Needed: A declaration of war

Credit President Obama for finally using the words he has desperately tried to avoid during his presidency. He correctly called the massacre at an Orlando gay nightclub early Sunday morning, which killed 49 and injured dozens more, “an act of terror.”

Discredit to the president for avoiding what local law enforcement officials said was an act linked to ISIS and Islamic terrorism, even though the shooter, Omar Mateen, called 911 during the rampage and pledged his allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. An official Islamic State media outlet claimed credit for the mass murder as jihadists celebrated on social media.

The pattern following these terrorist attacks is now familiar. First is the extreme caution not to say or even speculate about what seems obvious, and then, after the fact, as in the Fort Hood shooting, which was dubbed “workplace violence,” an attempt is made to change the subject. Next comes a news conference in which a quickly produced imam or “expert” is trotted out to say that the latest incident has nothing to do with Islam, which is a peaceful religion, and that we should all embrace unity.

Mateen’s father, Seddique Mateen, initially claimed there was no religious motivation behind the killings, but The Washington Post reported the father “is an Afghan man who holds strong political views, including support for the Afghan Taliban.”

Muhammad Musri joined law enforcement officers at a news conference in Orlando. He is connected to the Islamic Society of Central Florida, which is connected to the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), an Islamic umbrella organization that has been investigated for its ties to known terrorist groups.

Musri’s mosque was used for a fundraiser that collected $55,000 for Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. There is also a 2011 video of Musri in which he blames the United States for 9/11.

People like Mateen are not so much “lone wolves” as “known wolves.” Numerous laws prevent law enforcement from doing much before they act, but by then it’s too late.

In wartime, certain liberties have been suspended in order to protect the country. This may be one of those times. Or should we wait until our enemies obtain a weapon of mass destruction and wipe out large sections of Washington and New York City?

Congress should consider exercising its power to declare war on ISIS and all other terrorist groups. Websites that promote ideologies that encourage terrorist acts and teach the most extreme form of Islam should be shut down. It does no good to say the majority of Muslims are peaceful if you can’t identify and act against those who are not.

On American Idol, judge Randy Jackson would often say of a contestant that he or she was “in it to win it.”

We don’t appear to be even in it, beyond dropping some largely ineffective bombs on ISIS targets in Syria and refusing to stop the infiltration by an unknown number of radicals crossing our southern border.

After the 9/11 attack, some on the left feared President George W. Bush would benefit politically. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has called for doing more to combat radical Islam, might also benefit politically from the Orlando atrocity. Opinion polls will soon tell us.

© 2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Listen to Cal Thomas’ commentary on the June 14 edition of The World and Everything in It.