Posted on 03/15/2004 7:14:37 AM PST by Pokey78
It's a spectacular result for Islamist terrorism, and a chilling portent of Europe's future. A close election campaign, with Aznar's party slightly ahead, ended with the Popular Party's defeat and the socialist opposition winning.
It might be argued that the Aznar government's dogged refusal to admit the obvious quickly enough led people to blame it for a cover-up.
But why did they seek to delay assigning the blame on al Qaeda? Because they knew that if al Qaeda were seen to be responsible, the Spanish public would blame Aznar not bin Laden!
But there's the real ironic twist: if the appeasement brigade really do believe that the war to depose Saddam is and was utterly unconnected with the war against al Qaeda, then why on earth would al Qaeda respond by targeting Spain? If the two issues are completely unrelated, why has al Qaeda made the connection?
The answer is obvious: the removal of the Taliban and the Saddam dictatorship were two major blows to the cause of Islamist terror. They removed an al Qaeda client state and a potential harbor for terrorists and weapons of mass destruction.
So it's vital that the Islamist mass murderers target those who backed both wars. It makes total sense.
And in yesterday's election victory for the socialists, al Qaeda got even more than it could have dreamed of. It has removed a government intent on fighting terrorism and installed another intent on appeasing it. For good measure, they murdered a couple of hundred infidels.
But the truly scary thought is the signal that this will send to other European governments. Britain is obviously next.
The appeasement temptation has never been greater; and it looks more likely now that Europe - as so very often in the past - will take the path of least resistance - with far greater bloodshed as a result.
I'd also say that it increases the likelihood of a major bloodbath in this country before the November elections. If it worked in Spain, al Qaeda might surmise, why not try it in the U.S.?
GREATER ISLAM: But there's another obvious reason for the targeting of Spain. It was once in part a Muslim-controlled country. The agenda of bin Laden and other Islamo-fascists is to reconquer those regions in Europe and the former Soviet Empire for a new Islamic Reich. The existence of Israel is obviously the most horrifying because it is in the heart of the Muslim world. But Spain, too, was once a region in an Islamic world, as this piece in the Daily Telegraph explains. In October 2002, according to Debka.com,
al Qaeda began issuing a stream of fatwas designating its main operating theatres in Europe. Spain was on the list, but not the first.It's hard for modern Europeans and Americans to credit this kind of kooky, historical vengeance. But it's precisely this vision that sustains and nourishes the Islamist terror network and their state sponsors in Iran, Syria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. And that is why the current lull in the terror war is not good news. While we wait and work patiently for democratic progress in Iraq, the enemy is retooling and rethinking.
1. Turkey was first. Islamic fundamentalists were constrained to recover the honor and glory of the Ottoman caliphates which were trampled by Christian forces in 1917 in the last days of World War I.
2. Spain followed. There, al Qaeda set Muslims the goal of recovering their lost kingdom in Andalusia.
3. Italy and its capital were third. Muslim fundamentalists view Rome as a world center of heresy because of the Vatican and the Pope.
4. Vienna came next because the advancing Muslim armies were defeated there in 1683 before they could engulf the heart of Europe.
Ridiculous.
With socialists in power in Spain, terrorists and their workers can easily cross from North Africa and set up business in Spain. So long as they murder no other Spaniards, Spain will be happy to bow to them and let them do their work. By our election, air liners from Spain may be the most dangerous weapon the terrorists have to use.
Our neocommunists, Kerry, Kennedy and most other dems, will now claim that the Spanish brought it on themselves and that unless we are nice to the terrorists we will get some of the same.
I couldn't agree more. This is some scary stuff. We'll have to see how it all plasys out, but I wouldn't count on Americans reacting in the same chicken Shi-ite way that Spaniards did. We were attacked in 2001, before Iraq. OTOH, I know a lot of liberals would run up the white flag in a heartbeat.
Who's next, and what will their response be?
The many appeasers and the very few brave.
If Kerry somehow gets elected, I'm going on the offensive myself.
When government does not enforce the laws of the land, it's up to the people to change the government or protect themselves via the Second Amendment.
The survivalists have had it right all along.
Our own government appears to be the emerging threat to the people.
It steals our hard-earned wealth and gives it away to Arafat while promoting laziness and obesity at home.
America has become a land of the fat and comfortable, ready to be slaughtered.
Not me!!!
Not without a fight!!!
They've been able to do this anyway, with the constant ferry crossings from Tangier, Morocco to Algeciras, Spain. The scenario, however, does miss a few salient points. Morocco is a generally open, moderate society. It's a long way from the Muddle East, where the radicals are, to Morocco. And it's just as easy to enter Spain from the Muddle East from a different angle, without having to pass thru Morocco.
Around Algeciras and southern Spain, you do see a lot of Arabs. But most of them are there seasonally, making euros to take back home to Morocco. They are not the problemo.
Michael
Don't kid yourself. I take a commuter train to work every day. Lately, I have taken it upon myself to check out the other riders, the luggage compartments, etc. Guess what. ANYBODY who wanted to could take a dufflebag full off whatever explosive they wanted to on that train. Before anyone could notice it, they could detonate it, either remotely, or for the Jihadi's, LIVE. Such a thing would kill scores, if not hundreds. It gives me the willys.
Having said that, I dont the Al-Queerda is that stupid, they know that Americans are a different breed of Human, such an attack would coronate GWB.
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