The current "War on Terror" in which America now finds herself is not a new war. It is a war that has raged for over a thousands years. The great conflict between Islam and those nations founded on Christianity has been raging ever since the Arabs first invaded the Byzantine empire. There have been many battles throughout the centuries, from the invasion of Europe, to the Battle of Tours, where the invasion was stopped, to the Crusades, to the Reconquista, to our modern struggle. The current War on Terror cannot be truly understood, unless you realize that it is a far more basic conflict than simply America against a few extremists. We are truly in a war of civilizations. Traditionally, the Islamic view of the world sees two realms, the realm of peace (the areas controlled by Muslims), and the realm of war (everywhere else). Unless we recognize that this conflict goes very deep, and cannot be won in a few battles, we will not be victorious in the end.

America needs to reject the political correctness that demands "tolerance," and call a spade a spade. We are in a war against Islam, we are in a war to preserve our freedom, our values, our very way of life. How can we win a war we won't admit to being in?