WASHINGTON D.C.—This week British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in Washington to meet with President Barack Obama to discuss, among many things, the disaster caused by BP in the Gulf of Mexico. High on the list of problems facing both world leaders was the accusation that BP had lobbied the governments of Great Britain and Scotland to achieve the release of the terrorist who placed a bomb on a Pan Am flight that resulted in the murder of hundreds of innocent people over Lockerbie some two decades ago.

A doctor diagnosed the convicted terrorist with a rare form of cancer and gave the man just months to live. The terrorist was then granted leniency for his massive numbers of homicides and released by the Scottish government to return home to Libya. When Megrahi, the convicted terrorist who was previously a Libyan intelligence officer returned home, he received a hero’s welcome from the nation’s leader, and thousands of Libyans were waiting at the airport cheering his return.

He kissed the ground he returned to, while hundreds of relatives of his victims were in shock and disbelief by his release. The Scottish praised their ability to forgive and offer clemency at the time, but now are facing an investigation in the matter. Also, members of the British government are being investigated for mishandling this matter. Why should this man’s release matter to the average American? Because the West now looks weak to the terrorists in the Arab world. We showed that our desire for money rules over morality. At the very least, BP’s lobbying the governments of Britain and Scotland proves that major corporate money is not just a problem here in the United States, but is equally systemic in Europe. BP has consistently denied that their lobbying on Megrahi’s behalf had anything to do with their bids on offshore drilling in the Libyan region.

A terrorist, who murdered hundreds, was rewarded with freedom, something his victims will never have. They received a death sentence at his orders, without the possibility of parole or even amnestyMegrahi received both. The terrorists have always argued that we care only about wealth and power and not about human life, though they fail to admit they only care about the same things.

When terrorists around the world see such weakness and corruption in the West, they use that example as a recruiting tool, to show their youth that America and Europe are weak powers that care more about worldly things, and Muslims care about their people. We all know that is not the case, but it’s very sad when the “free world” actually buckles on defense and morality in order to assure BP’s offshore drilling contracts off the coast of Libya. Let’s hope the current investigations prove that accusation to be wrong. Though either way, terrorists now see us showing mercy on a madman, a mistake they won’t make against our innocent civilian citizens.

Please pray for our troops who fight for our freedom and security daily in Afghanistan and Iraq. May they come home when the mission is completed, after success has been achieved.