Adam Michnik, one of the leaders of Poland’s dissident movement against Communist rule throughout the 1980’s is being accused of being an "undiscriminating admirer of America" in the German press. The reason: because he was willing to condemn the September 11 atriocities and was unwilling to say that George W. Bush was no better than Osama bin Laden.
This is the attitude that is rapidly sweeping Europe. While the forces of fundamentalist Islamic theocracy murder, rape, and destroy, Europe is worried that the real enemy is in Washington D.C. As Michnik puts it:
What, then, is our betrayal? Today we reject the notion of equality between a regime that belongs to the democratic world—even if it is conservative and disagreeable—and a totalitarian dictatorship, whether its colors are black, red, or green. This is why we will never again say that Chamberlain is no better than Hitler, Roosevelt no better than Stalin, and Nixon no better than Mao Zedong, even if we do condemn Roosevelt for Yalta, Chamberlain for Munich, and Nixon for Watergate.
Indeed, it is those who have known real totalitarian and real oppression that understand the necessity of combating the spread of terrorism. Certainly Michnik is no fan of the Bush Administration, and he makes that clear. At the same time, he also realizes that there are forces that are truly threats to world peace and must be denounced:
The hatred felt toward America becomes absurd when it ceases to be a critical stance that is normal within democratic discourse and takes up the defense of brutal, totalitarian dictatorships. The so-called peace movements of the Cold War burned effigies of American presidents and genuflected before Stalin’s portraits. We will not repeat such a masquerade today.
Finally, Michnik lays it all down on the line and draws the line between the moral relativism of the "peace" movement and those who truly support a just and lasting peace:
This is why we are at odds with today’s pacifists: We will not peacefully pave the way for those who committed the crimes of Sept. 11 and their allies.
(Link via InstaPundit.)
