A New Age in Terrorism?
In the past two weeks, we've seen terrorists attack Russia (a school held hostage, two airliners blasted out of the sky) and France (where two journalists are awaiting their possible appointment with the Turbaned Guillitine). Now, unless terrorists are like democrats, I can't figure out just why it is that they are picking on countries and regimes that formerly fell all over themselves to support them. They are engaged in biting the hands that used to feed them.

I'm sure the Russians, back in the heady days of the Soviet Union, wrote checks to just about any bunch of bomb-throwing, plane-hijacking, Jew and democracy-hatingmiscreants that somehow served the cause of "World Socialism", or just made things somewhat uncomfortable for the West, in general. Red Brigades, Baader-Meinhoff, the IRA, the PLO and a littany of Islamic whackjobs used to have direct lines to the KGB. Russia, more recently, stonewalled U.S. efforts in the United Nations to go to war against Iraq and against sanctions of the Hussein regime in the wake of the first Gulf War.

France, on the other hand, took the tact that anything that complicated American life was good for France. So, France followed Russia in the U.N., did business with Hussein, Khadafy, the Mullahs, and everyone else the U.S. wouldn't, even if it violated the sacred code of "U.N. Sanctions", and indirectly, helped the terrorists and the regimes that supported them.

Both have, I should hope, learned their lesson.

I do not wish a 9/11 on the people of either country. I was physically sick at the news (and the pictures) of Russian schoolchildren shot in the back. French journalists are another story, but then again, giving the people in question the benefit of the doubt, they had a job to do,and that's no excuse for them having been kidnapped.

However, to the Russian and Frech governments, I say, you reaped what you have sown.

American resolve, in my opinion, is forcing the terrorists to seek other ways to deal in death, and since bombing Uncle Sam produces diminishing returns (just ask the Taliban and Saddam), they are now turning their attention to places that don't show the same kind of resolve. Spain was an example.

Maybe now the French, Russians, Germans, et. al, will finally understand what their "nuanced Kerry-like" worldview has denied them all this time: an understanding of just what kind of folks we're dealing with here. These are not people fighting for political rights. These are not men engaged in a war for cultural, economic or political parity. These are people intent on the destruction of western culture as a whole. It doesn't matter to them whether they hit New York, Moscow, Paris or Madrid --- what matters is that somewhere, an infidel westerner is killed. Preferably a lot of them.

And the more sickening the attack, the more depraved the actions of the "other side" in this war, the more they enjoy it. Knocking down office buildings not good enough? Then bomb a commuter train. Still not good enough? Then randomly snatch people from the streets and behead them for public consumption. Still not getting through to these folks? Then hold 1,500 children hostage for three days and shoot them in the back.

Perhaps the French and the Russians will get on board now, which, ultimately is better for all involved. But did it require, at this writing, 350 dead children to have to prove the point that if you allow a terrorist a freepass, he gets even more brazen and disgusting the next time around?
Forget politics. This is not about politics. It's a struggle to the death and the West had better win it.