Date: 8/7/2005
EUROPE, THY NAME IS COWARDICE./// http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16110719%255E28737,00.html /// the french are the most cowardly the germans will fight when the battle reaches their frontyard /// http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16110719%255E28737,00.html /// > The Australian - Let's face facts, Europe's being > run by cowards /// Mathias Doepfner /// > August 01, 2005 > /// > THE writer Henryk Broder recently issued a withering > indictment: Europe, your family name is appeasement. > That phrase resonates because it is so terribly > true. > ///> Appeasement cost millions of Jews and non-Jews their > lives as allies Britain and France negotiated and > hesitated too long before they realised that Adolf > Hitler needed to be fought and defeated, because he > could not be bound by toothless agreements. > /// > Later, appeasement legitimised and stabilised > communism in the Soviet Union, then in East Germany, > then throughout the rest of Eastern Europe, where > for several decades inhuman, repressive and > murderous governments were glorified. > Appeasement similarly crippled Europe when genocide > ran rampant in Bosnia and Kosovo. Indeed, even > though we had absolute proof of continuing mass > murder there, we Europeans debated and debated, and > then debated still more. We were still debating when > finally the Americans had to come from halfway > around the world, into Europe yet again, to do our > work for us. /// > Europe still hasn't learned. Rather than protecting > democracy in the Middle East, European appeasement, > camouflaged behind the fuzzy word equidistance, > often seems to countenance suicide bombings in > Israel by fundamentalist Palestinians. > > /// > > > > Similarly, it generates a mentality that allows > Europe to ignore the almost 500,000 victims of > Saddam Hussein's torture and murder machinery and, > motivated by the self-righteousness of the peace > movement, to harangue George W. Bush as a warmonger. > /// > This hypocrisy continues even as it is discovered > that some of the loudest critics of US action in > Iraq made illicit billions - indeed, tens of > billions - of dollars in the corrupt UN oil-for-food > program. /// > Today we are faced with a particularly grotesque > form of appeasement. How is Germany reacting to the > escalating violence by Islamic fundamentalists in > The Netherlands, Britain and elsewhere in Europe? By > suggesting - wait for it - that the proper response > to such barbarism is to initiate a Muslim holiday in > Germany. /// > I wish I were joking, but I am not. A substantial > fraction of Germany's Government - and, if 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 > fanatical Islamists. /// > One cannot help but recall Britain's Neville > Chamberlain on his return from Munich, waving that > laughable treaty signed by Hitler, and declaring the > advent of peace in our time. /// > What atrocity must occur before the European public > and its political leadership understands what is > really happening in the world? There is a sort of > crusade under way; an especially perfidious campaign > consisting of systematic attacks by Islamists, > focused on civilians, that is directed against our > free, open Western societies, and that is intent on > their utter destruction. /// > We find ourselves faced with a conflict that will > most likely last longer than any of the great > military clashes of the last century, a conflict > conducted by an enemy that cannot be tamed by > tolerance and accommodation because that enemy is > actually spurred on by such gestures. Such responses > have proven to be signs of weakness. /// > Only two recent US presidents have had the courage > needed to shun appeasement: Ronald Reagan and George > W. Bush. The US's critics may quibble over the > details, but in our hearts we Europeans know the > truth, because we saw it first hand. /// > Reagan ended the Cold War, freeing half of Europe > from almost 50 years of terror and slavery. And > Bush, acting out of moral conviction and supported > only by the social democrat Tony Blair, recognised > the danger in today's Islamist war against > democracy. /// > In the meantime, Europe sits back in the > multicultural corner with its usual blithe > self-confidence./// > Instead of defending liberal values and acting as an > attractive centre of power on the same playing field > as the true great powers, the US and China, it does > nothing. On the contrary, we Europeans present > ourselves, in contrast to the supposedly arrogant > Americans, as world champions of tolerance, which > even Germany Interior Minister Otto Schily > justifiably criticises. /// > Where does this self-satisfied reaction come from? > Does it arise because we are so moral? I fear that > it stems from the fact that we Europeans are so > materialistic, so devoid of a moral compass. > For his policy of confronting Islamic terrorism > head-on, Bush risks the fall of the dollar, huge > amounts of additional national debt, and a massive > and persistent burden on the US economy. But he does > this because, unlike most of Europe, he realises > that what is at stake is literally everything that > really matters to free people. /// > While we criticise the capitalistic robber barons of > the US because they seem too sure of their > priorities, we timidly defend our welfare states./// > "Stay out of it. It could get expensive," we cry. /// > So, instead of acting to defend our civilisation, we > prefer to discuss reducing our 35-hour work week or > improving our dental coverage, or extending our four > weeks of annual paid holiday. Or perhaps we listen > to television 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 jewellery when she notices a robber > breaking into a neighbour's house. Appeasement? That > is just the start of it. Europe, thy name is > Cowardice. /// > Mathias Doepfner is chief executive of German media > group Axel Springer > > /// ........................000000000
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