"Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder"

yesterday's Wall Street Opinion Journal had an eye opening interview with a fiery and opinionated italian journalist and author, Oriana Fallaci.

the interview covered a lot of territory, but several things came out that really struck home.

Ms. Fallaci speaks in a passionate growl: "Europe is no longer Europe, it is 'Eurabia,' a colony of Islam, where the Islamic invasion does not proceed only in a physical sense, but also in a mental and cultural sense. Servility to the invaders has poisoned democracy, with obvious consequences for the freedom of thought, and for the concept itself of liberty."

and one of the most jarring and telling statements

The impending Fall of the West, as she sees it, now torments Ms. Fallaci. And as much as that Fall, what torments her is the blithe way in which the West is marching toward its precipice of choice. "Look at the school system of the West today. Students do not know history! They don't, for Christ's sake. They don't know who Churchill was!

i know that most kids in the u.s. don't either. the only link they have with history is watching an indiana jones movie, where indy talks about the knights templar or something.

Ms. Fallaci, who made her name by interviewing numerous statesmen (and not a few tyrants), believes that ours is "an age without leaders. We stopped having leaders at the end of the 20th century." Of George Bush, she will concede only that he has "vigor," and that he is "obstinate" (in her book a compliment) and "gutsy. . . . Nobody obliged him to do anything about Terri Schiavo, or to take a stand on stem cells. But he did."

But it is "Ratzinger" (as she insists on calling the pope) who is her soulmate. John Paul II--"Wojtyla"--was a "warrior, who did more to end the Soviet Union than even America," but she will not forgive him for his "weakness toward the Islamic world. Why, why was he so weak?"

i have to admit that i don't know much about the current pontiff, but i'm making it a point to. i think i'm beginning to see why the left was up in arms about his selection. anyone that doesn't think like they do, that doesn't toe the liberal line must be some sort of nazi. and we all know that nazis are bad. so by comparing anyone to a nazi or simply calling them a nazi is just about the worst form of name calling we have available in the west. look at the power of the phrase "like a nazi". durbin, the rep who got his head handed to him for making the broad and sweeping generalities that our treatment of the gitmo prisoners could be compared to the death camps was outrageous and misguided. but in this politically correct modern world, he can make those statements and have many back his play.
i have no argument with those that come to our country to better their lives and the lives of their children. i do have an issue with those same folks that come here expecting society to change to accommodate them, rather than they assimilate into the society. if things were so good where they came from, they should stay there. the reason things are so good here, and why folks from around the world struggle and not a few face life threatening events to reach american soil, is that we have a society based on the individuals worth. it works. and trying to change it to accomodate some 7th century ideal is crazy beyond the pale.