Hitchens On Jefferson's War

Hitchen's has a balanced and informative must read via City Journal, one with quite a bit of interesting research. I didn't realize one of the early verses of the Star Spangled Banner actually referrred to Islam due to the Barbary Coast. h/t C

Jefferson versus the Muslim Pirates addresses the role of Barbary Coast piracy in the early formulation of the Republic and also suggests that it sowed the seeds of our own Civil War because of the way it influenced the early slavery debate in America.

Francis Scott Key composed a patriotic song to mark the occasion. As I learned from Joshua London’s excellent book, the original verses ran (in part):

In conflict resistless each toil they endur’d,
Till their foes shrunk dismay’d from the war’s desolation:
And pale beamed the Crescent, its splendor obscur’d
By the light of the star-bangled flag of our nation.
Where each flaming star gleamed a meteor of war,
And the turban’d head bowed to the terrible glare.
Then mixt with the olive the laurel shall wave
And form a bright wreath for the brow of the brave.

Comments

[Fred Beloit]

So this is what started all the trouble. We should have continued to bribe the Barbary Coast nations to leave our travelers alone. Because we reacted militarily we had WWI, WWII, and now we have stirred them up again by invading Afghanistan and throwing out the Taliban, who were only minding their own business of destroying priceless monuments, kicking the crap out a few women, and giving a little relief and breathing space to that poor old wheezer bin Laden. Jefferson and Bush, two warmongers. Right, LOL?

[Andrew]

Good stuff. I don't always agree with Hitchen's, but he always makes well reasoned arguments, void of the intellectually dishonesty espoused by the American Left.

It seems most Americans view of history (obviously not the Riehl World View) has been shaped in a post World War II environment, with a good dose of political correctness thrown in over the last couple of decades.

Not only does the Star Spangled Banner make references to our historic problems with Muslims, The Marines' Hymns opening lines are "From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli."

Most Americans with a High School diploma, or equivalent, believe all the Colonist rallied together to defeated the British in 1776, fought a civil war to free the slaves, heroically fought with our Allies throughout World Wars I and II, suffered a military defeat at the hands of Ho Chi Minh, and somehow emerged as an internationally bully following the Soviet Union collapse, which was solely due to the benevolence of the Great Gorbachev.

All of which is historically inaccurate, but probably contributes to the American bashing and sense of guilt that seems so prevalent in the political left and Hollywood elite.

Most Americans feel a sense of pride and patriotism immediately after an event like September 11th or December 7th. But the real patriots are those that thank the young serviceman we see walking through the airport, and still get chills when we hear our National Anthem played at the ballpark and feel anger that the punk in front of us doesn't remove his hat.

Western Civilization began battling the Muslims a few years after the 'peace loving' Muhammed began having seizures and delusions in 610 AD, and we will continue to battle his radical followers for years to come. It will take more than the "Sunshine Patriot, and Summer Soldier" to defend our peace, freedom and liberty.

[Fred Beloit]

Your stuff is good as is Hitchens', Andrew.

[Tom Jefferson]

I don't know or especially care what Hitchins in his latest incarnation
thinks; but the barbary states were states, not an abstraction.
Jefferson did not view himself as the lord's anointed to correct the social policies of these states, only as the chief magistrate of his own country, sworn to do what was possible to secure their rights. When he was American minister to France he tried to forge unity among the European states to put an end to the depredations of the barbary states but there was little interest, as there was among the nabobs on the American Right, who bellowed "not a penny for tribute" as they paid tribute, not unlike the present crowd that babbles about a "war of civilizations" while schmoozing with Arab princes.
As for Muhammad's military exploits, they do compare with Caesar's. don't they?