PrintNovember 21, 2010
Throwing Money at Suicide Bombers
The Obama administration astonished economists all over the world with its claim to have created "or saved" millions of jobs with its gusher of stimulus money. The $780 billion that kicked off the Niagara of spending was only the beginning of a spend-a-thon that shows no signs of slowing down.
The latest outrage is this: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced she wants another $160 million to go to something called the Palestinian Authority. That outfit is the offspring of Yasser Arafat's terrorist Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), otherwise known as Fatah.
Now, the $160 million is over and above the $600 million already given to Arafat's heirs by the Obama administration this year. You might think of it as an "incentive." You see, the Fatah organization hasn't staged an intifada against the Israelis on the West Bank this year, at least not yet. Nor has Fatah launched too many rockets into Israeli cities from the areas where they claim autonomy. That task is left to their brethren in Gaza who answer to the Hamas organization.
Hamas is supposedly the bad twin of Palestinian groups. Fatah is supposed to be our "partner in peace."
It was President Kennedy who famously said "civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof." So let's apply a little sincerity test to the actions of Mahmoud Abbas, the supposed head of the Palestinian Authority.
It was reported some years ago that Mahmoud Abbas' puppet legislature had voted to provide subsidies to the families of shahids. That's the Arabic word for "martyr." We would call these Arab suicide bombers terrorists.
Under the new law, the terrorist's family will be paid a base sum of $250 per month. The law takes into account extended family arrangements commonplace in Arab societies. The families of married terrorists are entitled to an additional $50 per month, and $15 are added for each child, $25 for each parent, and $15 for each brother who lived with the terrorist prior to his death.
That was from a story from the Israeli press. What the source didn't mention is whether the survivors of these suicide bombers got bonuses for Israelis killed by their actions.
What a revolting situation. How did we come to this pass? How can any American public official countenance giving a penny to the Palestinian Authority?
We are deluding ourselves if we think Mahmoud Abbas, the PLO, Fatah, or the so-called Palestinian Authority are our partners for peace. They are a terrorist organization, plain and simple.
More than two hundred years ago, our young republic was still unsteady, untested. We had massive debt we were trying to manage. In 1798, President John Adams sent a diplomatic mission to France, trying to make peace with that violent and revolutionary regime.
Before the French foreign minister, Talleyrand, would talk to our diplomats, however, he demanded a huge personal bribe. The American delegation -- which included that staunch Virginia Federalist, John Marshall -- rejected that demand. They flatly refused to pay.
Our negotiators sent back to Philadelphia a message about the failure of their mission. The diplomatic note carefully concealed the names of those to whom the bribes were to have been paid. They were called merely Messrs. X,Y, and Z.
Soon, word of the demanded bribe leaked. And a huge controversy arose. We called it the X,Y, Z Affair. A cry immediately went up: "Millions for defense; not one cent for tribute!"
We were a young republic then. But we were determined not to allow ourselves to be bamboozled by corrupt foreign despots.
What happened to the Spirit of '98? We were young then, true, but we had our self- respect.
Why are we today so deluded or so craven that we are willing to tax hardworking Americans to pay bonuses to the families of murderous Arab terrorists?
If the new Congress is looking for places to cut spending, I suggest cutting every penny that goes to the notoriously corrupt Mahmoud Abbas and his gang. Compared to what we are now shelling out, that bribe to the corrupt Talleyrand would have been merely chump change.
Giving money to Abbas and his cronies is not only financially indefensible, but it is geopolitical suicide. We cannot win the war on terror by trying to buy off the next generation of suicide bombers.
