Friday, October 15, 2004

 
(William) Muny Quote

Andrew "Sodysseus" Sullivan might not agree, but the best "money quote" in the link provided by Rod Dreher("A Diplomat's Warning)is
"''We need to engage more directly and more respectfully with Islam, with the state of Islam, with religious leaders, mullahs, imams, clerics, in a way that proves this is not a clash with the British and the Americans and the old forces they remember from the colonial days,'' Kerry told me during a rare break from campaigning, in Seattle at the end of August. ''And that's all about your diplomacy.''

When I suggested that effecting such changes could take many years, Kerry shook his head vehemently and waved me off.

''Yeah, it is long-term, but it can be dramatically effective in the short term. It really can be. I promise you.'' He leaned his head back and slapped his thighs. ''A new presidency with the right moves, the right language, the right outreach, the right initiatives, can dramatically alter the world's perception of us very, very quickly...."

There probably some truth to what seems to be Kerry's belief that Muslims fear us and that they feel disrespected(I actually hate that word as verb)by us- on the order of not many parts per billion in their "nutso" mentality. We are in a war against MSM(mainstream Mohammedism-that is to say, Islamofascism)largely because we not feared *enough* and because they do not respect *us*. As argued here and elsewhere, the desire to make aggressive war against the infidels coexists easily in many Muslim minds with, for example, the belief that Zionists engineered 9/11. Also, "projection" is probably a very real and widespread sociobiological force. It makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint to remember or invent wrongs committed by an enemy, and to attack that enemy when said enemy is seen as relatively *weak*. And that part of our genetic inheritance and/or soul which prefers to see ourselves as virtuous is placated by telling ourselves that the enemy is not only deserving of annihilation for past crimes but is also currently plotting and acting against us.
While Clint Eastwood's "The Unforgiven" was far from my favorite movie, one could do worse than be perceived by Muslims as something like his character, "William Muny." We've been too concerned about not harming "innocent civilians" and when considering the contractor-burning citizens of Fallujah(our go slow approach must have horrible effects on morale of our citizens and soldiers even if ultimately somewhat successful)might think back to: "You just shot an unarmed man!"
Bill Munny: He should have armed himself if he's gonna decorate his saloon with my friend." And with respect to the ability to shoot down jets, the ghouls of Fallujah are essentially unarmed.