Cowards?

Time and again we witness Western governments act as if only by cowering to Islamist demands can they keep the peace. Yet they will crack down on every group except those undermining native societal norms.

We who are appalled by their one-sided actions will invariably call them cowards. That is easy to do as we compare their behavior with that of courageous actions of past Western leaders.

Cowards they may indeed be. However.

Permitting themselves to be seen as cowards provides them the latitude to be complicit.

How precisely does a turncoat and fifth columnist act? In your face directly? Or more likely like Senator Palpatine — behaving meek and cowardly so that the young, foolish and indoctrinated strike the men who would save them from him?

When you’ve good reason to doubt, figure complicity -- and the rest is then a matter of resolve.