For starters, the troops fighting terrorism could coat their ammunition with pigs blood.
Part of the allure of being a jihadist is to get a big honking house with servants and 72 virgins.
Jihad Joe gets nailed with pig ordinace = no house nor virgins for JJ.
Of course ‘their’ ultimate goal is the destruction of decadent western culture, and because ‘their’ book advocates killing the non-believers, not much can be done short of changing our culture or their culture.
People in western culture arent going to change readily nor are ‘they’.
It is a shame that things happened in spain the way they did. ‘They’ showed that terrorism is a method for getting what you want.
Well, I’m sure the Spanish people will see the results of the election the way they want to see it, as is their right. Such is the beauty of democracy and liberty. The people have spoken.
And al-Qaeda will see the results of the atrocity it perpetrated on Thursday the way it wants to see it: “Violence used to intimidate citizens in democratic countries WORKS.”
Look for repeat occurrences in UK, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, etc. I think they’ll probably try it in October in the US.
Gotta give ObL (or whoever thought this evil act up) credit - his barbarians are succeeding admirably driving a wedge in the forces of civilization.
Divide and conquer, divide and conquer. ObL just got one step closer to his dream today.
It’s pretty obvious that the Socialists, along with the general public of Spain, never supported Bush’s Pet Project.
Now they’re in power and they get to make the rules. So they’re pulling out.
Capitulation? Nope. I don’t see how the terrorism figures into it at all.
(1) I just heard the leader of the Spanish Socialist Party announce that his first priority will be a concerted and intensified effort against terrorism, and that they will not be dictated to by violence.
(2) The trouncing the Conservatives got was apparently heavily motivated by the public opinion perceiving that the government was obstinately insisting it was ETA and not Al-Q who were responsible.
(3) In this election, PP was expected to lose seats, and maybe the majority, anyway and PSOE gain seats anyway – what was in play immediately before the blasts was whether PP could still be the more numerous, thus enabling it to form a coalition government by adding some small conservative or moderate parties.
(4) In any case there was talk of ending the Spanish deployment even if the PP were back in power.
(5) Fuck you very much, Muad’Dib.
“Empty and gutless” your arse. Spain has been taking terrorist hits since the 1970s. They need an additional, external enemy like they need holes in their heads. What do you call 10 million people marching in the streets the very day after a major terror bombing? We needed officials begging us on TV to resume our normal lives for a whole year after ours.
“What happened to Europe?” They got sick and tired of dying by the millions every other generation. Like hell I’m gonna hold that against them.
And Iraq has precisely what the FUCK-all to do with the war on terror, other than supplying al Qaeda with time to rebuild and diversify its organization?
JRDelirious: Not that I agree with the OP, but I think one of its points was that the news media is focusing on the fact that “party A that agreed with Bush was winning, but now is losing, and vice versa for party B that disagreed with Bush.” So no matter how good your points was, I think the OP would argue that it doesn’t matter: the terrorists now think that they were singlehandedly responsible for turning around the election in their “favor,” so will attempt to do so again, and that’s all that matters.
Of course, one could counterargue that doing the opposite, especially if you actually sincerely agree with the Socialists, is just as much capitulating to terrorism, but I just wanted to make that point.
The attack on Iraq may not be an advance in the War on Terror, but that doesn’t mean that it’s entirely unrelated. Bin Laden released a videotape last fall in which he specifically named Spain as a potential target for its support of the war on Iraq.
I agree that the OP has his head up his hind-parts, though. I suspect that the government would have been tossed out on its ear in the absence of any terrorist action. They fucked up, big time.
Unless you live in Spain, fuck you MD. You have no right to watch a 30 second CNN spot on Spanish elections and decide that you’re better informed than the entire country of Spain on who Spaniards should vote for.
I’ve never really been one to say it before. Not say it and believe it. I was 3 years old when the Berlin wall fell. I’m not really familiar with a time at which a total and utterly catastrophic war could break out at any time. Now, thanks to this thread… It’s clear how much confusion and hatred and ignorance and bloodshed there is.
With respect to the OP, I guess the heart of the discussion falls to two points:[ul][li]Can you PROVE that the Spanish election was, in fact, influenced by the bombings? and[/li][li]Do you think it is right that we are occupying Iraq? [/ul]Me, while I’m mourning the dead, I’m also dancing a jig on the inside. And my celebration’s like an ugly kind of Catholic Wake: Whether I blame it on Al Qaeda or Eta, (or if I’m having a bout of denial, Goldfinger) I feel terrible that my wishes might have been made true by a vicious terrorist act. It’s a mind-fuck. I hate that a lot of people died, but I’m very happy that the incumbents were thrown out.[/li]
Let’s say you despise the Bush War action in Iraq. The Spanish public reaction to the bombings is an example to the world: they marched, they shouted, they voted. Probably too early to be an example for the US elections in November, but still something of a social and political precedent. A wise strategist would use this as a testament to the burgeoning European Consensus against the Bush Administration.
Now, I don’t want to be misunderstood as partisan, so I’ve got a little bone to toss to the Bush supporters. To you warhawks, and the people who believe we’re right to occupy and modify the sovereign nation of Iraq, this Spanish overturn might be a blow. Please take heart:
So President Bush lost the support of another European nation. At the very least, the successor in Spain will be a balanced government. Further, this tragedy has sparked an incredible show of national unity. Best of all worlds. Count your blessings. Shut the fuck up.
Are you really saying that the Spanish people chose their votes based on what those murderers desired? That is seriously fucked up. Do you have a cite for this? Any quotes from a Spaniard saying, “You know, I WAS going to vote my conscience; but once I realized what AQ wanted me to do, I changed my vote.”
Utter crap.
The Spaniards voted out a government that chose to invade Iraq for who knows what reason (nothing to do with AQ or 9-11 as we all know).
In November, the Americans will do the same thing to the current Regime. When that happens, will you say the USA just got scared and voted the way AQ wanted them to?
You and Dubya are on the same page. So sorry it’s a page in “My First Picture Book of Evil Incompetence.”
Gotta disagree. That was a well planned and well executed attack by terrorists; not some homemade pipebomb at an abortion clinic. IMO it took resources.
(apologies for using the terms “well planned” & “well executed” - only mean’t to imply technically proficient)