMP) attack to shut down our currently vulnerable electric power grid. Within the following year, several hundred million Americans could perish.

Current missile defense programs, as approved by congress, are focused on developing systems that do not address key vulnerabilities, such as threats from ballistic missiles launched from vessels off our coasts, especially from the Gulf of Mexico, or from satellites that approach the U.S. from over the South Polar region. Either could produce the existential EMP threat discussed by Woolsey and Pry.

A growing number of Americans who are waking up to the threat and the failure of their representatives to counter it. The question is, will we wake up in time to address the problem?

And what will be our organizing principles to deal with this threat? Especially since Washington is currently failing to do so.

Stay Tuned . . .

Near Term High Frontier Plans.

We are renewing our efforts to inform the state and local authorities—and publics—in states around the Gulf of Mexico of the important role their states can play in defending all Americans against the existential EMP threat.

Given the lethargy in Washington, we will continue informing all who will listen about the existential EMP threat and expanding our work with the National Guard to help them gain knowledge and workable plans to help harden the electric power grid and counter the EMP threat. This work will go hand in hand with efforts of State legislators who are seeking to expand on the excellent work of those in Maine and Virginia, who have passed legislation requiring serious studies of the EMP threat and the needed countermeasures to protect the electric power grid.

The most recent bill passed in record time without a single negative vote in Virginia can be used as a ready pattern.

We are working with South Carolina National Guard to plan tabletop exercises to help them understand how best to engage constructively with private citizens and their local and state representatives and other authorities to understand and respond to this serious threat. We also are supporting related activities in neighboring and other states.

We are informing SC state legislators and senators about the threat and what can be done to deal with it—hopefully they will follow Maine and Virginia in seeking to harden the electric power grid. We also expect support from Cong. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) whose district includes my SC farm—and who is a member of the Congressional EMP Caucus seeking passage of the Shield Act and the Infrastructure Protection Act, as well as other SC representatives.

We will be working with members of the EMP Coalition and others who are seeking to take our message across the country—especially with Bob Newman, a former Adjutant General of Virginia, to help us link our SC plans more broadly and especially into Virginia and the National Capital region.

What can you do?

Join us in praying for our nation, and for a rebirth of the freedom sought, achieved and passed to us by those who came before us.

Help us to spread our message to the grass roots and to encourage all “powers that be” to provide for the common defense as they are sworn to do.

Begin by passing this message to your friends and suggest they visit our webpage, www.highfrontier.org for more information. Also, please encourage your sphere of influence to sign up for our weekly e-newsletter.

And support us with your tax deductible gifts to help enable our continuing efforts.