the Islamic threat. **** A friend emailed this article from a German Newspaper. Interesting perspective especially considering the source. An Interesting German Article...This is worth the read -- gives another perception. Many still feel that the war on terror is a mistake. Here is an opinion from an unexpected source. It's fascinating that this should come out of Europe. Matthias Dapfner, Chief Executive of the huge German publisher Axel Springer AG, has written a blistering attack in DIE WELT, Germany's largest daily paper, against the timid reaction of Europe in the face of the Islamic threat. * * * * * "Look at what has been happening in Europe the last couple of weeks. For all practical purposes they won Spain without any effort on their part other than a couple of bombs in public places. Now they are burning Paris and hitting on Holland and Belgium. Better get serious, very, very serious!" "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 o f 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 bom bings 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 U.N. 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 u s from the wrath of the fanatical Islamists. One cannot help but recall Britain's Neville Chamberlain waving the laughable treaty signed by Adolph 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 nee ded 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 Schil y 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 four weeks of paid vacation... Or listen to TV pastors preach about the need to reach out to terrorist. 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. Appeasement? Europe, thy name is Cowardice. --God Bless America!
Wow, thanks for posting that. Good to know that there are some Europeans that recognize the threat. Probably too few, though...
Good article, but as usual, your looking at a blame america for bush kinda thing. Sure, somebody must vote for these fools, but in reality nobody has much say in what politicians do-except via opinion polls, which are grossly distorted at any rate. As far as some countries pulling out, or leaving etc, well, their contribution wasnt enormous to begin with, and quite frankly it shouldnt have been- remembering, the war was largely kicked off from dodgy info from a tortured suspect, something they kinda had an issue with, and for good reason.
I'm a european and the appeasement of muslims in europe is an embarrassment. They're sending mankind backwards,savages.
But hey, the only reason islam has got this much attention is oil, and look what they've done with it. could'nt run a bath properly.
9/11 occurred before we set a single foot in Afghanistan or Iraq. Radical Islamists didn't decide to hate us and yearn for our destruction AFTER we took out the Taliban and Saddam, did they?
No, it goes way back to the suez, and anglo involvement in egypt , even the british protectorate of iraq. In fact, way back to the actions of grandpappy bush and the clansmens sponsorship of the arabian sultanate. There isnt much better appeasement, than sponsoring corrupt regimes to help fill your pockets, and ignoring the likely long term consequences of such actions. Did anyone vote for those actions? Of course not, all corporate policy, corporate appeasement, straight from the top. The justification for war in this instance, as you know was flimsy, and largely fabricated; its just ironic americans are happy enough to bash europe, when they know perfectly well the war was never in iraq, and the most sensible thing a government (ie europe) could do was check their own backyard's fence. Whether their actually doing this or not, well thats something only a few high level apparatchiks could answer, not that they would.