Curt Clawson Takes Aim at 'Militant Islamism'

At the end of last week, as the U.S. House debated the merits of using federal money to arm Syrian rebels, freshman U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Fla., took to the House floor and warned about the dangers of Islamic terrorism and how the U.S. should respond to it. Clawson voted against funding the Syrian rebels which are battling Islamic State (IS) forces.

"Im convinced that we and our allies need to come together and unite behind a much broader and very long-term plan with the goal of ending militant Islamism across the globe once and for all, Clawson said on Thursday night. "In my opinion, anything less, such as reacting crisis by crisis like playing 'Whack a Mole' is doomed to failure.

"IS is only one part of a widespread metastasizing cancer of hatred, intolerance, and violence, Clawson continued. Were facing a cancer of militant Islamism with cells under various names in dozens of countries. In planning the elimination of IS, we, with a 'coalition of the willing,' must do so recognizing it as part of the overall global disease.

"Im convinced that America must lead the civilized world in accepting the nature and breadth and complexity of global militant Islamism and call it by its name, Clawson added. And lead a coalition resolved to stay the course and end this cancer once and for all."