If I went to Somalia and was refused a ride in a taxi because I was carrying alcoholI would have no comlaint, but would leave Somalia immediately. Not because I love alcohol, but because I love liberty. Imagine now, going to Minneapolis-St. Paul and being refused service in a cab because you are carrying alcohol. That's what is happening, because Muslims don't drink, none of us should. How the commission regulating taxi drivers lets this happen I have no idea, but it shows once again that we are on a slippery slope.
"Buzek, the flight attendant, said she was refused service in March after she told a driver to be careful with her suitcase because it had wine in it. Other drivers in the taxi line passed the word, she said, and four more refused her service. A dispatcher finally steered her to a driver who would take the fare.
Buzek, who grew up in Poland, said her treatment goes against American values.
"I came to this country and I didn't expect anybody to adjust to my needs," she said. "I don't want to impose my beliefs on anyone else. That's why I'm in this country, because of the freedom.
"What's going to be next? ... Do I have to cover my head?"
Friday, September 29, 2006
Carter Disses W. Again.
Jimmy CArter, possibly? no probably the worst president in U.S. history continues to slam the president. Appearing in suport of his son who is running for the U.S. Senate in Nevada, has once again turned his guns on George W. Litle wonder our enemies around the world soldier on, waiting breathlessly for a Democrat to seize the White House. Only then will they be saved from the unrelenting pressure Bush has brought to bear on Islamofacists.
Jimmy continues to hone his reputation as the worst ex-U.S. President. Ever.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
What to do, what to say...
...that won't bring a fatwa on your head?
I don't mean the Pope, the Peace of Christ be with him, I mean the Muslim envoys who left the meeting with the Holy Father with no comment. They must run any comment by the mob in the streets to make sure it passes muster before opening their collective mouths.
Pope Meets with Muslims
I don't mean the Pope, the Peace of Christ be with him, I mean the Muslim envoys who left the meeting with the Holy Father with no comment. They must run any comment by the mob in the streets to make sure it passes muster before opening their collective mouths.
Pope Meets with Muslims
Denmark Waking Up?
Denmark and Islam
"COPENHAGEN On Sept. 5, the day Danish police arrested nine Muslim suspects in connection with a foiled terrorist plot, a slender book warning of conquest by Islamic fundamentalists in Europe appeared in bookstores here.
"Islamists and Naivists," by Karen Jespersen and Ralf Pittelkow, has since risen to the top of the best-seller list and is causing a sensation in Denmark - in part because the authors are establishment figures previously known for their progressive attitudes toward Islam and integration.
The book is also gaining notice because Denmark, a country celebrated for its fairy tales, is on the front line of the culture wars between Islam and the West following publication in a Danish newspaper late last year of cartoons lampooning the Prophet Muhammad.
The book's main argument is that Europeans who ignore the threat posed by Islamists belong to a new and dangerous tribe of "naivists," a term coined by the authors. This may not sound so radical at a time when the pope has upset the Islamic world by quoting a medieval passage calling Islam "evil and inhuman" and when Islamic terrorist plots have put Europe on edge.
But the book also equates Islamic fundamentalists with Nazis and Communists - a provocative stand on the heels of the cartoon crisis, which strengthened a backlash against immigrants that was already brewing here."
"COPENHAGEN On Sept. 5, the day Danish police arrested nine Muslim suspects in connection with a foiled terrorist plot, a slender book warning of conquest by Islamic fundamentalists in Europe appeared in bookstores here.
"Islamists and Naivists," by Karen Jespersen and Ralf Pittelkow, has since risen to the top of the best-seller list and is causing a sensation in Denmark - in part because the authors are establishment figures previously known for their progressive attitudes toward Islam and integration.
The book is also gaining notice because Denmark, a country celebrated for its fairy tales, is on the front line of the culture wars between Islam and the West following publication in a Danish newspaper late last year of cartoons lampooning the Prophet Muhammad.
The book's main argument is that Europeans who ignore the threat posed by Islamists belong to a new and dangerous tribe of "naivists," a term coined by the authors. This may not sound so radical at a time when the pope has upset the Islamic world by quoting a medieval passage calling Islam "evil and inhuman" and when Islamic terrorist plots have put Europe on edge.
But the book also equates Islamic fundamentalists with Nazis and Communists - a provocative stand on the heels of the cartoon crisis, which strengthened a backlash against immigrants that was already brewing here."
Sunday, September 24, 2006
The Performer formerly known as Cat Stevens...
...speaks as if he is ignorant on many topics. Cat Stevens
"Roman Catholic theology says that the pope cannot err in teachings on faith or morals.
In an interview with BBC television, Islam said that he went to a Catholic school, "so at one point I used to believe that the Pope was infallible"."
His school failed to point out that that was when the Pope speaks ex cathedra on faith and morals, that's first, second is this: Stevens fails to demonstrate how Benedict's words on Islam are wrong.
"But he added that the pope's comments on Islam showed he was fallible, "because of the kind of interpretation he had of Islam, he should read Gandhi and find out what he said about Islam," the singer said, adding that the Indian leader had a more peaceful interpretation of the faith."
"The pontiff "should have looked elsewhere if he wanted to quote but we respect the Pope and his position - I do believe he has retracted in a way that statement and that's all to the good."
Three strikes, Stevens, you're out: the Pope did not retract. Can't this Stevens fellow read?
"Roman Catholic theology says that the pope cannot err in teachings on faith or morals.
In an interview with BBC television, Islam said that he went to a Catholic school, "so at one point I used to believe that the Pope was infallible"."
His school failed to point out that that was when the Pope speaks ex cathedra on faith and morals, that's first, second is this: Stevens fails to demonstrate how Benedict's words on Islam are wrong.
"But he added that the pope's comments on Islam showed he was fallible, "because of the kind of interpretation he had of Islam, he should read Gandhi and find out what he said about Islam," the singer said, adding that the Indian leader had a more peaceful interpretation of the faith."
"The pontiff "should have looked elsewhere if he wanted to quote but we respect the Pope and his position - I do believe he has retracted in a way that statement and that's all to the good."
Three strikes, Stevens, you're out: the Pope did not retract. Can't this Stevens fellow read?
Ahmadinejad's Closing Prayer
Lost in all the UN hoopla, and little reported by the MSM is Ahmadinejad's plea for the return of the 12th Imam:
"I emphatically declare that today's world, more than ever before, longs for just and righteous people with love for all humanity; and above all longs for the perfect righteous human being and the real savior who has been promised to all peoples and who will establish justice, peace and brotherhood on the planet. Oh, Almighty God, all men and women are your creatures and you have ordained their guidance and salvation. Bestow upon humanity that thirsts for justice, the perfect human being promised to all by you, and make us among his followers and among those who strive for his return and his cause."
"I emphatically declare that today's world, more than ever before, longs for just and righteous people with love for all humanity; and above all longs for the perfect righteous human being and the real savior who has been promised to all peoples and who will establish justice, peace and brotherhood on the planet. Oh, Almighty God, all men and women are your creatures and you have ordained their guidance and salvation. Bestow upon humanity that thirsts for justice, the perfect human being promised to all by you, and make us among his followers and among those who strive for his return and his cause."
Saturday, September 23, 2006
English-speaking peoples find themselves in the forefront of protecting civilisation.
By Andrew Roberts
Anglosphere
Read the article, buy the book. So says The Terrier, who is very fond of the English Bulldog.
Anglosphere
Read the article, buy the book. So says The Terrier, who is very fond of the English Bulldog.
Clinton Points a Finger
Clinton's Rant
"Former President Bill Clinton, angrily defending his efforts to capture Osama bin Laden, accused the Bush administration of doing far less to stop the al Qaeda leader before the September 11 attacks.
In a heated interview to be aired on Sunday on "Fox News Sunday," the former Democratic president defended the steps he took after al Qaeda's attack on the USS Cole in 2000 and faulted "right-wingers" for their criticism of his efforts to capture Osama bin Laden.
"But at least I tried. That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now," Clinton said when asked whether he had failed to fully anticipate bin Laden's danger. "They had eight months to try, they did not try. I tried. So I tried and failed."
Eight months for Bush, while he puts a new administration together, compared to Clinton's two terms, including 7 years after the first attack on the WTC. Does anyone else wonder whether Bush would have been up and running faster if Gore hadn't held things up for so long with his futile attempt to undo the election of 2000?
"Former President Bill Clinton, angrily defending his efforts to capture Osama bin Laden, accused the Bush administration of doing far less to stop the al Qaeda leader before the September 11 attacks.
In a heated interview to be aired on Sunday on "Fox News Sunday," the former Democratic president defended the steps he took after al Qaeda's attack on the USS Cole in 2000 and faulted "right-wingers" for their criticism of his efforts to capture Osama bin Laden.
"But at least I tried. That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now," Clinton said when asked whether he had failed to fully anticipate bin Laden's danger. "They had eight months to try, they did not try. I tried. So I tried and failed."
Eight months for Bush, while he puts a new administration together, compared to Clinton's two terms, including 7 years after the first attack on the WTC. Does anyone else wonder whether Bush would have been up and running faster if Gore hadn't held things up for so long with his futile attempt to undo the election of 2000?
Toronto Sun on a Roll
SALIM MANSUR
"... it is futile to engage with drivers of the perpetual anger machine -- the political leaders, intellectuals, religious heads and demagogues -- as they rush head-long to go over the precipice of history into oblivion. Indeed, the sooner this occurs the safer the world will become.
Hence, instead of dignifying outrage by striving to find any merit in what has led to the burning of Pope effigies in the Arab-Muslim world, I am reminded of another conversation worth recalling that took place in Baghdad in 1258.
It occurred following the fall of Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Empire and the seat of the Islamic caliphate, to Mongol armies led by Hulaqu Khan. The conqueror demanded eminent Muslim scholars of the time present themselves to him in Baghdad, and then he posed to them the question: "Which is preferable (according to your Islamic laws) the disbelieving ruler who is just or the Muslim ruler who is unjust?"
The assembled scholars sat in stunned silence, aghast at the question posed. Then one among them -- history records a man by the name of Riazuddin Ali ibn Tawas -- arose and signed a reply which read: "The disbelieving ruler who is just."
There is much here to pause and reflect upon in the exchange between a conqueror and a scholar that occurred in Baghdad over eight centuries ago.
One thing is certain from observing the contemporary Arab-Muslim world, it suffers from an excess of Muslim rulers who are unjust and religious leaders who never understood that faith without reason is as arid and life-denying as deserts of inner Arabia."
"... it is futile to engage with drivers of the perpetual anger machine -- the political leaders, intellectuals, religious heads and demagogues -- as they rush head-long to go over the precipice of history into oblivion. Indeed, the sooner this occurs the safer the world will become.
Hence, instead of dignifying outrage by striving to find any merit in what has led to the burning of Pope effigies in the Arab-Muslim world, I am reminded of another conversation worth recalling that took place in Baghdad in 1258.
It occurred following the fall of Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Empire and the seat of the Islamic caliphate, to Mongol armies led by Hulaqu Khan. The conqueror demanded eminent Muslim scholars of the time present themselves to him in Baghdad, and then he posed to them the question: "Which is preferable (according to your Islamic laws) the disbelieving ruler who is just or the Muslim ruler who is unjust?"
The assembled scholars sat in stunned silence, aghast at the question posed. Then one among them -- history records a man by the name of Riazuddin Ali ibn Tawas -- arose and signed a reply which read: "The disbelieving ruler who is just."
There is much here to pause and reflect upon in the exchange between a conqueror and a scholar that occurred in Baghdad over eight centuries ago.
One thing is certain from observing the contemporary Arab-Muslim world, it suffers from an excess of Muslim rulers who are unjust and religious leaders who never understood that faith without reason is as arid and life-denying as deserts of inner Arabia."
"We are all Catholics now."
MICHAEL COREN
"Apologies called for:
We must now wait for someone to apologize for the churches that were firebombed in Palestine shortly after the Pope's speech and for Somali religious leader Abubukar Hassan Malin who urged Muslims to "hunt down" Benedict and kill him "on the spot."
Apologize for the abusive and threatening demonstrations, including calls for the Pope to be executed, that British Muslims organized outside Westminster Cathedral in London last Sunday, as families with children made their way to Mass.
Apologize for the Shura Council in Iraq, an umbrella of several Sunni groups, which stated after the Pope's comments that, "We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose the head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion or the sword."
Apologize for the Muslims attacks on Catholic priests in Turkey in the past year, including the murder of Fr. Andrea Santoro.
Apologize for those Muslim leaders who compared the Pope to Hitler and promised to kill him.
Apologize for the massive persecution of Christians in Egypt, including kidnappings, rape, murder and beatings.
Apologize for the churches in Pakistan and Iraq that have burnt to the ground, for the beheading of Christian schoolgirls in Indonesia and for the arrests of Muslims who wish to convert to Christianity.
Apologize for the sermons in some mosques that compare Jews to monkeys and pigs and call for the Jewish people to be slaughtered.
Apologize for those Muslim countries that make television dramas claiming Jews kill gentile babies so as to drink their blood.
Apologize for those Muslim leaders who declare that Spain and Portugal have to be "retaken" by Islam.
Apologize for the invasion on the Christian heartlands of North Africa and the Middle East hundreds of years ago, just as Pope John Paul apologized for crimes committed against Muslims and Islam during the Crusades, the European response to this expansion.
Apologize for the murder of three of the translators of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, for the murder of Dutch film director Theo Van Gogh and for the murder of Daniel Pearl."
"Apologies called for:
We must now wait for someone to apologize for the churches that were firebombed in Palestine shortly after the Pope's speech and for Somali religious leader Abubukar Hassan Malin who urged Muslims to "hunt down" Benedict and kill him "on the spot."
Apologize for the abusive and threatening demonstrations, including calls for the Pope to be executed, that British Muslims organized outside Westminster Cathedral in London last Sunday, as families with children made their way to Mass.
Apologize for the Shura Council in Iraq, an umbrella of several Sunni groups, which stated after the Pope's comments that, "We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose the head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion or the sword."
Apologize for the Muslims attacks on Catholic priests in Turkey in the past year, including the murder of Fr. Andrea Santoro.
Apologize for those Muslim leaders who compared the Pope to Hitler and promised to kill him.
Apologize for the massive persecution of Christians in Egypt, including kidnappings, rape, murder and beatings.
Apologize for the churches in Pakistan and Iraq that have burnt to the ground, for the beheading of Christian schoolgirls in Indonesia and for the arrests of Muslims who wish to convert to Christianity.
Apologize for the sermons in some mosques that compare Jews to monkeys and pigs and call for the Jewish people to be slaughtered.
Apologize for those Muslim countries that make television dramas claiming Jews kill gentile babies so as to drink their blood.
Apologize for those Muslim leaders who declare that Spain and Portugal have to be "retaken" by Islam.
Apologize for the invasion on the Christian heartlands of North Africa and the Middle East hundreds of years ago, just as Pope John Paul apologized for crimes committed against Muslims and Islam during the Crusades, the European response to this expansion.
Apologize for the murder of three of the translators of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, for the murder of Dutch film director Theo Van Gogh and for the murder of Daniel Pearl."
One Never Knows
OBL Dead?
The Terrier does not immediately accept Saudi reports in a French newspaper about the death of Osama Bin Laden from typhus. If one wishes to regain mobility, to escape pursuit as it were, one can feign death. Who better than the Saudis and French to help that happen? The death of Bin Laden should not be hidden from view, with no verification; that only would serve to lead the ignorant to believe he survives forever, like the hidden Imam down the well. (Maybe that's where OBL is, down a well, waiting for the centuries to pass.) OBL's death should be videoed for the whole world to see. Except the enemy would claim it was photshopped; DNA would be disregarded as it was in the OJ Simpson case. Perhaps OBL is destined tolive foreverin the minds of the deluded and manipulated.
The Terrier does not immediately accept Saudi reports in a French newspaper about the death of Osama Bin Laden from typhus. If one wishes to regain mobility, to escape pursuit as it were, one can feign death. Who better than the Saudis and French to help that happen? The death of Bin Laden should not be hidden from view, with no verification; that only would serve to lead the ignorant to believe he survives forever, like the hidden Imam down the well. (Maybe that's where OBL is, down a well, waiting for the centuries to pass.) OBL's death should be videoed for the whole world to see. Except the enemy would claim it was photshopped; DNA would be disregarded as it was in the OJ Simpson case. Perhaps OBL is destined tolive foreverin the minds of the deluded and manipulated.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Rally 'Gainst Terrorism
It's a wonderful thing to join with like minded folks to speak out against the evil in the world. At Dag Hammarskjold Plaza a demonstration of support for Israel and against the nuclear ambitions of Iran drew tens of thousands. The Terrier was happy to be counted among the witnesses. Speakers included John Bolton, Elie Wiesel and Alan Dershowitz,who called for the indictment of the Iranian government for inciting genocide.
Curtis Sliwa was there.
Better outside than in, hearing Chavez of venezuela denouncing Bush as the devil.
Mo Dowd could have written his speech.
Quote of the Day
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse." - John Stuart Mill
Sunday, September 17, 2006
More on Benedict and Islam
Why the Pope was right
"Yet nowadays Islam is the only major religion in which violence is a serious doctrinal issue. It is true that tribalised Roman Catholics and Protestants in Ireland have only recently stopped killing each other and vengeful Sikhs assassinated Indira Gandhi in India, but neither the Catholic nor the Protestant churches believe in terror; nor do the Sikhs.
A significant proportion of the Islamic community does believe that suicide bombers are martyrs carrying out a religious duty. Suicide bombing causes Islamophobia. There are varying degrees of authority and uniformity in different religions; rather low in most cases. This pluralism has its own virtues, but in Islam they are outweighed by the disadvantages. Those imams who preach al-Qaeda’s view of the duty of jihad are not required to answer to any authority, even the authority of reason.
Islam has only partially experienced the modern process of enlightenment and reform, which was, after all, resisted by a number of pre-Vatican II Popes. Pope Benedict will have done Islam a service if he has started a debate within Islam and between Islam and the critics."
"Yet nowadays Islam is the only major religion in which violence is a serious doctrinal issue. It is true that tribalised Roman Catholics and Protestants in Ireland have only recently stopped killing each other and vengeful Sikhs assassinated Indira Gandhi in India, but neither the Catholic nor the Protestant churches believe in terror; nor do the Sikhs.
A significant proportion of the Islamic community does believe that suicide bombers are martyrs carrying out a religious duty. Suicide bombing causes Islamophobia. There are varying degrees of authority and uniformity in different religions; rather low in most cases. This pluralism has its own virtues, but in Islam they are outweighed by the disadvantages. Those imams who preach al-Qaeda’s view of the duty of jihad are not required to answer to any authority, even the authority of reason.
Islam has only partially experienced the modern process of enlightenment and reform, which was, after all, resisted by a number of pre-Vatican II Popes. Pope Benedict will have done Islam a service if he has started a debate within Islam and between Islam and the critics."
Big of Them
Muslim Brotherhood: Pope's apology is 'sufficient'
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood announced Sunday afternoon that it accepted Pope Benedict XVI's apology, issued earlier in the day.
"We see the Pope's latest statement as a retraction of his previous statements," Mohammed Habib, the group's second in command, said. "We see it as a sufficient apology, even though we would like the Pope to give a picture of his position on and vision of Islam."
Pope 's words
"I hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect."
Sorry he used the "A" word.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood announced Sunday afternoon that it accepted Pope Benedict XVI's apology, issued earlier in the day.
"We see the Pope's latest statement as a retraction of his previous statements," Mohammed Habib, the group's second in command, said. "We see it as a sufficient apology, even though we would like the Pope to give a picture of his position on and vision of Islam."
Pope 's words
"I hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect."
Sorry he used the "A" word.
How's That Again?
"Coptic Pope Shenouda III said in published remarks that he didn't hear Benedict's exact words but that "any remarks which offend Islam and Muslims are against the teachings of Christ." "
The Terrier can't imagine how Shenouda can say this with a straight face. Must be all those Muslims surrounding him in Egypt.
The Terrier can't imagine how Shenouda can say this with a straight face. Must be all those Muslims surrounding him in Egypt.
A Suitable Solution
London Times
You've said sorry, Holy Father - now demand a price
Rod Liddle
"The Muslim world is in ferment, or even more ferment than usual, as a result of a speech given by Pope Benedict XVI at Regensburg University. Ben took a swipe at the notion that Islam is an inherently peaceable, easy-going, happy-go-lucky credo with a core philosophy that proclaims hey, why not live and let live, huh? Rather, he let slip: “Everything Muhammad brought was evil and inhuman,” which has an agreeably crusading, unequivocal ring to it, I think you’ll agree. He was quoting — as you will be aware — the 14th-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus and in doing so invoked outpourings of loathing from Jakarta to Jeddah.
You can bet your life that by the time you read this, some Catholic priest toiling away in a godforsaken, dusty hellhole — Sudan, perhaps, or Turkey — will have been smacked about a bit, or had his church burnt down or been arrested without charge. The Pope should have been aware that Islam always reacts to western allegations that it is not a peaceful religion by mass outbreaks of vituperation, denunciation and acts of jihadic violence.
*
That this is a paradox seems not to be even remotely recognised by many Muslims. Commenting on the Pope’s speech, Tasnim Aslam, a spokeswoman for the Pakistani foreign ministry, came out with this little piece of doublethink beauty: “Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence.”
The murderous Muslim Brotherhood was the first out of the blocks, demanding that all Islamic countries cut their ties with the Vatican. The “liberal and moderate” Islamic scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi (pro death penalty for homosexuals, female circumcision, suicide bombings against Jews and other similarly tolerant stuff) has insisted the Pope must apologise. Soon the placards will be out, the effigies, the foam-flecked demonstrators and attacks by adolescent suicidal nutters.
Pope Benedict is due to visit Turkey quite soon, but this trip has been placed in jeopardy by his gentle reminder that Islam has had a tendency to gain converts through violence. There have been demands from Ankara that he should apologise if he wishes to set foot on Turkish soil.
A subtle and astute politician, perhaps Benedict should apologise for having caused offence — and then demand by way of reciprocation that Turkey — Islam’s democratic representative in the West — return to Christian denominations the land it has confiscated from them, allow the Christian churches to open seminaries (which they are barred from doing), make it easier to build new churches, and lock up Turks who terrorise priests. And maybe allow Turks to convert from Islam to Christianity without fear of official or unofficial reprisal. A fair exchange?"
You've said sorry, Holy Father - now demand a price
Rod Liddle
"The Muslim world is in ferment, or even more ferment than usual, as a result of a speech given by Pope Benedict XVI at Regensburg University. Ben took a swipe at the notion that Islam is an inherently peaceable, easy-going, happy-go-lucky credo with a core philosophy that proclaims hey, why not live and let live, huh? Rather, he let slip: “Everything Muhammad brought was evil and inhuman,” which has an agreeably crusading, unequivocal ring to it, I think you’ll agree. He was quoting — as you will be aware — the 14th-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus and in doing so invoked outpourings of loathing from Jakarta to Jeddah.
You can bet your life that by the time you read this, some Catholic priest toiling away in a godforsaken, dusty hellhole — Sudan, perhaps, or Turkey — will have been smacked about a bit, or had his church burnt down or been arrested without charge. The Pope should have been aware that Islam always reacts to western allegations that it is not a peaceful religion by mass outbreaks of vituperation, denunciation and acts of jihadic violence.
*
That this is a paradox seems not to be even remotely recognised by many Muslims. Commenting on the Pope’s speech, Tasnim Aslam, a spokeswoman for the Pakistani foreign ministry, came out with this little piece of doublethink beauty: “Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence.”
The murderous Muslim Brotherhood was the first out of the blocks, demanding that all Islamic countries cut their ties with the Vatican. The “liberal and moderate” Islamic scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi (pro death penalty for homosexuals, female circumcision, suicide bombings against Jews and other similarly tolerant stuff) has insisted the Pope must apologise. Soon the placards will be out, the effigies, the foam-flecked demonstrators and attacks by adolescent suicidal nutters.
Pope Benedict is due to visit Turkey quite soon, but this trip has been placed in jeopardy by his gentle reminder that Islam has had a tendency to gain converts through violence. There have been demands from Ankara that he should apologise if he wishes to set foot on Turkish soil.
A subtle and astute politician, perhaps Benedict should apologise for having caused offence — and then demand by way of reciprocation that Turkey — Islam’s democratic representative in the West — return to Christian denominations the land it has confiscated from them, allow the Christian churches to open seminaries (which they are barred from doing), make it easier to build new churches, and lock up Turks who terrorise priests. And maybe allow Turks to convert from Islam to Christianity without fear of official or unofficial reprisal. A fair exchange?"
Muslims Prove Ben's Point
RoP Strikes
A Roman Catholic nun is murdered in Somalia. Must be Ben's fault for hurting Muslim sensibilities. Chesterton said "It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it." We know That Islam cannot be joked about; we can make jokes, but Muslims cannot laugh at them. (In that, Islam is like the Devil, who hates to be mocked.) Now, one suspects that logic is beyond them, for surely there was more to the Pope's words than those which angered them. Did they not hear them, or is this all more excuse for the modern Islamic way of war? They cannot win on the battlefield, so use media and rioting to cause retreat on many fronts by those who have the silly attitude that Islam is redeemable,if only we make allowances. That, friends is called appeasement.
A Roman Catholic nun is murdered in Somalia. Must be Ben's fault for hurting Muslim sensibilities. Chesterton said "It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it." We know That Islam cannot be joked about; we can make jokes, but Muslims cannot laugh at them. (In that, Islam is like the Devil, who hates to be mocked.) Now, one suspects that logic is beyond them, for surely there was more to the Pope's words than those which angered them. Did they not hear them, or is this all more excuse for the modern Islamic way of war? They cannot win on the battlefield, so use media and rioting to cause retreat on many fronts by those who have the silly attitude that Islam is redeemable,if only we make allowances. That, friends is called appeasement.
Benedict Sizing up the Foe?
Observer
"But tact is one thing; substance another. It is doubtless true, as the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, said yesterday that the Pope had no intention of offending Muslims. However, both yesterday's statement and the Pope's own track record make it quite clear that Benedict XVI sees it as his duty to speak out about the way in which violence in the name of religion seems to be tolerated by some Muslim clerics and actively encouraged by others.
Bertone said the Pope, like the Catholic Church, 'esteems Muslims, who adore the only God'. But it is equally no coincidence that the Vatican yesterday chose to set in a bold type the passage of his statement in which he stressed that the Pope had called for a 'clear and radical rejection of the religious motivation for violence, from whatever side it may come'.
Benedict, as his friend and associate noted, is sincerely committed to dialogue between Christians and Muslims, but he also believes that the link between terrorist violence and its sponsorship by some Muslim clerics is a big obstacle to further progress.
His reaction to 11 September gave a first hint of his view. 'It is important not to attribute simplistically what happened to Islam. It would be a great error', he told Vatican Radio. But that did not prevent him from asserting immediately afterwards that 'the history of Islam also contains a tendency to violence'.
There were two strands, he added: the other being a 'real openness to the will of God'. 'It is thus important to help the positive line, which does exist in its history, to prevail and to have sufficient strength to win out over the other tendency.'
That is the sort of thing his predecessor would never have said. The overriding preoccupation of John Paul's papacy was communism. For the Vatican, as for the United States until the 1990s, Islam was a potentially valuable ally in the struggle with Marxism.
John Paul became the first pope to visit a mosque, and he made sure that an expert on Islam, Francis Arinze, was appointed to head what became the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, the Vatican's ministry for relations with other faiths.
Benedict, on the other hand, was elevated to the papacy against an international background in which the dominant confrontation was between aggressive Muslim fundamentalism and the West - secular in parts and Christian in others."
"But tact is one thing; substance another. It is doubtless true, as the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, said yesterday that the Pope had no intention of offending Muslims. However, both yesterday's statement and the Pope's own track record make it quite clear that Benedict XVI sees it as his duty to speak out about the way in which violence in the name of religion seems to be tolerated by some Muslim clerics and actively encouraged by others.
Bertone said the Pope, like the Catholic Church, 'esteems Muslims, who adore the only God'. But it is equally no coincidence that the Vatican yesterday chose to set in a bold type the passage of his statement in which he stressed that the Pope had called for a 'clear and radical rejection of the religious motivation for violence, from whatever side it may come'.
Benedict, as his friend and associate noted, is sincerely committed to dialogue between Christians and Muslims, but he also believes that the link between terrorist violence and its sponsorship by some Muslim clerics is a big obstacle to further progress.
His reaction to 11 September gave a first hint of his view. 'It is important not to attribute simplistically what happened to Islam. It would be a great error', he told Vatican Radio. But that did not prevent him from asserting immediately afterwards that 'the history of Islam also contains a tendency to violence'.
There were two strands, he added: the other being a 'real openness to the will of God'. 'It is thus important to help the positive line, which does exist in its history, to prevail and to have sufficient strength to win out over the other tendency.'
That is the sort of thing his predecessor would never have said. The overriding preoccupation of John Paul's papacy was communism. For the Vatican, as for the United States until the 1990s, Islam was a potentially valuable ally in the struggle with Marxism.
John Paul became the first pope to visit a mosque, and he made sure that an expert on Islam, Francis Arinze, was appointed to head what became the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, the Vatican's ministry for relations with other faiths.
Benedict, on the other hand, was elevated to the papacy against an international background in which the dominant confrontation was between aggressive Muslim fundamentalism and the West - secular in parts and Christian in others."
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Some Reason Brought to the Issue
What he really said
The Pope quoted only one verse from the Qur’an, the one that says that “There is no compulsion in religion” (2, 256). In the West, Muslims quote this verse all the time as proof that freedom of conscience and faith are part of Islam. If the Pope really wanted to attack Islam and show how bad it is, he could have picked any one of many dozens of verses like Sūrah 2, 191-193, in which Muslims re urged to kill those guilty of al-fitnah (sedition). For, in the name of Islam, thousands of people have been killed because as the Qur’an says, “Al-Fitnah is worse than killing”.
It was with this verse on their lips that people said they wanted to kill Abdul Rahman, an Afghan man who converted to Christianity.
To many, becoming Christian is seen as “sedition” (fitnah) from the community, an act that is better dealt with by killing the perpetrator.
Instead the Pope chose the most positive and more open verse and made a comment about its history. He told his audience that the verse came from Muhammad’s period in Madinah, a time when he was weak and under threat. Even the Saudi-published Qur’an, which is considered the most official, places Sūrah 2 in Muhammad’s early, Madinan period, when the prophet was a refugee, without an army...
Rather than criticising Islam, the Pope is actually offering it a helping hand by suggesting that it do away with the cycle of violence. He also asks Islam not to leave the cycle of “Reason” or better still, he urges it to engage Christianity in a dialogue for reasons related to ethics.
The Pope quoted only one verse from the Qur’an, the one that says that “There is no compulsion in religion” (2, 256). In the West, Muslims quote this verse all the time as proof that freedom of conscience and faith are part of Islam. If the Pope really wanted to attack Islam and show how bad it is, he could have picked any one of many dozens of verses like Sūrah 2, 191-193, in which Muslims re urged to kill those guilty of al-fitnah (sedition). For, in the name of Islam, thousands of people have been killed because as the Qur’an says, “Al-Fitnah is worse than killing”.
It was with this verse on their lips that people said they wanted to kill Abdul Rahman, an Afghan man who converted to Christianity.
To many, becoming Christian is seen as “sedition” (fitnah) from the community, an act that is better dealt with by killing the perpetrator.
Instead the Pope chose the most positive and more open verse and made a comment about its history. He told his audience that the verse came from Muhammad’s period in Madinah, a time when he was weak and under threat. Even the Saudi-published Qur’an, which is considered the most official, places Sūrah 2 in Muhammad’s early, Madinan period, when the prophet was a refugee, without an army...
Rather than criticising Islam, the Pope is actually offering it a helping hand by suggesting that it do away with the cycle of violence. He also asks Islam not to leave the cycle of “Reason” or better still, he urges it to engage Christianity in a dialogue for reasons related to ethics.
Religion of Peace Threaten Jerusalem
Muslim Threat
"Israeli Arab Islamic leader Sheikh Raed Salah told a rally in Jerusalem the "Israeli occupation" of the city will soon vanish.
"With fire and blood we shall liberate al-Aqsa," Salah told 50,000 people Friday at the Islamic Movement's 11th annual rally in Umm al-Fahm, a city in Israel's Haifa district, YNetNews reported.
The Al-Aqsa mosque is part of a complex of buildings in Jerusalem known as the Temple Mount to Jews and some Christians."
Gosh, they're usually so peaceful.
"Israeli Arab Islamic leader Sheikh Raed Salah told a rally in Jerusalem the "Israeli occupation" of the city will soon vanish.
"With fire and blood we shall liberate al-Aqsa," Salah told 50,000 people Friday at the Islamic Movement's 11th annual rally in Umm al-Fahm, a city in Israel's Haifa district, YNetNews reported.
The Al-Aqsa mosque is part of a complex of buildings in Jerusalem known as the Temple Mount to Jews and some Christians."
Gosh, they're usually so peaceful.
NYT Rips Pope
NY Times Condemns Pope
"In the most provocative part of a speech this week on “faith and reason,” the pontiff recounted a conversation between an “erudite” Byzantine Christian emperor and a “learned” Muslim Persian circa 1391. The pope quoted the emperor saying, “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”
Muslim leaders the world over have demanded apologies and threatened to recall their ambassadors from the Vatican, warning that the pope’s words dangerously reinforce a false and biased view of Islam. For many Muslims, holy war — jihad — is a spiritual struggle, and not a call to violence. And they denounce its perversion by extremists, who use jihad to justify murder and terrorism."
This just plain contradicts what Muslims and Muslim scholars have said historically. Leave it to the NYT to find the four or five Muslims who believe it's a spiritual struggle to counter the billion or so who believe its time to strap on a bomb belt and set out to find their virgins.
"In the most provocative part of a speech this week on “faith and reason,” the pontiff recounted a conversation between an “erudite” Byzantine Christian emperor and a “learned” Muslim Persian circa 1391. The pope quoted the emperor saying, “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”
Muslim leaders the world over have demanded apologies and threatened to recall their ambassadors from the Vatican, warning that the pope’s words dangerously reinforce a false and biased view of Islam. For many Muslims, holy war — jihad — is a spiritual struggle, and not a call to violence. And they denounce its perversion by extremists, who use jihad to justify murder and terrorism."
This just plain contradicts what Muslims and Muslim scholars have said historically. Leave it to the NYT to find the four or five Muslims who believe it's a spiritual struggle to counter the billion or so who believe its time to strap on a bomb belt and set out to find their virgins.
Friday, September 15, 2006
The Pope and the Atheist on Islam
Muslims are seething over Pope Benedict's words on Jihad.
"Citing historic Christian commentary on holy war and forced conversion, the pontiff quoted from a 14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologos.
“The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war,” the pope said. “He said, I quote, ’Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”’
Wow! The Vatican says he was not seeking to offend Muslim sensibilities, but how can he not have expected an extreme reaction from a group which gets offended by squiggles on ice cream?
Viva Papa! I hope the Swiss Guards keep their powder dry.
I also hope the Pope is not charged with defaming Islam, as was Orianna Falacci, who passed away today. She met with Benedict last year, after his call on Europe to retain its Christian heritage. Given her own writings The Rage and the pride and The Force of Reason (for which she was charged with defaimg Islam) I'm sure the conversation was compelling. Requiescat in Pacem.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
OpinionJournal - Peggy Noonan on 9/11
OpinionJournal - Peggy Noonan
Why read Maureen Dowd when Peggy Noonan is available?
"Flight 93 flight attendant Ceecee Lyles, 33 years old, in an answering-machine message to her husband: "Please tell my children that I love them very much. I'm sorry, baby. I wish I could see your face again."
Thirty-one-year-old Melissa Harrington, a California-based trade consultant at a meeting in the towers, called her father to say she loved him. Minutes later she left a message on the answering machine as her new husband slept in their San Francisco home. "Sean, it's me, she said. "I just wanted to let you know I love you."
Capt. Walter Hynes of the New York Fire Department's Ladder 13 dialed home that morning as his rig left the firehouse at 85th Street and Lexington Avenue. He was on his way downtown, he said in his message, and things were bad. "I don't know if we'll make it out. I want to tell you that I love you and I love the kids."
Firemen don't become firemen because they're pessimists. Imagine being a guy who feels in his gut he's going to his death, and he calls on the way to say goodbye and make things clear. His widow later told the Associated Press she'd played his message hundreds of times and made copies for their kids. "He was thinking about us in those final moments."
Elizabeth Rivas saw it that way too. When her husband left for the World Trade Center that morning, she went to a laundromat, where she heard the news. She couldn't reach him by cell and rushed home. He'd called at 9:02 and reached her daughter. The child reported, "He say, mommy, he say he love you no matter what happens, he loves you." He never called again. Mrs. Rivas later said, "He tried to call me. He called me."
Peter Hanson, a passenger on United Airlines Flight 175 called his father. "I think they intend to go to Chicago or someplace and fly into a building," he said. "Don't worry, Dad--if it happens, it will be very fast." On the same flight, Brian Sweeney called his wife, got the answering machine, and told her they'd been hijacked. "Hopefully I'll talk to you again, but if not, have a good life. I know I'll see you again some day."
There was Tom Burnett's famous call from United Flight 93. "We're all going to die, but three of us are going to do something," he told his wife, Deena. "I love you, honey."
These were people saying, essentially, In spite of my imminent death, my thoughts are on you, and on love. I asked a psychiatrist the other day for his thoughts, and he said the people on the planes and in the towers were "accepting the inevitable" and taking care of "unfinished business." "At death's door people pass on a responsibility--'Tell Billy I never stopped loving him and forgave him long ago.' 'Take care of Mom.' 'Pray for me, Father. Pray for me, I haven't been very good.' " They address what needs doing.
This reminded me of that moment when Todd Beamer of United 93 wound up praying on the phone with a woman he'd never met before, a Verizon Airfone supervisor named Lisa Jefferson. She said later that his tone was calm. It seemed as if they were "old friends," she later wrote. They said the Lord's Prayer together. Then he said "Let's roll."
This is what I get from the last messages. People are often stronger than they know, bigger, more gallant than they'd guess. And this: We're all lucky to be here today and able to say what deserves saying, and if you say it a lot, it won't make it common and so unheard, but known and absorbed.
"I think the sound of the last messages, of what was said, will live as long in human history, and contain within it as much of human history, as any old metallic roar."
People motivated by hatred can't win when they are trying to conquer those motivated by love.
Why read Maureen Dowd when Peggy Noonan is available?
"Flight 93 flight attendant Ceecee Lyles, 33 years old, in an answering-machine message to her husband: "Please tell my children that I love them very much. I'm sorry, baby. I wish I could see your face again."
Thirty-one-year-old Melissa Harrington, a California-based trade consultant at a meeting in the towers, called her father to say she loved him. Minutes later she left a message on the answering machine as her new husband slept in their San Francisco home. "Sean, it's me, she said. "I just wanted to let you know I love you."
Capt. Walter Hynes of the New York Fire Department's Ladder 13 dialed home that morning as his rig left the firehouse at 85th Street and Lexington Avenue. He was on his way downtown, he said in his message, and things were bad. "I don't know if we'll make it out. I want to tell you that I love you and I love the kids."
Firemen don't become firemen because they're pessimists. Imagine being a guy who feels in his gut he's going to his death, and he calls on the way to say goodbye and make things clear. His widow later told the Associated Press she'd played his message hundreds of times and made copies for their kids. "He was thinking about us in those final moments."
Elizabeth Rivas saw it that way too. When her husband left for the World Trade Center that morning, she went to a laundromat, where she heard the news. She couldn't reach him by cell and rushed home. He'd called at 9:02 and reached her daughter. The child reported, "He say, mommy, he say he love you no matter what happens, he loves you." He never called again. Mrs. Rivas later said, "He tried to call me. He called me."
Peter Hanson, a passenger on United Airlines Flight 175 called his father. "I think they intend to go to Chicago or someplace and fly into a building," he said. "Don't worry, Dad--if it happens, it will be very fast." On the same flight, Brian Sweeney called his wife, got the answering machine, and told her they'd been hijacked. "Hopefully I'll talk to you again, but if not, have a good life. I know I'll see you again some day."
There was Tom Burnett's famous call from United Flight 93. "We're all going to die, but three of us are going to do something," he told his wife, Deena. "I love you, honey."
These were people saying, essentially, In spite of my imminent death, my thoughts are on you, and on love. I asked a psychiatrist the other day for his thoughts, and he said the people on the planes and in the towers were "accepting the inevitable" and taking care of "unfinished business." "At death's door people pass on a responsibility--'Tell Billy I never stopped loving him and forgave him long ago.' 'Take care of Mom.' 'Pray for me, Father. Pray for me, I haven't been very good.' " They address what needs doing.
This reminded me of that moment when Todd Beamer of United 93 wound up praying on the phone with a woman he'd never met before, a Verizon Airfone supervisor named Lisa Jefferson. She said later that his tone was calm. It seemed as if they were "old friends," she later wrote. They said the Lord's Prayer together. Then he said "Let's roll."
This is what I get from the last messages. People are often stronger than they know, bigger, more gallant than they'd guess. And this: We're all lucky to be here today and able to say what deserves saying, and if you say it a lot, it won't make it common and so unheard, but known and absorbed.
"I think the sound of the last messages, of what was said, will live as long in human history, and contain within it as much of human history, as any old metallic roar."
People motivated by hatred can't win when they are trying to conquer those motivated by love.
Never Forget
Always remember 11th September,
Jihad, and airplanes and plot;
There is no reason 11th September
Ever should be forgot.
Yesterday, September 8th, The Terrier made a pilgrimage to the site of the murders of 2001, and remembered that awful day when the bright September sky of Manhattan was darkened by the ash and smoke and debris of the World Trade Center and its inhabitants incinerated by jet fuel.
The cold-blooded homicides of that day do no credit to any Muslim, anywhere. Those who believe otherwise deserve no place in the societies of decent human beings.
The site in Manhattan where the Twin Towers once stood doesn't hold the same chilling horror it did in those days immediately after the attack. The smoke no longer rises, the stench no longer hangs in the air, but the immense footprint continues to draw visitors from around the country and the world, as well it should.
Part of the memorial wall dedicated to first responders who perished on 9/11
Ground Zero today
This tree stood for centuries in the churchyard of St. paul's Chapel. It persished in the attacks.
Regime Change Iran Blog
Regime Change Iran
"Largely ignored in the coverage of Mr. Bush's speech Tuesday on the war on terror, Mr. Netanyahu told his audience more than once, was Mr. Bush's statement that "the world's free nations will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon." Not that the "United Nations won't allow," said Mr. Netanyahu, but that the "free nations" of the world won't allow. Mr. Netanyahu called it a sign that on the Iranian problem the president was preparing to stop working through the United Nations and instead work with whoever would join him."
"Largely ignored in the coverage of Mr. Bush's speech Tuesday on the war on terror, Mr. Netanyahu told his audience more than once, was Mr. Bush's statement that "the world's free nations will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon." Not that the "United Nations won't allow," said Mr. Netanyahu, but that the "free nations" of the world won't allow. Mr. Netanyahu called it a sign that on the Iranian problem the president was preparing to stop working through the United Nations and instead work with whoever would join him."
Go, George, Go!
OpinionJournal - Featured Article
"Love or loathe President George W. Bush, you can't say he lacks the courage of his convictions. Down in the polls, with the American people in a sour mood over Iraq, Mr. Bush isn't changing his policy or hunkering down in the Oval Office. Instead he's doubling down, investing whatever scarce political capital he has to frame the November contest as a choice over the economy and taxes and especially over his prosecution of the war on terror."
"Love or loathe President George W. Bush, you can't say he lacks the courage of his convictions. Down in the polls, with the American people in a sour mood over Iraq, Mr. Bush isn't changing his policy or hunkering down in the Oval Office. Instead he's doubling down, investing whatever scarce political capital he has to frame the November contest as a choice over the economy and taxes and especially over his prosecution of the war on terror."
No Alqaeda-Hussein Ties? Think Again.
Beyond the headlines saying Iraq and Al Qaeda had not ties is a body of evidence suggesting otherwise. Too bad most people don't look beyond the headlines.
Rules of Evidence: "Saddam made it a habit of cursing and threatening the United States. His annual January 'Army Day' speeches were laced with threats and promises of retaliation against American assets. That is, when Saddam claimed that the United States was 'not Iraq's enemy,' he was quite obviously lying. But nowhere in the staff's report is it noted that Saddam's debriefing was substantially at odds with more than a decade of his rhetoric.
The testimony of another former senior Iraqi official is more starkly disturbing. One of Saddam's senior intelligence operatives, Faruq Hijazi, was questioned about his contacts with bin Laden and al Qaeda. There is a substantial body of reporting on Hijazi's ties to al Qaeda throughout the 1990s.
Hijazi admitted to meeting bin Laden once in 1995, but claimed that 'this was his sole meeting with bin Ladin or a member of al Qaeda and he is not aware of any other individual following up on the initial contact.'
This is not true. Hijazi's best known contact with bin Laden came in December 1998, days after the Clinton administration's Operation Desert Fox concluded. We know the meeting happened because the worldwide media reported it. The meeting took place on December 21, 1998. And just days later, Osama bin Laden warned, 'The British and the American people loudly declared their support for their leaders decision."
Rules of Evidence: "Saddam made it a habit of cursing and threatening the United States. His annual January 'Army Day' speeches were laced with threats and promises of retaliation against American assets. That is, when Saddam claimed that the United States was 'not Iraq's enemy,' he was quite obviously lying. But nowhere in the staff's report is it noted that Saddam's debriefing was substantially at odds with more than a decade of his rhetoric.
The testimony of another former senior Iraqi official is more starkly disturbing. One of Saddam's senior intelligence operatives, Faruq Hijazi, was questioned about his contacts with bin Laden and al Qaeda. There is a substantial body of reporting on Hijazi's ties to al Qaeda throughout the 1990s.
Hijazi admitted to meeting bin Laden once in 1995, but claimed that 'this was his sole meeting with bin Ladin or a member of al Qaeda and he is not aware of any other individual following up on the initial contact.'
This is not true. Hijazi's best known contact with bin Laden came in December 1998, days after the Clinton administration's Operation Desert Fox concluded. We know the meeting happened because the worldwide media reported it. The meeting took place on December 21, 1998. And just days later, Osama bin Laden warned, 'The British and the American people loudly declared their support for their leaders decision."
Lieberman Defends 1998 Clinton Rebuke
Lieberman was right then, and he's right now. If Lamont wins, I fear for the Republic.
Lieberman defends 1998 rebuke of Clinton - Yahoo! News
Lieberman defends 1998 rebuke of Clinton - Yahoo! News
On Liberals as Nuts...
And the Canadian health care system:
Townhall.com::The high cost of free lunches::By Burt Prelutsky
By Burt Prelutsky
Townhall.com::The high cost of free lunches::By Burt Prelutsky
By Burt Prelutsky
Saudi religious cops ban dog, cat sales - Yahoo! News
The Terrier finds this piece particularly odious:
Saudi religious cops ban dog, cat sales - Yahoo! News
"The police have issued a decree banning the sale of the pets, seen as a sign of Western influence.
The prohibition on dogs may be less of a surprise, since conservative Muslims despise dogs as unclean. But the cat ban befuddled many, since Islamic tradition holds that the Prophet Muhammad loved cats — and even let a cat drink from his ablutions water before washing himself for prayers."
Saudi religious cops ban dog, cat sales - Yahoo! News
"The police have issued a decree banning the sale of the pets, seen as a sign of Western influence.
The prohibition on dogs may be less of a surprise, since conservative Muslims despise dogs as unclean. But the cat ban befuddled many, since Islamic tradition holds that the Prophet Muhammad loved cats — and even let a cat drink from his ablutions water before washing himself for prayers."
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Bush: won't allow a nuclear-armed Iran - Yahoo! News
'Bout time, too. And no, this doesn't mean a military solution; not necessarily.
Bush: won't allow a nuclear-armed Iran - Yahoo! News
Bush: won't allow a nuclear-armed Iran - Yahoo! News
Monday, September 04, 2006
Cuba's lost population
We read all the time about the great strides made under Castro's brutal regime, increases in literacy and...? That's as far as The Terrier gets, because the really inconvenient truth about Castro keeps intruding, like the ghost of Banquo . The real human toll of Castro's crimes are still being toted up, but 114,000 is where the figure now stands. A piker compared to Hitler, or Stalin or Mao, I know, but then Fidel has only the tiny island nation to work with.
Commentary: Cuba's lost population
Commentary: Cuba's lost population
Harvard Invitee
Read the C.V. of Khatami and then consider that he is invited to speak at Harvard University. I doubt if they would invite a Roman Catholic pontiff, any RC pontiff to speak, based on teachings of the Catholic Church. Yet this mullah is treated as if he is not a thug. Is there any hope for the West?
The American Thinker
The American Thinker
RealClearPolitics - Articles - A Monumental Change in Japan
RealClearPolitics - Articles - A Monumental Change in Japan
Amazing what a few missles fired in your neighborhood will do.
Amazing what a few missles fired in your neighborhood will do.
The Sun Online - News: Mad map to leave Britain in bits
The Sun Online - News: Mad map to leave Britain in bits
The Terrier hopes this is a bit of Sun hyperbole.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Britons Adaapt Muslims Ways
Britons threaten Muslim beheadings in footage | The World | The Australian
No they haven't converted to Islam, but have adopted the Islamic style of threatening with videos:
"The films show balaclava-clad white British men brandishing guns, knives and clubs, calling on all Muslims to leave Britain or be killed. One appears to be a soldier who has served in the Gulf.
In one film, a man tells Muslims to "go home" or risk being burned alive. He threatens, "I'll cut your head off", and claims to have "comrades" across Britain who have "had enough"."
Wow. I wonder how deep this level of anger goes? Enough to make the next election and the future of Britain in the EU turn on this issue?
No they haven't converted to Islam, but have adopted the Islamic style of threatening with videos:
"The films show balaclava-clad white British men brandishing guns, knives and clubs, calling on all Muslims to leave Britain or be killed. One appears to be a soldier who has served in the Gulf.
In one film, a man tells Muslims to "go home" or risk being burned alive. He threatens, "I'll cut your head off", and claims to have "comrades" across Britain who have "had enough"."
Wow. I wonder how deep this level of anger goes? Enough to make the next election and the future of Britain in the EU turn on this issue?
The Calgary Sun - Forced embrace of Islam familiar refrain
Good one:
The Calgary Sun - Forced embrace of Islam familiar refrain
Ted Byfield on conversion:
The name Centanni, of course, is almost certainly Italian, which is interesting because the last Italian that Muslim terrorists confronted with such an ultimatum responded in a somewhat different way.
Hooded, videotaped, and threatened with beheading, he tore the hood from his head, thrust back his shoulders, and declared: "Let me show you how an Italian dies."
Furious, the terrorists shot him dead on the spot, rather than behead him.
Why were they so angry?
Because he was showing them he had greater courage than they had, and they didn't like having their faces rubbed in that fact.
Most Christians are aware that in the first 300 years of their history, tens of thousands of us were presented with such ultimatums.
They were ordered to burn a pinch of incense to the "god" Caesar.
If they did it, they were instantly released.
If not, they were sent as slaves to the mines, effectively a death sentence. Women and boys were consigned to the brothels. Both men and women were often put to death by public torture.
So many refused and suffered so courageously, they eventually converted the whole empire to Christianity.
But many yielded and denied their faith.
In the end, the Church agreed to re-admit them as penitents.
But some Christians refused to re-admit them.
These became known as the Donatist heretics, and the Donatist church endured for more than 200 years.
So what would you do, Byfield, in such a circumstance?
How could I know?
But I'd be in no doubt whatever about what I should do.
The Calgary Sun - Forced embrace of Islam familiar refrain
Ted Byfield on conversion:
The name Centanni, of course, is almost certainly Italian, which is interesting because the last Italian that Muslim terrorists confronted with such an ultimatum responded in a somewhat different way.
Hooded, videotaped, and threatened with beheading, he tore the hood from his head, thrust back his shoulders, and declared: "Let me show you how an Italian dies."
Furious, the terrorists shot him dead on the spot, rather than behead him.
Why were they so angry?
Because he was showing them he had greater courage than they had, and they didn't like having their faces rubbed in that fact.
Most Christians are aware that in the first 300 years of their history, tens of thousands of us were presented with such ultimatums.
They were ordered to burn a pinch of incense to the "god" Caesar.
If they did it, they were instantly released.
If not, they were sent as slaves to the mines, effectively a death sentence. Women and boys were consigned to the brothels. Both men and women were often put to death by public torture.
So many refused and suffered so courageously, they eventually converted the whole empire to Christianity.
But many yielded and denied their faith.
In the end, the Church agreed to re-admit them as penitents.
But some Christians refused to re-admit them.
These became known as the Donatist heretics, and the Donatist church endured for more than 200 years.
So what would you do, Byfield, in such a circumstance?
How could I know?
But I'd be in no doubt whatever about what I should do.
Mark Steyn Snippets on the Enemy
Why abduct us? We cede our values for free
from the Sydney Morning Herald:
""A 16-year-old girl was tailed by a car full of men before being dragged inside and assaulted in Sydney's west last night, police say . . .
"The three men involved in the attack were described to police as having dark 'mullet-style' haircuts."
Three men with "mullet-style" hair, huh? Not much to go on there. Bit of a head scratcher. But, as it turned out, the indefatigable Sydney Morning Herald typist had faithfully copied out every salient detail of the police report except one. Here's the statement the coppers themselves issued:
"Police are seeking three men described as being of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean appearance, with dark 'mullet-style' hair cuts."
"That symbol" is the cross. Yet in the end, even as men with no religious convictions, they cannot bring themselves to submit to Islam, for they understand it to be not just a denial of Christ but in some sense a denial of themselves, too.
Not even the dumbest jihadist believes these infidels are suddenly true believers. Rather, it confirms the central truth Osama and the mullahs have been peddling -- that the West is weak, that there's nothing -- no core, no bedrock -- nothing it's not willing to trade."
from the Sydney Morning Herald:
""A 16-year-old girl was tailed by a car full of men before being dragged inside and assaulted in Sydney's west last night, police say . . .
"The three men involved in the attack were described to police as having dark 'mullet-style' haircuts."
Three men with "mullet-style" hair, huh? Not much to go on there. Bit of a head scratcher. But, as it turned out, the indefatigable Sydney Morning Herald typist had faithfully copied out every salient detail of the police report except one. Here's the statement the coppers themselves issued:
"Police are seeking three men described as being of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean appearance, with dark 'mullet-style' hair cuts."
"That symbol" is the cross. Yet in the end, even as men with no religious convictions, they cannot bring themselves to submit to Islam, for they understand it to be not just a denial of Christ but in some sense a denial of themselves, too.
Not even the dumbest jihadist believes these infidels are suddenly true believers. Rather, it confirms the central truth Osama and the mullahs have been peddling -- that the West is weak, that there's nothing -- no core, no bedrock -- nothing it's not willing to trade."
Saturday, September 02, 2006
BREITBART.COM - Al-Qaida Tape Urges Americans to Convert
Adam Yehiye Gadahn, American jihadi, urges Americans to convert to Islam. Time is running out, and we should convert before its too late. While my first impulse is laughter, my second impulse if to wonder if this is the Islamic equivalent of a "last chance" before they feel justified in killing us. I decline the invitation, and make the counter ofer for Gadahn to investigate some other religion, any other religion.
Adam Yehiye Gadahn, American jihadi, urges Americans to convert to Islam. Time is running out, and we should convert before its too late. While my first impulse is laughter, my second impulse if to wonder if this is the Islamic equivalent of a "last chance" before they feel justified in killing us. I decline the invitation, and make the counter ofer for Gadahn to investigate some other religion, any other religion.
French Expel Illegals
"France has accelerated its deportation of illegal immigrants and is more than halfway toward its 2006 target of 25,000, the Interior Ministry says..."
"Sarkozy, a presidential contender who has made immigration his main campaign concern, has struggled to reconcile two opposing trends in public opinion: broad support for stemming illegal immigration and sympathy for children threatened by expulsion."
When the French see riots in the strets, they crack down. The response will be less riots, or worse violence.
Expulsion of illegals stepped up by France - Print Version - International Herald Tribune
"Sarkozy, a presidential contender who has made immigration his main campaign concern, has struggled to reconcile two opposing trends in public opinion: broad support for stemming illegal immigration and sympathy for children threatened by expulsion."
When the French see riots in the strets, they crack down. The response will be less riots, or worse violence.
Expulsion of illegals stepped up by France - Print Version - International Herald Tribune
Moving Right Along
Chairman Mao had been relegated to one mention in the new Chinese textbooks, socialism to a brief chapter. Revisionist history at it's finest.
Where’s Mao? Chinese Revise History Books - New York Times
Where’s Mao? Chinese Revise History Books - New York Times
Germany: Bonms Meant for World Cup
Seems those terrorists in Germany had originall ytargeted the World Cup venues. On second thought, they decided that would make people really mad.
Threads2
Threads2
More Terror Arrests in UK
The lads were probably just out for a bit of fun. I bet they all loved chips, and footie, and Victoria Sponge.
Sky News: Terror Raids Carried Out Across Country
Sky News: Terror Raids Carried Out Across Country
Friday, September 01, 2006
Star Wars Still Flying
BREITBART.COM - LEAD: U.S. sees 'good chance' to hit N. Korea missiles after defense test+
Reagan was ridiculed for suggesting that we could defend the nation from missle attacks by constructing a shield. It seems that the ridicule was premature. We have no dearth of enemies, and they seem increasingly to have access to missles of one sort or another. Our continued attempts to implement that shield may turn out to be one more star in the diadem of greatness Reagan wears.
Reagan was ridiculed for suggesting that we could defend the nation from missle attacks by constructing a shield. It seems that the ridicule was premature. We have no dearth of enemies, and they seem increasingly to have access to missles of one sort or another. Our continued attempts to implement that shield may turn out to be one more star in the diadem of greatness Reagan wears.
Plame Affair Flames Out
I have new respect for the WaPo. MSM is not dead, yet.
End of an Affair
"Nevertheless, it now appears that the person most responsible for the end of Ms. Plame's CIA career is Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson chose to go public with an explosive charge, claiming -- falsely, as it turned out -- that he had debunked reports of Iraqi uranium-shopping in Niger and that his report had circulated to senior administration officials. He ought to have expected that both those officials and journalists such as Mr. Novak would ask why a retired ambassador would have been sent on such a mission and that the answer would point to his wife. He diverted responsibility from himself and his false charges by claiming that President Bush's closest aides had engaged in an illegal conspiracy. It's unfortunate that so many people took him seriously."
End of an Affair
"Nevertheless, it now appears that the person most responsible for the end of Ms. Plame's CIA career is Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson chose to go public with an explosive charge, claiming -- falsely, as it turned out -- that he had debunked reports of Iraqi uranium-shopping in Niger and that his report had circulated to senior administration officials. He ought to have expected that both those officials and journalists such as Mr. Novak would ask why a retired ambassador would have been sent on such a mission and that the answer would point to his wife. He diverted responsibility from himself and his false charges by claiming that President Bush's closest aides had engaged in an illegal conspiracy. It's unfortunate that so many people took him seriously."
Victor Davis Hanson on the Twilight War
Victor Davis Hanson on War on National Review Online
"...in the manner that Hitler was to be understood as victimized by the Versailles Treaty, so too we hear the litany of perceived grievances against the Islamic fascists — George Bush, the West Bank, Gaza, or now Lebanon. But does anyone remember that bin Laden quip, four years before 9/11, when Mr. Bush was still governor of Texas: “Mentioning the name of Clinton or the American government provokes disgust and revulsion.”
al Qaeda’s Aymin al-Zawahiri: “The Jihad movement is growing and rising. It reached its peak with the two blessed raids on New York and Washington. And now it is waging a great heroic battle in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and even within the Crusaders’ own homes.”
“Even within the Crusaders’ own homes” would include, I think, the planned attacks against opponents of the Iraq war, such as Canada and Germany. Their often shrill, and sometimes blatantly anti-American, antagonism to the 2003 war still earned them no exemption from efforts to chop off the head of the Canadian prime minister or to blow up hundreds of Germans on passenger trains."
"Here at home we witness “al-Qaedism” — fanatics shooting Jews in Seattle, murder at the Los Angeles airport, an SUV running over innocent pedestrians in San Francisco or driving over students in North Carolina, sniping in Maryland. And we shrug them all off. Surely such incidents can be explained, are not connected, occur at random — anything other than the truth that the constant harangues of the Islamic fascists really do filter down, even if randomly and spontaneously, to a number of angry and alienated young Muslim males in the West."
"...we are in a pause, a lull in a great storm that broke upon us five years ago on September 11. We are waiting to see when and where and how — not really if — the Iranians test their envisioned bomb. “Another 9/11” is now part of the lexicon, suggesting that most Americans accept that an amorphous enemy that tries to knock down the Sears Tower, to blow up the Holland tunnel, to explode airliners over the Atlantic, and to slaughter commuters from London to Madrid to the Rhine may finally get lucky once — and that once could be a death warrant for thousands of Westerners."
"...in the manner that Hitler was to be understood as victimized by the Versailles Treaty, so too we hear the litany of perceived grievances against the Islamic fascists — George Bush, the West Bank, Gaza, or now Lebanon. But does anyone remember that bin Laden quip, four years before 9/11, when Mr. Bush was still governor of Texas: “Mentioning the name of Clinton or the American government provokes disgust and revulsion.”
al Qaeda’s Aymin al-Zawahiri: “The Jihad movement is growing and rising. It reached its peak with the two blessed raids on New York and Washington. And now it is waging a great heroic battle in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and even within the Crusaders’ own homes.”
“Even within the Crusaders’ own homes” would include, I think, the planned attacks against opponents of the Iraq war, such as Canada and Germany. Their often shrill, and sometimes blatantly anti-American, antagonism to the 2003 war still earned them no exemption from efforts to chop off the head of the Canadian prime minister or to blow up hundreds of Germans on passenger trains."
"Here at home we witness “al-Qaedism” — fanatics shooting Jews in Seattle, murder at the Los Angeles airport, an SUV running over innocent pedestrians in San Francisco or driving over students in North Carolina, sniping in Maryland. And we shrug them all off. Surely such incidents can be explained, are not connected, occur at random — anything other than the truth that the constant harangues of the Islamic fascists really do filter down, even if randomly and spontaneously, to a number of angry and alienated young Muslim males in the West."
"...we are in a pause, a lull in a great storm that broke upon us five years ago on September 11. We are waiting to see when and where and how — not really if — the Iranians test their envisioned bomb. “Another 9/11” is now part of the lexicon, suggesting that most Americans accept that an amorphous enemy that tries to knock down the Sears Tower, to blow up the Holland tunnel, to explode airliners over the Atlantic, and to slaughter commuters from London to Madrid to the Rhine may finally get lucky once — and that once could be a death warrant for thousands of Westerners."
BOLTON: IRAN'S GOAL IS A BOMB By ANDY SOLTIS with Post Wire Services - New York Post Online Edition: News
BOLTON: IRAN'S GOAL IS A BOMB By ANDY SOLTIS with Post Wire Services - New York Post Online Edition: News
"Iran's violation of yesterday's U.N. deadline to halt its nuclear program leaves no doubt that its goal is to build atomic bombs, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton charged.
He said the U.N. Security Council must be ready to impose sanctions on Iran for its nose-thumbing response to the rest of the world."
"Iran's violation of yesterday's U.N. deadline to halt its nuclear program leaves no doubt that its goal is to build atomic bombs, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton charged.
He said the U.N. Security Council must be ready to impose sanctions on Iran for its nose-thumbing response to the rest of the world."
Iran sanctions called "dead end" | News One | Reuters.com
Meanwhile, Russia's saying "nyet" to sanctions:
Iran sanctions called "dead end" | News One | Reuters.com
"We take into account the experience of the past and we cannot ally ourselves with ultimatums, which all lead to a dead end," Interfax news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.
"Yes, there are countries whose policies raise doubts, and cause discontent, but we all live in the same world and we need to ... draw them into dialogue, and not isolation and sanctions."
Got it? The world has agreed until now that Iran should stop its program and that its important that Iran not get the bomb. But the world will not do anything about it.
The "world" has become like the ubiquitous "they" which is referneced and has an opinion about everything, but can't be relied upon for action. It you want something done, you have to do it yourself.
Iran sanctions called "dead end" | News One | Reuters.com
"We take into account the experience of the past and we cannot ally ourselves with ultimatums, which all lead to a dead end," Interfax news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.
"Yes, there are countries whose policies raise doubts, and cause discontent, but we all live in the same world and we need to ... draw them into dialogue, and not isolation and sanctions."
Got it? The world has agreed until now that Iran should stop its program and that its important that Iran not get the bomb. But the world will not do anything about it.
The "world" has become like the ubiquitous "they" which is referneced and has an opinion about everything, but can't be relied upon for action. It you want something done, you have to do it yourself.
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