People have very short memories and they tend to want to think the best of others. That is my less than profound thought for this evening. It is my unprofessional opinion that we are at war and have been at war with fundamental Islamists for a couple of decades now.
It is my unprofessional opinion that people want to find a simple answer for this, such as pointing to the problems between Israel and the Palestinians. In an age of instant gratitude they look for instant answers that they can rely on. And there are many who look to people like myself and judge us to be warmongers or some other pejorative term. It makes it easier to sleep at night.
But I am not that innocent anymore. I look around the world and I see that there are clergy that rape children and predators that walk our streets. I remember watching Daniel Pearl announce that he was a Jew and then watched his execution. The US was not in Iraq then.
I see that Zarqawi and other members of AQ feel no compunction not to murder others because they think that it is ok. I see that the man who murdered Van Gogh told us all why and in my opinion explained quite succinctly why we are at war.
“After the prosecution’s closing statement Bouyeri, who had refused to say anything about his motives during the trial, took the opportunity to make a final statement.
“I can assure you that one day, should I be set free, I would do exactly the same, exactly the same,” he said, speaking slowly in sometimes halted Dutch.
He said he felt an obligation to Van Gogh’s mother Anneke, present in court, to speak, but offered no sympathy.
“I have to admit I do not feel for you, I do not feel your pain, I cannot — I don’t know what it is like to lose a child,” he said as Van Gogh’s family and friends looked on.
“I cannot feel for you … because I believe you are an infidel,” he added.
“I acted out of conviction — not because I hated your son.”
The most chilling part is found in the last two sentences.
“I cannot feel for you … because I believe you are an infidel,” he added.
“I acted out of conviction — not because I hated your son.”
I hope that people wake up and accept that we have to do more to come together to fight this evil and that it requires more than platitudes or hiding our heads in the sand and I pray that we finish this task so that we and our children can resume living lives unencumbered by these threats.
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