Europe, thy name is cowardice (Excerpt) (Strong words from Germany)

Matthias Dapfner, Chief Executive of the huge German publishing house Axel Springer AG, has written a blistering attack in DIE WELT (The World), Germany's largest daily newspaper, against the timid reaction of Europe in the face of the Islamic threat.

A few days ago Henry Broder wrote in WELT AM SONNTAG (Sunday World): "Europe - your family name is appeasement." It's a phrase you can't get out of your head because it's so terribly true. Appeasement cost millions of Jews and non-Jews their lives as England and France, allies at the time, negotiated and hesitated too long before they noticed that Hitler had to be fought, not bound to toothless agreements.

Appeasement legitimized and stabilized Communism in the Soviet Union, then East Germany, then all the rest of Eastern Europe where for decades, inhuman, suppressive, murderous governments were glorified as the ideologically correct alternative to all other possibilities.

Appeasement crippled Europe when genocide ran rampant in Kosovo, and even though we had absolute proof of ongoing mass-murder, we Europeans debated and debated and debated, and were still debating when finally the Americans had to come from halfway around the world, into Europe yet again, and do our work for us.

Rather than protecting democracy in the Middle East, European appeasement, camouflaged behind the fuzzy word "equidistance," now countenances suicide bombings in Israel by fundamentalist Palestinians.

Appeasement generates a mentality that allows Europe to ignore nearly 500,000 victims of Saddam's torture and murder machinery and, motivated by the self-righteousness of the peace-movement, has the gall to issue bad grades to George Bush... Even as it is uncovered that the loudest critics of the American action in Iraq made illicit billions, no, TENS of billions, in the corrupt UN. Oil-for-Food program. And now we are faced with a particularly grotesque form of appeasement... How is Germany reacting to the escalating violence by Islamic fundamentalists in Holland and elsewhere? By suggesting that we really should have a "Muslim Holiday" in Germany. I wish I were joking, but I am not. A substantial fraction of our (German) Government, and if the polls are to be believed, the German people, actually believe that creating an Official State "Muslim Holiday" will somehow spare us from the wrath of the fanatical Islamists. One cannot help but recall Britain's Neville Chamberlain waving the laughable treaty signed by Adolf Hitler, and declaring European "Peace in our time".

What else has to happen before the European public and its political leadership get it? There is a sort of crusade underway, an especially perfidious crusade consisting of systematic attacks by fanatic Muslims, focused on civilians, directed against our free, open Western societies, and intent upon Western Civilization's utter destruction.

It is a conflict that will most likely last longer than any of the great military conflicts of the last century - a conflict conducted by an enemy that cannot be tamed by "tolerance" and "accommodation" but is actually spurred on by such gestures, which have proven to be, and will always be taken by the Islamists for signs of weakness.

Only two recent American Presidents had the courage needed for anti-appeasement: Reagan and Bush. His American critics may quibble over the details, but we Europeans know the truth. We saw it first hand: Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War, freeing half of the German people from nearly 50 years of terror and virtual slavery. And Bush, supported only by the Social Democrat Blair, acting on moral conviction, recognized the danger in the Islamic War against democracy. His place in history will have to be evaluated after a number of years have passed.

In the meantime, Europe sits back with charismatic self-confidence in the multicultural corner, instead of defending liberal society's values and being an attractive center of power on the same playing field as the true great powers, America and China.

On the contrary - we Europeans present ourselves, in contrast to those "arrogant Americans", as the World Champions of "tolerance", which even (Germany's Interior Minister) Otto Schily justifiably criticizes. Why? Because we're so moral? I fear it's more because we're so materialistic, so devoid of a moral compass.

For his policies, Bush risks the fall of the dollar, huge amounts of additional national debt, and a massive and persistent burden on the American economy - because unlike almost all of Europe, Bush realizes what is at stake - literally everything.

While we criticize the "capitalistic robber barons" of America because they seem too sure of their priorities, we timidly defend our Social Welfare systems. Stay out of it! It could get expensive! We'd rather discuss reducing our 35-hour workweek or our dental coverage, or our 4 weeks of paid vacation... Or listen to TV pastors preach about the need to "reach out to terrorists. To understand and forgive".

These days, Europe reminds me of an old woman who, with shaking hands, frantically hides her last pieces of jewelry when she notices a robber breaking into a neighbor's house.

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As someone who has been in Germany for the better part of the last 7 years I have to agree with the writer of this article.

I would also like to comment on some of the replies fellow posters have made here:

Germany has a large "silent majority" like we have in America.

I wouldn't completely agree with this. While there are a good number of non-socialist types here, they are not in the majority. See the strong growing popularity of the Linke Partei here as a result of people thinking that the economic problems here are a cause of their current SPD/Green government not being leftist enough.

Europe was seduced into Clintonism.

That's actually an understatement. Europe, and most especially Germany absolutely loved and adored Clinton - and still does.

I'm afraid the will to fight has been spanked out of the Europeans.

The entire population, at least in Germany, are hardcore pacifists. A friend of mine (American like me) once gave me a great explanation for why this is so. Almost the entire male population was destroyed in WWII, so what Germany has running their country now is an entire generation of men raised solely by women. For anyone who has ever been her, it most definitely shows.

Most of the Western Euro-peons are concerned only with getting their government given "freebies".

You have no idea how right you are. Personal responsibility is almost nonexistant here because the people have gone 50 years being told that the Almighty State will provide for them.

Germans waving American flags lined the streets between Nurnburg and Ansbach when we (1st Armored Div.) returned home from Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

The longer I've been stationed here, the more I've come to realize that probably 95% of such outpourings of "affection" are due to the fact that our military bases in their towns means money for their towns - and that's all. I'm telling, where I am in Heidelberg, you couldn't even drive down the street towards the base during the run up to the Iraq war because there were literally huge mobs of people protesting - a friend of mine, when he was driving from his quarters with his wife and baby literally had people jumping and pounding on his car while he was trying to drive past them; the polizei watched.

He just might. I understand that the cowardly appeasing Quislings of the SPD are expected to lose big in the next election. A chancellor from the CDU will hopefully be a better ally than Schroeder and his band of America-hating commie wannabes.

From what I hear, a CDU/SPD coalition is to be expected thanks to the rising popularity of the Linke Partei (Left Party, neo-communists).

If there are any German FReepers here who would know more about the situation and say I'm dead wrong on some of this stuff I just want to say that these are only the impressions that I am/have been getting while living here for 7 years as an auslander.

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