May 10, 2006
H.L. Mencken once wrote that, “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” Never was this more clearly demonstrated than in a Virginia jury’s decision to spare the life of September 11th co-conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. In sentencing Moussaoui to life in prison, the jury sent a distinct message that is demonstrated in many ways across this great land of ours: We have become a nation of navel-gazing wimps. Stupid ones at that!
Despite Moussaoui’s confession of his involvement in the attacks of September 11th, and his repeated blatherings of allegiance to Osama Bin Laden, this jury became squeamish about offing this loser. Moussaoui has spent the last four years spitting in the eye of the families of the dead and mocking the very justice system which spared his life, and yet his final statement as he left the courtroom betrayed no remorse: “America, you lost. I won.”
Not surprisingly, the jury cited Moussaoui’s “unstable childhood and a violent father” as mitigating factors in its decision to spare his life. Small wonder so many consider the U.S. weak and spineless. We allow illegal immigrants to march in the streets demanding “rights,” and we deliver no retribution for the violent deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans. None of the jurors agreed that life in prison was a greater punishment than execution—essentially saying that they had compassion for this cold-blooded killer.
Somehow a huge number of people in this country have bought into the notion that “compassion” and being “non-judgmental” makes them superior and allows them to feel good about themselves, when in fact, it merely makes them suckers. Terrorists worldwide now know that they can continue their evil deeds without fear of American payback. And mark my words, it won’t be long before an American citizen is held hostage somewhere, with the captors demanding Moussaoui’s release.
Sadly, American softness is nothing new. We’ve been on a long road to fuzziness since as far back as I can remember. Common sense has been overwhelmed by a fear and self-loathing so strong that individual wants have trumped the collective, and we’ve allowed a few shrill voices to establish today’s mores.
“Ooh, he called me a name!! That’s a hate crime!! Waaahhh!! He’s smoking—I’m going to get sick from secondhand smoke!! I CAN’T EAT THAT—IT HAS TOO MANY CARBS!! I’M A FATASS—I’M GOING TO SUE MC DONALD’S!!
We’re a nation of whiners and the far-left is largely responsible. The tree-huggers bemoan rising gas prices even as they picket to stop drilling in Alaska, rage against the construction of nuclear power plants, and drive their SUV’s. They rally against wind farms because a handful of birds may be harmed. They hold candlelight vigils to protest the execution of Michael Morales, who brutally raped and murdered a seventeen-year old girl, on the contention that lethal injection would subject him to “excruciating pain,” but they have no problem ripping a fetus from the womb because they believe in “choice.”
Lest you think I’m pro-life, I assure you I am not—I’m merely consistent. I’m in Bill Maher’s camp when he says he’s pro-death. Let’s kill unwanted children before they’re brought into this world to be ignored, become bitter, and finally visit crime upon the rest of us. And let’s certainly kill those who have such disregard for human life that they would kill others. And before you say it’s illogical and inhumane to teach respect for human life by killing, let me point out the idiocy of such a statement. By that reasoning, it would be wrong to incarcerate a kidnapper because “you can’t teach someone not to hold another against their will by holding the perpetrator against his will.”
But I digress—the intent of this blog was to illustrate what a bunch of softies we have become. And one need look no further than the way kids play now. On the rare occasion that a youngster drags himself from in front of his endless online chats, we can see him riding his bike with more protective gear than Neil Armstrong donned on July 20th, 1969. Indeed, one is hard-pressed to even find an adult who will ride helmet-less these days. And a little league baseball game sees kids outfitted like football players, with forearm pads and facemasks over their batting helmets. Sheeesh!!!! And where the hell did peanut allergies come from?? Why did I and virtually everyone I grew up with subsist on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for years with nary a complaint of allergies? Yet now, airlines and schools are bending over backwards to appease these self-indulgent peanut hypochondriacs.
Sadly, things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better, as more and more bizarre lawsuits pop up and more and more people portray themselves as victims to absolve themselves of personal responsibility. H.L. Mencken must have been a rich man!