Jihad du Jour

Jonah Goldberg: Terrorists' 'Excuse du Jour' If there were no Iraq war, extremists would just find another rallying cry. I've no doubt that it's true. The terrorists would find some excuse, ANY excuse to kill and destroy, because, well, that's what they do. Do you know of anything that's been produced by such destruction of human life? Has anything good ever come of that sort of insanity?

If you've ever stood up to a bully, you know how this works. Confrontation tends to increase the chances of violence in the short term but decreases its likelihood in the long term. Any hunter will tell you that the most dangerous moment is when you've cornered an animal, and any cop will tell you that standing up to muggers puts you in danger. American colonists were less safe for standing up to King George III, and the United States was certainly safer in the short term when we stood on the sidelines while Germany was conquering Europe. Heck, we would have been safer in the short run if we'd responded to Pearl Harbor by telling the Japanese they could have the Pacific to themselves.

I'm starting to question the sanity of those who think we should run out of Iraq. Is being safe for the moment more important than being safe in the long run? I have grandchildren I want to live in a safe world. If I have to die to give them that world, then so be it!

Iraq is the excuse du jour for jihadists. But the important factor is that these are young men looking for an excuse. If you live your life calculating that it's a mistake to do anything that might prompt murderers and savages to act like murderers and savages, you've basically decided to live under their thumb and surrender your civilization in the process.

I'm not going to surrender to murderous thugs! Are you?

A leading Muslim spokesman in Germany explained that he was all for free speech, as long as it didn't offend Muslims. The Germans' all-too-typical appeasement of terrorism no doubt makes them "safer" and "creates" fewer terrorists. And all it cost them -— for now -— is Mozart.

Big mistake! It's never going to stop until we stand up to them, and even then, it's questionable. I don't care why we went into Iraq, it's what we do now that's important! Cutting and running is NOT an option!