Jewish World Review June 17, 2002 / 7 Tamuz, 5762

Bill O'Reilly

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Blank those Europeans!


http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | If you think political correctness is out of control in America -- and it is -- Europe is even worse. A few weeks ago, the Swedish parliament passed a bill that would change its constitution to ban speech that is insulting to homosexuals or other "alternative lifestyles."

The bill passed with 56 percent of the vote, and if it passes again later in the summer, it becomes law.

Now think about that. Under this Swedish law, if Pastor Sven takes the pulpit on Sunday and quotes some Bible passages from the Torah -- you know the stuff about homosexuality being an abomination -- well, Pastor Sven could be on his way to having a smorgasbord in prison, as the proposed new speech law allows jail time for convicted offenders.

And if Olaf is living in your Stockholm neighborhood and is housing a herd of reindeer or something, you'd better not say, "Hey, Olaf, your alternative lifestyle is bringing down property values around here." That could land you in front of a judge.

But far more serious is the constant politically correct nonsense that is inhibiting the war on terror. Germany says it will not hand over primary source documents to the United States linking accused terrorist Zacharias Moussaoui to al Qaeda funding because Moussaoui could get the death penalty if convicted in a Virginia federal courtroom.

Never mind that some of the 9-11 terrorists used Germany as a staging area and a money funnel, the Germans are now indignant that we may execute a guy who could be partially responsible for killing 3,000 human beings.

This kind of dopey policy is infuriating, but it is also dangerous. If Germany doesn't want to execute convicted mass murderers, fine, the country can do what it wants. But if murders occur in another country -- Germany has no right to say a word. And if it is our NATO ally, and if this is a war on terror, then Germany has an obligation to help the USA any way it can.

If it doesn't fulfill that obligation, Germany should withdraw from NATO.

The entire European Union is a problem in the war on terror, not just Deutschland. The EU has told the Bush administration that it has a "problem" with trying captured terrorists in front of military tribunals. Well, pardon me, EU, but blank you.

If the United States government designates that a terrorist is a prisoner of war, then that prisoner can be legally tried in front of a military tribunal. And if the EU doesn't like it, it can kiss our croissants, if you know what I mean.

I am sorry for sounding like John Wayne here, but somebody has to have a serious talk with these Europeans. This is not some game we are playing. There are killers living in Europe that want to destroy Western Civilization, and those people must be dealt with harshly.

If a terrorist kills somebody in Paris, United States policy is to help out in any and every way. We don't hold back because the French legal system is the opposite of ours -- you are presumed guilty there instead of innocent. We do not intrude into the national security matters of other countries. Yet, some of those countries constantly intrude on our right of self-defense.

President Bush is making a large mistake by not asking Congress to officially declare war on terrorists. That should happen immediately so we can put to rest the debate over whether terrorists operating on foreign soil -- as that Jose Padilla did -- are criminals or prisoners of war. Even if you are an American citizen, if you enlist in al Qaeda or Hamas or any other terrorist group -- you are a battlefield combatant, and the military should deal with you.

If you were to try every captured terrorist in a civilian court, then our interrogations of these killers would be open for public inspection. That would make it immeasurably more difficult for U.S. intelligence to gather information from captured foreigners whose families back home would immediately be placed in jeopardy by probing defense lawyers trying to create "reasonable doubt."

Well, here's some relevant "reasonable doubt." The United States cannot win the war on terror with allies who won't help us and a system of justice that considers foreign enemies to be common criminals. There is no doubt that we will lose this war of attrition if we continue to meander around.

Declare hostilities formally, and crush the enemy. Let political correctness evaporate in the winds of war.

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JWR contributor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show, "The O'Reilly Factor," and author of the new book, "The No-Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America" Comments by clicking here.

Up


06/10/02: What does Bono want from us?
06/03/02: On fighting evil
05/28/02: A Tale of Two Churches
05/20/02: Crimes against humanity
05/13/02: Silence of the lambs
05/06/02: Hide the children
04/29/02: 'Paul, Paul, Paul!'
04/22/02: Barbarians in the Church
04/15/02: Pray for peace, polish the weapons
03/11/02: Do no harm? Time to spank "Dr. Phil"
03/04/02: Promoting the general welfare
02/25/02: Who's responsible?
02/19/02: Lay it on them
02/11/02: Buy dope, fund terror
02/04/02: Back room deals
01/28/02: From boom to bust
01/21/02: The Fairness Doctrine
01/14/02: Hey, Paula, take it to the bank and hush up
01/07/02: And justice for none
12/31/01: All that's left
12/24/01: Santa is appalled
12/17/01: Fight the power
12/10/01: The black challenge
12/03/01: How things have changed
11/26/01: Waiting in the Bushes
11/19/01: The sign of the Cross
11/09/01: Hollyweird strikes back
11/06/01: The fear factor
10/26/01: Show me the money
10/22/01: See no evil
10/15/01: Peace, but no quiet
10/08/01: The air war
10/01/01: I don't understand
09/24/01: We are all soldiers, and we have a job to do
09/14/01: Evil on display
09/11/01: Family matters!
09/04/01: End of summer blues
08/27/01: Summertime -- and the livin' ain't easy
08/20/01: The rap on rap
08/13/01: The truth hurts
08/06/01: Amnesty for illegals: Bush's political investment
07/30/01: The big picture on Condit-Levy
07/24/01: Silence of the Shams
07/16/01: Condit, Kennedy and cable news
07/09/01: Heather needs a childhood: The unnecessary loss of innocence
07/02/01: What would have happened if Steven Spielberg had recut "Schindler's List" for German audiences so they wouldn't be confronted with "emotional issues"?
06/25/01: Freak dancing
06/18/01: Work or die
06/11/01: Soundbite nation
06/04/01: Paying through the nose
05/29/01: Graduation Day 2001
05/21/01: Accepting the unacceptable
05/14/01: The Clinton legacy
05/07/01: Kerrey's ordeal
04/27/01: Is the party over?
04/20/01: Racism in public education
04/16/01: The fleecing of America
04/10/01: People who need perspective
04/03/01: Dubya's bottom line --- and ours
03/27/01: Don't tell, don't ask
03/20/01: Greenspan with envy
03/13/01: Clinton and Jackson
03/07/01: All that's left in America
02/27/01: The Letterman experience
02/20/01: Bread and circuses
02/06/01: How the Clintons do it
01/30/01: The Bush dilemma
01/24/01: I have been investigating Jackson's finances for the past two years
01/17/01: Sifting Ashcroft's record

© 2001 Creators Syndicate