Spain Asks "How High?"

Tech Central Station ^ | April 8, 2004 | Val MacQueen

[quidnunc]

When the results of Spain's national election were announced last month, Spaniards, in the main, gave a shudder of relief. On the previous Wednesday, outgoing Prime Minister José María Aznar's party had had a 5 percent lead. On Thursday, terrorists murdered 200 people in Madrid. On the Sunday, Azner's party lost by 5 percent. So a 10 percent swing within the course of four days. During the interim, three million Spaniards had changed their minds and voted to appease the terrorists.

Their apologists claim that they weren't necessarily voting for appeasement, because distaste for the war and fear of reprisals predated the outrage, with a huge tranche of the electorate opposing joining the Coalition right from the get-go over a year ago. Rather than excusing them for their perfidy, this tells us that there were millions of Spanish who had decided on appeasement even before they got a threat.

An estimated 10 million Spaniards mourned their victims in public squares throughout the country as they gathered in silence to "say no to terrorism," whatever that was supposed to mean. The shops were all closed and shuttered to also "say no to terrorism." They wore their little black ribbons. They carried candles and signs that said "Paz" even while the Coalition's armed forces, who had volunteered to put their own lives in danger to defeat terrorism with real action, were dying for democracy in Iraq.

This was not only contemptible, but stupid.

Fellow traveler (and election victor) José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced within, it seemed like, 10 minutes of being elected that he was withdrawing Spain's contribution to the war on terrorism. Unashamed that they'd handed al-Qaeda its first election victory ever, Spaniards heaved a sigh of relief. They'd bought the terrorists off with their vote.

Despite left-wing endorsements for their "courage in saying no to terrorism," it struck this commentator that there was more chance of Osama bin Laden's daughter heading for downtown Riyadh on a Friday afternoon to take part in a wet burqa contest than there was that al-Qaeda would lay off Spain.

Al-Qaeda had said "Jump!" and the Spanish had asked "How high?"

-snip-

[2banana]

Looks like Spain didn't get "Peace in out time..."

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[blanknoone]

Spain paid the Danegeld. They'll never get rid of the Dane. Al-Qaeda will be back for more -- and the price will escalate. Things move faster than they did in Ethelred's day. A large part of Spain was a caliphate 500 years ago. They want it back.

Al Qaeda: "Jump."

Spain:"How High?"

Al Qaeda: "First we lop off your leg...then you can hop all the way to Al Andalus."

[gaspar]

The history of Spain is replete with chapters on cowardice. For every Cid Campeador there were ten "Godos" who would kiss dirt for a peseta. It was the hidalgos (hijos de algo, "sons of someone" who conquered the New World. It was the cowards who allowed the brave to fight their battles who stayed behind and spent the New World's wealth. And for those of you who might say, but what about Francisco Franco; remember, the good General was head of the Spanish Foreign Legion, and without Moroccans there would probably still be Marxists in power in Madrid.
C

[rudypoot]

A large part of Spain was a caliphate 500 years ago. They want it back.

It's important to remember that wherever and whenever a caliphate is established, muslims consider that area a sovereign muslim area. It doesnt't matter if it was 1 year ago or 500 years ago. To muslims, caliphates are perminent.

[livius]

What is not mentioned here is yet another outrage the Socialists carried out a couple of days ago. At a memorial service for the policeman killed in the explosion of the terrorists' apartment, the Socialists, including the incoming Vice President, used the entire thing for denouncing the Iraq war. They were, of course, accompanied by various peace groups, carrying the same placards they had waved in their demonstrations outside PP headquarters on election eve.

It was so bad that the residents of the area asked to have another memorial the next day that was a genuine memorial and not a political rally.

AQ and the left - perfect together.

[vanmorrison]

A very good summation of Spanish history, I must say.

Consider, too, that the US was populated by other ex-patriate Europeans, the cousins of "hidalgos", who left their respective cesspool countries to build a new world. The dregs and the effete who remained in Europe thereafter gave us the bloodbath that was the twentieth century.

[VeritatisSplendor]

in my local paper, an "unnamed official" was quoted as saying that police feared that the deaths of seven terrorists who blew themselves up and the arrest of several others might spur another cell to start jihad attacks.

Spain hasn't figure out how to fight a hydra.

Mrs VS

[Ciexyz]

In light of the Spanish appeasement, I wonder if the Japanese will follow the same road, with the terrorists threatening to set on fire the three captured Japanese in Iraq?

[Libertarianize the GOP]

One analysis showed a surge in voting by young people. It wasn't so much that voters changed their minds after the bombing, it was that young people who trend liberal voted and affected the outcome.

[Ciexyz]

Read the whole article, at the bottom there's the delicious quote from Rudyard Kipling: "Once you start paying the Danegeld, you never get rid of the Dane!"

I've been reading Michael Wood's books (he of PBS fame) "In Search of Medieval England" and "In Search of the Dark Ages" where he talks about those terrible times in English history, circa 994 AD, where England paid tribute to the Danes to keep them from invading...and the bribes just brought them back for more. Most interesting period of history.

[John Will]

The best of europe became Americans?.

[thoughtomator]

And Australians, yeah.

[ken5050]

Dennis Miller ha d a bit a few nights ago about the Spanish soldier who had a sex-change operation..from male to female, but was allowed to remain in theSpanish army..as dennis said, no big suprise, because they don't need balls....a good dig at Spain, but thebSpanish troops in country are performing well...

[Fiddlstix]

.......The dregs and the effete who remained in Europe thereafter gave us the bloodbath that was the twentieth century.

Well Said!

[myddf]

does anyone think that the "andulus" history is a serious issue with al qaeda?

will they continue to attack spain based on a defeat in 1492?

these idiots really are in the dark ages

[myddf]

when is the rest of the world going to wake up and start pointing their fingers at islam?

[Iberian]

They seek ed peace the first time and killed them (almost all) of them. Their time was in the 13 and 14 century.

[Iberian]

You are an insult to the soldiers that are there with us.

Maybe you should come up with some gargabe about the Japanese(there with us) by the way.