Volume II No. 34
 03-15-04
 The Coward's War
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2004

 They are at it again. Some group of malcontents unhappy with 
 their lot in the world. And so the answer to their feelings of cultural 
 insignificance is to place a bomb in a railway car and wait for the 
 coming deluge of news broadcasts about the latest terrorist killings.

 This time the victim was Spain. One of the United States most steadfast
 allies in the war against international terrorism. As many as ten bombs
 were placed on railway cars during the morning rush hour in Madrid,
 and later detonated. { it is not yet known if the detonations resulted 
 from internal timing devices or were set-off via remote control } The 
 death toll is already near 200, and may well surpass that number.

 The culprits? 

 There are two mains groups that authorities in Spain as well as in 
 the U.S. believe may be behind this latest massacre. One is a terrorist 
 organization  - well familiar to the Spaniards - by the name of ETA. 
 A group that has been fighting a sporadic guerilla war with Spanish 
 authorities over the issue of independence for the Basque region 
 of northern Spain. 

 The second group thought to be behind the attacks is of course, 
 Al Qaeda. In fact, emails sent to an arabic newspaper in London, 
 England has in fact claimed responsibity for the attack on behalf 
 of a group calling itself, Abu Hafs al-Masri, as a way to "settle old 
 accounts." In reference to Spain's eager participation in the war 
 against international terrorism with the United States.

 It is a sad and most likely intentional coincedence that this terrorist
 attack occured on 3/11. And like 9/11, Spain has now endured its' 
 own  tragedy and national nightmare. And no doubt, this sad day will 
 have as profound an effect upon the political discourse within Spain, 
 as the downing of the Twin Towers did in the U.S. The only difference
 is that Jose Maria Aznar, Spain's Prime Minister, doesn't have the 
 option of starting a unilateralist war campaign all on his own. 

 First, Spain is relatively weak militarily. And secondly, where would 
 Prime Minister Aznar send Spanish troops, such as they aren't already 
 standing and fighting with U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 9/11 forced the entire world to accept the fact that a major clash of 
 civilizations is well underway. The open West is resented and hated
 by fundamentalist elements across the Middle East. Muslims who 
 are threatened by modern technology, by the social and political 
 freedoms as enjoyed in the West, and by the emancipation of women
 in the Western world. 

 Yet, as powerful as the United States and her allies may be. This war
 can only truly be settled within the confines of the Middle East. A 
 rain of a million smart bombs will never be as effective as the moderate 
 voices in the Arab world who might grow bold. Such that the next 
 generation of impressionable young Usamas will not view the Western 
 world as an implacable enemy, and the source of all the inadequacies 
 and failings of Islamic culture as it exists in this century.

 Until that day when the moderates awaken in such places as Egypt, 
 Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Until these men dare to 
 speak so loudly that all of humanity will hear. Then the vicious 
 cowards who hide bombs on trains, planes, and buses will be the only 
 voices of the Muslim world. And their message of unprincipled violence 
 and murder, will remain as barbaric, as it is already weak and ineffective.

 That is the only lesson to be taken from the dual tragedies of 9/11
 and 3/11.
 

 ReadingPost.Com
 © Copyright 2004

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