The Bombings In Spain

I haven't really commented on the terrorist attacks in Spain yesterday, but I think that they do deserve a special mention.

3/11 will become Spain's version of 9/11. The fact that the carnage and the human toll is but a fraction of 9/11's is a tribute to the effectiveness of the war on terror. The very fact that the best that the terrorists could do was to pull off multiple, nearly simultaneous attacks against an extremely soft target (and rush hour rail service in a major city will always be soft, has to be to move that many people efficiently) really speaks to how weak the terrorists are.

Spain responded today with protest marches, a period of silence and the beginning of three days of mourning.

Since the bombing occured there have been accusations flying around that the Basque separatist group ETA was possibly responsible, but then there are the counter arguments that say that it would be completly out of character for them.

Given the immediate denials of responsibility by ETA and the reaction of the people of the Basque region - joining the rest of Spain in silence and the beginning of mourning - I believe that ETA was most likely not the culprit in this case.

First off, if ETA organized and executed this attack it would be bordering on organizational suicide. If ETA is responsible they will very likely be facing the full wrath and fury of not only the Spanish government, but also the Americans, the Brits, and quite possibly even the French.

If a global terrorist organization like al-Qaida has been made to reel from the onslaught, what could the only possible outcome for a regional group like ETA be? Only complete annihilation.

For ETA this type of attack would not further their purpose in any way, shape, or form. There is no upside, no warning or message that could possibly be sent outside of "Kill me!" No upside; all downside: not too bright.

But when we look at it from the point of view of al-Qaida things make a lot more sense. It is an attack fraught with symbolism. 3/11. 911 days after 9/11. Spain - a nation that has already once thrown off the yoke of Islam. Spain - a nation that steadfastly stood beside the US after 9/11.

Plus it would "prove" that al-Qaida still existed as a somewhat dangerous entity. For the murderous thugs, it could be viewed as a morale boost.

Not to minimize the tragedy of 199 dead and over 1400 more wounded, but if this is the best the al-Qiada can do it only serves to show how far they've fallen. They have gone from glorious suicide missions of unparallelled deviousness to imitating the Palestinians.

Now I am a firm believer in the concept of asymmetrical response. If they killed 199 Spaniards I believe that the Spanish have a moral justification for rooting out these rats by the thousands. If each bomb was denotated by a suicide bomber, they will claim a glorious achievement in having killed 20 infidels for every martyr.

If that's the case, we need to create 200 martyrs for every innocent Spaniard (or Peruvian or Honduran or Pole or Frenchman, Chilean, Cuban, Ecudorian, Colombian, Morrocan, or Guinean) who was murdered in cold-blood on the morning of March 11th, 2004.

This is not a time to be concilliatory. This is not a time to desire negotiations. This is not a time to assume that we can reason with the unreasonable.

al-Qaida understands death and fear. They "fight" for a religion they don't understand. They "fight" for a man who is nothing more than a manipulator of the Jim Jones or David Koresch ilk. They don't understand logic or reason, but they certainly understand that their "friend" met martyrdom as a screaming, bloody mess from the .50 cals that cut him apart. They understand that the contrails high up in the sky mean that tons upon tons of explosive metal are above to indiscriminately martyr them or their friends. They understand fear and they understand death.

The only way we will ever truly defeat al-Qaida is to make it simply too risky to become a member. When potential terrorists watch as their role models are dying not as valiant warriors, but screaming and writhing in excrutiating pain inflicted by an enemy that often can't even be seen, that might help to influence more than a few loons to go off and become sand castle artists instead. Will we influence all of them? No. But eventually the pool of prospects will start to realize that it is they who are dying in horrific ways while the same master manipulators and liars keep trying to recruit them. Eventually the truth of the intent of the organization, the accumulation of power and wealth by a few at the expense of the many, will become painfully obvious.

It is disheartening to think that another nation has had to suffer the tragedy of an attack like this. It is even worse to think that it was a stalwart ally like Spain that was the nation. No one deserved this.

Unfortunately it probably won't be the last time it happens. More friends will suffer and die at the hands of this living evil.

We owe it to the memory of all those who have died to fight the good fight against these terrorists, to protect our homes, our nations, and our futures.