Rep. Lynn Westmoreland: The Time to Eliminate ISIL Is Now

Your Washington – GA 3 – Desk

The Time to Eliminate ISIL Is Now

Last week while I was back in Georgia, I received a lot of questions about the President’s weak response to the extremist group, ISIL. I hear you and I agree with you whole heartedly. The President has done nothing to assure the American people that he will do whatever it takes to eliminate and destroy these murderers. While President Obama is focusing on political correctness, ISIS is growing stronger.

Early in February, ISIL showed the extent of its barbarism when 27 year old Lt. Moath al-Kasasbeh, a Jordanian army pilot and ISIL hostage, was burned alive. It is one of the most savage murders in the name of religion the world has ever seen. The very next day, King Abdullah II of Jordan unleashed airstrikes on ISIL– pledging that they will annihilate and punish those who murdered one of their soldiers. Meanwhile, President Obama was at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. preaching political correctness and excuses when referring to the barbaric actions of radical Islam. His criticism of Christian and American history at the National Prayer Breakfast was highly offensive to many, including myself.

Just last week, 21 Coptic Christians were beheaded in Libya by ISIL. It is a cold, hard fact that they were murdered for no other reason than their religion. The very same week, the White House hosted a Countering Violent Extremism Summit, where President Obama quibbled with labels and understanding the different types of extremist. We have been dealing with extremism for decades and the President’s summit was, as usual, too little, too late. But to the families of the 21 Christian men, Jordanian pilot, and British, Japanese, and American hostages – these murders all fight under the name and mission of ISIL.

Instead of focusing on labels, the President needs to turn his attention to eliminating radical Islamic terrorists. President Obama’s military authorization should have been presented to Congress last year. The United States should have had been world leaders and been the first to stand up against ISIL. They have had too much time to recruit, grow, and continue with death and destruction. It must end. I’ve said from the start, we don’t want to put our soldiers in danger, but we can’t rule out any of our options that could be effective in defeating these terrorists.

Americans believe in and cherish religious freedom. The problem is that Christianity is facing persecution across the globe, even here in the United States, where pilgrims originally came for religious freedom. We grieve with the families of the 21 Christians in Libya and we have not forgotten who the real threat is. Our Commander in Chief should not continue to show deference to the barbaric and outright evil members of ISIL, and the time to eliminate these radical terrorists is now.