Tim Blair

The idea is that Spain was at more risk from AQ than France because of France's opposition to deposing Saddam. Apparently the French and Spanish involvement in attacking AQ in Afghanistan doesn't provoke them quite as much. There are French troops among those looking for OBL right now. Are there Spanish troops as well? Hasn't been part of the conversation. Only Iraq seems to be involved in the claim of risky confrontation.

I can imagine a history book of the future - "Praise Allah, for on that day in Bin Ladin (Madrid) in March of 2004, the infidels were broken, and the faithful realized Allah's glory and understood that the aggressor infidels, though with strong weapons, were weak in mind and spirit, and could be defeated from within. It was on this day that the infidel westerners began their long retreat and subsequent defeat at the hands of Islam. The heretics were completely removed from the earth, praise Allah, within 50 years of this stirring battle."

The Spanish are cowards, as are most Europeans. Those who love their lives too greatly will be the first to lose it.

b-b-b-b-but iraq had nothing to do with al-qaeda! isn't that what we're supposed to believe?

By the way - in actuality, Bin Laden has had Spain on the list since before 9/11. Lest we all forget, Spain was at one time a flower of Arab culture and religion before the Moors were defeated in, what, the 1500's?

Spain was just an easy target - population opposed to being in Iraq, a leader who defied them, and then a potential replacement leader who misplayed the politics of the bombing in not giving more credence to the chance that this was an al Queda event, not a Basque terrorist one.

Spain does not have the ability to go around invading other countries because of single terrorist attack. They are not the US. The Spanish civilians who died last week did not sign up for our noble cause. The election result comes from people who have no interest in America's holy war against Iraq.

The Spanish people do not care if they are appeasing terrorists. They cannot afford to get sucked into an eternal war on terrorism like in Israel or now America. Its better for them to avoid provoking terrorist attacks, and spend their resources on defensive actions like intelligence and homeland security. Only America has the ability to make offense the best defense.

So, Spain's imminent departure from Iraq will prevent future attacks on Spanish soil (even though Iraq and al Qaeda have nothing to do with each other?)

Interesting. I guess we'll find out if it's a valid theory soon enough ...

Its better for them to avoid provoking terrorist attacks

But what provokes AQ? Is it just Iraq? What countries are putting themselves at risk according to this logic? Italy? Japan? Canada? New Zealand?

All the comments Tim printed were to be expected.

In 1938 the vast majority of Brits supported Chamberlain's policy of appeasement. And the US was isolationist.

But what about the Bali bombing? Wasn't that before the Australians joined with the US war against Iraq? These people are so stupid. The Islamofascists want to kill Aussies and Americans and Spaniards because we all believe in freedom of religion, equal rights for women, etc. and they cannot tolerate that in their twisted perverted world-view.

they provoked the aq bastards by expelling the moors in 1492.

Easy to be cowards when you know the US and others will do the fighting for you. Just because they haven't attacked you yet, doesn't mean they won't.

Those letter writers sicken me. Not a word about rape squads, torture chambers, mass graves etc.
And not a word about freedom, principled action and a willingness to defend a way of life.
These maggots in the carcass of liberty have always been among us. Better men and women than they can ever imagine have ensured their right to whine and cower and lick the boots of the thug de jour.
Excuse me while I go and vomit.

deckard666-

Then Spain has no right to raise its head among nations. If it wishes to cower in fear and hide its head and not fight back, it does not deserve existance. It will disappear, along with a great deal of Western Europe, into a giant Islamist slum. Because pulling its troops from Iraq, will not save them. It will perhaps delay an attack as AQ looks for their next target, but when the time is right, AQ will come for more, not fewer, lives.

It is only a matter of time until AQ demands all Spainards become muslims or else be hit with further attacks. Will the Spainards convert? Or do they have some core beliefs worth defending?

We don't need the guys who wrote those letters. Just get us a battalion of 80-year old Diggers from the New Guinea campaign. With the ASAS, and some of our A-10's flying topcover, they'll take Riyadh in twenty days.

Matt; that a private party you're proposing, or can an ex (R)SAS geriatric join in?

"will fight for beer"

But what provokes AQ?

Good question. I don't know in general. But in this case we know, because they left a video directly linking iraq to the attack.

And Afghanistan, deckard. The video links it to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Just a reminder. If you drink alcohol, are vile enough to own a TV which doesn't show Mullah Poobah 24/7, if the woman in your life appears in public uncovered, or don't think that Islam is the one and only true religon......then you're on the hit list too.

Jem,

Putting its troops in Iraq didn't save Spain either. Invading Iraq increased the terrorism in the world. Why shouldn't they try another course of action?

"Invading Iraq increased the terrorism in the world."

which world are you refering to? certainly not the one we inhabit.

Keith,

A private party is what it may come down to, but you'd surely be welcome.

Lest I insult any Diggers, God and my personal well-being forbid, my twenty-day estimate assumes that most of them have canes or walkers, so that the 15-year old jihadis would run away before the Diggers could catch them. (That what the A-10's are for.)

Very selective when it comes to publishing letters, our Australian and SMH. Yesterday I emailed:
"Traitorous bastards, those leftist howler monkeys. You'd swear they were hoping for a terrorist attack on Australian soil"! Needless to say, deleted.

Not nearly as selective however as the taxpayer funded ABC's 7.30 Report guestbook: http://www2b.abc.net.au/guestbookcentral/list.asp?guestbookID=156

It's obvious that the worlds greatest journalist can't abide criticism!

Rod, I only got this far at our Abc's guestbook.

Helen Riek
Subject Manipulating WMD threat Blair guilty /proof
Visit Time 5/02/2004 11:03
Remark Kerry/7.30 Report, Here is some really good info on this diabolic scam from the other side of the ocean. A very powerful piece by John Pilger you should definitly read. Not just opinion but factual. found at www.prisonplanet.com/analysis_pilger.html It goes to the the heart of the claims that documents were fabricated to suit the desires. It refers to secret "Operation Rockingham' the Operation Dr Kelly refered to just prior to his 'death'? ie "I'm connected to the Rockingham cell" This op was set up to cherry pick info that could be distorted as proof or fabricated to appear as truth. You Must read it. It also refers to General Hussein Kamel (Saddam's son in law in charge of WMD programs) who defected with reems of documents, Powell quoted him at UN but failed to say he told them he had destroyed all WMD. This also backs other intelligence reports. Blair is diabolically involved, please check it out ,we deserve the truth from our ABC & there is plenty of facts to go on here. Also don't let Howard off the hook. He said the world, middle east & Iraq all better off ,plenty to dispute this here.
There are stats on before & after eg water/electricity in urban areas etc 90% pror less than 60% now. Please help expose the war criminals. yours Helen

I think it's really difficult to make a claim one way or another that there's less terrorism now than there was before the Iraq invasion.

OTOH, I think it's pretty clear that the targets have changed.

But of course, the allegation that the Iraq invasion caused more terrorism seems to suggest that terrorism is OK if it's somehow justified. I suppose that would be a lot easier to understand if it were Iraqis who were behind 3/11.

Curiously, it appears to be Moroccans and Al Qaeda, not Iraqis protesting the molestation of their homeland. So: Why should Moroccans and Al Qaeda care whether Spain participated in the removal of a brutal infidel despot of Baghdad? Which, coincidentally, has led to a general withdrawal of US forces from the holy lands of Saudi Arabia, one of OBL's biggest gripes.

Unless... well, unless they have other motives beyond something as banal as Iraq. Motives like, I don't know, restoring Muslim rule in Spain.

Geezus, from Spain to the letters pages who realized so many people are willing to roll over and die. I feel myself becoming more American every day.

Why should Moroccans and Al Qaeda care whether Spain participated in the removal of a brutal infidel despot of Baghdad?

Say that AQ managed to overthrow the communist government in Cuba and promised to implement an islamic republic there. Would America be happy?

Of course not, because it would be one despotic regime replaced with another.

What's your point? It's surely not that America and al Qaeda are equivelents, is it? Or that replacing a despotic regime with one that will allow, among other things, the public display of Muslim religious rituals which before were punishable by death, is the same as al Qaeda taking over Cuba?

"Hopefully the Australian people, the majority of whom opposed the Iraq war without UN approval, will later this year throw out the Howard Government and elect Mark Latham as prime minister."

how is that relevant? the UN bit, i mean. what, does this guy think that if the UN had approved the war, terrorists wouldn't have attacked Spain? idiots.

"Say that AQ managed to overthrow the communist government in Cuba and promised to implement an islamic republic there. Would America be happy?"

of course not. aq wants all infidels dead. commies want everyone to drive ladas.

Didnt A-Q hit NYC *before* the Iraq war?

Hitler made Jews wear a yellow star.

Looks like Osama's making a lot of people
wear a yellow stripe.

Samkit,
Of course! bin Laden has said he will not murder anyone who has UN approval,so if we all wear blue helmets we are safe.Simple really.

Steve,

I'll repeat your question:

Why should Moroccans and Al Qaeda care whether Spain participated in the removal of a brutal infidel despot of Baghdad?

My point is they view Saddam and Bush as equally bad.

According to Osama, an "Infidel" is anyone who will not commit suicide to kill Infidels, who themselves refuse to kill themselves just to kill themselves [as Infidels] or to kill others who are like themselves, Infidels, who refuse to kill themselves just right now, proving either that they are Infidels or others who are non-Infidels, but have not yet seized the chance to prove it -- that they are not really Infidels.

In any case, in Osama's view, we all must die either because we must commit suicide to kill those who will not commit suicide to kill Infidels, or because we are Infidels and will thus not commit suicide to kill Infidels [ourselves], and so are targeted by non-Infidels, those who want to kill themselves and kill us, too, to prove they are non-Infidels.

But, the only possible survivors in this schema would in fact be Infidels who manage to kill the "Fidels" before the Fidels kill them. I like this latter plan, which is called the "Bush Doctrine".

On the other hand, we Infidels could also upstage the alleged non-Infidels by committing suicide to kill them first, making us then Fidels and them the Infidels. Allah would then have to give us 1 Billion virgins. It is allegedly written. But I don't want to take the bet. I don't believe it. My life is worth more than 1 Billion virgins, or Allah, for that matter: "Tough break for the Cheater. Too bad for the Poor-Hearted Clown. Tough break for the Cheater. He wants to build you up just to let you down." [Bob Cuban, "The Cheater"] And so are the lives of all you other free-thinkers.

Thus we must kill Islamofascist Fidels. I don't see any other conclusion.

A simple question for these clueless clowns.

"Do you believe that, if George Bush loses the upcoming election, Al Quaeda will cease its attacks?"

Re the handwringers in The OZ- as usual though, The OZ published a fair few letter taking the handwringers to task, unlike the SMH/AGE whose Letters pages are 100% handwringers, so as to present a united front.