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Dane-Geld
Rudyard Kipling | Rudyard Kipling

Posted on 03/14/2004 6:46:58 AM PST by Clive

Dane-Geld
A.D. 980-1016

It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation
To call upon a neighbour and to say: --
"We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away."

And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld
And then you'll get rid of the Dane!

It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say: --
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away."

And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we've proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.

It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say: --

"We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that pays it is lost!"



TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: kipling; madridbombing
It is no accident that the Madrid bombings took place on the doorstep of a general election.

The aim was to terrorize the electors into voting for a party that would abandon participation in the war against terrorism.

And no doubt the hope is that the US electors will also take the same message.

1 posted on 03/14/2004 6:46:58 AM PST by Clive
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To: Great Dane; Alberta's Child; headsonpikes; coteblanche; Ryle; albertabound; mitchbert; ...
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2 posted on 03/14/2004 6:47:34 AM PST by Clive
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To: Clive
"And no doubt the hope is that the US electors will also take the same message."

I don't know. I think if the exact same thing happened here in the U.S. on the eve of our election, it would strengthen our resolve and GW would be elected in a landslide.

IMO.

3 posted on 03/14/2004 7:11:18 AM PST by robertpaulsen
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To: Clive
I shall be very surprised and disappointed if Spain, a nation of proud people, cringes in the face of Arab threats.
4 posted on 03/14/2004 7:12:37 AM PST by expatpat
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To: robertpaulsen
I'm not so sure. The Rats have been going on and on about how we haven't been after Al Qaeda because of Iraq and that we haven't spent enough on Homeland Security.

My guess is that despite their howling about "politicizing" 9/11, Kerry and his crew would come right out and say the attack wouldn't have happened if a Rat were in charge. They have been plotting this reponse for over a year.

5 posted on 03/14/2004 7:15:30 AM PST by Miss Marple
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To: Clive
" The aim was to terrorize the electors into voting for a party that would abandon participation in the war against terrorism. "

Absolutely it was.

I don't know if they will attempt the same here, I'm sure its in the works. The one thing that would stop them , is a doubt of sucess, they wont attempt it if it looks as if they would loose face. Its going to be a stressfull time for alot of our agents leading up to this election.

That said, a successful strike, would no doubt horrify us all including the lefts base. However, I have no doubt that as many of us would be mobilizing again to recover from a disaster, alot of the sharks at the top of the democratic food chain, would revel in it. They have undoubtedly planned for it and would swoop in to use it on election eve, for one reason only. To retake power.

6 posted on 03/14/2004 7:32:35 AM PST by Kakaze
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To: robertpaulsen
Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute.
--C. C. Pinckney.

7 posted on 03/14/2004 7:40:47 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (Uday and Qusay are ead-day)
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To: Clive
But if we just leave them(the terrorist) alone won't they leave us alone?
8 posted on 03/14/2004 8:12:42 AM PST by Valin (Hating people is like burning down your house to kill a rat)
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To: Valin
/world-class sarcasm
9 posted on 03/14/2004 8:13:18 AM PST by Valin (Hating people is like burning down your house to kill a rat)
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To: expatpat
"I shall be very surprised and disappointed if Spain, a nation of proud people, cringes in the face of Arab threats." The following are the lead paragraphs of the today's AP story on the results of the Spanish general election:

Madrid - Voters ousted Spain's ruling party in elections Sunday, with many saying they were shaken by bombings in Madrid and furious with the government for backing the Iraq war and making their country a target for al-Qaeda.

The Socialist Party declared victory with 79 per cent of the votes counted, as results showed it winning 164 seats in the 350-member parliament and the ruling Popular Party taking 147. The latter had 183 seats in the outgoing legislature.

"According to the available data, the Socialist Party has won the general election. It is a clear victory," said Jose Blanco, the party's campaign manager.

Turnout was high at 76 per cent. Many voters said Thursday's bombings, which killed 200 people and wounded 1,500, was a decisive factor, along with the government's much-criticized handling of the initial investigation.

"The Popular Party has made me lose faith in politics," said Juan Rigola, 23, a biologist in Barcelona. "It deserves to lose and to see the Spanish people turn against them."

Terrorism works. Electors WILL pay Dane Geld. You just have to frighten them enough.

10 posted on 03/14/2004 3:41:03 PM PST by Clive
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