I’m replying here in part to the column (Herald, Jan. 22) by Thomas Friedman, headlined “Do not try to dance around radical Islam.”

In a way, it’s understandable why the Obama administration wants to avoid the term “radical Islam.” The rationale is the same for my own avoidance of the term “radical Christianity.” Both terms are oxymoronic: Radical Islam is not Islam; it’s a heinous perversion of Islam. Radical Christianity is not Christianity; it, too, is a heinous perversion.

Regarding the teachings of Jesus Christ, the British Romantic poet Shelley wrote: “His words outlived him, like swift poison, withering up truth and peace and pity.” Same with Islam.

Now to shift the topic as well as my own stance on how to handle these pretenders to Islam. The other day, I was talking with my boy and some of his friends on news reporting of current events. Sadly, none of them can stomach the news. They can’t deal with accounts such as the recent Islamic State in the Levant executions of young people for watching a soccer game.

It hit me like an epiphany that young adults are perhaps not equipped to cope with the grim facts of what’s going on in the Middle East. The news is too much of a load on their developing minds.

In that sense, it further occurred to me that there’s yet another dimension to Middle East terrorism – it terrifies those who read about it.

For me, the recent ISIL executions were a turning point. I now feel that there’s only one way to handle ISIL: total war; that is, fast execution of overwhelming force. Remember Desert Storm, when Colin Powell was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Gen. Normal Schwarzkopf was Commander of the Allied Force? Powell and Norman insisted on total war – and the Desert Sword stage of Desert Storm was over in a few days, with Saddam Hussein’s Republican Guard almost totally slaughtered.

ISIL needs the same treatment. We cannot afford to have this demented gang operating any longer.

Period!

Tom Wright

Aztec