His very words convict him

As long as Islamic terrorists have been striking at the western world, and the US in particular, many in this country have asked, "What have we done to make them so angry with us?" At Belmont Club, Wretcherd states the answer that I've offered any number of times: We exist.

Abu Musab Zarqawi categorically belongs to the second school, which holds that America is to be destroyed for what it is. In an audiotape released on January 23, 2005, Zarqawi puts forth a view which he has repeated many times in the past, but which, like Mein Kampf, some are determined never to hear. In the audio Zarqawi cursed democracy because it promoted such un-Islamic behavior as freedom of religion, rule of the people, freedom of expression, separation of religion and state, forming political parties and majority rule. Freedom of speech was particularly evil because it allowed "even cursing God. This means that there is nothing sacred in democracy."

While these are not the only reasons for extremist Islamic hatred, clearly if the fundamental characteristics of American society are sufficient to mark it for destruction, then nothing will deflect the hatred of the enemy.

We are dangerous because we exist. We are dangerous because we refuse to live under the control of Zarqawi's vision of religious observance.

A couple of years ago, Dennis Prager brought up the news account of an honour killing. A man killed his daughter for outrageous behavior: She had dared to tell him, "It's my life, and I have the right to live it the way I want to." This pernicious idea, that a person is the owner of his, or most especially her, own life is part and parcel of Western thought. That alone is enough to see every Westerner marked for death, or conversion at swordpoint.

The September 11, 2001 attack targeted several buildings. The Pentagon, as the seat of our military, is a logical target. It appears Flight 93 may have been intended to destroy either the White House or the Capitol, seriously damaging our government. But why the World Trade Center?

To be sure, the towers were huge buildings. I heard someplace that each one had it's own ZIP code. It may even have been true. Taking down something like that is a major feat, and bound to make an impression.

But the World Trade Center is a symbol. It's a symbol of capitalism, and of world trade.

Since Adam Smith, the central thesis of capitalism and free trade is that trade occurs only when all parties in the trade decide they're better off after the trade than before. People trade with each other because it's good for them, and not because of a moral imperative, or because a higher authority has told them they must.

Capitalism is based in the idea that every person owns his or her own life, and the fruits of how that life is spent.

Capitalism is about freedom of choice. A believer can choose to do business only with other believers, or he may choose to trade with an infidel. If he so chooses, it is because he has decided he's better off making that trade. And the infidel's lot is also improved, by definition, otherwise the deal would not be made.

Freedom to choose means freedom to choose wrongly.

Freedom to choose wrongly means the possibility of convincing someone else your "wrong" choice is the right one after all.