How terrorism could have been and can be prevented

This morning we all woke up to the horrible news about the terrorist attacks on London's subway and bus system. Dozens of innocents have died and hundreds have been wounded. It is a reminder of that terrible day on 9/11 when the US was attacked in New York. At that time I wrote a letter to a number of editors, a bitter letter I must say, which should have had the title "First the Jews and then You". No one wanted to publish it, apparently. Yet, it tells the painful truth.

I am convinced that the only real retardant to terrorism is moral outrage from every corner of the civilized world, from politicians, academics, professionals, workers, union leaders, religious leaders of every stripe, male and female, in other words, civilized society . When the left makes rationalizations and excuses for the murderers, eg. that they are hard done by (in one way or another), that they are "freedom fighters" not really killers, or when the leftist media won't use the word terrorism as it rightly applies to Palestinian murderers, all of this (and more) creates an environment in which terrorism flourishes and finds support. You can't stop every suicide bomber, but if his or her society sees it for the evil it is, and will not condone or tolerate his/her actions, and exposes the evil doers, then this becomes a real restraint. Try to think back to a time when people were appalled and astonished that anyone would have the audacity to take "credit" for mass murder. I remember when that was the climate of opinion. But my letter tells you why and when that changed. My letter is really the subject of this blog. See below.

September 11, 2001.
The Editor,

Dear Sir;

On this black day for America and for all of the civilized world, I want to remind that world that Western leaders, past and present, are culpable, just as they were culpable leading up to the second World War.

I heard Prime Minister Tony Blair say at his press conference today (09/11/01) that the nations of the world have to eradicate international terrorism. Now, he thinks it necessary. But, when terrorists were hijacking El Al planes, it obviously wasn't necessary, because it was only Jews who were killed or endangered. When Palestinian terrorists were killing Jewish athletes or school children, or were bombing the Jewish center in Buenos Aires , it wasn't necessary to eradicate terrorism because the victims were all Jews. And when Palestinians send in suicide bombers almost daily to kill Israeli kids at pizza parlors or night clubs, that's not a good enough reason to worry about global terrorism. Those killed or maimed are all Jews, so let's not get too provoked.

But the world should have learned its lesson. First they kill Jews, then they kill you. Tragically, the world leaders seem to be very weak on history, so they did nothing as long as it was only Jews who were the targets of terrorism.

Just as the millions of human deaths during WW II might never have happened had Western leaders been incensed by the evil perpetrated against Jews by Hitler, and had acted precipitously instead of trying to appease him, so could the innocents of today have been saved from their horrible deaths had the world's leaders taken seriously the earlier terrorist attacks against Jews.

Sincerely,

Professor Sally F. Zerker.