Enemies of the people

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Jul 08, 2004

"Terrorism will disrupt and destroy lives," writes Robert Reich in American Prospect. "But terrorism itself is not the greatest danger we face."

The former Clinton cabinet member and sometime Democratic presidential candidate explains that the real enemies of modern America are not those who blow up buildings, but those who pray:

The great conflict of the 21st century will not be between the West and terrorism. Terrorism is a tactic, not a belief. The true battle will be between modern civilization and anti-modernists; between those who believe in the primacy of the individual and those who believe that human beings owe their allegiance and identity to a higher authority; between those who give priority to life in this world and those who believe that human life is mere preparation for an existence beyond life; between those who believe in science, reason, and logic and those who believe that truth is revealed through Scripture and religious dogma.

Sure, there may be terrorists plotting to set off dirty A-bombs in urban areas, but Reich wants to make sure that threat doesn't distract his liberal confreres from their real objective: to wipe out religious belief.

You can't say we haven't been warned.