Friday, May 05, 2006
Are We There Yet?
John Derbyshire's latest rant against the Moussaoui decision is a corker, all right. He describes the trial as "a low point for our nation in its accelerating slide toward oblivion" -- a phrase the National Review has used so regularly over the last half-century that I have to imagine they've trademarked it. I have a question: if our slide toward Oblivion keeps accelerating, shouldn't we be there by now?
Derb bizarrely gives Moussaoui props for being a strong macho type in the face of a weak bunch of sob-sisters:
Judge Brinkema's closing remarks were typical of the whole sorry performance, and gave Moussaoui yet another opportunity to play the man — the only man in the courtroom. Does anyone, DOES ANYONE, think we're going to defeat Islamofascism by squirting clouds of this multicultural mush at it? The terrorists sure as hell don't. Does anyone think the enemy gives a fig for our determination not to "focus on hatred, bigotry, and irrationality" (Judge Brinkema). I wonder if you can win a war without deploying hatred. Homer didn't think so.
Well, Lincoln did think so. I'll take him over Homer any day. Although I suppose John wouldn't regard Lincoln as a "real man" -- not like macho-man Zacarias Moussaoui.
Derb even goes on to quote Osama bin Laden:
The New York Post described Judge Brinkema's closing remarks as "a tongue lashing." I would say that's about right. They have suicide bombers — and, any day now, nukes which they will use. We have wet tongues.That the wingnuts see Moussaoui and bin Laden as strong and powerful role models, and our own country's rule of law as weak and girlish, says a lot about how debased American conservativism has become. There is no question that the terrorists want to frighten us, want us to abandon our ideals and our principles. The last thing we should do is comply."When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, naturally they will favor the strong horse."—-Osama bin Laden. Yes, they will. We are doomed, doomed.
