Spain [caution-political]

[[AK]Clay]

Is it just me, or did the Spanish election send out one of the worst signals one can imagine to every idiot with a cause and a can of fertilizer?

[[AK]Devil_Dog]

Well, unfortunately you are right.
It really doesn’t matter what side of the fence you are on politically, you should be very concerned about this.
The message the Socialists are sending is if you bomb us you can do whatever you like!
War is a terrible thing. People die and innocence is lost. People talk about the Patriot Act limiting their freedoms, well guess what. Everyone is about to lose more freedoms thanks to the Communists. But, then again, that’s what always happens with a Socialist Society.

[[AK]Palooka]

Spain's display of cowardice -- electing a president who promises to pull troops out of Iraq right after a large terrorist attack, thereby rolling over and giving the terrorists a clear victory -- makes me thank God there is a nation in this world with an ounce of courage and resolve. Of course, the US isn't the only country fitting this bill; Poland has shown that it is a brave and dependable ally by promising to commit even more troops to compensate for Spain's retreat. I think Poland's experiences with nazism and communism have taught them the value of freedom, and unlike much of the rest of Europe, their memories of oppression and atrocities have not faded to oblivion.

This Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero wacko has stated that the occupation of Iraq has been "disastrous." Let me get this straight. The establishment of a governing council, the signing of a constitution and bill of rights, the establishment of a large police force and an army, the repair and improvement of Iraq's infrastructure (the country has more power at its disposal than it did before the war), the re-opening of every primary school, university, and hospital (along with raises to teachers and doctors), the founding of more than 170 newspapers (all of which are free to print what they wish, a luxury not previously available in Iraq), and many other signs of progress are all merely components in one great big disaster. Of course, Mr. Zapatero and all the leftists who agree with him have no grasp of history. If they did, they would realize that Iraq has enjoyed more progress in its journey to freedom, security, and prosperity in six months than Japan or Germany did in several years. Would Zapatero argue that US occupation in Japan and Germany (which, incidentally, continues to this day) has proven disastrous?

Unfortunately, al Qaeda's victory in Spain has no doubt enboldened them to attempt similar operations in other coalition nations. How much death and destruction will it take for western civilivation to come to the realization that it must defeat the forces that seek to destroy it in order to secure peace?

[[AK]Nuts]

A majority of the people in Spain were against their involvment from the begining, as was their right. However, to experience a terrorist attack and then a few days later to have your newly elected leader declare that they are going to pull out of Iraq gives the world the impression that Terrorism works.

As I work with many foreign nationals, their opinion is similiar. The new Spanish president ran on the platform of pulling out their troops. It was his promise throughout his campaign, so it certainly wasn't a shock to anyone. Just most Americans didn't know about this, so it appears like the Spanish are bending over to Terrorists.

nuts

[[AK]Leonidas]

History repeats itself. The muslims have reconquered Spain.

[[AK]Bribo]

Did you ever think that the Socialists may have staged the attack themselves and blamed Al Quaida to win the election?

Not that I'm a conspiracy theorist or anything...

[[AK]Squidly]

Fun, but unlikely.

Bombs 'to split Spain from allies'

[[AK]Bribo]

This sends exactly the wrong message to the terrorists. Now they will be emboldened. There will be more bombings of a similar nature to try to change the course of elections.

Thank God we'll have President Kerry to deal with these nasty terrorists come January. </sarcasm>

[[AK]Hylander]

Face it.. much of Europe is becoming "French" and sooner or later a rogue nation is going to conquer the entire European map without a single bullet fired.

[[AK]Squidly]

Did you hear? He's going to buy our firemen more walkie-talkies! Then they'll be able to respond to the bombs better. Evidently the old walkie talkies were too heavy or something.

Yep, let the bombs go off, then improve the response. That's the ticket. </sarcasm>

[[AK]Squidly]

Originally posted by [AK]Hylander
Face it.. much of Europe is becoming "French" and sooner or later a rogue nation is going to conquer the entire European map without a single bullet fired.

Actually, Europe is becoming Islamic.

[[AK]Palooka]

Originally posted by [AK]Squidly
Actually, Europe is becoming Islamic.

And because of this, even fiercely multicultural countries like Denmark are being forced to crack down on immigration. On this topic, there's an illuminating article by Daniel Pipes (NY Post) and some other guy here.

For those who are a bit slow on the uptake, the French have the same problem, which explains why they are so careful not to show any kind of support for the US overthrowing murderous regimes in predominantly Muslim countries. They understand the importance of keeping content the 5 million Muslims within France's borders. The French certainly do not want a suicide bombing problem; they only support that practice if the targets are Jewish.

[[AK]Squidly]

The "islamification" of Europe has been happening for a long time. The changes have been subtle, and are only now truly making themselves known.

I think "Gimli" had some cogent remarks on the issue:

“I think that Tolkien says that some generations will be challenged,” said John Rhys-Davies, “and if they do not rise to meet that challenge, they will lose their civilization. That does have a real resonance with me.”

Pointing a finger at the media, Rhys-Davies went on, “What is unconscionable is that too many of your fellow journalists do not understand how precarious Western civilization is, and what a jewel it is ... The abolition of slavery comes from Western democracy. True democracy comes from our Greco-Judeo-Christian Western experience. If we lose these things, then this is a catastrophe for the world.”

Rhys-Davies revealed that as far back as 1955 his father had predicted that “the next World War will be between Islam and the West.” The actor recalled his response: “I said to him, ’Dad, you’re nuts! The Crusades have been over for hundreds of years!’ And he said, ’Well, I know, but militant Islam is on the rise again. And you will see it in your lifetime.’ He’s been dead some years now. But there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him and think, ’God, I wish you were here, just so I could tell you that you were right.’”

Looking at the lone female journalist at the table, Rhys-Davies said pointedly, “You should not be in this room [according to Muslim custom]. Because your husband or your father or your husband is not here to guide you. You could only be here in this room with these strange men for immoral purposes.”

Rhys-Davies went on to contemplate the significance of demographic shifts among Western Europeans and Muslims in Europe. “There is a demographic catastrophe happening in Europe that nobody wants to talk about, that we daren’t bring up because we are so cagey about not offending people racially. And rightly we should be. But there is a cultural thing as well ... By 2020, fifty percent of the children in Holland under the age of 18 will be of Muslim descent ...

“And don’t forget, coupled with this there is this collapse of numbers. Western Europeans are not having any babies. The population of Germany at the end of the century is going to be 56% of what it is now. The populations of France, 52% of what it is now. The population of Italy is going to be down 7 million people.

“There is a change happening in the very complexion of Western civilization in Europe that we should think about at least and argue about. If it just means the replacement of one genetic stock with another genetic stock, that doesn’t matter too much. But if it involves the replacement of Western civilization with a different civilization with different cultural values, then it is something we really ought to discuss — because, [hang it all], I am for dead-white-male culture!”

And then there's this:

Question: But my question. those of us who spend way too much time on the internet noticed that you get asked, or all the actors, get asked a lot of the same questions over and over again and so I just wondered what you wished fans or journalists would ask you about.

JRD: Well, I mean there's a difference between fans and journalists; there's a difference between talking about the film, which I think is one of the great pictures of all-time (applause and cheers). But the question I'd like to get asked is 'Does it mean anything?' and uh, I suspect it does. I think that Tolkien is a man living in a particular age of crisis and his life is quite uneventful, really, except for the fact that he's a captain in the First World War. He was at the first battle of the Somme. The British army in the first DAY of the first battle of the Somme I think probably had 20,000 dead and maybe 60 or 80,000 wounded. And that was the first day. You don't go through that sort of furnace without having to ask yourself questions: Why are we fighting? Is the cause we're fighting for a just one? How can I justify the deaths of those men that I'm leading? And I think that

Tolkien found a justification for it. His justification is that there are certain times when your civilization is challenged and if you do not meet that challenge and overcome it, you will lose your civilization.

And I think that there's a terrible resonance between that period of time and our period now. I do think that our civilization is being challenged. We've been challenged internally because I think we've lost so much character, moral fiber, decency, integrity, and I think it's being challenged partly, because we have lost those, externally by fundamental Islam. And I think that if we do not pull ourselves together and recognize that that challenge is there, we're going to end up with people taking a hammer to the Pieta and to the.you know, defacing pictures and portraits in the National Gallery and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

But you Americans I think are further along the way of realizing that. I actually think that you're morally a stronger country than Britain is. I'm appalled by what I see in England these days. There was a time when an Englishman's word was his bond and an Englishman didn't steal. Even Welshmen. (laughter) The little town where I live in Wales, well not far from where I used to live in Wales, has one of the highest rates of carjacking in the world. More cars are stolen from Exely and Swansea and places like that than almost any other part of the world, including Bogotá and places like that. I'm ashamed and embarrassed by that but you, know unless we start to affirm that we are not going to steal, that we will not put up with theft, that we will not put up with drug-taking, we will lose our society, and then perhaps it will be for the best that fundamental Islam, which forbids these things, sweeps across the world. I personally dread that thought. I hope one day that I will have great-granddaughters and I am very adamant and determined that one should not lose one's daughter's fingernails to the local Taliban if she dares to paint them.

The resonance between Lord of the Rings and present time is that we need people of courage to take the real challenge to our civilization and meet it head-on and win.

And that is a very unpopular cause, often, and it is very easy to say 'Oh, let somebody else do it'. And that is one of the questions that I wish somebody would ask. At least, one of the answers that I would give to one of the questions that I wish someone would ask (applause).

[[AK]Clay]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3917677/displaymode/1107/s/2/

My god, these people are utter morons. They don't gather to mourn, they gather to "protest" the terrorist attacks.