In an editorial yesterday, the Telegraph of London has proposed "Ten Urgent Steps to Make Britain Safer."

But in its very phrasing the Telegraph itself advanced what George Orwell would have thought to be the  single most important step: a clear and unambiguous understanding of the conflict:

"The war on terror is a war of culture, between the civilisation which stands for freedom and democracy and the corrupt mentality which sees death and destruction as the only acceptable alternative to the establishment of Islamic theocracy."

Hear, hear.

The Bush Administration might well pay attention to the ten steps:

"1. Confidently assert British values

2. Exclude foreign undesirables

3. Repeal the Human Rights Act

 (By which the EU compels Britain to allow entry to dangerous  jihadists who claim persecution in their home countries.)

4. Crackdown on propaganda

5. Make electronic intercept evidence admissable in court

6. Visible police presence

7. Sensible policing

8. Expectation for Muslims to join the police and security forces

9. Effective border controls

10. Increased detention facilities"

Maybe the US could offer its help for the last point by expanding Club Gitmo? If Gitmo were a joint US—British operation, perhaps the snobbish New York Times would see how civilized it really is.

James Lewis    7 24 05