OPINION - Crossroads
At every great crossroad point in history, there seems to be a crystallization of two distinct paths for humanity to take. Two paths one of which inevitably leads to darkness, and the other in a direction where we elevate ourselves, never quite reaching what some would call a light, but sort of a place where we get our permission slip form the great one above us all to proceed.
The narrow, shallow, prophets of selfishness are ever-present. They shade truth, in self-interest seeing only a short term bump in the road, not caring what will happen further on down, because they know they won’t have to deal with it. Power is an intoxicating liquor, and being able to feed on the emotions of those who would support you by not being fully honest is genuinely evil. For example, we all know about excesses at Abu Gharib of our soldiers, and Sen. Kennedy’s response that it was no better than Saddahm’s management of the prison. Sen. Kennedy’s puffery only aids those who’d do us ill. Yet his zeal for power blinds him to the effect of his ill-chosen words. His remarks are but the tip of the iceberg in terms of attempts to travel down a dark path. Although this was perhaps one of the most egregious examples of intoxication to the lure of power domestically, events in Europe recently are beginning to suggest that we must be prepared for the downfall of Europe as we know it.
The enforced hiding of two members of the Dutch parliament, because of lack of will of the vast majority of the native Europeans to stand up to Islam, speaks poorly of what the Europeans themselves have endemic in their culture. Comparisons can and should be made to the events surrounding death throws of the Western Roman Empire, and its demise in 476, caused by invasions by the Huns and Goths. The Roman citizens did not know what hit them until it was too late. Indeed, look at the many decent adherents to Islam who seem to have inability to stand up for themselves because of the Mafioso control of the so-called holy men who control that religion. Ask Dutch parliament member Hirsi Ali. Ms. Ali, a native of Mogadishu Somalia, Moslem, is in hiding because of her outspoken attitude of these Godfathers of the Quran, and their treatment of Moslem Women. Ask another member of the Dutch Parliament, Geert Wilders, who stays in a prison because the Imams are after him too. He did the unthinkable. Made speeches in the Dutch Parliament condemning how these Imams incite adherents to terrorist acts. Netherlands, land of ultimate tolerance, has sewed the seeds of its own destruction.
Then we have the current case of the old grimy Italian Communist reporter, in Iraq, who gets kidnapped. The Italian government, if reports are accurate, paid ransom for her release. Through a communication error, and because of stupid acts of the driver of her car which was taking her out of captivity, an Italian agent dies protecting her sorry personage. The “agenda above all else” attitude in her sorry excuse for a soul could not do anything but make her scream for the poor American soldiers to be strung up. Our brave guys, who are under constant threat from foolish drivers like hers, some with totally evil intent have made our soldiers understand what it takes to have a chance to survive. Now the hand-wringing starts form the Dementia Association, which is customary in the twilight Europe of these days. It may take 70 or 100 years of forced wearing of head-to-toe burkas in the formerly free Western Europe to educate the elite how appeasement is deadly.
When Ottoman leader Mahmoud entered Constantinople in 1453, one of his first acts was to convert the church of St. Sophia to a mosque. I have a feeling that Europe is beyond saving, and such things may happen 1000-fold in the next 20 years. This evidence is made even more clear because when even our friends, and Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi is indeed a friend, succumb to appeasement by paying ransoms, then one must believe “Old Europe” is a lost cause. Only stalwart Britian, and even they have challenges, amongst the old free nations (pre-Gorbachev) may be able to be saved. Remember it was Britian who realized in the nick of time the threat of Hitler, and elevated Winston Chruchill, after the disaster of Neville Chamberlin.
It was true in this country as well, as with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, and deposing the appeasement of Jimmy Carter. Today Ronald Reagan has a legacy. Jimmy Carter has a Nobel “Peace” prize, worth about as much as the paper the certificate is printed on. Reagan confronted the evil of the time, the USSR, and the events of the late 80’s and early 90’s occurred. Our legacy of that is, that there are nations in Europe worth saving. The Poles, Czechs, Hungarians and others of their ilk understand confronting evil. And even Vladmir Putin, the Autocrat all-but-Czar in Russia got smart after the wake-up call in Breslan. This may be a coming together out of necessity, but if we must, we must. For as the President often says, “We must confront them over there so we won’t have to confront them here.” After all he’s a Texan, and they have a reputation as straight shooters, and the smart ones like our “W” know the path we must take...
Posted by: BigEd on 3/11/2005 12:19:41 PM Comment Top
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