In the late 80s, Margaret Thatcher warned George H.W. Bush "not to go wobbly" on her; in the past week both the Scottish Justice Secretary and the government of the United States have "gone wobbly" in the fight against terrorism.
Let's review what happened on December 21, 1988. Pan Am flight 103 was en route from London's Heathrow Airport to New York's JFK carrying 259 people. They were citizens of 21 nations, among them students returning from study abroad, young families, honeymooners, United Nations officials, and members of the U.S. military. They all became unsuspecting victims of the most heinous terror attack prior to 9/11, their plane ripped from the sky by an explosion. The plane splintered into pieces and fiery wreckage was hurtled across over one mile of Lockerbie, Scotland killing 11 more people on the ground.
The U.K. dealt with this crime against humanity in a manner consistent with liberal democracy and the rule of law. Scottish authorities jointly investigated the bombing with the FBI, identified Abdel Basset Megrahi, tried and convicted him, and sentenced the 48-year-old to die in jail.
Last week, Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill decided to free Megrahi on compassionate grounds—this terrorist has terminal cancer—and his return to Libya was viewed on both sides of the pond as a shameful indulgence in liberal jurisprudence.
Mr. MacAskill's decision was an affront to those who suffered this grisly fate and to a nation's longing for justice. And contrary to what Mr. MacAskill may have imagined, those who gave Megrahi a hero's welcome saw only weakness in the minister's decision. This wobbliness, far from endearing us to the terrorists, only stiffens their resolve to build a world-wide Caliphate on the rubble of Western Democracy.
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