Supercharts
Graduate Poster
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2002
- Messages
- 1,182
EUROPE - THY NAME IS COWARDICE
(Commentary by Mathias Dapfner CEO, Axel Springer, AG)
A few days ago Henry Broder wrote in Welt am Sonntag, "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 of 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 bombings 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 us from the wrath of the fanatical
Islamists.
One cannot help but recall Britain's Neville Chamberlain waving the
laughable treaty signed by Adolf 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 needed 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 Schily
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 7 weeks of paid vacation... Or listen to TV pastors
preach about the need to "reach out to terrorists. 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.
(Commentary by Mathias Dapfner CEO, Axel Springer, AG)
A few days ago Henry Broder wrote in Welt am Sonntag, "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 of 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 bombings 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 us from the wrath of the fanatical
Islamists.
One cannot help but recall Britain's Neville Chamberlain waving the
laughable treaty signed by Adolf 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 needed 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 Schily
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 7 weeks of paid vacation... Or listen to TV pastors
preach about the need to "reach out to terrorists. 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.