Will there be a tipping point?
In the last few days, we have looked for evidence that the people of Europe were significantly more aroused and angry than the MSM and the politicians at the cultural dhimmitude being imposed on them in the cartoon controversy. We wrote a piece about it here. However, it is fair to say that, despite having ferreted out a few examples of disquiet and courage, we can’t find too much of it.
In some ways, the current war has less to do with strength of arms than with strength of character. For example, the military budget of Iran is 1% of that of the US. But it seems to be that strength of character is precisely what is missing in the West, if the cravenness of the response to the cartoon controversy is any indication.
Moreover, the Islamist bully boys have now come out into the open. Their cover has been blown – by them. The signs from the London protest say it all. “Annihilate,” “behead,” “exterminate,” “real holocaust,” “your 9-11” – these are not emblems and words of a real religion, they are the slogans of Brownshirts who must be crushed. Moreover, to the extent a religion were to associate itself with such sentiments, it is not a valid religion, for it would be preaching evil. That the Brownshirts feel so free to voice their murderous threats openly tells us a lot about them, and us.
It seems so elementary to us, but many people apparently see nothing at all that cannot be assuaged with a little more understanding and appeasement of the bully boys. Perhaps the entire West can be conquered by the simple tactic of being silenced. The MSM have fallen right behind the Moderate Muslims in the long line of the mute. The West no longer has justification to ask for the Moderate Muslims to speak up in outrage at the criminals among them, when the West refuses to do so itself.
It is our disposition to be optimistic, but sometimes that fails us. We think the facts to date indicate that the likes of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the evil Hamas are playing a pretty strong hand. We await their next clever bully-boy tactic and the further craven actions by the political elites and MSM of the West.
Addendum
There are now those in the US who seek to dishonor and defame, not only our current military efforts, but the WWII generation, to whom they own their freedom (USS Iowa and Pappy Boyington stories). Will we awaken before the Vandals have sacked the City?
February 15th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
You have identified the problem perfectly. While the Muslim nations do not have the military or technological ability to conquer us, they are doing a pretty good job of intimidating us into doing what they want. Their most ridiculous complaints (e.g., seeing the name of the prophet in the swirls of an ice cream ad) are taken seriously by westerners, and we make servile accommodations to assuage their anger and offense. Truly, awfully, craven and pathetic. Britain and the rest of Europe are already cowed. How else to explain the lack of any counter-protesters, when terrorist sympathizers openly marched in the heart of London and other cities threatening a “real holocaust”? The real question is whether the Muslims will succeed in bullying the United States. I am not optimistic, especially if the Democrats regain the White House.