France:
Friend or Foe of Liberty
by Robert Yoho, Columnist and Senior Editor
"Eye on Conservatism"
In New York Harbor, there stands the Statue of Liberty, a gift to the United
States from the people of France. The statue was given to us in recognition
of the friendship forged between the two nations during the American Revolution.
In short, Lady Liberty is a celebration of freedom.
The nation of France also had its own revolution in pursuit of freedom. However, their system of government and their reaction to worldwide threats would lead you to believe they no longer value it.
A little over a week ago, a French oil tanker was nearly destroyed by a bomb blast in Yemen. The circumstances of the attack were startlingly similar to the attack on the U.S.S. Cole, when a lone boat loaded with explosives rammed into the side of the tanker.
The nation of France seems remarkably hesitant and nearly unwilling to blame the attack on terrorists. I was amazed by their reaction, but not surprised by it.
No one will ever be made to pay for this deliberate act of terrorism. The perpetrators will go unpunished.
The terrorists will not be brought to justice; nor will justice be brought to the terrorists. A once-great nation has gone to seed.
Following the attacks of September 11th, the French gave us their tepid support for our war on terror. However, as President Bush and the United States ratchet up the pressure on Saddam Hussein, French President Jacques Chirac sits idly on the sidelines, nearly wetting his pants in fear.
There is no other nation on the United Nations Security Council that has made a bigger point of not being threatening to its neighbors. In the past century, France is renown for it cowardice. This is a country that wouldn’t even let American planes fly over their airspace when we bombed Libya in the ‘80s. In World War II, Britain fought Hitler with everything they had; France folded like a cheap suit when confronted with the German Blitzkriegs.
If we learned anything from this latest attack, it is the fact that terrorists will not leave a nation alone just because that nation holds no ill will towards them. As Donald Rumsfeld said recently, "It’s kind of like feeding an alligator, hoping he eats you last."
Terrorists and other purveyors of evil have no respect for those who try to appease them. Although they may hate America, these terrorists respect our military’s power and a Commander-in-Chief with the will to forcefully employ it. Thugs and murderers are not deterred by kind words or peace treaties. They are halted by terrible and unrelenting shows of force. For over fifty years, the enemies of freedom were held at bay by the memories of mushroom clouds over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
If Saddam Hussein is permitted to acquire nuclear weapons, then it is certain every nation in Europe will be caught in his crosshairs. Nor is it likely that France’s timidity will allow them to go unscathed.
When America and the Clinton administration failed to adequately respond to the terror attack on the U.S.S.Cole, it invited our enemies in Al Queda to question our resolve. This perceived weakness was ultimately responsible for the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. France risks the same danger if they fail to forcefully respond to this bombing of their oil tanker.
However, it doesn’t require military action on the part of France. President Bush is more than willing to fight this battle for them and for freedom loving nations everywhere. France has only to give America a strong and unwavering show of support on the UN Security Council. Their vote would send a sign to Iraq and other terrorist nations that these activities will no longer be tolerated. A failure to act will only embolden other, more powerful nations, many of which already have nuclear missile capabilities.
It appears that this once-great nation, which came to our aid in America’s struggle for independence, can no longer choose sides in this latest struggle.
The nation of France used to love liberty. They used to celebrate it. But are they now willing to pay the price it often takes to maintain it? ***
© 2002 Robert Yoho
COPYRIGHT © 2002 BY THE AMERICAN PARTISAN. All writers retain rights to their work.
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