The Rage of Oriana Fallaci

ny observer ^ | January 23, 2003|5:33 PM | by George Gurley

[Alouette]

Why should we make a fuss about the book?

I will tell you why. Because she says what is in the heart of every American; of every human being who loves humanity, but she says it with so much more force and eloquence and magnificence than any one of us ever could.

[dennisw]

About 25 years ago in her salad days

[dennisw]

You worry about Ariel Sharon then read this wonderful piece:

http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson042302.asp

[Brian Allen]

<< Sharon started crying. I don~{!/~}t know, I didn~{!/~}t see the tears. But the voice was of a crying man, and he started to shout: ~{!.~}Oriana! You are the only one who says the word condolences! Do you know, these bloody heads of states, I just spoke with the British and the Americans~{!/!*~}meaning Blair and Bush~{!*!.~}they did not say that word to me.~{!/~} And then with broken voice he said, ~{!.~}Do you know who were the dead last night? One was the grandmother who was in Dachau and who still had the number on her arm. The second one was her daughter, who was seven months pregnant. And the third one was the child of the daughter, who was 5 years old. And they are all dead! All dead! All dead!~{!/~} He was crying." >>

Yes -- he was crying -- but he will NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! surrender!

[ricpic]

Oriana Fallaci is an exemplary human being; a courageous woman. Therefore it is with trepidation that I make these critical comments.

Like many Europeans, she does not "get" Americans.

Americans are not a fiery people. In fact, by and large, they are put off by that trait. But that does not mean that they do not feel, and feel deeply, in moments of crisis. The reluctance to flare up, to show emotion, is often misinterpreted as indifference or unawareness; especially by fiery European intellectuals.

Millions of ordinary Americans are well aware that Islam poses a mortal threat. I believe they are ready to fight, and to take losses, in order to protect their way of life (which is to say their freedom).

The great danger is that our governing elites will falter, suffer a loss of nerve, at the moment of truth.

That being said, Fallaci is absolutely right, and absolutely fearless, in her no holds barred assessment and condemnation of Islam.

[Bahbah]

Oh, dennis, great post. I am thrilled by this woman. I am not laughing at her, but I am certainly smiling.

[reformedliberal]

We Americans must become fiery! Especially we conservative Americans. I think we are intimidated, especially in the Midwest and for many stoicism is our heritage. If we do not learn to express the passion in our hearts, our enemies, foreign and domestic, who both have that passion, will triumph.

Imagine a Million American March, w/American flags and British flags and Australian flags and Israeli flags (and every other flag of every other ally) and signs and puppets and our hearts on display for every Leftist and Islamist to see!

It would terrify them.

[JMJ333]

She doesn’t like it, however, when the President calls Islam a "religion of peace."

"Do you know what I do each time he says it on TV? I’m there alone, and I watch it and say, ‘Shut up! Shut up, Bush!’ But he doesn’t listen to me.

A woman after me own heart. ;)

[FairWitness]

I asked about the secret of her huge success as a journalist. She said it had to do with the fact that she never tried to be objective. Objectivity, she said, was "a hypocrisy which has been invented in the West which means nothing. We must take positions. Our weakness in the West is born of the fact of so-called ‘objectivity.’ Objectivity does not exist—it cannot exist! … The word is a hypocrisy which is sustained by the lie that the truth stays in the middle. No, sir: Sometimes truth stays on one side only."

Honest and refreshing.

[Bennett46]

Thank you for posting this, Dennis. I am one of the 40,000 who bought her powerful, little book. I would not have known about the book were it not for reading about it on Free Republic. It is powerful, and is read again and again and again every time I hear or read about another apologist for the religion of peace. The pages have already become well worn.

I wonder what the women's lib hags think about this amazingly liberated woman. Not much, I'm sure.

[Dan Day]

I hadn't realized she was still alive until the Rage and Fury essay came out online in October 2001.

I found what I believe is a complete copy at http://italian.about.com/library/fallaci/blfallaci01.htm, for anyone who wants to read it.

I was just flippping through the pages to see how large it was, and the following passage jumped out at me:

And finally we have Science, for God’s sake. A science that has understood a lot of diseases and that cures them. I am still alive, for now, thanks to our science. Not Mohammed’s. A science that has invented marvellous machines. The train, the car, the airplane, the spaceships with which we’ve gone to the Moon and Mars and soon will go who knows where. A science that has changed the face of this planet with electricity, the radio, the telephone, the TV, and by the way: is it true that the gurus of the left don’t want to say what I have just said?!? God, what pricks! They will never change.

[reformedliberal]

Wonderful piece, thanx.

Won't Bibi be elected after Sharon?

[denydenydeny]

Only 40,000 copies sold in the USA? I would say her American publisher is to blame for not promoting the book. I have never seen The Rage and the Pride in any American bookstore.

[Dan Day]

I found what I believe is a complete copy at http://italian.about.com/library/fallaci/blfallaci01.htm,

Ah, I see now that it's either the introduction to her book, or the original essay which she later expanded into the book.

The book is 168 pages long, so it obviously has far more material. I'll have to go pick up a copy, the online essay/introduction was excellent.

[jdege]

We Americans must become fiery! ... It would terrify them.

Nonsense.

I was once told that the Germans feared the American soldiers more than our allies.

The British would sing, marching into battle.

The French would shout.

The Americans would just trudge along, pissed off at everyone for having to be there...

"Damned mud, damned food, damned officers."

Trudge, trudge, trudge.

"Damned rain, damned gear, damned officers."

Trudge, trudge, trudge.

"Damned Germans," BANG ", "damned mud."

Trudge, trudge, trudge.

[Siobhan]

She doesn’t like it, however, when the President calls Islam a "religion of peace."

"Do you know what I do each time he says it on TV? I’m there alone, and I watch it and say, ‘Shut up! Shut up, Bush!’ But he doesn’t listen to me.
-------------------
A woman after me own heart. ;)

ME TOO, DEARIE.

[weikel]

Stoicism and cold efficiency always beats illogical passion.

[Spunky]

Fallacci - she is my hero since I first found The Rage & The Pride on the internet.

Are you saying you can read it on the internet or order the book on the internet? If you can read it on the internet could you post a link to it? Thanks Spunky

[dennisw]

#82 Amy  1/23/2003 04:20PM PST


I adore la Fallaci. That interview brought tears to my eyes. And anyone who says that murdering a Holocaust survivor, her pregnant daughter and a tot is morally equivalent to taking out the murderous swine who perpetrate such atrocities has a sense of morality about the size of Arafat's brain.

As for the Likud scandal, it's a scandal, and that's the point. It's out in the open, it's being vigorously pursued by the Israeli press, and those involved will be severely punished, and their political careers will be over.

Now let's look at the terminally corrupt and tyrannical regimes in the rest of the Middle East, shall we, and perform some real moral comparisons.

Let's talk about Assad and Saddam slaughtering their own citizens with bombs and poison gas.

Let's talk about the Saudis exporting their hate-filled ideology and chopping off people's hands, feet and heads.

Let's talk about the mullahs' secret police in Iran.

Let's talk about threatening death to women who dare to walk out of their homes by themselves, drive a car, go to school or have a job.

Let's talk about Palestinian child abuse - raising their children to hate, to seek death, to murder.

Let's talk about the official Egyptian media, which spreads blood libels and lies about worldwide Jewish conspiracies, publishes caricatures of Jews worthy of the worst Nazi excesses and broadcasts the Protocols as if they were the truth. And let's talk about Egyptian persecution of anyone who criticizes the government.

Let's talk about Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which will not be satisfied with any Israeli pullbacks, will not be satisfied with a Palestinian state alongside Israel, will not be satisfied with autonomy over Arab Jerusalem - will never be satisfied until all of "Palestine" is Judenrein and Israel destroyed.

Let's talk about Hezb'Allah, which continues to shell Israeli territory from the safety provided by the Syrians on the concocted pretext that the Israelis are occupying Lebanese territory (despite the U.N.'s finding that the Israelis are not setting foot on one inch of Lebanese soil).

Let's talk about how much blood Arafat has on his hands. Let's talk about Arabs disemboweling and literally tearing apart two Israelis who blundered somewhere they didn't intend to go.

Let's talk about the Palestinian intimidation of the press which tries to bear witness to Palestinian celebrations of the deaths of innocents.

Let's talk about the corruption of Arafat and his cronies, who skim millions off the aid that the idiot Europeans shell out every month instead of seeing to the needs of their own people.

Let's talk about the Israeli policy of demolishing homes instead of carpetbombing the rats' nests of terrorists in Gaza and the West Bank.

Let's talk about the Palestinian destruction of Joseph's Tomb and the Jordanians' wanton destruction of Jewish synagogues and graveyards, using tombstones to pave streets and line latrines.

Let's talk about antisemitic attacks taking place all over the world (There was a long article in today's Ha'aretz about antisemitic incidents and vandalism of Holocaust memorials and cemeteries, when there are a grand total of 5,000 Jews in Greece).

Oh, but the antisemites like Justa Goy don't want to discuss that stuff of course. In fact, Israel is necessary in order to protect Jews from people just like him. Too bad for Justa Goy that the glorious period of Hitlerism is over - JG was born too late to join in the fun. What a pity!

People like Justa Goy are offended and incensed when Jews dare to defend themselves. How dare those hook-nosed bastards kill anybody, even people who have dedicated their lives to killing Jews.

To quote my idol Oriana, "Fuck you!"

 

[dennisw]

Above is by Amy not me.