I found this while looking for another of his articles. I'd never heard of him before, but it sounds like he may be someone to keep reading.
UNDERSTAND AND CONDONE, HATE AND CONDESCEND
By JOHN RINGO
November 3, 2001
--
"BUT you have to understand . .."
I'm so tired of those words.
For one thing, they assume that the person they are directed at doesn't know anything about history or Islam. I'm not going to write 800 words on the history of Islam and its conflicts with Judaism (which started while Mohammed was alive) and Christianity (which started right after his death). It's not because I couldn't, it's because I don't care.
You see, I [i]understand[/i] the Middle East conflicts, how the Jews are considered Johnny-Come-Latelies in the region and how they seem "imposed" by the West, harkening back to the Crusades in the minds of many Muslims. I understand why virtually every schoolchild in the Middle East is taught to hate Churchill.
I understand how most of the Muslims of the Middle East are both envious and hateful towards the successfulness of the Western World; we have rocketed away from them economically and culturally and they know it.
That really sticks in their craw, especially since the last time they were significantly "ahead" of the West was in the 14th century (when they had the Western World flat licked.)
But that doesn't mean I think they have a logical leg to stand on. Nor do I condone their response (international terrorism) nor do I hate them. I feel sorry for them. I have the [i]opposite[/i] reaction of envy; I look down upon them condescendingly (which really gets up their nose.)
I mention this because I keep hearing those words. I hear them from Islamic spokespeople. I hear them from our own news media. And what they are saying, in effect, is that if we just try to understand them, we can all "get along."
They are saying, in effect, that the Islamic terrorists are just being naughty little boys and we should accept their actions until they get over it.
Aaaaaaah! Wrong answer. This is the "understanding the attacker" approach, which has never worked particularly well but is such a liberal mantra they can't even get over it in the middle of a war.
It's [i]OK[/i] that the mugger mugged you, because he had a bad childhood. It's [i]OK[/i] that your house was broken into, because the addict [i]needed[/i] the money for his smack.
It was stupid (as has been proven by the success of "shall have" and "three strikes" laws throughout the country) when dealing with the crack wave. But using that approach with Islamic fundamentalists is just insane.
The analogy has been used over and over but that's because it's bang on; saying "you have to understand (meaning condone)" the fundamentalists is like saying "you have to understand the reason for WWII."
Well I understand that one too; the Versailles Treaty, war-reparations, the condition of the German nationals in Sudetenland, the insult of Rhineland. And my dad lost most of his hearing blowing up bridges in the Ardennes to end the Holocaust. Other- wise, there wouldn't be a Jew, Gypsy or Russian alive in Europe.
If we "understand" our way into accepting the arguments of Islamic fundamentalists, then we will "understand" our way into giving in to their demands.