The viewers of Insider are quite perceptive.
A lesson I've learned over the past four years: never underestimate the collective rationality of the American public. They have a finely-tuned BS detector (see Senator Vietnam).
A Muslim cleric who was to be sworn in as a New York Fire Department chaplain today resigned following a newspaper interview in which he said he doubted official accounts that 19 terrorist hijackers carried out the Sept. 11 attacks, the cable news station NY1 reported.
Mossad was behind 9/11, don't you know?
Quite a detailed opinion on Divine-inspired Islamic law. This caught me eye.
The Quran is the principal source of Islamic law. Its principles and teachings, which are valid for all times to come, govern the totality of human life in a wholesome manner. It is mentioned in the Quran: “For, indeed, many facets have We given in this Quran to every kind of lesson (designed) for (the benefit of) mankind!....” (17: 89)
[Emphasis mine]
That is one of the most vile statements I've ever read. The dignity of freedom is thoroughly rejected for wholesome totality. I can't think of any worse self-inflicted misery for a society.
Growth Competitiveness Index Rankings are out and the United States ranks second. I noticed something peculiar about the top 10 countries. Seven of them have a population which is less than 10 million. Iceland, ranked seventh, has a population of only 300,000. The three countries, in the top 10, with significant size are the US, Taiwan, and Australia.
Large countries (are you paying attention, Canada?) should emulate the pro-growth policies of these three nations and be aware of the statist -- and slowing failing -- practices of big European nations.
First link via The Fire Ant Gazette.
Update
K. Caldwell offers his view at Port McClellan.
... does Olbermann have no sense of proportion?
Who the hell is Olbermann? And should I care?
Michael Jennings at Samizdata posts a lovely Quote of the Day.
Johnathan Pearce posts about the new tactics of the animal rights campaigners. They continue to keep on digging.
A few observations regarding the national language in two Pakistani cities - Karachi and Lahore. I wanted to mention the main influence on Urdu slang / dialect in Lahore but the last sentence of the post already got to it.
Editorial at The Daily Times:
The Sharia bench of the Supreme Court [in Pakistan] also ruled in 1999 that banking and insurance and other riba-carrying instruments were unlawful, but the state was unable to enforce the law and the verdict came right back to the Supreme Court in appeal.
Riba simply means interest. You might not be aware but in Islam interest on a principal is a big no-no or haraam. It's nice to see the Sharia bench enforce this sensible rule.
Known as the ‘insult’ law, and embodied in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) Article 295-C, through an Act of Parliament in 1986, it seeks to punish with death individuals who insult the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Called Blasphemy or Gustakhi-e-Rasul Law, it has targeted the minority communities, particularly the Christians.
So if I say that Muhammad is a bad role model because of his campaigns of slaughter and his relations with a 9-year-old, then I'd be sentenced to death.
The most dangerous part of the Article 295-C is where it says that the offender shall be punished if he insults the sacred name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) ‘by words either spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly’.
I'm so relieved.
After being convicted, the accused goes to the death cell. After that, the case drags on for an average of seven years before the Supreme Court finally lets the accused go.
Though, I wonder, how many of the accused are killed by mobs? If you're in Pakistan and the charge of blasphemy is brought against you, then I'd bet that the friendly neighborhood Muslims will "take care" of you before the state does.
The answer has to be yes. If you think otherwise, then do elaborate.
Pakistanis may not know much about world geography or international affairs, except the “conspiracies” hatched by the many “enemies” of Islam and Pakistan (of which they have ample knowledge), but the news that Turkey may, at some future date, gain membership of the European Union seems to have reached them.
...
It seems nothing can deter or prevent Pakistanis, particularly those hailing from some of its most prosperous districts, from heading to the “decadent” West in search of a better life. Hundreds make it, dozens get deported, a few unlucky ones return in body bags. Those who are deported live to fight another day, so to speak, and usually try again. When life in the West is the ultimate reward, neither money nor will power is in short supply.
It's sad that the very concepts and ideals which have provided the West its wealth and power are loathed by many of these Pakistanis.
According to reports, hard line Islamic militants warned cable operators in Occupied Kashmir to cease transmission during the month of Ramazan or face the consequences.
"Face the consequences." Where have I read that before?
Police [in Kashmir] have confiscated some posters pasted on the walls of two senior secondary schools in Rajouri town on Dec. 16 ordering girl students to wear burqas or face the consequences.
Islamism is a way of life. Embrace it or die.
Clayton Cramer raises some important questions about the news stories from New Orleans. I don't think we'll ever know the plain truth.
Kate at Small Dead Animals was inspired to write:
I want a public service where those politicians convicted of fraud and/or theft of tax dollars be sentenced to "house" arrest, paid $20K a year for a 40 hour work week of "community service" and required to support themselves and their families on that income alone - after taxes, CPP [Canadian Pension Plan] and EI [Employment Insurance] are deducted.
Makes sense to me.
Devout Muslim "know" that the logo of Coca Cola inverted reads, in Arabic, No Muhammad No Makkah. Therefore, many Muslims don't drink Coke.
Now, we have graphical evidence of a frog in a Pepsi. Good Muslims are running out of soft drink options!
Link via Polipundit.
The New York Times presents an atrocious article about the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia (via LFG).
Ms. Hughes, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy, is on her first trip to the Middle East. She seemed clearly taken aback as the women told her that just because they were not allowed to vote or drive that did not mean they were treated unfairly or imprisoned in their own homes.
"We're not in any way barred from talking to the other sex," said Dr. Nada Jambi, a public health professor. "It's not an absolute wall."
[Emphasis mine]
That is a blatant lie. On top of the fact that women must wear a black tent in public, the schools and hospitals in Saudi Arabia are segregated by gender.
Saudi cab drivers (who are, of course, ALL male) will not stop for a lone woman in Saudi Arabia. Why? It is illegal for women to travel alone. They must have a male relative as a companion. I know because I lived in that wretched country for over 10 years. Once my mother had an appointment at a hospital and, for the reasons stated, I had to go with her.
"It's not an absolute wall." Nobody said it was absolute. I mean how else would you marry your first cousin and produce smart little Jambis?
Speaking of a wall:
At the meeting with the Saudi women, television crews were barred and reporters were segregated according to sex.
I thought the sexes weren't barred "in any way."
A woman in the audience then charged that under President Bush the United States had become "a right-wing country" and that criticism by the press was "not allowed."
That's rich coming from a slave of a kingdom where there is no free press, and where foreign magazines are wiped clean of any offending material. For example, sometimes complete pages are ripped out of magazines before they're brought to the Saudi market. Sometimes, markers are used to black out the legs of women (for example, in an advertisement or in the women sports section).
Several women said later that Americans failed to understand that their traditional society was embraced by men and women alike.
Finally, an argument with substance. When an entire society is force fed the idea: freedom for women = prostitution, then large numbers of men and women will oppose freedom for women. Plus, in a society where men can, with the permission of religion and law, beat women who act a little uppity (read liberal), it's tough for women to be open about their dissatisfaction with Islamism. Also, see this:
The execution of the Saudi Arabian princess Misha'al is a prime example of an honor killing in that the execution did not follow any Islamic court proceeding but was ordered directly by her grandfather.
How lovely for Saudi women to embrace this tradition, no?
Getting back to the NYTimes:
"There is more male chauvinism in my profession in Europe and America than in my country," said Dr. Siddiqa Kamal, an obstetrician and gynecologist who runs her own hospital.
"I don't want to drive a car," she said. "I worked hard for my medical degree. Why do I need a driver's license?"
Let me get this straight. Women are not allowed to drive a car in Saudi Arabia. They can, however, drive in Europe and America. Still, there is more male chauvinism in Europe and America. Oookay.
"Women have more than equal rights," added her daughter, Dr. Fouzia Pasha, also an obstetrician and gynecologist, asserting that men have obligations accompanying their rights, and that women can go to court to hold them accountable.
15 Saudi girls were murdered in March of 2002 because the religious police, the Muttawa, refused to let them leave a blazing building without their proper attire. I am sure the relatives of these girls thank Allah everyday for the "more than equal rights."
"I love my abaya," she explained. "It's convenient and it can be very fashionable."
Slavery = Freedom. Abaya = Fashionable.
Photo taken from Faith Freedom International.
Also see an earlier article of mine, Honor in Slavery.
Update :: 09/29/05
Dymphna:
As things loosen up for Muslim women around the world, you can expect them to begin to find the courage to say what’s real. But until then, they will sound like these privileged, caged women: shrill and not credible at all.
Authorities fear that a suspected Islamic terror cell broken up in France was plotting attacks on the Paris subway, an airport and an intelligence agency's headquarters, newspapers said Tuesday.
But ... but:
I don't get it. What have the French done to enrage the peaceful Islamists?
I'm so confused.
Update :: 09/28/05
Islamists in Germany! But ... but Germany has been sooo nice to the Islamists. For example, the Germans didn't, and still don't, support the war in Iraq.
Very very confusing.
Update II :: 09/29/05
Tim Blair:
France’s massive commitment to the war in Iraq has made it enemy No. 1 of radical Islamists.
The 7/7 bombings were all about the Iraq war, right?
Well, that's what the MSM tells us. They can't be wrong, right?
Jay Tea brings us the full story about the Road Map to Peace.
Apple’s store in Regent Street, London, has received complaints that the colour screen [of the iPod Nano] scratches too easily.
And a website, www.flawedmusicplayer.com, has already been created by disgruntled purchasers urging Apple to recall the product, citing inexplicable cases of screens cracking.
At the Flawed Music Player site, read the entry titled "I VISIT AN APPLE STORE (Sunday 9/25/05)". This is not looking good for Apple. They should take these three steps to mend the situation:
Otherwise, their latest luscious iPod will become famous for lasting a nanosecond.
First link via Tom's Hardware Guide.
“Oh my,” I laugh out loud. “This is good work, but I think we’d better fix some of the spelling.”
And she did. Truly hilarious.
After long campaign, Jewish veteran will finally be honored by U.S. military. The last line is a gem.
Gateway Pundit has more on his courageous story.
Martin Kramer offers some advice to Juan Cole.
By the way, I have studied seven languages: Urdu, English, Arabic, Punjabi, Hindi, Sindhi, and Russian. Of course, it's hard to say how many languages I speak since proficiency is always an imperfect...
Mark Steyn:
If you want the state of Europe in a nutshell, skip the German election coverage and consider this news item from the south of France: a fellow in Marseilles is being charged with fraud because he lived with the dead body of his mother for five years in order to continue receiving her pension of 700 euros a month.
Read the whole thing. The second last paragraph is jaw-dropping.
Episode 1: Apple dumps Motorola.
Episode 2: Apple starts dating Intel.
Episode 3: Motorola gets jealous and lashes out.
This is fun to watch.
Done with Mirrors has got the details.
Naivety, innocence, and the substitution of emotion for thought - it is politics of the immature. I understand the attraction of such shallow thinking - we're the future, we're going to save the world, if only everyone was kind to one another, we are the world - the same shallow thinking that's attracted youth throughout history to utopian ideas such as Communism and pacifism.
I've encountered this same mentality at my Canadian university. The common denominator among these enlightened folks is their refusal to see evil. To them the Islamist terrorists in Iraq are disgruntled plumbers, engineers and taxi drivers who only wish for the imperialist Americans to leave. All the US has to do is address the legitimate grievances of these Islamists and then there will be no more war. Since Bush refuses to do exactly that, he is therefore rejecting peace. Ergo, Bush is the bad guy.
It doesn't occur to the Suzans that the Islamists are not interested in peace. They cannot be made to see the light by a few therapy sessions. They wouldn't hesitate but chant Allah is Great in Arabic while cutting the head off a Suzan. They are in a perpetual state of war with Civilization. We need Shermans and Pattons to annihilate this evil. It would help if the Suzans understood this bitter fact.
Update
The depravity never ends. This is how we deal with it.
Update II
When I said that we need Pattons in our war, I wasn't referring to this Patton.
Update III
Thanks to Laurence Simon for the link.
That's an understatement.
Yum. Bloggy goodness.
The first commenter of this post at Big Lizards:
The anti-war left just demands immediate exodus of US troops, but nothing that might actually make it happen sooner naturally...Destroying Bush is Alpha and Omega.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Photos of genuine supporters of the US troops at Andi's World. Example:
Love the text at the bottom.
After the invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979, the Soviet Army asked for supplies such as food, ammunition, and...boots. Their low-quality boots were falling apart. It might have been more than just their footwear.
Link via Villainous Company.
Andy Borowitz:
"This deal with Kate Moss is much, much more than an endorsement contract," said Mr. Diaz. "We have every intention of making Kate Moss the new face of ..."
Click here to find out.
Max Boot on North Korea:
A large percentage of the population remains malnourished. And more than 150,000 political prisoners — including entire families — suffer in slave labor camps. Meanwhile, the man responsible for all this misery, Kim, lives the life of Nero. Even as his people are reduced to eating tree bark, this pompadoured popinjay guzzles oceans of vintage cognac and wine, gorges himself on multi-course banquets of sushi and caviar and enjoys the services of multiple concubines.
Someone so demented hardly makes a reliable negotiating partner — or the proper recipient of economic aid.
Not to mention his history of breaking promises.
Israeli aircraft blasted suspected Palestinian weapons facilities in Gaza on Sunday and authorities arrested hundreds of militants in the West Bank, launching an offensive against the Islamic group Hamas after it bombarded Israeli towns with rockets.
[Emphasis mine]
I understand that Israeli retaliation weakens the various Islamist terror groups. But why doesn't Israel fight for the long haul? The IDF smashes some of the terrorists and their infrastructure for a few days and then backs off which gives breathing room for other terrorists to re-group. A few months later, the IDF again smashes some of the terrorists and their infrastructure...Where's the long-term security in repeating this purely defensive policy?
It's often said that the Israelis use disproportionate force. I agree.
They use too little.
I think Michael Ledeen would smile at the conclusion of this post.
Note to Paul Edwards: don't be bothered by that Pakistani Shia, Mr. Abbas. This Pakistani ex-Muslim knows you are correct. Keep up the good work.
I know my hometown leans left, but I thought it was also a sensible place. I certainly didn't expect it to join the ranks of Berkeley and San Francisco in antiwar lunacy.
So very sad.
BP dreams. Hunh, BP and many dream of it, the Westerners live in it.
Scenes from the underground: the ANSWER, etc. Anti-War, Anti-Bush Protests were conducted all across the country today to coincide with same in the DC area, so I went to observe some leftists in their natural habitat.
Baldilocks provides some "charming" photos. Close to the end, there are a couple of photos of LA's finest and this gem:
These guys [the cops] wanted to know what I was going to do with their picture. I told them that I was going to post it on my blog. "Your what?"
Ha. We've yet to hit critical mass.
Dhimmi Watch:
Does King Abdullah of Jordan really want to mend fences with Jews? He was in Washington the other day saying all the right things in just the right tones. "Jordan's king reaches out to Jews, [
and hits them] hits radical Islam," from the Washington Times.
Read on to see how the Jordanian society and Jordanian laws treat the Jews. Alas, it isn't up to the level of the Saudis who don't even allow Jews to enter the desert kingdom. Nothing gets you instant street-cred in the Muslim community than rabid antisemitism. Believe me, I know.
Hey, women do get elected in Muslim countries. Though, they might not be alive at the time. Just a slight technicality.
We got mops. Celebrate.
You've got to be kidding. Dymphna:
... the spokesperson for the Holocaust Museum expressed the hope that this visit was “enriching.” It certainly was — as in “that’s a rich one.”
LGF operative zombie returns with an account of an evening with George Galloway in San Francisco, September 21, 2005.
It was an idiotarian fest.
This parallels the Russian society which continues to drown itself in alcohol.
Jaw-dropping statistics about the US Navy.
Today, the USN enjoys a "17 Navy standard"; that is, the total tonnage of Uncle Sam’s fleet is equal to the combined total tonnage of the next 17 smaller navies. Even combining the two biggest potential naval competitors (the Chinese and the Russians), the USN still outclasses them by over 3:1 in tonnage, and it has substantially more combat power.
Link via Port McClellan who adds:
To place this in perspective, it is worth noting that Great Britain, in her Victorian and Edwardian hey-day, maintained a 2 navy standard, as in, Britannia's fleet was required to always be as large as the next two largest navies combined.
The latent power of the American Republic is truly overwhelming.
