Monday, July 11, 2005

London Bombing
52 Confirmed Dead

An Open Letter to the Citizens of London

My condolences on the recent Al Qaeda bombing. My sympathy may be somewhat misplaced because the United States is actually the “Johnny-come-lately” as a terrorist target. Both the United Kingdom and Israel have suffered the cowardly attacks for many more years than the US. Still, I feel the need to express my sympathy. Whether it is one innocent life, or 52 innocent lives or 3000 innocent lives, the pain is still very real.

But with my sympathy I would like to offer a bit of hope. In a way I am heartened because, for all their bluster, Al Qaeda has shown it's weakness. The promises of bringing the United States to its knees have not been fulfilled. The incredible threats against all civilized countries have only resulted in two significant bombings outside of Iraq, one in Madrid and now one in London. Al Qaeda is choosing it's targets very carefully but they have proven almost impotent.

Can we boast that the lack of attacks is the results of our own fine efforts? I don't think so. The United States is still as vulnerable as ever. Do the terrorists lack the resources to complete large-scale attacks? Not hardly! The London bombings could have been accomplished with a few pounds of high explosives and a handful of people. It only took 20 radical fundamentalists to level two of the largest buildings in the world. Is Al Qaeda preoccupied with the "insurgency" in Iraq? Maybe. But that's one of the Bush administrations goals (and it may be working).

So whom can we credit with the lack of attacks? I think we should thank the media and the liberal left. The goal of any terror attack is to instill fear. The American media has continued to show the political left wing of the United States crying and whining about our safety when the reality is that there have been no further attacks on our soil. Most Americans feel reasonably safe but that's not the picture that makes it back to the Al Qaeda leadership. For them, we are a nation cowering; shrinking from the deadly blows and there is no reason to attack again when the fear still exists.

I say let the media do what they are best at, presenting an incorrect picture. Let them broadcast stories about people scared of their own shadow. Let your British media give Al Qaeda a reason to move elsewhere with their attacks.

I say let an ever-increasing number of countries tally innocent victims killed by the cowardly terrorists. Those countries will then join the fight. As Saudi and Jordanian Muslims see French and German Muslims killed by fundamentalist attacks the pressure will build from within and the tide will turn.

I say, remain vigilant but return to your daily lives. Be cautious but don't cower. We stand with you. Together, we will prevail.

posted by VARepublicMan @ 11:05 PM