We are all British (2) (De andere kijk)

Before I go on a short vacation, I would like to share some of my thoughts with you on the terrorist attack in London.

1) It is about time to act here and now. We cannot afford to assume that this country will not be a target. An attack on e.g. Brussels central station, the nexus of railway traffic in Belgium, during rush hour would have a devastating effect. Therefore, all measures should be taken to put sleeper cells out of business, expel radical preachers and close down their mosques. As Wretchard states, it is time to reverse “the creeping growth of the radical Islamic political infrastructure under the mantle of political correctness”. The task of dis”mantling” is daunting, but essential.

2) Although still devastating enough, the bombs in London have made less casualties than the obvious comparable of Madrid. What could explain this, for it seems unlikely that Al Qaeda has exercised constraint? Wretchard argues, while admitting that undeniable proof for his theory is unavailable – but neither is there for the contrary -, that Iraq is one of the reasons. Even Al Qaeda’s resources are not infinite. Its resources have been drained to Iraq, at the expense of its operations elsewhere. This would contradict the assertion of many editorialists today that the war on terror (WOT) has not produced any results, to the contrary. That would be true if one should measure the success or failure of the WOT only by the absence of terrorist attacks and not also by their intensity. It would also contradict another assertion that the war in Iraq has increased terrorism, instead it would condone the strategy of president Bush to take the battle to enemy instead of waiting for it to strike again in the homeland.

3) There is a report, although still unconfirmed, that the bomber on the bus near Russell Square was a Briton who was recently released from the American detention facility at Guantanamo. The many foreigners who were arrested in Afghanistan were not innocent boys who were on a summer camp and just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. To the contrary, they were un-uniformed enemy combatants who in compliance with the law of warfare were permitted to be held into custody until the end of the WOT. The alternative was that they, as uniformed soldiers, could have been shot on sight which is allowed by the Geneva convention. But as their detention was deemed to be too indefinite by the many “human rights” advocates, they were released. We know now what may have been the result: at least 13 people died on that bus.

4) Last year, there was a report that UK security forces had stopped a Madrid. Back then, they were accused of scaremongering. Where are their accusers now? The lunatic left should be deeply ashamed. But there is another left, though it seems to constitute only a minority, that knows what is at stake. They deserve our respect and support.

5) The attack in London is the last atrocity in which has become by now a long series. The first attack on the WTC, the embassy bombings in Africa occurred before 9/11. The attack on German tourists in Tunis, Bali, the killing of French citizens in Karachi, Casablanca,… all happened before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom and before Madrid. What does it take before some people open their eyes?