Vodkapundit - Screw You, Too

Screw You, Too

Posted by Stephen Green · 4 September 2002

Here's what our allies think of us, from the Financial Times:

A majority of Europeans think that US foreign policy is partially to blame for the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
A survey of American and European attitudes towards foreign relations found that 55 per cent of respondents from six European countries agreed that US policy had contributed to the attacks.

This site has argued time and again, that President Bush needs to go to Congress for a fresh authorization to topple Saddam Hussein. But ask Paris, Berlin, or Brussels?

No, hell no, and hell no, again.

Fifty years of American indulgence kept Western Europe fat, free, and (apparently) very, very stupid. Our every policy they decried, but in the end, we prevailed over Soviet Communism. Whether we wanted to go tit for tat with medium range ballistic nukes, pressure the Soviets over human rights, or push back in Central America and Afghanistan, our allies gave us little but grief.

But if we could endure the threat of the Third Shock Army, certainly we could endure some slings and barbs from our friends.

No more. The threat today isn't some remote possibility of WWIII breaking out in the heart of Germany. The threat today is the very real likelihood of more craters in the heart of Manhattan, another biological attack somewhere unexpected, or a primitive nuke anywhere at all.

Our land. Our cities. Our citizen's lives. Nothing can excuse terror against civilians. There is no justification to be found in the decisions of our Government or the actions of our military, for turning civilian jets into cruise missiles.

We weren't "asking for it" then -- and we have no need to ask permission to act now.

We'll do what we need to, without asking permission from Paris, approval from Brussels, or forgiveness from Berlin. We will not do the EU appeasement dance, nor ask for another vote from NATO.

Why should Brussels, a city with imperial authority across half of Europe, keep us from extending our reach? Why should France, with her history of appeasing Nazis, Communists, and terrorists, get a say in how we fight? Why should we believe Germany, murderer of six million Jews, when they tell us we deserved what we got?

Europe has become our moralistic uncle with a drinking problem and no pension. He's family, so we can't kick him out. But we should hardly live by his example, or take his little tantrums too seriously.

Comments

"Europe has become our moralistic uncle with a drinking problem and no pension. He's family, so we can't kick him out. But we should hardly live by his example, or take his little tantrums too seriously."

That last 'graf reads like something from Lileks, which is one of the two highest compliments anyone could pay to a writer.

Posted by: Michael Morley at September 4, 2002 06:38 AM

Unfortuntely, I think it will take the flattening of one of our major cities for the idiots in the country to wake up. If we think 9/11 was bad, wait until the next attack. It's coming, and if we walk around with these UN-sponsored blinders on much longer, we're all going to be in a world of hurt.

I really feel like smacking Edward Said across the face right now.

Posted by: Chris at September 4, 2002 06:57 AM

I often see Europe and the far Left blaming US policies for 9/11, but I never hear them say which specific policies and why, and what should have been done differently in each instance.

Until they're willing to get a lot more specific, I'm not going to take them seriously.

Posted by: RPD at September 4, 2002 08:12 AM

RPD,

I think the problem isn't that you don't hear "why", it's that you hear contradictory whys.

Frex, we should leave the Third World alone, but we should be generous in our aid and free with our trade. We should not support globalization, except when it is to the benefit of the locals. We should forgive debt but we should hold leaders more accountable.

The one common theme is the J-E-W-S. All of these yahoos agree that it's our support for Israel (which controls our media, dominates the globe, yet can't get decent news coverage of itself) that is the real reason why they hate us.

That alone makes me dismiss most of 'em, myself.....

Posted by: Dean at September 4, 2002 09:15 AM

I agree with RPD, in the sense that these polls are not specific enough. "American foreign policy is partly to blame" is a perfectly valid restating of "You shoulda whacked those bastards when they first attacked you."

Posted by: Angie Schultz at September 4, 2002 09:16 AM

While I was writing the above, Dean responded about another point.

Here's something from my blog which is apropos.

And here's another one, from Matt Welch's letters page. You want the letter from Timothy Roscoe Carter. His letter has three sections; section I is a classic. Clip and save.

Posted by: Angie Schultz at September 4, 2002 11:05 AM

Out of every country in the world, what proportion is likely to contribute troops to an invsasion of Iraq? 100%

What continent provides planes for policing the no-fly zones in Iraq? Europe

Who provided, immediately at the request of the American Government, a contingent of Marines to assist American forces in Afghanistan? Europe

Which two Navies fired missiles at Afghanistan on the first day of Enduring Freedom? An American navy and a European Navy.

Your closest allies are from Europe, your closest allie full stop is a pivotal member of the European Union, and yet to bitch about an entire people because of an internal politcal debate. Pathetic

Posted by: Martin at September 5, 2002 06:34 AM