the dissident frogman

20 years and one Month ago

Terror? No ♠ Terreur ? Non

the dissident frogman

Necrothreading much?

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Madrid. It just didn't feel right. It's just too much, compared to their usual pattern.

I'm not an expert of the ETA, but as a French, I've been living with the news, all over the years, reporting the bombing and murders of what is basically just another loathsome gang of Leftists, this gangrene that stank up Europe for decades. ETA in Spain, IRA in Ireland, Red Army Fraction in Germany, Action Directe in France, Red Regiments in Italy...Yes, some of them are deactivated, or sleeping. But their legacy lives and the Far Left totalitarians were never more active down here than they are today.

As a French, I have to live with the fact that my government(s) gave them amnesty and asylum, either officially with the Grand Pardon by the Socialist thug Mitterrand in 1981 and unofficially, by turning the French Basque region in nothing less than a huge safe house from where the ETA could carry its attacks in Spain. Just another brick in the wall of shame that is the post-1968 France.

But today, I felt uneasy with the Basque trail ever since the full extent of the attacks in Madrid was announced. It does not fit in the picture.

And then I stumbled on this.

Al-Qaeda? Maybe. It would make sense, from their point of view, to target Spain, one of the countries that were bold enough to stand against them, resolute enough to track them and, in so doing, dignified enough to hold her rank as an example for the West.

The probing will tell. It's not that important right now. Right now, I'm with my buddy Juan Pablo. A bit older than me, the son of a Spanish immigrant and father of two wonderful kids, Juan Pablo is a physical therapist for people suffering of severe head injuries. He's not only a solid friend, he is also a truly decent guy, a good guy.

France is his country (So much that, just like me but unlike many others, including French born citizens, he didn't try to dodge the draft. He did his time in the paratroopers. Not exactly piece of cake, no matter what we can say of the French army.) but Spain is the country of his ancestors, and it certainly means a lot.

So I gave him a phone call earlier today. At the time, the number of casualties was 190 dead, 1000 wounded. I asked Juan Pablo:

- So how do you feel buddy? Sadness?
- It's not exactly that.
- Horror?
- Nah, not really...
- ... Plain fear?
- Hell no!

I didn't ask any more questions. I just said: walk yourself over here Juan, I'm going to fix you a drink or two, buddy.

I know what he feels, because today I feel the same. I know that feeling. I recognize it. It's been there all the time, since that very afternoon in September.

Afternoon, yes. Time shift with New York.

It has nothing to do with sadness, horror or plain fear. Nothing at all.

It's a determined combination of burning rage and cold fury.

My first thoughts for Spain, at the end of this bloody day, are strictly identical to those I had for the USA in the evening of 9/11.

At least 190 dead now.
Bury and mourn them.

At least 1240 wounded now.
Dress their wounds.

And then, hunt the enemy down, whoever and wherever they are. Hunt them down relentlessly. Never give up. Not now, not in ten years, never. Hunt them and terminate them. All of them.

You can't give up, and you have at least 1430 good reasons for that now.

UPDATE:
HispaLibertas won't give up:
My fellow countrymen, all of you: This is a crucial moment for our nation. No, I am not speaking about the elections that we hold tomorrow. Whoever wins tomorrow and becomes the next President, this is the time to show courage and to give battle. In the uncertain moments of this strange century, we must give the best of ourselves. We have to win this confrontation between civilization and barbarism, for these are the true alternatives we have to choose from. It's not the moment to be weak or to waste efforts in our divisions. We will not surrender, we will rise to this challenge and we will combat our enemies. This is not a war we started. But we must end it. And we will prevail.
(Link via Tim Blair)

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Madrid. Ca ne semblait pas cohérent. C'est tout simplement trop, comparé à leur mode opératoire habituel.

Je ne suis pas un expert de l'ETA, mais en tant que français, je vis depuis des années avec les nouvelles rapportant les attentats et les meurtres de ce qui n'est jamais qu'une autre de ces haïssables bandes de gauchistes, cette gangrène qui empuantit l'Europe depuis des décennies. ETA en Espagne, IRA en Irlande, Fraction Armée Rouge en Allemagne, Action Directe en France, Brigades Rouges en Italie... Bien sur, certains d'entre eux sont désactivés ou dormant. Mais leur héritage est bien vivant et les totalitaires d'extrême gauche n'ont jamais été aussi actifs ici bas qu'ils ne le sont aujourd'hui.

En tant que français, je dois aussi vivre avec le fait que mon (mes) gouvernement(s) leur ont offert amnistie et asile, soit officiellement avec le Grand Pardon du voyou Socialiste Mitterrand en 1981 et officieusement, en faisant de la partie française de la région basque rien moins qu'une base sécurisée à partir de laquelle l'ETA a pu lancer ses attaques en Espagne. Juste une autre brique dans le mur de honte qu'est la France post soixante-huitarde.

Pourtant aujourd'hui je n'ai pas pu me faire à l'idée de la piste basque, dès lors que l'ampleur des attaques contre Madrid a été annoncée. Cela ne cadrait pas dans le tableau.

Et puis je suis tombé sur cela.

Al-Qaeda ? Peut-être. De leur point de vue, il est cohérent de viser l'Espagne, l'un des pays qui fut suffisamment courageux pour s'opposer à eux, suffisamment résolu pour les traquer et ce faisant, suffisamment digne pour tenir son rang d'exemple pour l'Occident.

L'enquête devrait en dire plus. Ce n'est pas très important pour l'instant. Pour l'instant, je suis avec mon pote Juan Pablo. Un peu plus âgé que moi, fils d'un immigré espagnol et père de deux merveilleux gosses, Juan Pablo est rééducateur pour grands traumatisés crâniens. Ce n'est pas seulement un ami solide, c'est aussi un type intègre, un type bien.

La France est son pays (A tel point que comme moi, et contrairement à beaucoup d'autres, y compris des français de souche, il n'a pas essayé d'esquiver la conscription. Il a fait son temps dans les paras. Pas exactement du gâteau, quoi que l'on puisse dire de l'armée française.) mais l'Espagne est le pays de ses ancêtres, et ça n'est pas dénué d'importance.

Je lui ai donc passé un coup de fil un peu plus tôt aujourd'hui. Les pertes étaient estimées à 190 morts et 1000 blessés à ce moment là. J'ai demandé à Juan Pablo:

- Alors qu'est ce que tu éprouve mec? Tristesse ?
- C'est pas exactement ça.
- Horreur?
- Non, pas vraiment...
- ... Peur?
- P*, non!

Je ne lui ai rien demandé de plus. J'ai simplement dit : amène toi par ici Juan, je vais te préparer un ou deux trucs à boire mon pote.

Je sais ce qu'il éprouve, car aujourd'hui j'éprouve la même chose. Je connais ce sentiment. Je le reconnais. Je l'éprouve depuis ce certain après-midi de septembre.

Après-midi, oui. Décalage horaire avec New York.

Cela n'a rien à voir avec la tristesse, l'horreur ou la simple peur. Rien du tout.

C'est une combinaison déterminée de rage brûlante et de fureur froide.

Mes premières pensées pour l'Espagne, au terme de cette journée sanglante sont strictement identiques à celles que j'ai eu pour les USA au soir du 11 Septembre.

Au moins 190 morts maintenant.
Inhumez les et pleurez les.

Au moins 1240 blessés maintenant.
Pansez leurs blessures.

Et puis pourchassez l'ennemi, qui et où qu'il soit. Pourchassez les sans relâche. N'abandonnez jamais. Ni maintenant, ni dans dix ans, jamais. Pourchassez les et exterminez les. Tous.

Vous ne pouvez pas renoncer, et vous avez au moins 1430 bonnes raisons pour ça maintenant.

MISE À JOUR :
HispaLibertas ne renonce pas :
A tous mes compatriotes : c'est un moment crucial pour notre nation. Non, je ne parle pas des élections qui auront lieu demain. Quelque soit le gagnant et le nouveau Président demain, c'est le moment de faire preuve de courage et de nous battre. En ces temps incertains d'un étrange siècle, nous devons donner le meilleur de nous même. Nous devons gagner cet affrontement entre civilisation et barbarie, car c'est là la véritable alternative que nous devons choisir. Ce n'est pas le moment d'être faible ou de gaspiller nos efforts dans les divisions. Nous ne capitulerons pas, nous ferons face à cette épreuve et nous combattrons nos ennemis. Nous n'avons pas initié cette guerre. Mais nous devons la terminer. Et nous vaincrons.
(Lien via Tim Blair)

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the dissident frogman

I own, built and run this place. In a previous life I was not French but sadly, I died.

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The Wise knows that Cities are but demonic Soul-tearing pits that shall not be entered.

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Comments thread (20)

1267 - rc

Comment author avatar
God Bless Spain! Like you, I've been proud to have Spain on our side and feel the blow like every Spanish, DF(you deserve the status of being your own country), and American citizen would, right in the gut. Fine then, we haven't gotten all of the scum yet, but when we (together) get our hands on them...it won't be pretty! Please pass my condolences and solidarity on to your friend Juan Pablo for me. Hoist a few tonight, and tomorrow we can look forward to the beginning of 'their' end!
  • March 12th 2004
  • @ 0636 ZULU

1268 - Al

Comment author avatar
DF, As a New Yorker who was 30 blocks away from 9/11, I appreciate your comments and feel a great sympathy towards my Spanish brethren today. And I could not agree more with what you wrote..... Al NYC
  • March 12th 2004
  • @ 0657 ZULU

1269 - Sasquach

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A price was paid today by the citizens of a country who respect freedom and will not be forced to kneel and cower before the lowest of cowards. The death of free people is always tragic because they loved life enough to stand and strive rather than whimper and submit. It is important to remember this when in a couple of days or weeks the Left begins to suggest that it is the victims fault for not understanding the terrorists pain, for not trying to meet them half way, for driving them to these acts. We have seen it here in the States and you will witness it there in Europe. It is more disgusting than the attacks themselves. Do not allow them to go unchallenged. Do not allow them to turn the deaths of honest people into a tool of those who murdered them. Hold onto your cold fury and insist that justice is done and no quarter is given. Thank you Spain for supporting the freedom of my country, and more importantly the freedom of your own.
  • March 12th 2004
  • @ 0837 ZULU

1270 - Engineer-Poet

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Agreement with all posters thus far. I think that this also calls for recognition of some inconvenient facts: 1. Islamic terrorism comes largely from the Wahhab school of thought. 2. Wahhabism is spread by networks of madrassas and other "outreach" programs. 3. These are paid for by the government of Saudi Arabia and private donations, all financed by oil revenues. 4. These oil revenues come from us; ultimately, we are paying to spread the hate and buy the bombs which are directed at us. If we really want to hurt the Islamists, we need to bankrupt them. This starts with buying less oil from them. It is time that we recognize that someone who uses more than they need, or uses petroleum when something else would do, is giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
  • March 12th 2004
  • @ 1916 ZULU

1271 - the dissident frogman

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  • the dissident frogman France

That 4 points demonstration of yours seems rather simplistic, but I imagine that was the poet speaking here, not the engineer. As well as not being the only source of Islamist terror (although it's certainly the mother of all propaganda and activism funding), Saudi Arabia is not the only oil supplier. Pakinstan comes to mind as far as militant Islam is concerned, and I don't believe that switching our V8 powered wonders for humble bicycles to save on our oil purchases will help us in any way. Pakistan's oil production is… Wait, are they producing anything anyway? (yep, besides black market nukes of course) In fact, it may very well have the opposite effect. Our current state of technology doesn't allow us to give up on "their" oil yet. The "yet" is important, because thank to the genius of Capitalism, we're heading towards alternative sources of oil that are not in the hands of our enemies and viable alternative sources of energy that will be born out of scientific research, rather than hippy sweet dreams. It means that if we were to acknowledge those "inconvenient facts" of yours, we would have two options: scaling our economic activity down or compromise it with the extra burden of costly alternative energies (which would ultimately result in effectively scaling it down). Not exactly something we can afford in this time of war, and not something I'm willing to accept anytime. Eventually, the inconvenient facts this calls for recognition is, in my humble opinion, the following: the Saudi regime is corrupt and bankrupt. There has to be a regime change down there. If possible, right now. If not, well, say... Yesterday then. To precipitate this regime change from outside - and in addition to the political example of democratic society that the Coalition is helping to build in Iraq - finding alternative sources of oil and *viable* energy alternatives would help a lot indeed. (And oh, please, let's not forget that "alternative" means that it costs the same, and offers the same output. "Better alternative" meaning that it costs the same or less but offers a better output. I have no use for "lesser alternatives". I'll let that to the aforementioned hippies. Period.) So here comes the inconvenient fact I invite you to recognize: if it gets to the point where our progress in this war and our way of life and prosperity as a whole are so seriously threatened that we may fall down to the darkness where they lurk, then we'll need Western tanks and troops seizing Saudi oil fields. Nothing less. If it gets to that point, I have no problem with that. I'm not going back to the Middle Ages, and I'm not going to accept the return of gas rationing coupons "“ I don't know where you're from, but I have memories of my grand-parents mentioning this kind of "down sides", during another war. Whatever it takes, but I'm not going there.
Time to take sides
  • March 12th 2004
  • @ 2028 ZULU

1272 - Michael Lacy

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The Islamofacists have made it very clear that Western Civilization is their enemy. We should respect that, and treat them accordingly by anihilating every last one of them. America stands with you; your fight is our fight. "For all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!" Aragorn
  • March 12th 2004
  • @ 2031 ZULU

1273 - Nightfly

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Plenty of reasons why certain countries decided to stay out of the coalition against terror, but this is a big part of the big reason: fear. They didn't want their people targeted. Little do they know that they are targets anyway, and the favorite targets of terrorists: people who don't fight back. The Mighty DF has already indexed a wealth of reports of Islamic crime in France and elsewhere. The leaders of the timid shrug, and cluck their tongues at Spain and say, "this is what happens, I told you so," and laugh nervously when the bully turns and hits them instead. "Why can't you follow our example and be polite little stationary targets?" Nuts to that. Spain is right to fight; better that their soldiers risk death to save their people, than to sit idly like a lobster in a pot while it slowly rolls to a boil. Maybe it doesn't mean that much, but the US will not forget who has stood with them in this fight, and they will stand by Spain in the same way. God Bless and comfort the bereaved and the dead. Now let's stomp some terrorists.
  • March 12th 2004
  • @ 0007 ZULU

1274 - Mashiki

Comment author avatar
Thoughts goto those in Spain, but the lefties are already starting their cries. I've seen it on other boards. It angers me...it bothers me. They cry that it's Spain's fault, in the same that it was the fault of the US for 9/11. Bah. Thank you Spain for helping us, were with you now. Now lets go kick some terrorist backside.
  • March 12th 2004
  • @ 0255 ZULU

1275 - Engineer-Poet

Comment author avatar
Pardon je pour écrire seulement en anglais. Mon Français est très pauvre. DissidentFrogman wrote: >That 4 points demonstration of yours seems rather simplistic, >but I imagine that was the poet speaking here, not the engineer. One does not always have either the time or the space to fully support every point one might like to make. I apologize for anything which might have been lost in the abridgement. >Saudi Arabia is not the only oil supplier. A point well-understood by others. For some years the Saudis have been the world's swing producer, but this situation does not have to be permanent. Some have already posted on the idea that sufficient oversupply of oil will allow the world to say to the Saudis, "We don't need you". When excess world capacity equals Saudi pumping rate, that day will have arrived. The point I would like everyone to understand is that this day arrives sooner with every barrel of demand reduced, and later with every barrel of demand increased. It is a simple 1/1 ratio. >Pakinstan comes to mind as far as militant Islam is concerned Follow that one step further. What is one of the most powerful promoters of militant Islam in Pakistan? It is the system of madrassas which have almost replaced the secular schools. Who pays for the madrassas and indoctrinates the teachers? The Wahhabists; specifically, the Saudis. >I don't believe that switching our V8 powered wonders for humble bicycles to save on our oil purchases will help us in any way. There I believe you are wrong. A V8 engine is almost wholly dependent on petroleum. But what are most V8 engines used for? Very few of them labor at nearly full power for long periods. Most V8 engines, and even most 6 and 4 cylinder engines, spend most of their time loafing at a small fraction of their peak power. Many spend a lot of their operating time at idle. This idling is very inefficient. Batteries are actually a better source of power for short bursts, and electric motors are efficient, light and powerful. If you would like to see an example of what is possible near the limits of today's technology (and R&D prices!) see http://www.acpropulsion.com. I've read that the average efficiency of American gasoline-fuelled vehicles (conversion of fuel to work) is 17%. Multiple measurements on different types of vehicles give numbers which agree with this to a surprising degree. It is not very hard to make huge improvements when you are starting from a situation as poor as 17% efficiency. This is known as "low-hanging fruit", easy to pick. I live in the USA, so I have spent more time studying US facts and figures than any others. (Pardon my parochial interests, but when the rest of the world concerns itself with my country's consumptive habits, why shouldn't I also?) It is a fact that the US consumption of motor gasoline is nearly equal to Saudi Arabia's entire production of crude oil: see http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/ petroleum/data_publications/petroleum_supply_annual/psa_volume1/ current/txt/table_02.txt for the most recent figures available. It follows from this that a large movement in the USA from V8 engines to hybrid vehicles could severely reduce the worldwide market for crude oil, and move up the day that Saudi Arabia changes from essential supplier to disposable nuisance. >To precipitate this regime change from outside - and in addition >to the political example of democratic society that the Coalition >is helping to build in Iraq - finding alternative sources of oil >and *viable* energy alternatives would help a lot indeed. This may surprise you, but I have reason to believe that these viable energy sources are right under our noses. The problem is that few people have the educated insight to see them for what they are; most only see them the way they have always been seen. A century or so ago the best evening light came from liquid drawn from the heads of a rapidly-shrinking population of one species of whale. Kerosene (paraffin) replaced spermaceti for most uses a short time afterward, and it was itself supplanted by glowing filaments of carbon heated by electricity. Carbon was replaced by tungsten (wolfram), and now the thermal spectrum of tungsten is being replaced by the glow of sodium vapor in large lamps and the emissions of phosphors under the bombardment of ultraviolet photons in smaller lamps. Some lighting is going completely solid-state, to LEDs. If we are going to advance, we have to open our minds to the advantages of change. Science and technology have opened doors since our last major shift. We must select the correct door and take ourselves into the future. I do not just include the USA in this. Spain has its own part to play, as does France. Spain has just received a powerful reminder of the cost of giving money and power to murderers. France may receive its own soon. It is time (actually it is ten years past time) to take action, on the economic end as well as the military. Remember that the Islamofascists cannot spread their ideology nearly so well if their home countries are hungry and broke. >(And oh, please, let's not forget that "alternative" means that it >costs the same, and offers the same output....) I have reason to believe that the cost of one of the MOST radical "alternatives" is getting very close to the current retail price of gasoline in California; better yet, developments moving into pilot production could slash the price within the next few years. I hope to be able to dig into this later, with facts and figures. I intend to support and explore these points elsewhere. Feel free to write me or take a look at my blog: http://ergosphere.blogspot.com; I will attempt to answer counter-arguments as my time permits.
  • March 13th 2004
  • @ 0852 ZULU

1276 - Westerner

Comment author avatar
Sorry, but moving away from oil is not the answer. It's going to take far too long. Take the damn oil away from them. Occupy the 40kms to the East of Saudi Arabia where most of the oil is produced. Also, freeze all Saudi assets everywhere.
  • March 14th 2004
  • @ 0603 ZULU
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