Voice in the Wilderness

Churchill’s Counsel for July 7, 2005

“These cruel, wanton, indiscriminate bombings of London are, of course, a part of Hitler’s invasion plan. He hopes, by killing large numbers of civilians, and women and children, that he will terrorise and cow the people of this mighty imperial city, and make them a burden and anxiety to the Government and thus distract our attention unduly from the ferocious onslaught he is preparing. Little does he know the spirit of the British nation, or the tough fibre of the Londoners, whose forebears played a leading part in the establishment of Parliamentary institutions and who have been bred to value freedom far above their lives. …

He has lighted a fire which will burn with a steady and consuming flame until the last vestiges of Nazi tyranny have been burnt out of Europe…” Winston Churchill, Radio Address, September 11, 1940

As the fires of the July 7 terrorist bombings of London flicker away, it would be wise for those on both sides of the Atlantic to reflect on the many insights of Britain’s greatest Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. Mr. Churchill’s guidance can comfort us in our sense of loss and vulnerability as well as light our path to the proper attitude and response.

"From Indonesia to Morocco, the Moslem peoples are in ferment” - Understand the Enemy
Mr. Churchill had a clear understanding of radical Islam long before most in the West. Speaking in the House of Commons way back in 1921, Churchill warned,

“A large number of Bin Saud’s followers belong to the Wahabi sect, a form of Mohammedanism…. The Wahabis profess a life of exceeding austerity, and what they practise themselves they rigorously enforce on others. They hold it as an article of duty, as well as of faith, to kill all who do not share their opinions and to make slaves of their wives and children.” House of Commons Address, June 12, 1921

Later, when comparing Islam to Hinduism,

“…Muslims, a race of far greater physical vigour and fierceness, armed with a religion which lends itself only too readily to war and conquest.” Royal Albert Hall, March 18, 1931

Mr. Churchill astutely observes the fatalism and present danger of radical Islam. As the grieving and shock of July 7 fades, let us remember that the enemy is not attacking because of poverty or Western oppression or any other fashionable “root cause”. The worldview of Islamic radicals requires rigorous adherence to their graceless absolute and militaristic subjugation of all who oppose them. Islamofascists attack because of who they are.

“Casting away real and important means of security and survival for vain shadows and for ease” – The Wrong and Right Responses to Intimidation
The incandescent quality of Churchill’s words illuminate human nature. He well understood that the criminal mindset thrives on the weakness and appeasement of its victims. Regarding the disastrous Munich agreement that gave away part of Czechoslovakia to the Nazis, Churchill said,

“Many people at the time of the September crisis thought they were only giving away the interest of Czechoslovakia, but with every month that passes you will see that they were also giving away the interests of Britain, and the interests of peace and justice.” March 14, 1939

Rewarding terror and violence with concessions simply encourages more of the same. Withdrawing from the War on Terror in Iraq will only purchase insecurity and pain for future British generations. The true path lies through united strength, vigilance, and counterstrokes against the enemy. I hope and pray that my fellow English speakers across the Atlantic take up the same spirit as the Brits of bygone days when responding to Nazi terror.

“…[Hitler] sought to break the spirit of the British nation by the bombing, first of London, and afterwards of our great cities. It has now been proved, to the admiration of the world, and of our friends in the United States, that this form of blackmail by murder and terrorism, so far from weakening the spirit of the British nation, has only roused it to a more intense and universal flame than was ever seen before in any modern community.” Broadcast, February 9, 1941

“The courage, the unconquerable grit and stamina of the Londoners showed itself from the very outset. ...If the storm is to renew itself, London will be ready, London will not flinch, London can take it again. …We will have now truce or parley with you, or the grisly gang who work your wicked will. You do your worse, and we will do our best.” County Hall, London, July 14, 1941

The un-uniformed enemies who carried out the July 7 attacks made a grand blunder in forgetting British history. As Mr. Churchill illustrates below, the British race has a peculiar knack of drawing renewed strength upon being struck.

“Do not let us speak of darker days; let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days: these are great days – the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.” Harrow School address, October 29, 1941

“This, therefore, is one of those moments when the British race and nation can show their quality and their genius. This is one of those moments when it can draw from the heart of misfortune the vital impulses of victory.” Broadcast, Feb. 15, 1942 after the fall of Singapore

The British people have a heritage of steadfastness and perseverance against the variegated tyrannies that have threatened the rights of man. Recall Mr. Churchill’s legendary Harrow School address in the dreadful, early days of WWII:

“…never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” Harrow School address, October 29, 1941

Furthermore, as Mr. Churchill observes below, all this persevering has a practical purpose:

“And if you hold out alone long enough, there always comes a time when the tyrant makes some ghastly mistake which alters the whole balance of the struggle.” Broadcast, May 13, 1945

Today, the last hope of the Islamofascists is weakening resolve among the champions of freedom. If we yield to the defeatist voices of passivism and settle for a shameful peace, it will be us who have made the ghastly mistake. Instead, I share the view of Mr. Churchill that the way to respond is to strike at the fears of the enemy.

“…Hitler has been frightened by the volume and passion of the world indignation which his spectacular atrocity has excited. …

This, as you will have little doubt, is not due to mercy, to compassion, to compunction, but to fear, and a dawning consciousness of personal insecurity rising in a wicked heart.” Mansion House, London, November 10, 1941

Of course many Islamicists have no fear of death. However, the states and dictators that blithely ignore or actively harbor them do fear the spread of freedom and democratic representation, like those being built in Iraq and Afghanistan. That is a threat to their power. Together, we should continue to increase their personal insecurity for without their nourishment, the thorny patch of Islamicism will wither.

“The Old World Joins Hands with the New” – Maintain the Disciplined Unity of our Array
The unity of the US and UK have helped provide relative peace and prosperity to the world for the last 60 years. But threats to freedom and the rights of mankind are relentless. Presciently, Mr. Churchill conjoins these two facts below:

“Upon the fraternal association and intimate alignment of policy of the United States and the British Commonwealth and Empire depends, more than on any other factor, the immediate future of the world. …If they fall apart and wander astray from the commanding beacon-light of their destiny, there is no end or measure to the miseries and confusion which await modern civilization.” June 30, 1943

Together, we have defeated continental tyrants, faced down the Red Menace, and so far forestalled another worldwide conflagration. Now, the asymmetric nihilism emanating from the Middle East casts a pall over our lives and institutions and those of many others in the world. As Mr. Churchill notes, safeguarding them is the Anglosphere’s history and destiny.

“One thing is certain: with the world divided as it is at present, the freedom of our vast international association of the free peoples can only be founded upon strength and strength can only be maintained by unity.” The Guildhall, London, November 9, 1954

“In the increasing unity of the Anglo-American thought and action resides the main foundation of the freedom and progress of all men in all the lands. Let us not weary, let us not lose confidence in our mission, let us not fail in our duty in times of stress, let us not flinch if danger comes…” Dorchester Hotel, London, July 4, 1950

In war, a determined enemy sometimes lands a punch that bloodies. Therefore, I urge my British friends to be encouraged by their forebears and history. We in the United States who love freedom stand with you, empathize with your mourning, and are ready to go forward together bearing with us the swords of justice. We have not failed in the past. By God’s grace, we shall not fail now.