Some attribute the term “fifth column” with a remark General Francisco Franco made as he was marching on Madrid with four columns of troops, and a “fifth column” of sympathizers within the city ready to help. In actuality, the term originated in a 1936 radio address by General Emilio Mola, an insurgent during the 1936–39 Spanish Civil War.  He broadcast a message that the four columns of his forces outside the city of Madrid would be supported by a "fifth column" of his supporters inside the city.  

The term has become widely associated with people willing to cooperate with an aggressor against their own country. During the early stages of the World War II it was used in Britain as justification for the mass internment of German nationals residing within the United Kingdom to the Isle of Man.  Around the same time, using the same justification, the United States government interned Japanese citizens.  

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized the internment of people of Japanese ancestry by signing Executive Order 9066. The order authorized local military commanders to designate "military areas" as "exclusion zones," from which "any or all persons may be excluded."  This power was used to declare that all people of Japanese ancestry were excluded from the entire Pacific coast, including all of California and most of Oregon and Washington.  The Supreme Court even went as far as to uphold the constitutionality of the exclusion orders in 1944, while noting that the provisions that singled out people of Japanese ancestry were a separate issue outside the scope of the proceedings. 

In an featured editorial in Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) entitled, “Jihad's 5th Column” (11/06/2009), the paper notes the following:

“In the wake of the worst domestic military-base massacre in U.S. history, this is an outrage to say the least. And the PC blinders explain how Fort Hood commanders could have failed so horrifically in protecting their force from the internal threat there.”

“Instead, brass are actively recruiting Muslim soldiers — whose ranks have swelled to more than 15,000 — and catering to their faith by erecting mosques even at Marine headquarters in Quantico, Va. More, they're hiring Muslim chaplains endorsed by radical Islamic front groups, who convert and radicalize soldiers.”

Earlier this year, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan reportedly said, "Muslims should stand up and fight the aggressor," referring to the country he swore an oath to serve and protect from domestic enemies like himself. According to IBD, he’s not alone in his thinking:

• Navy Signalman Hassan Abujihaad last year was convicted of tipping off al-Qaida to battle group movements in the Persian Gulf, including disclosing classified documents detailing the group's vulnerability to terror attack.

• Army reservist Jeffrey Battle in 2003 pleaded guilty to conspiring to wage war against the U.S., confessing he enlisted "to receive military training to use against America."

• Army reservist Semi Osman in 2002 was arrested for providing material support to al-Qaida and pleaded guilty to weapons charges after agreeing to testify against other terror suspects.

• Marine Abdul Raheem al-Arshad Ali trained at a suspected al-Qaida camp and was charged with selling a semi-automatic handgun to Osman.

• Army Sgt. Ali Mohamed trained Green Berets at Fort Bragg's elite special warfare school before stealing military secrets for al-Qaida and helping plan bombings at three U.S. embassies in 1998.

• Army Spec. Ryan Anderson in 2004 was convicted of leaking military intelligence to al-Qaida terrorists, including sensitive information about the vulnerabilities of armored Humvees.

• Army sniper John Muhammad was put on death row after fatally shooting 10 in the nation's capital a year after 9/11.

Much has changed in our national character since World War II. Our former backbone and courage to stand against tyranny has withered into jelly, while the rest of the world moves closer and closer to mushrooms clouds appearing over major metropolitan cities all over the planet.  

When the United States entered World War II, Adolf Hitler ordered German saboteurs to wreak havoc on our country.  In June 1942, eight agents were recruited and divided into two teams. On June 12, 1942, U-Boat U-202 landed a team with explosives and plans at East Hampton, Long Island, New York.  Their mission was to destroy power plants at Niagara Falls and three ALCOA factories in Illinois, Tennessee and New York. However, the team leader decided to turn himself in to the FBI, providing them with a complete account of the planned mission, which led to the arrest of the complete team.

On June 17, 1942, U-Boat U-584 landed at Ponte Vedra Beach with a team tasked with laying mines in the Pennsylvania Railroad in Newark NJ., canals in both St. Louis and Cincinnati, and New York City's water supply lines. The team made their way to Cincinnati, Ohio and split up, with two going to Chicago, Illinois and the others to New York. However, the Dasch confession led to the arrest of all of the men by July 10. All eight were tried and convicted by the Military Commission.  Six were sentenced to death. President Roosevelt approved the sentences.  The constitutionality of the military commissions was upheld by the Supreme Court in Ex parte Quirin and the six were executed by electrocution. 

Thanks to political correctness and an unwillingness among many of our civilian leaders to do whatever it takes to protect America’s sovereignty, defending ourselves against the “Jihadist’s Fifth Column” residing within our own military is no longer possible. Call it our Achilles heel if you want. Instead of putting these committed jihadists in internment camps, or executing them for treason as would have been done during World War II, we coddle and appease them with special treatment like catering to their faith and “hiring Muslim chaplains endorsed by radical Islamic front groups, who convert and radicalize soldiers.”

As the ever eloquent Reverend Wright likes to proclaim, these are America’s political correctness chickens coming home to roost. 

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