The Warnings Unheeded

A while back I posted a letter to Europe. It was a bit harsh, but it was indicative of my true inner feelings, something that the left wants us all to get in touch with. I was angry that France, Germany, and other continentals had taken such an arrogant, high-minded approach to our plight and deluded themselves into thinking that they didn't need the US, but rather the opposite. This, they did, while ignoring the signs, the warnings, and the evident truths that cannot be denied.

Shortly after that, this article was published by Reuters. It warns of the end of what was then considered to be a truce, between Al Qaeda and Europe.

July 2, 2004

DUBAI - An al-Qaida-linked group vowed to renew attacks on Europe and urged Muslims to flee once Osama bin Laden's three-month truce ends on July 15, two Arabic-language newspapers reported on Friday.

"To the European people ... you only have a few more days to accept bin Laden's truce or you will only have yourselves to blame," said the statement purported to be from the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades which claimed responsibility for the March 11 train bombings in Spain.

And they were right, on July 7, 2005, Brits were on the receiving end of that threat. It may have taken a year to carry it out, but it was carried out, nonetheless. They kept their promise.

I, and many like me, believed them. Many of you believed them, but both you and I were not in the position to do anything about it. The leadership of the EU and the member nations' were in a position, but virtually did nothing. What little was done, was mostly cosmetic and only designed to reassure an already skeptical electorate. Note-A bandaid does nothing to stop an arterial bleed.

Many Europeans have bought into the mindset that if Bush had not invaded Iraq, Spain would not have been hit last year and Britain would not have been hit, this year. So in essence, the attitude of "that won't happen here" has crept into the bulk of the Europeans' thought processes so deeply that they allowed themselves to be rocked to sleep, at a time when it called for vigilance.

France has taken that stance, since the beginning. They watched Spain get hit, then fold up their tent, and come home with their tails tucked between their legs. No doubt many French spoke privately (and maybe some not so privately) that it served them right for getting involved in Bush's "evil war for oil". When London was attacked, many probably said the very same thing.

But France (oh glorious, France), allowed themselves to fall into a lethargic slumber, based mostly on the fact that France had not supported the removal of Saddam. Add to that France's years of coddling Iran (remember, they gave Khomeini asylum before the shah was deposed) and the Palestinian cause for terror against Israel, and you get the false sense of security that has prevailed in French society, over the last decade or so . They have adopted the old "be nice to the lion and the lion will eat you last" policy.

Today, France has been proven wrong once again. The social experiment is failing and as they have discovered in the last week, they are not immuned from Muslim violence. It may not be the violence of the mass casualty kind, no large bombs exploded, and no buildings were brought down. But this violence is escalating, spreading, and will become a bigger threat if not dealt with soon.

Maybe by the time they get done with their meetings, conferences, and symposiums on the problem, they might get a clue that they have failed to recognize the problem at its roots. The problem begins with an arrogance that they are France, and France knows diplomacy so well that war is not necessary. By coddling hostile nations and other political groups, they (in their heart of hearts) believe that if they bend, bow, and break, the adversary will lose interest and leave them alone.

I do find it admirable that after sinking the world into two world wars and countless conflicts, due to their greedy imperialistic dreams, Europe wants to expend all diplomatic channels, before entering any military action. Given the amount of despots from Europe that have tried to conquer the known world, this is nothing short of a miracle.

But to not heed warnings that Islam is trying to wage war with the western world, to convince yourself that it is just an American, British, and Israeli problem, and to ignore the problem like it doesn't exist and hope it all goes away, is just plain foolish and dangerous. To do so, will mean more denial and more vulnerability, in the long term.

Most of you that agree with me, see it. The big question is, when will those that have the power to change it, see it?

But just in case they haven't gotten the memos yet, Steyn gives them one more opportunity to get with the program.

(For extensive continuing coverage of this developing story, visit Gindy.Blogspot.Com. He has followed this story from the beginning, so you may have to do some scrolling)

Cross posted at The Wide Awakes