by Tina Grazier
Two days ago 92 people were murdered in Norway, most of them children, in a despicable act of terrorism..There were two separate attacks, one was a bombing attack on a government building and the second a shooting spree aimed children attending camp. The confessed suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, was heavily influenced by his concerns that a combination of increasing radical Muslimism coupled with Marxist multiculturalism would destroy the Judeo/Christian cultures of his country and all of Europe. He was convinced that a conflict of cultures would eventually result in inflamed fighting and chaos.
Information about his background gleaned from his “manifesto”, posted online, includes details about his broken family and teen encounters with Muslim gangs:
‘Even at that time, the Muslim gangs were very dominating in Oslo East and in inner city Oslo. They even arranged “raids” in Oslo West occasionally, subduing the native youths (kuffars) and collecting Jizya from them (in the form of cell phones, cash, sunglasses etc).
‘I remember they systematically harassed, robbed and beat ethnic Norwegian youngsters who were unfortunate enough to not have the right affiliations.
‘Muslim youths called the ethnic Norwegians “poteter” (potatoes, a derogatory term used by Muslims to describe ethnic Norwegians). ‘These people occasionally raped the so called “potato whores”.’
So far the Norwegian authorities aren’t rushing to claim this man has psycological problems stemming from his childhood. It is also worth noting that 21 years in prison is the maximum penalty he will get if found guilty of these murderous attacks. Tolerance and compassion, it seems, will save even him from receiving a death penalty.
CBS News is reporting that Breivik hoped his acts would inspire others:
“Any single patriot who wants to establish a cell and begin action can do so, and thus becomes a part of the organisation,” he wrote.
I have yet to read anything that offers a clue as to what motivated this man to make the radical leap from concerned or worried citizen to extreme terrorist. His writings make reference to a possible “Knights Templar” group but his attorney, Geir Lippestad, said his client wrote the manifesto alone, an indication that he acted alone in the attacks. CBS reports that parts of the manifesto seem to have been taken from the writings of the American Unibomber, Ted Kaczinsky.
I find it interesting that his victims have not been identified by either religion or race in reports I’ve read. I would think that if this man wished to strike back at Muslim extremists he would have targeted Muslims he suspected as having extreme views. As it is, it appears he may have attempted to target those he thought represented multiculturalism instead. If that is the case, what, pray tell, would have motivated him to murder innocent children rather than adults?
When push comes to shove people sometimes do incredibly stupid things even in tolerant societies that respect and live by the rule of law. Western societies are being challenged to find ways to deal with this problem and answers don’t come easily. Sadly, I tend to share this horrid man’s concerns that one day, in the not too distant future, even greater push will come to shove and a massive conflict will inevitably erupt in Europe. Official voices in London and elsewhere affirm these concerns:
Citing the WikiLeaks cables, the Guardian newspaper last week reported that the future U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron told an American official in April 2009 that the former Labour government had “let in a lot of crazies and did not wake up early enough” to the danger posed by Muslim extremists.
Danger is a strong word but it describes quite succinctly the insidiousness of the threat that Islamists pose to Europeans and the West. The one difference that might make some difference in America is our gun laws. If push comes to shove here, Americans will already be armed and our enemies know this. It is, in fact, a testament to Western tolerance and our inclusive culture that this type of extreme reactionary violence hasn’t occurred with greater frequency in America. Live and let live has been a large part of our culture, would that our enemies felt the same.
May God bless and comfort the families of the victims in Norway.
This is a great article Tina and thank you for writing it. It needed to be said.
You just know the far left with their Timothy McVey argument that rightwing nut jobs are every bit the same threat to us as the Muslims nut jobs has just gained a new example. We’re going to hear it over and over, ad nauseum.
How much comfort can the families have knowing this evil man will be a free man in 21 years? This guy should be dead right now.
I expect it is upsetting, having your political philosophy exposed, repeatedly, for the promulgator of sicko violence that it is, but …
“Sadly, I tend to share this horrid man’s concerns that one day, in the not too distant future, even greater push will come to shove and a massive conflict will inevitably erupt in Europe.”
There it is.
And everybody’s concern with the 21-year max likewise exposes a greater concern with vengence that with justice. The fact is, Norway’s recidivism rate is less than half ours. Who’s to say the sicko won’t, during the course of the 21 years … embrace Islam?
Giggle.
Europe will burn. Proabaly the same thing will happen here as well.
Your last paragraph is the clue.
“Danger . . . describes quite succinctly the insidiousness of the threat that Islamists pose to Europeans and the West.”
In a story about what ignorance has caused someone to do, you write of the “danger” of Islam.
This fellow did not come with extreme right wing views on his own. He has been reading extreme right wing blogs and websites. Apparently he took them seriously enough to do something about it.
Writing about the “danger” of Islam will only provoke more of the same reaction.
Look, I know you are only joking, but some dumb individual may take you seriously, as this fellow did in Norway. In fear of Muslims, one of your readers could resort to violence.
Please be more careful of what you say.
Thank you
Libby: “I expect it is upsetting, having your political philosophy exposed…”
By this logic your own political philosophy is responsible for the PLO.
Libby, its time for all of us to be adult about this. It’s time to expose and differentiate between extreme views that openly call for the murder, destruction, or oppression of others through violence or through the political process and those who call for freedom and living under a rule of law that oppresses no one. It’s time to recognize lone wolf psycho’s for what they are rather than using them to condemn and demean people who express concerns and seek solutions.
“There it is.”
The alternative to exposing end defeating people with designs on taking your freedom is to surrendewr to them…are you really certain that is what you will do if push comes to shove? You will either become a practicing Muslim or pay the tax and wear the garb and play by the extreme rules? You who think it’s your job to legislate how everyone should live? I don’t think so.
“And everybody’s concern with the 21-year max likewise exposes a greater concern with vengence that with justice.”
How so? How do you make a destinction just distinction between this premeditated mass murder and other types of murder if not through severity of consequence? the man will be eliganle for weekend leaves within seven years. That’s justice for the people whose chilren were slaughtered by this nutbag?
“The fact is, Norway’s recidivism rate is less than half ours.”
And why not? The social services network will care for them forever.
“Who’s to say the sicko won’t, during the course of the 21 years … embrace Islam?”
What brand? In America it is more likely they would embrace the terrorist brand. Are you adult enough to recognize that or are you still playing at this like a child…
“Giggle.”
Never mind…you’ve already answered that one.
Laughing: “In a story about what ignorance has caused someone to do, you write of the “danger” of Islam.”
No…I warn of the danger of the Islamist. This is a person/organization that has the express intent of supplanting our constitution and government with Sharia. If you were not insisting on being such an adolescent, stuck in some mythical Kumbaya nirvana, you would be able to make the distinction.
“This fellow did not come with extreme right wing views on his own. He has been reading extreme right wing blogs and websites. Apparently he took them seriously enough to do something about it.”
Just like any mentally disturbed Psycho nutjob would…Ted Kaczinsky was also his mentor for instance!
the alternative you seek but do not speak is restricted, controlled speech. Are you ready to support that notion?
Once again an adolescent blames the messenger instead of the perp who has distorted the message for his own psychotic purposes.
If you were consistant you would take your twisted objections to heart and speak out in like fashion against all Muslims; you would condemn all Muslims for the acts of the terror organizations and their supporters.
All of this nonesense for some silly idea that silence and tolerance will keep bad people from committing bad deeds…as I said, a childs view.
“Please be more careful of what you say.”
Please…grow up and be more conscious before you speak (write).
“Thank you”
No…thank you. I couldn’t have exposed the lunacy of liberal thought better myself.
“All of this nonesense for some silly idea that silence and tolerance will keep bad people from committing bad deeds ….”
On the contrary, there is no keeping wicked people from doing wicked things. It’s how you react to the situation that determines whether you are running an enlightened shop or not.
The Norwegians have had a jolt, but I doubt they are going to abandon their principles (or their very enlightened, prosperous and productive 20% recidivism rate) over it.
And it makes ya squirm, don’t it?
“By this logic your own political philosophy is responsible for the PLO.”
Alas no. By your illogic is how we get to this. The PLO is many things, but I don’t think you can call it a “leftist” organization, no.
What we’ve got in Mr. Breivik is a fella blowing people up cause they do not believe what he believes. Which, as far as I’m concerned, puts the this radical Christian and the radical Muslims squarely in the same sicko category.
And your insistence on tarring the whole of Islam with the “radical” brush sends you off to keep Mr. Breivik company. So I’d give the matter more thought.
Tina: “Danger is a strong word but it describes quite succinctly the insidiousness of the threat that Islamists pose to Europeans and the West. The one difference that might make some difference in America is our gun laws. If push comes to shove here, Americans will already be armed and our enemies know this. It is, in fact, a testament to Western tolerance and our inclusive culture that this type of extreme reactionary violence hasn’t occurred with greater frequency in America. Live and let live has been a large part of our culture, would that our enemies felt the same.”
I almost can’t believe you can be this tone-deaf. A man just committed an act of extreme violence because of his paranoid delusions, and here you are encouraging others to pick up a gun in preparation of such delusions coming true.
They won’t come true, by the way. Yes, radical Islamists have committed a huge number of attacks and murdered a horrific number of people. I am in no way trying to diminish this fact. However, the “insidious” threat you seem to be referring to is their goal of establishing world domination. This doesn’t stand a chance in hell of ever being realized. With every terrorist attack these monsters commit, their sick ideology is further marginalized and discredited. Countries where oppression and religious persecution have reigned supreme are seeing huge uprisings. Insiders who once served at the right hands of our most brutal modern dictators are now finding themselves having to paint themselves as moderates in order to appease the public. Some of these revolutions have been more successful than others so far, but in the end, what man wants is freedom, and that is the direction I see the world headed in. Maybe that makes me a naive idealist, but that’s preferable to sharing any kind of worldview with this sociopath.
Libby: “but I doubt they are going to abandon their principles (or their very enlightened, prosperous and productive 20% recidivism rate) over it.
And it makes ya squirm, don’t it?”
Actually, Libby I’m like a cat…it just made me curious. Some research and thought bring interesting ideas, statistics and differences that add to your shakey comparison to America.
Norway’s big beautiful ultra humane prison (resort) with the low recidivism rate has not been operating long so its track record over time has not been established. More importantly, it does not house truly dangerous criminals. Those people are housed in other prisons where their sentencing can be increased by five years indefinitely (like forever)
(In America I believe this prison might make a good model for a juvinile high school fascilities for difficult/soft crime students but I’d add a paternal dose of military style discipline to the soft maternal approach they take. Problem: this fascility is very expensive; I’ll get into taxes later)
Norway is just slightly larger than the state of New Mexico. America not only has a much larger size and population but also much greater diversity. The Norwegian culture has not been challenged to as great a degree with differences that can spark animosity and crime. (The influx of foreigners has increased in recent years so that dynamic is rapidly changing.) Except for the government control of a few industries they are more business friendly than we are…much easier to become an entrepreneur in Norway due to less regulation.
My next thoughts were about the adverse effect that the (progressive) welfare state has had on families in the US, particularly poor families in poor communities. A study in 1995 by CATO:
Chris: I almost can’t believe you can be this tone-deaf. A man just committed an act of extreme violence because of his paranoid delusions, and here you are encouraging others to pick up a gun in preparation of such delusions coming true.
How the hell do you think wars start, Chris? How many times since WWII have people said that the German people should have done something when they saw their Jewish neighbors being carted away, never to be seen again? How long did it take free nations to begin to react to the intentions, methods, and actual invasions of Hitler? Appeasement and complacency, denial in the midst of social pressures, and unresolved differences all added up, in the end, to world war. Heres something an Austrian woman wrote about her birth country, Austria, prior to the war:
http://www.examiner.com/christianity-culture-in-fort-worth/america-truly-is-the-greatest-country-the-world-don-t-let-freedom-slip-away
I can’t find a reference but there is also the warning issued by someone at Tianimen Square: Tell the Americans, don’t give up your guns.
Creeping gradualism; its happened before, Chris. It can happen again. Acknowledging that Muslims know Americans are armed does not encourage anyone to commit an act of violence! It might serve to remind that we Americans value our heritage, our Western values and our freedom and we are wiling to defend them!
If Im trying to encourage anything, Im trying to encourage the American people to wake up and acknowledge the very real problems that face us. And frankly Im getting pretty sick of the moral equivalence game that you on the left play in order to avoid looking at the uncomfortable truth that a fairly large number of committed dangerous Muslimists are dedicated to one horrendous goaljust as Hitler was, and for a similar reason…and if we don’t face it squarely it could lead to all out war.
However, the “insidious” threat you seem to be referring to is their goal of establishing world domination. This doesn’t stand a chance in hell of ever being realized.
You are certain of that are you? Prior to WWII no one could imagine that seven million people would die in Hitlers ovens, but Id expect this attitude since the only threat you seem capable of recognizing is the one that comes when things suddenly blow up. You will not see or recognize the insidious plot, the soft form of jihad, now favored by many Muslims radicals; it will occur gradually unless you are willing to face it squarely now.
in the end, what man wants is freedom
I agree with this statementit is what GWB believed when he made the decision to invade Iraq to establish a democracy in the heart of the ME as part of Americas response to terror. It was the position Reagan took when he faced down the soviets.
However appeasement and complacency are not avenues to take if your goal is to discourage radicals and encourage freedom, in fact appeasement and complacency encourages radicals. Peace through strength has proven to work and that requires wide-eyed acknowledgement ofnamingthe threat. It requires a standing firmly and clearly in opposition.
Progressives seem to prefer to make fellow Americans who are not afraid to name and disclose the radical insidious threat their enemy and they do it in a monstrous waycreating a moral equivalent where none exists.
but that’s preferable to sharing any kind of worldview with this sociopath.
What person shares his world view? If he is truly a sociopath his world view wont resemble anything any sane person would share. The progressive press has made him a “radical Chritian” to try to establish the moral equivalence that supports their need to appease. Yet the man did not attend church and has no Biblical references to support his murderous acts, nor does he have Chritian nations willing to fund and support murderous or insidious plots. His notions about the Knights Templar create a picture of a man lost in delusion and romantic fantasy rather than cold reality.
The lefts historical answer to all threats to freedom has been appeasement. What that means is that we must bend to include and accommodate. It isnt enough to be welcoming and friendly; we must bend!
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/beyond-minarets-europes-growing-problem
First of all bans and restrictions have come about following the failure by Muslimists to assimilate. It comes on the heels of a concerted effort on their part to take over and impose different cultural mores on local citizens (as some have in the streets in France). The learned authors of this piece seem to be (willfully?) ignorant of the progression of these things.
Secondly, these people have chosen to come to a different country; why shouldnt they come expecting to bend and to adopt to their new countrys mores and laws? Why have they come if not to embrace the new country? Why not remain in their country of origin where they can practice their religion and live according to sharia amongst people who share their mores, views, and heritage.
The idea that we must accommodate plays right into the hands of those who seek to undermine our country and our Western culture…it would behoove us to stand firm regarding the things that support our freedoms…sharia isn’t one of them to the degree that it supplants our heritage, our laws, and our social mores.
“Laughing: “In a story about what ignorance has caused someone to do, you write of the “danger” of Islam.”
Tina: “Once again an adolescent blames the messenger instead of the perp who has distorted the message for his own psychotic purposes.”
You are not “the messenger.” You are the perp who is actually distorting the message for your own psychotic purposes. You are telling people to ‘pick up guns’ so we can shoot it out with ’em. You are a paranoid lunatic!
There is not the threat you mention.
This is why I will ask you again to please remove this hateful message.
Thank you.
I do believe Tina should be held in detention to keep our Muslim friends safe.
She is paranoid.
She is armed.
She is a danger to society.
One thing that is being missed here is the difference between a European conservative and a United States conservative. In their eyes we would be moderates. You talk about people having skin in the game Europeans have had skin in the game for a thousand years. In the past 100 years they have had two major wars to overcome and the threat of the USSR. That is going to give the people of Europe a perspective those of us in the US can not possibly have. Anyway I am tired and going to take a nap.
Laughing: “you write of the “danger” of Islam.”
Let’s try this another way, I don’t warn of the danger of Islam. Your comprehension skills are being compromised by your own prejudice. I warn of the danger of appeasing Islamists…there is a difference! I recognize the difference. Apologists like you behave as if all Muslims are the same…innocent…they are not all innocent! If you cannot name an enemy you cannot deal with it.
No…I was saying that the Islamists can afford to be bold in other countries where gun laws prevent citizens from self protection…I was saying they know Americans have the right to bear arms and thus protect themselves. Once again your own prejudice, and bad attitude toward me, colored your perception and understanding.
“There is not the threat you mention.”
There is both the threat I mention and the threat of violent jihad from within. The following is from a national security study:
http://shariahthethreat.org/
The presidents own defense department reported this last year:
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/FBI-Chief-Al-Qaida-Unwavering-in-Efforts-to-Attack-US-103537289.html
You are wrong no matter how you look at it.
“This is why I will ask you again to please remove this hateful message.”
Sorry…you are obviously too imature to face this threat squarely. Please take a flying leap. Thank you.
“I do believe Tina should be held in detention to keep our Muslim friends safe. She is paranoid.”
Our Muslim FRIENDS are as threatened by Islamists as any other American…shame on you for refusing to do whatever it takes to protect them.
“She is armed.”
I have never shot a weapon and I don’t personally own one. You are a prisoner to your own prejudice, bias, and attitude…get some help!
“She is a danger to society.”
Seriously…you need help.
Toby: “One thing that is being missed here is the difference between a European conservative and a United States conservative.”
Another is the difference between a Christian and a social christian:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Christian
Seems this guy might have more in common with American liberal progressives (and our president) than he does with Christians or conservatives.
“Seems this guy might have more in common with American liberal progressives (and our president) than he does with Christians or conservatives.”
Lemme see.
Claims to be a Christian but believes in violence to achieve his ends.
Which group in America claims to be Christian yet has no hesitation acting unChristian??
Sound like an extremist TEAbagger!
The leftists don’t act like Christians to be sure! But, they never claimed to be Godly!!!
The point is: ANY extremist conservative needs to be watched!!
Oh so now you are in favor of big brother watching us, maybe you would like us to get micro chips embedded to make it easier to track us?
Breivick said in his manifesto that he is not religious, has doubts about God’s existence, does not pray, but does assert the primacy of Europe’s “Christian culture” as well as his own pagan Nordic culture.
On Charles Darwin: “As for the Church and science, it is essential that science takes an undisputed precedence over biblical teachings. Europe has always been the cradle of science, and it must always continue to be that way. Regarding my personal relationship with God, I guess I’m not an excessively religious man. I am first and foremost a man of logic. However, I am a supporter of a monocultural Christian Europe.”
He also admitted he could find no support within either the Catholic or Protestant churches for his violent ideas.
I don’t know any Christians or TPers that believe in violence to achieve “their ends”. The only similarity to Tea Partyers is an expressed desire to preserve the culture. What’s wrong with that? Isn’t that what assimilation is about?
Q: “The leftists don’t act like Christians to be sure!”
President Obama spent 20 years in a church that preaches Liberation theology. As long as you’re making asinine comparisons you might as well say this dirtbag is just like Obama. From wikipedia: