The more things stay the same;
In general, all these terror attempts were a brilliant success. The BBC and the rest of the British mainstream media immediately piped out sympathetic pieces about the poor beleaguered Muslim community, and aired demands for withdrawal from Iraq. In other words, exactly the publicity the Islamists wanted. And the new British prime minister, though he sounded firm and resolute, is understood to be looking for ways to get out of Tony Blair’s unpopular war.We can safely assume that the timing of the British terror attempts was intended to coincide with the change in government leadership, in exactly the same way as the terror hits on the Madrid railway system were timed for the Spanish general election in 2004. The tactic works. The terrorists successfully swung that election, to the party that would cut-and-run from Iraq. And had several hundred Britons been killed, as the NHS doctors intended, demands for British withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, in both the media and Parliament, would have been overwhelming.
The problem with defeatism is that it leads to defeat -- not to peace. Ask the Spaniards whose tour bus convoy was driven into by an exploding car in Yemen over the same weekend. At least, ask those who survived. They may well have thought they could safely visit that country’s archaeological sites, since Al Qaeda must appreciate the lengths to which Spain has gone to make herself inoffensive. But no: Al Qaeda considers not the behaviour of Spain, but the existence of Spain, to be offensive.
(Emphasis mine.)
The muslim extremists are fighting the long war. They are trying to effect change over decades and centuries. We in the west think in terms of weeks. If we can't win the war in 10 weeks then it must not be a good war. If we continue to give in to these folks, eventually we'll all find ourselves wearing beards and burqas. Maybe it won't happen next week, next month or next year but it will happen.
but the existence of Spain, to be offensive
Well the existence of Christian Spain is offensive. The existence of Andalusia under the Caliphate was fine. What is even more galling for the fervent Muslim is the removal of Sharia law from Andalusia. Just Osama bin Hidin'
"Ask" just ask Osama bin Hidin'
[deleted. Clean up the language. - ED]
The killing of six Canadians in Afghanistan by a roadside explosive device had the exact defeatist reaction from Canadian "Taliban" Jack Layton and Stephane Dion.
Cut and run!
Canadian defeatists like the Spanish, playing directly into the hands of the terrorists in Afghanistan.
But singling out Layton and Dion is giving Canadian MSM a pass.
MSM is complicit in the defeatist view.
Why else would they turn instantly to Layton and Dion to fan the divisive Canadian appeasement faction?
Useful idiots, the lot, Layton and Dion playing for votes and MSM undermining the Canadian forces and the Harper Conseravatives.
Sadly MSM should be trumpeting to the world the lack of will of NATO members to place ever larger numbers of troops into the danger zones of the mission.
NATO must step up its forces until Afghanistan can maintain its own security from internal terrorists.
But then, perhaps it's payback time for years that Canada didn't carry it's fair share in NATO in the past decades.
It amazes me that the MSM gets away with being a Fifth Column within Canada, the US and Britain, but a Fifth Column they are.
As much as I hate to say it, I think that we're going to lose the fight in Afghanistan, not because of the lack of skill or commitment of our troops, but by the Marxist/Leninist influenced MSM and Layton combined with the power mad aspirations of Citoyen Dion.
i did!
Al Qaeda considers not the behaviour of Spain, but the existence of Spain, to be offensive.
===============
Exactly.
If we're waiting for the Afghans to get their act together, then we'd better prepare for a thousand year occupation. Better our troops redeploy to Pearson Airport and keep Afghan (and other Muslim) immigrants OUT. Now that would be a REAL victory.
Of course the first attack on the Spanish was to get them out of Iraq.
As of now they still subscribe to Christianity, though if they follow the pattern of reaction to Islamists regarding Iraq, they will fold and Islam will take over in due course.
It is difficult to argue for Canadian soldiers to remain in Afghanistan from simple human point of view. This though, requires applying a higher principle. Canadian participation is superior. The soldiers not only are working for peace in the damned place, they also are sort of front line for some non military applications, like making sure that schools that are full of students are safe for example.
The socialists, being totalitarian barbarians can’t handle the truth, so they omit it and repeat themselves ad infinitum. You see if you keep repeating something, even nonsense, you will believe it eventually. It is like ministry of truth.
JP at 12:26 said. . .
** Better our troops redeploy to Pearson Airport and keep Afghan (and other Muslim) immigrants OUT. Now that would be a REAL victory.**
Jp, Have you really thought about how effective that would be; how to keep the Muslim Jihadists out?
Too late. Many are in Canada and the USA and there is no effective way to **keep them out**.
Like you, I would like to see the troops return just as Taliban Jack keeps bleating.
Trouble is that move is pure stupidity. Our troops and civilians can die in mass suicide bombings here, just as they can in Afghanistan.
So your obligation is to get Taliban Jack to explain his plan to guarantee hundreds of thousands of men women and children will not die in the streets of Afghanistan and Iraq if the troops pull out.
Please get Jack and Dion to detail how we are supposed to stop the secret night landings on our shores of Jihadi terrorists when both Iran and Pakistan have modern submarine fleets.
Guess we better stick to building reliable communities and forces to run them in Afghanistan at least till Tally-Jack outlines his magical security plan.
Don*t hold your breath though, the MSM never asks him any testy questions and all he does is bleat white flags. = TG
TG,
After we ban Muslim immigration, we begin Muslim deportations. Canada managed to survive up until the late 1960's virtually Muslim-free. We certainly won't miss them when they're gone.
As for secret night landings by futuristic Islamic submarine fleets, that would certainly make for an interesting science-fiction movie.
Canada helped defeat Germany (twice), Japan, and helped faced down the Soviet Union, all serious industrialized powers. If pathetic Muslim crapholes like Iran and Pakistan really want a hardcore beating, then in the words of that wanker George W Bush, bring it on.
JP:
Exactly.
Steve
"Al Qaeda considers not the behaviour of Spain, but the existence of Spain, to be offensive."
===================
Exactly!!
Canada managed to survive up until the late 1960's virtually Muslim-free.
================================
Bull shit. I married a Muslim who arrived in 1967; a luke warm Muslim, mind you, but Muslim nonetheless.
Okay, how did I manage to post two copies of the thing about Spain. When I tried posting the first time (yesterday) I got an error message, but there it is. Oh well. I bears repeating.
"In general, all these terror attempts were a brilliant success."
This is new spin...the word after the second cartoon bombing was that this was sso rank amateurish it was laughable...this from police and MI5 talking heads.
Maybe the longer Jihadis spend in a effete socialist culture, the more inept they become...like the rest of the population ;-)
I have my doubts that the UK attack was meant to coincide with the changeover of British PM's. These young men were living in the UK for a time period prior to any such changeover.
Their involvement is, certainly, to stop the West's involvement in protecting emerging democracies in the ME, but, as well, to end open democracy in the West. That is, even if the West weren't in the ME - the Islamic fascist attacks would take place - in both the ME and the West.
Islamic fascism arose in the ME as a reaction to its dysfunctional tribalism. Its original agenda was to get rid of the corrupt military dictatorships of the ME by a return to fundamentalism Islam - the 'purity of origins' so to speak. Since it couldn't succeed in this agenda, it rapidly changed into focusing on the West rather than the corrupt military dictatorships of the ME.
Now that the West has moved in to enable democracy in the ME, Islamic fascism is 'floating' and has become localized within contextual issues. It no longer has its original agenda - states governed by fundamentalist Islam - within its sights.
In Iraq, it's moved into a fight for power between tribes AND, above all, Iran has moved into the floating morass by substituting its agenda for the original one (pure Islam). Iran's agenda is imperialist control of the ME. But, so far, it is hiding that agenda under the guise of original Islamic fascism (purity).
In Afghanistan, it's a fight between tribes and particularly, outlining Pakistan's interest in the area.
And, Iran has taken over the Israeli-Palestinian fight over territory, hiding its agenda of imperialist control in the area - by working via Hamas and Hezbollah.
So- what is the reason for the attacks by jihadists in the West - since I'm claiming that the original Al Qaeda agenda has dissolved into a 'floating morass'. I think these people are trapped within that purist ideology. I don't think it's political, or that it has to do with 'getting out of the ME'. I think it's pure fundamentalism. Just like Kyotoism operates within a notion of 'purity'.
I may be wrong - but - I think this would exist even if the West weren't in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The solution? Reform the political and ideological systems of Islam. It has to modernize. The West has to reject terrorism, it can't 'accomodate' Islamic fundamentalism - eg, inequality of women, sharia law, etc - and Muslim moderates have to stand up and reject terrorism and start to modernize their religion.
Louise,
Wouldn't 1967 be considered the late 1960s?
ET,
Yes, your view is mostly accurate enough.
To extend the required moderization process, there has to be support given to those Iranians who want to throw off the *Mad Mullahs * and regain their freedom and democracy.
Iran can see the demand for petroleum dropping dramatically via Hybrid, bio-fuel, battery and compressed-air efficiencies.
We can expect Acmahdinejad to make more desperate moves beyond those in current use like the supply of weapons and support for Hizballah and Muqtada al Sadr.
His economy is a mess and even his friend Putin is hounding him for Million$ in Nuclear supply debt. = TG
ET:
I agree. Islam must reform itself but who will do the reforming? Irshad Manji could be considered to be at the vanguard of reform-minded individuals, at least here in the west. So too Tarek Fatah. But these people are proverbially "spitting into the wind". Read Manji's most recent article to see the distinctions even she makes between so-called moderates and reformers.
3w.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070704.wxcomanji04/BNStory/International/
Yes the battles currently going on are tribal/sectarian power struggles. But this should all be allowed to run its own course and we should not be trying to introduce a model of government or influence its development prematurely.
One of the biggest problems facing any type of reform is one that is little dicussed: the huge rate of illiteracy in the muslim world. So any kind of democracy at this point gets tipped to quasi-religious regimes (ie. Hamas) that are even more hostile than existing dictatorships (ie. Mubarak). And this is due to an uneducated population forever told to uncritically examine islamic doctrine. Thus what we are faced with is the hope that eventually their people will be ready to have islam and democracy/pluralism co-exist.
Turkey, while it's far from perfect, has shown the world that a predominantly Muslim country can exist and thrive with a moderate, secular government. If other Islamic countries were to follow that example, a lot of the world's problems would be over. Unfortunately, while there are moderate Muslims in those countries, they never make it to the government. How could they? "Moderates" never effect any change at all. What we need are some extremist secular Muslims.
And while we're at it, how about synthetic petroleum, a cure for cancer, and first contact with Martians.
JB,
Ha, ha, ha, good one! Now even Turkey is veering towards radical Islam. Meanwhile, the search for Moderate Muslims(tm) goes on.
As an American, I find it fascinating that terrorism has this sort of pacifying affect on some nations. Here in the U.S., it's the opposite. Terrorist attacks against us evoke a sort of jingoistic hunger for vengeance. Still, there is an important similarity between Christian Europeans and Americans in terms of how we see Islam. We believe it's the responsibility of all Muslims to see things from our Western point of view.