Mark Steyn has an excellent as always article about the new multiculturism....and its pending death. (link via Instapundit) It also contains some information about the missed opportunities to have stopped Atta, et al, that I'd either forgotten or hadn't read. So I'd thought it would be fun to look at some other possible responses which might've been more effective.More by following the link, but the creepy "multicultural sensitivity" of the bureaucrat was always one of the more bizarre aspects of the 9/11 story.
Atta was apparently applying for a substantial 'farm' loan to convert a plane into a crop duster. But he had a problem with the loan officer right off the bat.
The meeting got off to a rocky start when Atta refused to deal with Bryant because she was but a woman.
I've had that happen before, in a variety of settings. The correct response is to be polite but firm, and treat the customer just like everyone else....because that's your job. Besides, it really pisses off the true misogynists.
When it was explained to him that, alas, he wouldn't get the 650 grand in cash that day, Atta threatened to cut Bryant's throat.
Do you:
a) Press the silent alarm, and insist on filing charges for terroristic threatening and/or assault?
b) Educate the speaker about the advisability of bringing a knife to a gun fight?
c) Lean slightly forward, look the speaker directly in the eyes and say in a firm voice "You and what army?"
d) All of the above.
D is the better answer, though any of A-C are acceptable. Continuing the paperwork to give the speaker a loan is not.
The point of Steyn's article is that there are hopeful signs that that sort of blind obliviousness to imminent danger is a thing of the past. About damn time too, because the Islamic wingnuts aren't shy about their intentions, either abroad or at home:
In Washington, D.C., politics dominate even the most casual conversations. During a cab ride home from the movies, the cabbie remarked: "Bush used the wrong word when he said 'crusade.' That upset a lot of Muslims. You have no idea how many Muslims there are all around you. They will riot. You are in the heart of it ... where you live. You see, if there is a war, they will riot." He pointed out the window to a hill decorated with a large wooden cross. "I will see you there."Don't be late, pal.
"What do you mean you will see me there?"
He dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. Awkwardness hung in the air.
Of course, there are the jihad apologist groups who are perpetually aggrieved that anyone might actually suspect unassimilated wingnuts of plotting mayhem. Here's some Friendly advice to peaceful Muslims:
There is a fast closing window of opportunity for the large majority of "peaceful Muslims" living in the United States and the United Kingdom.And that's the long and the short of it.
It is long past time for those Muslims who are not complicit with these radical Islamic clerics and their disciples who are preaching violence and hatred toward your host countries to actively get involved in exposing them.
You are in the best position to know who these fanatics are. They live among you. They use your mosques to preach, teach and inspire young Muslims.
...
Thousands of innocent people have been killed in Islamic terrorist attacks in the last 30-plus years. These attacks have occurred all over the world.
The one constant has been they were inspired and executed by Muslims. Islamic fundamentalists are like parasites. They feed off the body of Muslim communities living among us. It does not take a rocket scientist to see what must be done. If the "peaceful" majority of Muslims do not begin to actively and vigorously expose the radicals in their communities, then we, the people of the United States and United Kingdom, will have to do it for them.
We are tired of the "peaceful" Muslims sitting by and doing nothing to expose the disciples preaching hate and jihad in their mosques. There is almost a silent admiration of these fanatics on the part of some. Many allow their financial contributions to be used by the jihad preachers.
We are getting weary of organizations like CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, crying about civil-rights violations when law enforcement organizations seek to carry on surveillance of Muslim communities. Since Muslims do not police themselves against the Islamic fundamentalist parasites, we must.
Our intelligence forces all warn that it is only a matter of time before Islamic terrorist will attack our cities with weapons of mass destruction. This includes everything from nuclear to biological bombs.
When one of these attacks happens, a flood of rage will burst forth, and nothing or anyone will be able to stop it. The law of the jungle will take over. Muslim communities who did nothing to stop the radicals among them will be the first targets.
So now is the time for the peaceful Muslims to get actively involved in exposing these radical parasites that use your mosques to recruit and train your sons and daughters for jihad. Let your voices be heard in unreserved condemnation of their savage outrages. Prove that you are Americans who believe in a peaceful practice of Islam. Cooperate with legal authorities before it is too late to plead your civil rights.
The time is late. The "jihadist timetable" is counting down toward a major attack. Help your fellow Americans stop them before a catastrophe strikes us all and ignites an unstoppable holocaust.
