Rauf’s motives for not moving the Ground Zero Mosque?

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jEincsjPzkZo6_gBr4jVuVlkB_OwD9I45DSG0

The above AP article, entitled "Imam fears moving NYC mosque could inflame tension" was published a day or so ago. If the Mosque is not moved, the above may express Rauf's motives for wanting keep his plans unchanged. Assuming that Rauf really does fear that moving the Ground Zero Mosque might cause a "violent backlash from Muslim extremists and endanger national security," we can draw some interesting inferences. The first is that he fears an Islamic reaction more than he fears an American reaction.

What is at stake for the Muslim extremists, we might ask? We know from their history that Islam has a pattern of building victory mosques over defeated enemy's national structures, and for those of us who bother to read Muslim history that fact is troubling when we think about this Cordoban Mosque being built where it is. But are the Muslim extremists Rauf is worried about familiar with that aspect of their history, the building of victory mosques? Of course they needn't be scholars of Muslim history (as is almost mandatory in the U.S. if an American wants to gain an accurate view of such implications) to be fed that bit of Islamic bravado.

In effect what Rauf is saying is that if they don't go ahead and build the Ground Zero Mosque right where it is, then lots of Muslims are going to throw tantrums, scream invectives against the U.S., kill some innocent people, and blow up a few things. Lefties and pacifists are undoubtedly in favor of giving in to this bullying. I think that is a mistake. Do we in the U.S. really want to live in the 21st century? If so we need to enforce our views about tolerance. We can't give in to intolerant people just because they threaten us. We once had leaders who when threatened could say "Millions for defense, sir, but not one cent for tribute." I wonder whether many in our present crop of leaders could say something like this.

Of course Rauf is not an American leader. He has his own agenda, but we as a nation should not put ourselves into a position of caving in to a threat of a "violent backlash." If we get in the habit of giving in each time intolerant Muslims threaten us with their rage and violence then we have a sorry future to look forward to. Leftists and Pacifists think wonderful things can happen when we give in to threats of violence, but history doesn't support them.

Another inference to be drawn from Rauf's "fears" is that we as a nation no longer have the backbone to stand up to threats. Early on Osama bin Laden argued that we could drop bombs from high altitudes (referring to what we did in Bosnia) but didn't have the guts to fight on the ground. Our Marines and soldiers have proved him wrong in Afghanistan and Iraq, but our politicians and other civilians may yet prove him right back here in the states. We have become soft like Europeans protected during the cold War.

I've begun reading the 1918 classic by Charles E. Chapman, A History of Spain, and just today found a case in point: "In the third and fourth centuries Spain suffered, like the rest of the empire, from the factors which were bringing about the gradual dissolution of imperial rule. Population declined, in part due to plagues, and taxes increased; luxury and long peace had also softened the people, so that the barbarians from the north of Europe, who had never ceased to press against the Roman borders, found resistance to be less and less effective. . . ."

Chapman's history was based to a great extent upon the much larger history in Spanish written in 1911 by Rafael Altamira. What I have quoted will surprise no reader of history. It is well known that a soft people used to luxury cannot stand very well against a tough more barbarous people. When we consider our military, we can see that militarily we aren't soft, but bin Laden isn't interested in targeting our military. Islamists targets our Left-ridden civilians who are demonstrably soft. Would that our civilians would quit whining and elect leaders willing to stand up to barbarous bullies.