The following op-ed from the Swiss outlet Basler Zeitung juxtaposes the jihad massacre in Manchester with Donald Trump’s speech in Brussels, and draws some politically incorrect conclusions.
Many thanks to JLH for the translation:
Donald Trump is Right
Manchester and Brussels: the attack and the NATO meeting. The first is a tragedy, and the other is a farce.
by Markus Some
May 27, 2017Saffie Rose Roussos was 8 years old when she was killed on Monday in Manchester, by a bomb detonated in the Manchester Arena by a 22-year-old man, who blew himself up in the process. Saffie, with her mother and sister, had already seen the concert by the singer Ariana Grande, a favorite star of young girls, who had come here by the thousands. Then, when the concert was over and the children and their parents were streaming to the exits, the assassin stepped into the foyer and killed everything that moved. All in the name of his Islamic ideology — a mix of supposed piety and bloodlust. 22 people died, including seven children. Dozens were injured, some seriously. The bomber had filled his bomb with nails, screws and bolts, to impact as many people as possible as brutally as possible.
“Saffie was just a beautiful little girl in every sense of the word,” said Chris Upton, the principal of Saffie’s elementary school. “Everyone liked her and we will lovingly remember her warmth and friendliness. Saffie was quiet and modest and had a creative streak.” Saffie’s mother and sister survived the massacre, but were wounded and are still in the hospital. Her parents run a fish-and-chips restaurant — simple folk who wanted to give their children a nice time that evening.
The Manchester pictures dominate the week — normal people — burned, hurt, lacerated, slaughtered.
Embarrassment in Brussels
Scene change. Not long afterward, a picture of those who at every such occasion declaim their horror and their solidarity loudly and at length, which costs them nothing. And who are, thus, partly responsible for the horror suffered by ordinary people all over the West and beyond. The NATO politicians line up in the NATO headquarters to listen to a speech by the American president, for whom they would never have voted, as is obvious in their distressed expressions. If they are suffering from anything, it is this speech.
And yet the two pictures belong together: Saffie Rose Roussos, the little dead girl in Manchester, and the political elite of Europe (and North America), bemoaning what they themselves helped cause, and still refuse to change.
If there is any reason why these well-educated, well-paid, carefully coiffed, chauffeured and attended rulers must listen to the speech of this disfavored person, it is because they have failed. It is not a popular thing to say in these circles. But when Western politicians can no longer prevent little girls like Saffie from being slaughtered anytime and anywhere for political reasons, then they are useless. States or defensive alliances that can no longer guarantee the security of their citizens are worthless. A political elite that fails in almost every instance that we care about may be the false elite that it pretends to be replacing.
They would not be standing, somewhat embarrassed, here in Brussels, and Trump would never have entered the White House, if his predecessor Barack Obama had not silver-tongued his way through eight years, and left only ruin behind. The new French president, Emmanuel Macron, would not be blinking uncertainly here in the sun if his predecessor François Hollande had not spent five years extending the ruination of his wonderful country.
Angela Markel is failing too, and is still standing here. Almost incomprehensible, unless you are a German voter. Whether it’s the euro, or Brexit — to which she drove the Brits — or Greece, or the energy policy switch or the refugee crisis — she has made so many mistakes that it may have made her invulnerable. People have stopped counting and just don’t believe that such a modest-seeming politician is so likely to shove someone off a cliff. “This presumptively terrorist attack,” she said, referring to Manchester, “will only strengthen our resolve to go forward together with our British friends against those who plan such inhumane deeds.” Seldom has there been such a hollow-sounding statement of solidarity.
Two years ago the same woman said “We can do it” [Wir schaffen das] and invited millions of people — random, unevaluated — to come to Europe, from countries where it was known that terrorists had recruited many young men (and a few women), and are continuing to do so. If there is even one terrorist hidden among 1,000 refugees, that is enough for an attack in Manchester or Munich or Mannheim.
It takes some chutzpah to talk like that, to shed crocodile tears — crocodiles being only “presumptively” bad. How differently Trump speaks. And whenever he has his head on straight and says something, I understand why the elite of the status quo — not just here in Brussels, but in Washington — hates and fights him. Because he is right, and they know it.
Trump, the Barbarian
Donald Trump is correct in holding the failed immigration policy of the West, among other things, responsible for Manchester. He is right to say in NATO headquarters in Brussels that 23 of 28 member states are not paying their fair share for defense. Brussels often denounces us Swiss as freeloaders and cherry-pickers, so it is good to see this cataloguing of egotism. 2% of GDP is what the NATO countries have agreed as a common contribution. Only five are fulfilling their obligation.
The USA (3.6% for 2016), Greece (2.3%), Great Britain (2%), Estonia (2.1%) and Poland (2.0%). All others contribute far less, especially Merkel’s Germany. The most powerful country in Europe spends only 1.2% on defense. Belgium is even worse at a mere .8%, followed only by Luxembourg (.4%).
As a counteraction to this wretched fiscal morale of the Belgian state, NATO recently moved into a new headquarters, at the cost of over a billion euros. Trump was also right in saying that he never asked what this glass building had cost, “But it is beautiful.” For that bit of sarcasm, they would have gladly fed the New York billionaire poison. And Trump is right in saying that they could have devoted 119 billion dollars to the battle against terrorism and uncontrolled immigration, if the other NATO nations had fulfilled their obligations. In terms of defense expenditures, Switzerland is just as much a freeloader on the Americans and their implied guarantee of security. Our defense budget is ca. four billion francs. If we were in NATO, it would have to be around 13 billion. It is high time to change that.
The leaders of Europe stood before Donald Trump like schoolchildren who had done something. They seemed awkward, caught out. They whispered like kids, tried to make jokes, although they knew the teacher had caught them. It was a great appearance by Donald Trump, the outsider they all hated and therefore opposed. Instead, they ought to fight the ones who are making life hell for us here in the West, those “presumptive” murderers who killed Saffie, that little girl who was a fan of Ariana Grande.
Good article. Pleasantly, surprising to me that Greece with its money troubles can pay more than its fair share when 23 other members are not. Can anyone explain this?
Maybe it has a VERY small GDP!
yes it has, however it has twice the gdp of the 80 million people Turkey has.
As far as I know, the greek military uses a consceiption system where alle men must serve a year (or somewhere there about), which boosts the cost. I could also easily see some inflated costs due to inefficient administration. The largest part of it is their proximity to, and history with, Turkey.
It’s fear of the Turk, of course. The Turks intimidate the Greeks with their huge army. I’m surprised that the Turks as a NATO member aren’t contributing more than 2 percent.
Even that 2 % is pain by EU and USA in the form of Jizya also called foreign aid. If the pampered Turks pay zero they will still be the boss of NATO as they are now. NATO ‘s stupid motto is : aggression against one is aggression against all. HAHAHA what a joke: Turkish aggression against, Kurds, Greece and Cypress is not aggression. Actually it is helped and approved by the west.
Just look back ’74 invasion and occupation of Northern Cypress: The Turkish Caliphate in Northern Kibris, where 18 thousands infidels were buried alive. The west had crap in their mouth to talk about human rights in this case and occupation suffering as they are talking about the west bank day and night. No human rights for you, only for mushies of the Highway Pirate.
I agree NATO is a detriment, rather than a benefit. Who are they defending against? Russia. Russia already voluntarily gave up its empire on the condition that the countries it liberated not join NATO. Some of them are joining NATO. NATO is building missile emplacements and military bases on the borders of Russia, always a display of brinksmanship.
The biggest external, organized threat to Europe is Turkey, a NATO member in good standing. The biggest threat to Europe currently is Muslim immigration, enforced by the diplomatic maneuverings of Turkey.
NATO as a body committed decisive actions against the Serb factions in the Bosnia and Kosovo wars. The legacy of that intervention is a pair of Muslim countries serving as a safe house for Muslim terrorists.
NATO takes part in the bombing of Syrian government forces, the only real alternative to the Islamic State, other than a couple of ragtag al qaeda groups equipped, financed and trained by the CIA.
NATO is a bureaucratic monstrosity, whose demise would richly benefit Europe, the US, and most of the world. The only good thing about the whole boondoggle is that according to one of Parkinson’s laws, a new, expensive, ostentatious headquarters of an organization is a sure sign the organization is in the final stages of an irreversible decline.
Good one. Just one thing; you forgot to ruminate on the dubious parentage of the abominable leader of that organization. Norwegians know him well.
Of course the European politicians have failed. The question is : why are they still in charge?
Of course these animals, who call themselves political leaders, are to blame. But when are the public in Europe going to realize this and do something about it? The truth is, the people who voted these people into power are almost as guilty as the politicians themselves. Europe is decadent to the core of its being. Nothing short of immense suffering can shake it out of its hedonist lethargy, but that too is coming.
Right you are.
“When are the public in Europe going to realize this and do something about it?”
As the Baron said, “Hundreds of millions of people are stuck on stupid”, and how true! Look at France and Netherlands, they both just voted for more of the same, as Germany will too, and whatever way you look at it, U.K. too will vote for more of the same, as Brexit is floundering and a shocking number of Brits are coming to accept the ‘new normal’.
‘politically incorrect conclusions’
Please elaborate & explain this statement
It’s politically incorrect to say, “Donald Trump is right.” In fact, it’s heresy.
They are more interested in being politically correct than protecting their people or country , they are terrified of Russia , they know if Russia wanted they would be in Paris in a week but they would rather spend the defence funds on social justice warriors very PC . Having a defense policy based on the good will of Russia who they continually antagonize pointed out to them is bad press ,they hate Trump for showing them their folly , their constituents may just listen to Trump’s words , start thinking , and boot them out at election time .
Their ” war ” is for social justice , not the survival of their population , what matter a few dead kids sacrificed on the PC altar , in the war for glorious social equality for all .
Worthless in the eyes of whom? Those who are in power or those who are not?
Great article; however, as usual, it does not name the enemy causing all this: Islam. Islam is being encouraged and empowered by the prog leaders in the West, but it is still the root evil. Until we are free to name the enemy, he will continue his rise to power.
I’m all for prosecuting these traitors who have sold their citizens the rope to hang themselves with. Let us now use that same rope to hang the traitors with.
About this complacency in the face of catastrophe by the general public:
I wonder if a large part of the explanation for this is public assistance. It does not only attract mideasterners who would rather not work. It also takes much of the self-worth away from its native able bodied working age people, ones for whom fiscal self sufficiency creates self worth. It matters very much to himself whether a commercial fisherman knows what he is doing or not. For a man on the dole, not so much. The man on the dole may create self worth for the social worker, but his own self worth would have mattered a lot more to a society. Self worth from the creation of wealth or productis not at all the same as self- esteem or narcissism, but all may prosper by it.
I would also wonder if perhaps a huge part of the money no longer available for investment in job creation has been taken away from job creation for the expansion of social welfare.
Many bureaucratic jobs require college degrees, many productive jobs do not. It can be suggested that we may have replaced useful employed people with useless ones.
In a modern nation in which the indifferent are governed by self interested doers of good for others, there may be no likelihood of rational government.
Now that I may have offended almost everyone, well that is fine, any of my points can be modified to some extent, but the general ideas may be sound.
Incidentally, I do not think severely of those presumeably lower class people on public assistance. I suspect that they may comprise the only large group of voters whose waking up may change things.
30 years ago I went on unemployment benefits for 8 months. Never again. I saw what that does to people. At the individual level it destroys self-confidence, accountability, motivation to succeed, optimism, creativity.
At social level it destroys family unit b/c the female can increase her income by being a single parent and it rewards male irresponsibility. Thus the children end up psychologically damaged and ill-prepared to start families of their own. Such ‘benefits’ also remove the motivation to pursue education and plan for a positive future.
I suspect receiving income for free also erodes spiritual beliefs and a willingness to help others. There are few areas of life not adversely affected by this, and yet we sincerely believe it’s a social good, and even necessary.
The only real benefits from government assistance, which is essentially income redistribution, goes to the administrators and bureaucrats of the government organization which provides the handouts.
It might be better to have a private insurance for unemployment, that one can join or not. That would make getting unemployment benefits no more a handout than, say, private long-term health insurance.
And of course, an aspiring totalitarian government would be happy to encompass as many people as possible into its welfare state. Borrow your financing from countries like Saudi Arabia, on the small condition that Muslim immigration be looked on favorably.
Remember when Hillary was confronted by the coal miner who confronted her with the fact she wanted to put him out of a job.
Her lame reply was that she supported government benefits for him and his fellow unemployed workers, including retraining (for jobs her policies would continue to export).
Bless you for finding the laughter in this. It will keep us sane.
Ann Barnhardt writes in her article “Manchester: The Brutal Truth”. Ariana Grande’s art is indoctrination of young people in pure evil.
http://www.barnhardt.biz/2017/05/27/manchester-the-brutal-truth/
State has a right to tax citizens only because it provides them some basic services. The most important of these is physical security provided by police and army. A state that stops protecting it’s citizens should also stop collecting taxes and pay back what it owes to the people. Just saying. It’s very simple.
One of the big problems is that the political elite, and leftists, not only tolerate the behavior by the Islamists, they defend and protect it in all sorts of manners. The blood is also on their hands.
Perhaps it is time to take care of your own, friends and families’ safety in your own hands? ..:-))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzrkS1C5tN8