I’m Tired by GADI  ADELMAN:

Thirty-one years is long time. Actually, it’s far too long. This week will be  my birthday and I won’t be celebrating.

At the age of 51, I can only look back and wonder why, why things have gotten  worse rather than better. I have been speaking, writing and teaching about  terror, Islam, Sharia and counter-terror for 31 years.

With all the news surrounding the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens in  Libya, I have to start with the last death of an American Ambassador.

Although the last U.S. ambassador to die in the line of duty was Arnold  Raphel, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, it is unsure whether it was a terrorist  act. He perished in a plane crash in 1988, along with the then president of  Pakistan, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.

Prior to that, the last ambassador to be killed in the line of duty was  Adolph Dubs, the U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan, in 1979. On February 14, 1979,  he was kidnapped by four terrorists and was killed when he was shot during an  exchange of gunfire started between the terrorists and Afghan security  forces.

An American Ambassador killed by terrorists. Did America notice? No.

Months after the Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran and Iran voted to  become an Islamic Republic we had the embassy takeover. On November 4, 1979  Iranians seized the U.S. embassy, taking 66 hostages. 14 were later released  with the remaining 52 freed after 444 days on the day of President Reagan’s  inauguration.

This was not enough for people to take notice.

When I arrived back in the U.S. in 1981, I tried and tried to introduce this  country to what I knew would be needed, anti-terrorism. I applied and  interviewed with every alphabet soup government agency and was shot down by each  and every one with the exception of the CIA. I was told, “This is America, we  don’t have terrorism.”

The CIA offered me a position that I couldn’t speak about for years under the  penalty of ‘treason’, but needless to say it wasn’t in the area of  counter-terror. I refused the offer since it would have been going against my  own morals, ethics and beliefs, not to mention, Israel.

In 1981 there weren’t even a handful of counter-terror people, as a matter of  fact I knew of only two, myself and my dear friend and colleague Dr. Walid  Phares.

Interestingly, both I and Dr. Phares have been saying and warning of the same  things for all these years.  Even though what we say and warn about seem to  come to fruition each and every time, very few listen.

Between 1982 and 1991 we had the kidnappings and deaths of Americans in  Lebanon. Thirty U.S. and other Western hostages were kidnapped in Lebanon by  Hezbollah. Some were killed, some died in captivity and some were eventually  released. Terry Anderson was held for 2,454 days.

This too was not enough for people to take notice.

Shortly after I arrived back in the U.S. from Israel we had the Lebanon  bombings.

On April 18, 1983, the U.S. embassy in Beirut was bombed killing 63 people,  most were embassy and CIA staff members, several were soldiers and one was a  Marine. 17 of the dead were Americans.

That same year on October 23, the U.S. Marines barracks were destroyed by  suicide bombers during their stay as part of multinational ‘peace keeping  force’. What many do not know is that this was only the second “suicide bombing”  in history, it was carried out by the terrorist organization Hezbollah and  killed 241 American servicemen: 220 marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers,  along with sixty other Americans injured.

The Marine barrack attack was the deadliest single-day death toll for the  United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima of World War II, the  deadliest single-day death toll for the United   States military since the first  day of the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War, and the deadliest single attack  on Americans overseas since World War II.

Was the bombing of the U.S. embassy and the Marine barracks in Lebanon not  enough for people to realize that perhaps we as Americans were not dealing with  a conventional enemy? Did the American people take notice? No. Did the world  take notice? No.

Before the end of that horrendous year on December 12, 1983, the U.S. embassy  in Kuwait City, Kuwait was attacked by Shiite truck bombers, killing five and  injuring 80.

Did America start to take notice? No.

Then a second time within 17 months on September 20, 1984 a suicide bomber  driving a truck packed with 400 pounds of explosives targeted the American  embassy in Aukar, nine miles north of Beirut. 23 people are killed and 21  injured.

More flag draped coffins. Did America start to notice a trend here? No.

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Since 9/11, things have gotten worse throughout the world, not better.  Somehow through backwards political correctness and ignorance, the perpetrator  has made himself the victim. Sadly, that’s what Americans notice. What’s more,  most Americans believe it.

It has been stated by leaders the world over as they have seen their own  countries succumb to and be held hostage by Islam.

Former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, on February 11, 2011, while being interviewed  on French National Television about Islam in his country,

“My answer is clearly yes, it [multiculturalism] is a failure.”

On February 5, 2011, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, stated in a speech  while speaking on taking a tougher stance on groups promoting Islamist terror in  his country,

“Frankly, we need a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and  much more active, muscular liberalism. Let’s properly judge these organizations:  Do they believe in universal human rights – including for women and people of  other faiths? Do they believe in equality of all before the law? Do they believe  in democracy and the right of people to elect their own government? Do they  encourage integration or separatism?”

“Again it just seems the Muslim community is very much in the spotlight,  being treated as part of the problem as opposed to part of the solution.”

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany stated  on October 17, 2010 while speaking on Muslims in Germany,

“We kidded ourselves for a while that they wouldn’t stay, but that’s not the  reality.”

“Of course the tendency had been to say, ‘let’s adopt the multicultural  concept and live happily side by side, and be happy to be living with each  other’. But this concept has failed, and failed utterly.”

As leader after leader has seen their country under the threat of terror and  retaliation become more Islamic, more Sharia compliant and they lose their right  to free speech, they have all come to the same conclusion. Americans though  don’t take notice.

The Arab Spring has brought us more Islamic ruled governments, not more  “freedom;” the reason is simple, what we in the West refer to as “freedom” is  not what Muslims see as freedom. Their freedom is that of the Quran. Their  freedom is the word of Allah. Their freedom is living like they did 1400 years  ago. Period.

If you think I am wrong, look at the Middle East. Take notice.

I’m tired of being called “an alarmist,” I’m tired of being called “an  Islamophobe,” I’m tired of being called “a nut,” but most of all I’m tired of  America not waking up to the truth.

Since the terror attack that should have been the one to end all others,  9/11, there have been 19,680 deadly attacks, with over 260,000 deaths, all in  the name of Islam. This is not a few people “that have hijacked a religion.”  This is the religion. This is Islam. It’s time to take notice.

Read it all at Family Security Matters

FamilySecurityMatters.orgContributing  Editor Gadi  Adelman  is a freelance writer and lecturer on the history of  terrorism and  counterterrorism. He grew up in Israel, studying terrorism and  Islam for 35  years after surviving a terrorist bomb in Jerusalem in which 7  children were  killed. Since returning to the U. S., Gadi teaches and lectures  to law  enforcement agencies as well as high schools and colleges. He can be  heard  every Thursday night at 8PM est. on his own radio show “America Akbar”  on Blog  Talk Radio.  He can be reached through his website gadiadelman.com.