Posted on 03/15/2004 5:52:53 AM PST by shhrubbery!
When the next bomb goes off--perhaps this time in Poland--the families of the dead should blame the people in Spain who voted to run from terrorists and cower before them, instead of standing strong against them.
Sound cruel? Perhaps, but it's the sad truth. The majority of Spaniards decided to follow the illogical path of blaming their president for the attack in Madrid instead of the people who actually carried out mass murder. In doing so, they handed the butchers a victory. Terrorism and murder have been handsomely rewarded this day.
When word broke about the vicious attack in Madrid--killing 200 and severely injuring over a thousand broke--I had overwhelming sympathy for the Spanish people. I no longer have. That sounds horrible, but by taking the cowards path, they have given permission to al Qaeda or any other terrorist group to run amok across Europe and elsewhere to ''punish'' anyone who dares defy them. The terrorists must be giddy with joy over their success. They have been handed an entire country for a relatively inexpensive attack.
My guess is the new socialist president will pull the Spanish troops out of Iraq. After all, to leave them there would be a sign of defiance and he will not want the terrorists thinking there is any fight left in them. Total and complete capitulation is what the people have chosen. Appeasement, the European way, is the road they will now go down. I will have no sympathy for them from this point forward.
What is mystifying about all this is that Europe never seems to learn from the past. Over and over again there are examples of appeasement that have failed, often leading to terrible wars where millions have died. Yet, once again, these Europeans seem willing to give it just one more try. Maybe THIS time, it will work. But it wont. I have no faith in the people of Old Europe ever learning from their mistakes. Instead, they have come to rely on the Americans to come and save them from their own ignorance. Im beginning to wonder if we should bother.
Neville Chamberlain, perhaps the most famous appeaser, came home with a paper he said would keep England safe from Hitler. The British people could sleep well now, knowing that he had removed the threat. But Tony Blair did not want to become Englands modern-day Chamberlain. He knew you could not deal with or appease these terrorists, but the majority of British people dont feel that way. Come election time, Blair may well find himself suffering the same fate as Winston Churchill. This will be another victory for the likes of bin Laden.
As country after country tries to hide from the death and destruction by holding up their hands in surrender, more people will die. You see, terrorists take no prisoners. They have no respect for weakness. Their master-plan is the total and complete destruction of the Western world and its way of life. It is mind-boggling that there are people who still cannot see this.
As an American, I have heard the same train of thought here. The attack of 9/11 was deserved. Even an ex-president blamed it on the Crusades and American imperialistic attitude in the world. Yes, we should have taken the attack as overdue punishment and eat humble pie. We have a socialist party here as well. Its members these days pass themselves off as Democrats or ''progressives.'' What is progressive about their beliefs is yet to be seen.
The man presently running on that progressive ticket is one who will stop the war on terror. In his mind, there is no war--only random ''crimes.'' Let there be no mistake or misunderstanding about thisthe vote in Spain absolutely guarantees that there will be a major attack, here, in the States, prior to the November election.
Not only will Islamic fundamentalists run wild all over Europe killing and creating mayhem, they will activate groups here, and their attacks will be specifically carried out to alter the outcome of the election. They want George W. Bush out of office. He is their biggest threat. Perhaps, he is their only threat.
The pattern is now set. The machine is in motion and it is unlikely anything can stop it. There will be a massive attack here, somewhere, with many casualties and the opposition will blame President Bush for the attack. Count on it.
Just as in Spain, the Democrats will not blame the true enemy of America--they will blame the incumbent president. With all the fervor of maniacal Bible-thumpers, they will point the finger of blame at Bush as the evil one. HE started this war. Americans have died because of HIM. HE didnt try to reason with the enemy. HE chose to irrationally fight our enemies. HE decided to root them out where they live, making them angry and defensive. HE went against the will of the world to simply look the other way and hope it all goes away.
Our only hope is thisthat as Americans we have been away from the European mindset long enough to know that you cannot run from our enemies, but we must face them. You cannot reason with them because they are irrational. You cannot talk with them because they will not hear. If Americans must fight this war alone, then so be it. I will have neither respect nor sympathy for those who will pay the price of trying to bargain with the devil.
We have to hope that Spaniards will come to their senses and reject the Socialists in the next election.
Btw, Poland is standing strong:
Poland Vows to Stay if Spain Flees Iraq
Apart from this article, I believe there is some blame to be put on Spain for allowing terrorists to flood into their country for many years, while largely looking the other way. Of course, we can be blamed for doing the same.
I don't know who is saying "Spain is worse than France," but it ain't me.
They hit in a red zone, they know the answer.
Liberals and socialists only care about their own, they wouldn't be fazed by a strike in the red zone, that's already been proven.
Not to minimize the problems this could cause, but according to Drudge Spain is only the sixth largest contributor to the effort in Iraq (and as linked above, Poland has vowed to replace Spain):
1. United States: 130,000
2. Britain: 9,000
3. Italy: 3,000
4. Poland: 2,460
5. Ukraine: 1,600
6. Spain: 1,300
7. Netherlands: 1,100
8. Australia: 800
9. Romania: 700
10. Bulgaria: 480
11. Thailand: 440
12. Denmark: 420
13. Honduras: 368
14. El Salvador: 361
15. Dominican Republic: 302
16. Hungary: 300
17. Japan: 240 (rising to 550 by the end of March)
18. Norway: 179
19. Mongolia: 160
20. Azerbaijan: 150
21. Portugal: 128
22. Latvia: 120
23. Lithuania: 118
24. Nicaragua: 113
25. Slovakia: 102
26. Czech Republic: 80
27. Philippines: 80
28. Albania: 70
29. Georgia: 70
30. New Zealand: 61
31. Moldova: 50
32. Estonia: 31
33. Macedonia: 37
34. Kazakhstan: 25
-source: Drudge
...One of Zapatero's first acts as prime minister could be the withdrawal of 1300 Spanish troops from Iraq. He has promised to pull them out if the United Nations does not take charge in Iraq by the end of June.
The unflappable Zapatero, who became Spain's youngest member of parliament at 26, then faces a tougher task as his government will need to appease powerful Catalan and Basque nationalists keen to wrestle more power from Madrid.
More like a "Man of Appease" to me.
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