The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are ‘You'll Never Know What We DidÂ’ by Done With Mirrors, and Just Outside Westminster Cathedral Today... by Joee Blogs -- A Catholic Londoner.  Here are the full results of the vote.

Posted by: Greg at 10:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I don't even know how to categorize this story. It isn't a news story in the sense I usually think of it. Neither is it exactly an education story. It certainly doesn't qualify as entertainment, where I usually put sports stories. And it is something more than a religion or race peace. It is all of those -- and something more.

It is a story that moves the human heart, if one's soul has not been completely deadened.

It is a story to make one weep with joy, with sadness, and with hope.

It is the story of how one life can be changed, and how the acts of love and kindness that do so change all involved.

It is the story of Michael Oher.

When the file on Michael Oher from the Memphis City Schools hit his desk in the summer of 2002, Steve Simpson, the principal of Briarcrest Christian School, was frankly incredulous. The boy, now 16, had a measured I.Q. of 80, which put him in mankind’s ninth percentile. An aptitude test he took in eighth grade measured his “ability to learn” and placed him in the sixth percentile. The numbers looked like misprints: in a rich white private school like Briarcrest, you never saw single-digit numbers under the column marked “percentile.” Of course, logically, you knew such people must exist; for someone to be in the 99th percentile, someone else had to be in the first. But you didn’t expect to meet them at the Briarcrest Christian School. Academically, Briarcrest might not be the most ambitious school. It spent more time and energy directing its students to Jesus Christ than to Harvard. But the students all went on to college. And they all had at least an average I.Q.

In his first nine years of school, Michael Oher was enrolled in 11 different institutions, and that included a gap of 18 months, around age 10, when he apparently did not attend school at all. Either that or the public schools were so indifferent to his presence that they neglected to register it formally. Not that Oher actually showed up at the schools where he was enrolled. Even when he received credit for attending, he was sensationally absent: 46 days of a single term of his first-grade year, for instance. His first first-grade year, that is; Michael Oher repeated first grade. He repeated second grade, too. And yet the school system presented these early years as the most accomplished of his academic career. They claimed that right through the fourth grade he was performing at “grade level.” How could they know when, according to these transcripts, he hadn’t even attended the third grade?

Simpson, who had spent 30-plus years in area public schools, including 29 in Memphis, knew what everyone who had even a brief brush with the Memphis public schools knew: they passed kids up to the next grade because they found it too much trouble to flunk them. They functioned as an assembly line churning out products never meant to be market-tested. At several schools, Michael Oher had been given F’s in reading his first term and C’s the second term, which allowed him to finish the school year with D’s — they were giving him grades just to get rid of him. And get rid of him they did: seldom did the child return to the school that passed him. The year before Simpson got his file, Michael Oher passed ninth grade at a high school called Westwood. According to his transcripts, he missed 50 days of school that year. Fifty days! At Briarcrest, the rule was that if a student misses 15 days of any class, he has to repeat the class no matter his grade. And yet Westwood had given Michael Oher just enough D’s to move him along. Even when you threw in the B in world geography, clearly a gift from the Westwood basketball coach who taught the class, the grade-point average the student would bring with him to Briarcrest began with a zero: 0.6.

If there was a less promising academic record, Simpson hadn’t seen it. Simpson guessed, rightly, that the Briarcrest Christian School hadn’t seen anything like Michael Oher either. Simpson and others in the Briarcrest community would eventually learn that Michael’s father had been shot and killed and tossed off a bridge, that his mother was addicted to crack cocaine and that his life experience was so narrow that he might as well have spent his first 16 years inside a closet. And yet here was his application, in the summer of 2002, courtesy of the Briarcrest football coach, Hugh Freeze, who offered with it this wildly implausible story: Big Mike, as he was called, was essentially homeless and so had made an art of sleeping on whatever floor the ghetto would provide for him. He crashed for a stretch on the floor of an inner-city character named Tony Henderson, who at nearly 400 pounds himself was known simply as Big Tony. Big Tony’s mom had died and as her dying wish asked Tony to enroll his son Steven Payne at a “Christian school.” Big Tony had figured that as long as he was taking Steven, he might as well take Big Mike, too.

A school took this boy in. So did a family. And with a lot of hard work and determination, they helped this young man overcome a bad start and make it to college.

And, incidentally, become an All-American football player.

I hope that one day we get this young man on our team down here in Houston. Not just because I believe he will help the Texans out with his talent.

But because I believe he will be an asset to our community, and an inspiration to my students.

Posted by: Greg at 12:59 PM | Comments (25) | Add Comment
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This is just too weird!

A teddy bear has been implicated in 2,500 deaths. Of trout, that is. State officials say a teddy bear dropped into a pool at a Fish and Game Department hatchery earlier this month clogged a drain. The clog blocked the flow of oxygen to the pool and suffocated the fish.

Hatcheries supervisor Robert Fawcett said the bear -- who was dressed in yellow raincoat and hat -- is believed to be the first stuffed bear to cause fatalities at the facility.

"We've had pipes get clogged, but it's usually with more naturally occurring things like a frog or even a dead muskrat," he said. "This one turned out to be a teddy bear and we don't know how it got there."

The deaths prompted Fawcett to release a written warning: "RELEASE OF ANY TEDDY BEARS into the fish hatchery water IS NOT PERMITTED."

He said it's not known who dropped the bear, but urged anyone whose bear ends up in a hatchery pool to find a worker to remove it. "They might save your teddy bear, and keep it from becoming a killer," he said.

"It's kind of a cute little teddy bear and people wouldn't think that a cute little teddy bear would be able to kill fish."

But are teddy bears an endangered species?

Posted by: Greg at 12:47 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Somebody had to say it.

Former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar on Friday defended Pope Benedict XVIÂ’s comments about Islam, saying the pontiff had no need to apologise and asking why Muslims never did, according to newspaper reports published on Saturday.

“Why do we always have to say sorry and they never do?” Mr Aznar told a conference in the United States.

“It is interesting to note that while a lot of people in the world are asking the pope to apologise for his speech, I have never heard a Muslim say sorry for having conquered Spain and occupying it for eight centuries.”

He was referring to the Muslim conquest of much of the Iberian peninsula, which lasted from the eighth to the 15th century.

And might we add to that the Muslim conquest of other Christian territory, such as the Holy Land, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, North Africa, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia. . . .

Posted by: Greg at 10:51 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Another great piece on my preferred candidate for President in 2008, Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, looking at the reception from the social conservative base at this weekendÂ’s Family Research Council convention.

But another potential candidate benefited greatly from showing up. Surprisingly, it was Massachusetts' Gov. Mitt Romney, a Mormon with a Harvard M.B.A who governs the nation's most liberal state. The 1,800 delegates applauded him frequently during his Friday speech and gave him a standing ovation afterward. Mr. Romney detailed his efforts to block court-imposed same-sex marriage in the Bay State and noted that the liberal Legislature has failed to place a citizen-initiated referendum on the ballot. He excoriated liberals for supporting democracy only when they think that the outcome is a foregone conclusion that favors their views. He certainly picked up fans at the summit. "I believe Mitt Romney may be the only hope social conservatives have in 2008," says Maggie Gallagher, author of a book defending traditional marriage.

The tall barrier many see as blocking his acceptance by evangelical voters--the fact that many Americans view Mormonism with suspicion or worse--may prove to be a mirage. "Everyone I talked to said they didn't have a problem with it," one attendee told me. "If enough people say that to each other, Romney creates a virtuous circle in which evangelical activists decide he's acceptable." Ralph Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition, notes that something similar has happened in recent years as devout Catholic and evangelical Protestants have increasingly focused on areas of agreement. "Romney won't be the ideal choice for evangelicals, but against a McCain in the primary or a Hillary Clinton in the general election there's no doubt where most would go," he says.

I am a conservative who is a Christian, but not a Christian Conservative. I like Romney on the issues, and firmly believe that he is a candidate who can win. Pair him with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice or Senator John Cornyn of Texas and you have a ticket that will appeal across the board.

Posted by: Greg at 10:49 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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After the undiplomatic bile spewed from the putrid mouth of Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, why should we be surprised by this garbage emanating from one of his toadies?

Venezuela's foreign minister said he was illegally detained for 90 minutes by officials at a New York airport and accused them of treating him abusively by trying to frisk and handcuff him.

U.S. officials called Saturday's incident regrettable and said they had apologized to Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro. Maduro called that insufficient and said Venezuela would seek a legal challenge through the U.N. to what he called a "flagrant violation of international law" and his diplomatic immunity.

"We were detained for an hour and a half, threatened by police with being beaten," Maduro told reporters at Venezuela's mission to the U.N. "We hold the U.S. government responsible."

A U.N. diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said Maduro's trip was delayed because he had showed up late without a ticket, prompting extra screening.

Maduro and Chavez want the UN to investigate and punish the US for this event.

The solution is simple – place Chavez, Maduro, and all other Venezuelan government officials on the “persona non grata” list and prohibit their return to the US. If the corrupt officials of the UN object, suggest that they relocate to another country – and inform the morally-backrupt organization that the US will cut its dues payments in half once the organization ceases to pollute our shores.

Posted by: Greg at 10:48 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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LetÂ’s ignore the impact on wages and crime statistics. LetÂ’s just look at the impact at local hospitals.

Rising numbers of undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America are streaming into Texas to give birth, straining hospitals and costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, health officials say.

Doctors and health officials say they are overwhelmed by both the new arrivals and those immigrant mothers who already are in the state. Even Houston's feeling the pinch. An estimated 70 percent to 80 percent of the 10,587 births at Ben Taub General Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital last year were to undocumented immigrants, administrators say.

Also feeling the strain is Starr County, an already poor South Texas county that has the region's only taxpayer-supported hospital district.

Immigrants "want a U.S.-born baby" and know that emergency room staffers don't collect any money up front, said Dr. Mario Rodriguez, an obstetrician in Starr County.

"The word is out: Come to Starr County and get delivered for free. Why pay $1,000 in Mexico when you can get it for free?" Rodriguez said.

''When we are separated only by the distance of the river, it's easy to do," Starr County hospital administrator Thalia Muñoz said. "It's gotten worse, and it's because the economy in Mexico is not good and because we provide all these benefits."

Yep – you and I, dear taxpayers, are providing “free delivery” for Mexican children who then have all the rights of American citizenship because of their parents’ wrong-doing. And all while we are expected to pay our own medical bills.

What does it cost?

Starr County Memorial Hospital had $3.6 million in uncollected medical bills in 2005, up from $1.5 million in 2002. The total when fiscal 2006 ends on Sept. 30 is expected to hit $3.9 million, chief financial officer Rafael Olivarez said. Unpaid bills for the past five years will reach nearly $13 million, he said.

To make up for the shortfall, Starr County's hospital district is proposing a 25 percent tax hike.

Already, the U.S. government is pitching in, setting aside $1 billion in Medicaid funds to pay for emergency care received by undocumented migrants over the next four years.

But Olivarez said getting the reimbursements isn't easy. Federal officials ''told us at a meeting they would pay us about 20 cents on the dollar," he said. "But it's better than nothing."

And here in Houston, the cost is staggering.

In all, 57,072 patients visited the district's hospitals, clinics and health centers last year, and nearly a fifth were undocumented, Rasp said. The cost of their treatment was $97.3 million, up from $55 million in 2002.

One county spending nearly $100,000,000 care for criminal aliens who violate our laws by their very presence.

It is time to stop.

Ask their status. Refuse them all but life-saving medical care.

Round ‘em up.

Ship ‘em back.

Rawhide!

Posted by: Greg at 10:47 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Private Francis Lupo was listed as "Missing, Presumed Dead" at the end of World War I. Now, nearly nine decades later, he is coming home.

Missing in action, presumed dead.

And eventually he faded from living memory. His generation passed away, with everyone who loved him, everyone who mourned him. Time rendered him faceless. He was just a name, one of hundreds chiseled in limestone in a cemetery chapel 4,000 miles from home.

LUPO FRANCIS PVT 18TH INF

1ST DIV JULY 21 1918 OHIO

A lost doughboy.

But now he is found.

Discovered by chance, unearthed in 2003 by archaeologists looking for ancient remains, Pvt. Francis Lupo of Cincinnati has returned from the front at last, nearly 90 years after boarding a troop ship for France. Tomorrow, the Army will bury him again, this time with honors at Arlington National Cemetery, laying to rest possibly the longest-missing U.S. soldier ever recovered and identified: a ghost of World War I.

Lupo, killed at 23, most likely on his first day in heavy fighting, will get a fine Arlington send-off, with all the Army's Old Guard solemn pomp: a horse-drawn caisson; a bugler; rifle volleys; a tri-folded American flag for his next of kin, a niece born 15 years after the armistice.

May the day come when there are no more American soldiers listed as "Missing, Presumed Dead".

Posted by: Greg at 10:11 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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But Simms' team denies that this is the case.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms was taken by ambulance to a Tampa hospital Sunday afternoon.

Several news sources say Simms is in critical condition, although a top official with the Buccaneers is denying that report.

Officials at St. Joseph's Hospital, where Simms was taken, are not commenting on the quarterback's condition.

Buccaneers' general manager Bruce Allen this evening vehemently denied to NBC Sports that Simms is in critical condition. However, Allen confirmed that members of Simms' family, including his father, former NFL quarterback Phil Simms, had been contacted.

Simms was hospitalized a short time after the Buccaneers' last-minute 26-24 NFL loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Simms appeared to experience medical problems during the game. He was hit hard several times by Panthers defensive players and was taken out of the game in the third quarter. Announcers said Simms had suffered from dehydration in the 90-degree-plus heat and high humidity in Tampa.

Regardless of the case, let us offer prayers for his recovery -- after all, football is only a game.

UPDATE: Simms has had his spleen removed.

Tampa Bay quarterback Chris Simms had his spleen removed after taking several hard hits in Sunday's 26-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers and was resting in a hospital, the Buccaneers confirmed in a statement.

"Chris Simms suffered an injury to his spleen during today's game and was taken to the hospital," said Buccaneers team doctor Joe Diaco. "He underwent a spleenectomy (removal of the spleen) this evening and is in stable condition. Chris is doing well and we anticipate a full recovery."

After taking several hard hits to the rib area during the game, Simms missed only two plays due to what was believed to be dehydration. He also experienced what was beleived to be cramping, but now appears likely to be the effects of the injury which required this surger.

I'm guessing the Tampa Bay QB will be out for a while

Posted by: Greg at 12:36 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Lost in the sound and fury over the Pope's use of the seven century old words of a Byzantine emperor to critique Islam has been Benedict's critique of the decline of the notion of objective truth in the West.

The pope's third point — which has been almost entirely ignored — was directed to the West. If the West's high culture keeps playing in the sandbox of postmodern irrationalism — in which there is "your truth" and "my truth" but nothing such as "the truth" — the West will be unable to defend itself. Why? Because the West won't be able to give reasons why its commitments to civility, tolerance, human rights and the rule of law are worth defending.

A Western world stripped of convictions about the truths that make Western civilization possible cannot make a useful contribution to a genuine dialogue of civilizations, for any such dialogue must be based on a shared understanding that human beings can, however imperfectly, come to know the truth of things.

The abandonment of the notion of objective truths that can be know through rational inquiry will be the death of Western Civilization -- either through internal decay or external attack. The Pope's challenge to the West is to recover a precious nugget that underlies the Western tradition -- indeed, that is fundamental to the notion that there are unalienable rights that each of us has based upon our humanity. Will we in the West accept that challenge, even as we challenge the Islamic world to balance faith with rationality in an effort to bring respect for every human person into a religion that has been tinged with barbarism for far too long?

Posted by: Greg at 01:42 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Only through prayer can the evil that is jihadi Islam be overcome. This is a spiritual war, not just a military one.

As such, I'd like to encourage folks to participate in this effort.

When Muslims begin the holy month of Ramadan this weekend, Christians worldwide will be praying along with them. But Muslims may not welcome the support. In a campaign called the “30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus,” Christians will be asking God to help Muslims accept Jesus.

The project is organized by a loose association of evangelical groups that include Youth With A Mission, which works in about 150 countries. In the U.S., the National Association of Evangelicals is asking the thousands of churches and ministries it represents to participate.

Lynn Green, international chairman of Youth With A Mission, said organizers chose Ramadan because it is a time when Muslims pray for God’s acceptance and guidance and “we add our prayers to theirs,” Green said. “We are praying they really know God.”

And for them to know God, it is clear that they must reject the false teachings of Mohammad that are contained in the Quran.

To learn more about 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World, click here. Their prayer booklet may be viewed and downloaded by clicking here. And you can subscribe to their prayer email list, click here.

Let's do our best as Christians to bring Muslims to the True Living Word of God -- Jesus. It is the best way to break the power of jihadi islam.

Posted by: Greg at 07:30 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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UPDATE: I seem to have used a certain term in this post, a term that I have always understood as referring to immigration status, but which i am now informed is racially/ethnically insensitive. I apologize. I won't change the word on my site, though, because I do not go back and hide my mistakes or bury evidence of my own errors.

After all, they are all just here looking for a better life and honest work. They certainly don't contribute to the crime problem.

Yeah, right.

I'd suggest you ask Officer Rodney Johnson, a 12 year veteran of the Houston police Department. Unfortunately, you can't.

A simple traffic stop — as routine for Rodney Johnson as putting on his uniform or waving to the residents of the southside neighborhoods he often patrolled — turned suddenly tragic Thursday evening when the veteran Houston police officer was shot and killed as he sat in the front seat of his patrol car near Hobby Airport.

When other officers arrived minutes later at the scene in the 9300 block of Randolph, a handcuffed man remained in the back seat of the squad car along with a pistol thought to have been used in the shooting.

Just after 5 p.m., Johnson had stopped a pickup with two people inside. It was unclear why he detained or handcuffed the driver, though an officer familiar with the incident said he had no identification on him. At least one female passenger left, possibly with Johnson's permission, but Police Chief Harold Hurtt said he thought officers had found the woman and were bringing her to headquarters for questioning.

A source familiar with the scene said Johnson was shot four times through the plastic shield separating the front and rear seats. Johnson managed to push his emergency button before collapsing. The 12-year veteran of the department was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A tragedy, beyond all question. Houston mourns for a hero who died in a senseless shooting.

But why the shooting over the traffic stop? Because the shooter was going to face deportation -- again.

[Homicide Capt. Dale] Brown said the suspect did not tell investigators why he fired.

"Nothing definitive ... ," Brown said. "My personal belief is that he was upset about being arrested rather than being written a ticket. And I believe he was upset, because he knew he was going to be discovered as a deported alien, and that he was going to spend several years in a federal prison before being deported."

[Juan Leonardo] Quintero was deported as an illegal felon in 1999, following a charge of indecency with a child, Brown said.

Court records show Quintero was given deferred adjudication in that case. Brown said Quintero's previous criminal record included an arrest for driving while intoxicated, for driving with a suspended license and for failing to stop and give information after an automobile accident.

I guess he hoped that he could get away and avoid being sent back where he came from -- twice -- in violation of American laws. After all, what is the blood of a single American cop when compared to the right of a wetback child molester to stay in the US in violation of American laws?

Houston's ineffective and incompetent Chief of Police, Harold Hurtt, blames the feds for the shooting, and feels that the murder of one of his officers is no reason for Houston cops to start helping to enforce our nation's immigration laws, even though the first thing every wetback does upon entering the United States is to break the law.

After a capital-murder charge was filed against an illegal immigrant in connection with the death of Officer Rodney Johnson, Chief Harold Hurtt firmly defended the Houston Police Department's policy of not enforcing immigration laws.

"If the government would fulfill their responsibility of protecting the border," he told reporters Friday afternoon, "we probably would not be standing here today."

* * *

Hurtt called a provision sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, that would cut federal funding to police departments that did not enforce immigration laws "misguided and wrong" and said the measure would detract officers from dealing with more serious crimes.

I'll agree that the federal government needs to do more, but banning the enforcement of immigration violations by HPD is no more sensible than banning the arrest of those sought for other federal crimes.

I support the Culberson bill.

I support closing the border and fencing it off to keep these immigration criminals out of my country.

And I support the state of Texas quickly sending Juan Leonardo Quintero to Hell, where he belongs -- and billing Mexico for all expenses incurred in trying, housing, and executing him.

And to those of you offended by my use of the word "wetback", might I suggest that you can go set up the "Welcome Home" party for Quintero in his future infernal abode. a murdering, child-molesting border-jumping sumbag like him deserves no respect from any American.

Posted by: Greg at 02:43 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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What next -- a prohibition on checking references from the bibliography?

When McLean High School students write this year about Othello or immigration policy, their teachers won't be the only ones examining the papers. So will a California company that specializes in catching cheaters.

The for-profit service known as Turnitin checks student work against a database of more than 22 million papers written by students around the world, as well as online sources and electronic archives of journals. School administrators said the service, which they will start using next week, is meant to deter plagiarism at a time when the Internet makes it easy to copy someone else's words.

But some McLean High students are rebelling. Members of the new Committee for Students' Rights said they do not cheat or condone cheating. But they object to Turnitin's automatically adding their essays to the massive database, calling it an infringement of intellectual property rights. And they contend that the school's action will tar students at one of Fairfax County's academic powerhouses.

"It irked a lot of people because there's an implication of assumed guilt," said Ben Donovan, 18, a senior who helped collect 1,190 student signatures on a petition against mandatory use of the service. "It's like if you searched every car in the parking lot or drug-tested every student."

But the school can search every car in the parking lot without a warrant -- that is part of the agreement you make with the school when you get your parking sticker. And they can search your locker without a warrant as well.

And speaking as a teacher, I've seen how rampant plagiarism really is. Several years ago, one of my students submitted a research paper in which he told of sittin on a hillside overlooking Nagasaki, mentally tracing the path of the falling atomic bomb. The paper was lfed in its entirety from a website ("but I didn't copy anything -- my uncle wrote the paper for me"). In my college-level night class, I recently received a paper which was cut and pasted from multiple sources without even anything to connect the parts -- and included the claim that the NAACP had given the author their photo archive for cataloging and preservation (a direct copy from the Library of Congress website) without a single citation.

Either our students need more to develop greater personal honesty, or they need to accept that being checked for plagiarism is part of the implied contract between teacher and students.

Posted by: Greg at 10:12 PM | Comments (41) | Add Comment
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Trying to eliminate some of the comment spam, several non-spam comments were unintentionally deleted.

However, since they are from foul-mouthed leftist trool MYOB (aka Bubba) and Holocaust-denying troll KKKen Hoop, I don't feel they are worth losing any sleep over.

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I was challenged yesterday when I asserted that the coup in Thailand was a threat to liberty, not just democracy.

Well, the authoritarian nature of the military has asserted itself already.

Thailand's new ruling junta on Thursday announced a ban on meetings of political parties and barred the establishment of new parties.

The announcement, made on all Thai television stations, said the action was taken to maintain peace and order.

The bans are the latest moves by the junta to maintain control, even though no open opposition have surfaced to its Tuesday night takeover. Other moves include limitations on public meetings and restrictions on the media.

Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, the right to petition the government, the right to associate for political purposes -- all gone by government decree. I stand by my assertion.

And i wish the Bush Administration would do and say more on behalf of the democratic institutions of Thailand.

Posted by: Greg at 10:33 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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In opposing laws to require voters to prove their identity, that's the result they are seeking. Oh, they say they are simply against laws that keep eligible voters from voting, but we know what their real motive is -- making sure that their preferred political party can continue to engage in the voter fraud that has allowed it to hold on to power in parts of this country.

Think I'm being unfair with that assessment? If i am, i am being no more unfair than the NY Times itself in today's editorial opposing photo ID for voting.

One of the cornerstones of the Republican PartyÂ’s strategy for winning elections these days is voter suppression, intentionally putting up barriers between eligible voters and the ballot box. The House of Representatives took a shameful step in this direction yesterday, voting largely along party lines for onerous new voter ID requirements. Laws of this kind are unconstitutional, as an array of courts have already held, and profoundly undemocratic. The Senate should not go along with this cynical, un-American electoral strategy.

The bill the House passed yesterday would require people to show photo ID to vote in 2008. Starting in 2010, that photo ID would have to be something like a passport, or an enhanced kind of driverÂ’s license or non-driverÂ’s identification, containing proof of citizenship. This is a level of identification that many Americans simply do not have.

The bill was sold as a means of deterring vote fraud, but that is a phony argument. There is no evidence that a significant number of people are showing up at the polls pretending to be other people, or that a significant number of noncitizens are voting.

Noncitizens, particularly undocumented ones, are so wary of getting into trouble with the law that it is hard to imagine them showing up in any numbers and trying to vote. The real threat of voter fraud on a large scale lies with electronic voting, a threat Congress has refused to do anything about.

Now, if th times wants to make the argument that the law is unnecessary or unwise, more power to them. If they want to argue that the standard places un unreasonable burden, I've got no problem with that. If they want to argue that the documented cases of voter fraud and non-citizen voting are insignificant, feel free to do so.

But this argument is simply dsgusting, and without foundation.

The actual reason for this bill is the political calculus that certain kinds of people — the poor, minorities, disabled people and the elderly — are less likely to have valid ID. They are less likely to have cars, and therefore to have drivers’ licenses. There are ways for nondrivers to get special ID cards, but the bill’s supporters know that many people will not go to the effort if they don’t need them to drive.

If this bill passed the Senate and became law, the electorate would likely become more middle-aged, whiter and richer — and, its sponsors are anticipating, more Republican.

No evidence to support the charge -- simply an assertion. And an utterly shameful one at that.

I'm the local election judge. I run the polling places here in my precinct. I remembeer when folks could walk in with virtually anything to vote -- and remember one guy who had to check the name on the phone bill before signing the voter registry. I remember how much better things got after Texas tightened it voter identification requirements. Now I 'll concede that I think the current bill before Congress is problematic -- because of its potential for establishing a national ID card and database -- but I think that meeting the same requirement for voting that is required to buy groceries witha check at Krogers four blocks away is not an unreasonable step.

Posted by: Greg at 10:28 PM | Comments (29) | Add Comment
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HIV, AIDS and other blood-borne pathogens have only been a serious concern in this country for a quarter-century – how could anyone dealing with medicine or science possibly be so cavalier about the health of others?

A science teacher was suspended for allowing students to use the same instrument to draw blood from their fingers as part of a class project, district officials said Tuesday.

About 50 students in two science classes at Salina High School South used the same lancet, or small pin, to prick their fingers on Monday, said Carol Pitts, spokeswoman for the Salina school district.

The science teacher, who was not identified, was suspended with pay during an investigation, Pitts said.

Pitts said there was additional concern that some of the students may have come in contact with blood when they washed the science experiment slides. She said it was unclear what experiment the classes were doing, but they may have been checking blood glucose levels.

She said the district was taking steps to ensure that the students were tested for diseases such as HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — and hepatitis, both of which can be spread by using a shared instrument to draw blood. The district was working with Saline County Health Department to establish testing procedures for the students.

"This is minimal risk," said Yvonne Gibbons, director of the health department. "I don't think there is any reason to panic, but we're cautioning the school to take the best possible course they can, and that would be to have the kids tested."

I’m a recently diagnosed diabetic, married to another diabetic. We each do glucose tests a couple of times a day – and we are scrupulous about ensuring that we dispose of the used lancets and test strips in a save manner for the sake of others. If this teacher was allowing lancets to be reused, he or she deserves to be fired. If it was just the lancing device, I’m less concerned but still troubled. Safety when dealing with body fluids should always be the rule in a classroom.

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And that means that all of us believers arenÂ’t allowed to express ourselves where they might possibly be exposed to ideas and concepts that they reject. And that especially goes for politicians.

An atheist civil rights organization on Tuesday charged that a partisan campaign ad filmed in a Tennessee Baptist church sends a “divisive” message and is “religionizing” important public policy issues.

The television commercial was filmed on behalf of Democratic candidate Harold Ford, Jr. who is running against Republican Bob Corker.

“To our knowledge, this is the first time a partisan political ad has been produced using the backdrop of a church,” said Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists. “It’s part of a larger and disturbing trend where candidates are invoking religion in order to woo constituencies and win elections.”

Ms. Johnson added that by “playing the religion card,” candidates like Mr. Ford were marginalizing and excluding millions of Atheists, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and other nonbelievers.

Dave Silverman, communications director for American Atheists, said that Mr. Ford’s ad "is more than a simple statement of personal beliefs. It’s pandering, and it raises serious questions about a candidate who does something like this would represent all of the people in his state if elected, or uphold the separation of church and state.”

So it is really simple – the overwhelming majority of Americans just need to shut up so as not to offend an obnoxious and intolerant minority that is too insecure in its non-belief to risk being exposed to contrary views. If they don’t believe it, we aren’t allowed to talk about it publicly.

But we will not be silent, because they are not the only Americans with civil rights.

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Will all the “good Muslims” who follow “true Islam” condemn this cold-blooded murder as incompatible with the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad?

Somali Christian sources report that Ali Mustaf Maka'il, a 22-year-old college student and cloth merchant, who converted from Islam to Christianity eleven months ago, was shot and killed in the Manabolyo quarter of Mogadishu on September 7.

According to a report from The Barnabas Fund, quoting a Christian source inside Somalia, the gunman was loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts (ICU), the Islamist organization that took power in Mogadishu in early June 2006 and now controls much of southern Somalia.

The report states: "The gunman shot Ali in the back after he refused to join a crowd chanting Qur'an verses in honor of the lunar eclipse. (Solar and lunar eclipses are significant in Islam and are accompanied by special congregational prayers.) The ICU confiscated his body for 24 hours before delivering it to the grieving family."

The Barnabas Fund says: "It seems that under the new Islamist rulers, who include hard-line jihadi elements, the tragic history of persecution and martyrdom for Somalia's tiny Christian community is set to continue and most likely to worsen."

The group reports that in July 2006 there were unconfirmed reports that three Christians had been shot and killed by Islamists as they returned home from a prayer meeting.

It adds: "In October 2005 an evangelist and house church leader, Osman Sheik Ahmed, was shot dead by Islamist radicals. Children of Christian Somali refugees in Kenya have been kidnapped by Muslim relatives and taken to Islamic institutions in Somalia for 'rehabilitation.' "

The Barnabas Fund explains that the leader of the ICU, Hassan Dahir Aweys, promised to implement shari'a in all areas he controls.

"According to shari'a, apostates (those who leave Islam for another religion), must be killed. ICU leaders have even threatened to kill as apostates Muslims who are lax in their prayers, claiming this is commanded by shari'a. Several Muslims have been publicly flogged for drug related offences since the ICU took control."

IÂ’m not asking for anything outrageous, am I? Merely a statement by prominent Islamic leaders that Islam respects the free conscience of every man, woman, and child, and that each person has the right to follow their conscience in religious matters, even if that means they reject Islam and take up another faith.

H/T Jawa Report

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Of course not, even though MadonnaÂ’s blasphemous show is at least as insulting towards Christianity as any of the Danish cartoons or papal quotes were towards Islam.

The NBC television network is still making up its mind about whether it will allow pop star Madonna to stage a mock crucifixion on its airwaves as part of her upcoming prime-time concert special.

The 48-year-old entertainer has made the crucifixion stunt, in which she performs while suspended on a giant cross wearing a crown of thorns, a centerpiece of her global "Confessions" tour.

Her stage act drew storms of protest from the Roman Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church during recent performances in Rome and Moscow, with church leaders condemning the mock crucifixion as blasphemy.

But executives at NBC, owned by the General Electric Co. will wait for makers of her concert special to submit the production for review before deciding whether to allow the mock crucifixion to air.

If this were something offensive to Muslims, would the network even consider broadcasting it? We already know the answer, based on NBC’s failure to show the Danish cartoons earlier this year out of “sensitivity” to Islamic dogma. That there would be a question in this case is outrageous.

On the other hand, maybe the problem is that they know that Christians aren’t going to blow up their television stations or behead their employees – Muslims will.

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Some folks do really stupid things when they drink.

A drunken Chinese migrant worker jumped into a panda enclosure at the Beijing Zoo, was bitten by the bear and retaliated by chomping down on the animal's back, state media said Wednesday.

Zhang Xinyan, from the central province of Henan, drank four jugs of beer at a restaurant near the zoo before visiting Gu Gu the panda on Tuesday, the Beijing Morning Post said.

"He felt a sudden urge to touch the panda with his hand," and jumped into the enclosure, the newspaper said.

The panda, who was asleep, was startled and bit Zhang, 35, on the right leg, it said. Zhang got angry and kicked the panda, who then bit his other leg. A tussle ensued, the paper said.

"I bit the fellow in the back," Zhang was quoted as saying in the newspaper. "Its skin was quite thick."

Other tourists yelled for a zookeeper, who got the panda under control by spraying it with water, reports said. Zhang was hospitalized.

Newspaper photographs showed Zhang lying on a hospital bed with blood-soaked bandages and a seam of stitches running down his leg.

The Beijing Youth Daily quoted Zhang as saying that he had seen pandas on television and "they seemed to get along well with people."

"No one ever said they would bite people," Zhang said. "I just wanted to touch it. I was so dizzy from the beer. I don't remember much."

Almost had ourselves a Darwin Award winner here – he’s certainly entitled to an honorable mention.

By the way, I think this story contains a line that can be used as a really great euphemism -- "touch the panda with his hand."

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This is outrageous.

Some parents in Freeport were livid after they said a Velasco Elementary School assembly last week included a requirement that children say the pledge of allegiance to the Mexican flag.

One mother, who has a daughter enrolled at the school, told KTRH News she couldn’t believe a school assembly would include children holding small Mexican flags and reciting a pledge in Spanish. “Where is the sensitivity to the men and women who have fought and died for this country?” the mother asked.

Several parents have complained to the Brazosport Independent School District administration, school officials confirmed, but claims that students were required to recite a pledge to the Mexican flag were simply false, a school spokesman said.

Brazosport District Spokesman Stuart Dornburg said, “A group of parents, who are volunteers, did get up on stage and recite the pledge to the Mexican flag … the students did not recite the pledge.”

If you are so enamored of Mexico, it isnÂ’t all that far. And please make it a one-way trip.

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About a diference that makes all the difference.

It seems pretty clear which is the true religion of peace.

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Military coups are a good thing only under the most rare of circumstances. The events of the last 24 hours in Thailand don't meet that standard by even the most generous assessment.

Thai army leaders deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a longtime ally of President Bush, using tanks and soldiers to seize the capital Tuesday night without firing a shot. The coup was the first in 15 years in a country where many people believed that military seizures of power were a thing of the past.

Thaksin was in New York, attending the opening of the U.N. General Assembly, when soldiers surrounded Government House, his office, at about 10:30 p.m. He declared a state of emergency by telephone, but his announcement, carried on television, was cut off midway and had no discernible effect as army units seized key facilities in a light rain.

Thaksin cancelled a scheduled address to the UN, a move which I am sorry to see. It would have been instructive for him to speak to the body in order to call upon the nations of the world to reject this assault on democratic institution and to refuse recognition to the illegitimate regime which now holds power in Bangkok.

Why the coup?

Thaksin, a former senior police official who built a fortune in the telecommunications industry, has faced street protests for much of the year over allegations of corruption, abuse of power and a bungling response to a Muslim insurgency. Many military officers contended that he was trying to interfere with promotions and postings in the armed forces.

When it comes right down to it, I believe the last reason was probably the most pressing. Someone's son-in-law or protege probably didn't get the promotion or posting that they were expecting, and that may well have touched matters off. After all, civilian control of the military is a must in a free society, but it seems like the Thai army prefers military control of the civilians.

It also appears taht Thailand's king may be backing the coup -- a sign that the Thai monarchy may need to be abolished or restricted. If he was involved, it would be appropriate for King Bhumibol Adulyadej to face the same punishment -- whether prison or execution -- as the leaders of the coup.

Does any of this mean that I think Thaksin was or is a great leader? hardly, for liberty in Thailand has not been strongly supported. However, elections were coming before this coup -- now there will be none, with a military dictatorship taking the place of an admittedly flawed democratic system. The Houston Chonicle put it well today (in an editorial shocking in its timeliness).

Prime Minister Thaksin makes a poor example of elected government. He has endured charges of corruption and abuse of power. He does not recognize freedom of speech or of the press and refuses to resign.

However, the people elected Thaksin and soon will have a chance to replace him, if the army allows. Thailand would be better off with a deeply flawed leader ultimately accountable to the electorate than what it has now: a military dictator who has revoked the constitution.

Indeed, liberty is even more deeply endangered by this coup than by the short-comings of the Thaksin government.

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All the moonbats are upset that Joe Lieberman has stayed in the Connecticut Senate race rather than supporting and endorsing moonbat nominee Ned Lamont. They claim that the three-term senator is somehow obligated to back the primary winner.

But the moonbat who opposed Hillary Clinton for the Democrat nomination refuses to endorse her.

The anti-Iraq war activist who was crushed by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in last week's Democratic Senate primary said Tuesday he would not support her re-election bid and called on his supporters to vote against her.

"I urge my supporters and the people who voted for me to vote their conscience," said Jonathan Tasini. "Every vote that is not cast for the incumbent is a clear repudiation of an immoral war."

The reaction from the Clinton camp was curt: "Who cares?" said Howard Wolfson.

Tasini, a former president of the National Writers' Union, did not endorse any specific candidate in the Senate race, which many see as a prelude to a 2008 White House run by the former first lady.

I guess that the “party loyalty” argument only goes one way – in favor of the latte-sipping surrender-chimps of the Bush-bashing hate-America Left. When the finge-oids are rejected by the party of the Left, they won’t give what they demand of others.

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All the moonbats are upset that Joe Lieberman has stayed in the Connecticut Senate race rather than supporting and endorsing moonbat nominee Ned Lamont. They claim that the three-term senator is somehow obligated to back the primary winner.

But the moonbat who opposed Hillary Clinton for the Democrat nomination refuses to endorse her.

The anti-Iraq war activist who was crushed by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in last week's Democratic Senate primary said Tuesday he would not support her re-election bid and called on his supporters to vote against her.

"I urge my supporters and the people who voted for me to vote their conscience," said Jonathan Tasini. "Every vote that is not cast for the incumbent is a clear repudiation of an immoral war."

The reaction from the Clinton camp was curt: "Who cares?" said Howard Wolfson.

Tasini, a former president of the National Writers' Union, did not endorse any specific candidate in the Senate race, which many see as a prelude to a 2008 White House run by the former first lady.

I guess that the “party loyalty” argument only goes one way – in favor of the latte-sipping surrender-chimps of the Bush-bashing hate-America Left. When the finge-oids are rejected by the party of the Left, they won’t give what they demand of others.

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Is Islam the religious face of Narcissistic Personality Disorder? Raymond Kraft looks at the DSM-IV definition of that personality disorder and notes that common Islamic behavior fits precisely point for point with the definition of that disorder.

Muslims feel free to call Jews "apes and pigs," they feel free to march in the streets calling for "Death to America," the Great Satan, they feel free to riot across France, burning thousands of cars and homes and businesses, for weeks. They feel free to execute homosexuals for their homosexuality, and send women to prison for the crime, or sin, of having been raped, or stone them for actual or suspected adultery. But at the slightest suggestion that they, or Islam, or the Prophet, are any less perfect than they claim to be, they erupt in fury and violence, the behavior of a culture fixated at the emotional level of a narcissistic four-year-old who throws a screaming tantrum every time he does not get precisely what his childish little heart desires.

With this thought in mind I turned to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association, to the section on Narcissistic Personality Disorder. And now I am going to offend Islam, again. For the tantrums of Islam that we see in every day's news match precisely all of the diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

"Narcissistic Personality Disorder: A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

(1) Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements).

The Islamic world of today has precisely this grandiose and delusional sense of self-importance, as it declares Islam to be the cure for all the world's ills, despite the rather obvious fact that where militant Islam is dominant, as with the Taliban in Afghanistan, society regresses into barbarity. Each day I open the paper to see that the Religion of Peace has slaughtered another hundred Iraqis in Iraq, or that, having failed to develop anything even vaguely resembling a self-sustaining economy and destroying most of what was left to the Palestinians by the Israelis when they withdrew, Hamas in Gaza cannot even pay the salaries of its own employees and must go about panhandling the "international community" for enough money to feed its people, dependant on the charity of its enemies. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, rattling his nuclear saber, threatening the annihilation of Israel and proclaiming that Iran is better suited than America to "lead the world," blithely avoids the fact that the prosperity of Iran, and the populist largesse it allows him to shower on the Iranian people, and his own derivative sense of power and purpose, largely depend on the sale of Iran's petroleum to the Western countries he despises.

The Islam of today does not export science, or literature, or music, or art, or charity, or humanitarianism, or freedom. Islam has produced no Einsteins, no Da Vincis, no Beethovens, no Churchills or Franklin D. Roosevelts, no Declarations of Human Rights, no Mother Theresas. Islam today exports oil, and terror.

Yet Islam wallows in the self-inflicted delusion that it is the center of the world and the quintessence of civilization.

(2) Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success.

The Islamic Jihad of today is rather publicly preoccupied with the fantasy that it will destroy Israel and the rest of Western Civilization, and usher in an eternal Fourth Reich of Theocratic Islamic Totalitarianism, fulfilling the word of the Prophet at Koran 9:33 - "He it is who hath sent His Apostle with the Guidance and a religion of truth, that he may make it victorious over every other religion..."

(3) Believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions).

Islam from its inception has taught that it is "Special," and that Muslims should associate insofar as possible only with other Muslims. As the Prophet said in Koran 5:60, 76: "O you who believe! Take not Jews and Christians as friends. They are but one another's friends. If any one of you taketh them for his friends, he surely is one of them! God will not guide the evil doers...Infidels now are they who say, 'God is the Messiah, the Son of Mary;' for the Messiah said, 'O children of Israel! worship God, my Lord and your Lord.' Whosoever shall join other gods with God, God shall forbid him the Garden, and his abode shall be the Fire; and the wicked shall have no helpers..."

Indeed, "Specialness," the instant and effortless "Specialness" that does not come from achievement or accomplishment, or from humanitarian service, but merely from the act of belief in the Prophet and in Islam, is the great and terrible seduction of fundamentalist Islam, and those who become martyrs, who commit suicide and murder, killing Infidels (who are not "Special," because they are not Believers), achieve the greatest of all possible "Specialness" in the eyes of Allah and in the annals of Islam and are greatly rewarded in Paradise.

Islam, unique among the world's religions, is the only religion which confers its highest accolade of "Specialness" upon those who murder others and themselves, acts which other religions call "sins." Christianity and Judaism honor those who minister to others. Islam honors those who kill. In the world of militant Islam, only Muslims are Special, and among Muslims, the most Special people of all are its mass murderers, who in any other culture would be condemned to prison or death or ignominy as mass murderers.

(4) Requires excessive admiration.

This is a corollary of Islam's pathological obsession with its "Specialness" and the inferiority of those who are Unbelievers, those who follow any other religious faith, or no faith at all. When Islam is insufficiently admired (or, God forbid, critiqued) by those it is attempting to kill, enslave, dominate, and subjugate, Muslims around the world riot and protest that they have been offended and demand apologies. The stance of Islam toward the West is, We can slaughter you, but you cannot criticize us. We can call you pigs and apes and infidels worthy only of death and hell, but you must admire us.

(5) Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or compliance with his or her expectations.

Throughout Europe, and in other non-Muslim countries, Islamic immigrants and communities expect special treatment. They expect respect for their demands to be governed by Sharia, rather than by the laws of the countries to which they have immigrated. They do not want to assimilate into the cultures and societies into which they have come, rather, they demand that France, Denmark, Germany, England, and all other Western nations that now have large Muslim communities, accommodate them. Islam sees itself as the defining force of every community and culture and country into which it spreads. It is intolerant of all others, and it intends, in time, to displace and then replace all others. Islam dreams of a world in which there is no East and West, no Judaism, no Christianity, no Hinduism, no Buddhism, no Agnostics and no Atheists, only Islam. This is what the Prophet has promised, and to this it is entitled.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday" "[Muslim nations] should have tanks, warplanes, warships, guns and missiles...Yes, they need to have nuclear weapons too, because only with the possession of such would their enemies be deterred from attacking them...Well, if you allow Israel to have them, why should the others not have them too?"

He ignores, of course, the fact that Islam has enemies only because it has declared war on everyone else. If Islam were in truth a religion of peace, it would have no enemies, and it would need no weapons.

But they are Special. They are entitled.

(6) Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends.

Islam has been, for years or decades now, taking advantage of the immigration policies and public generosity of Europe, America, Canada, Australia, in order to achieve its own ambitions of global domination, as explicitly explained in The Management of Savagery by Abu Bakr Naji. Islam and Muslims, as a cultural trait, take every possible advantage they can of everyone they can, including other Muslims. As a Muslim client once explained to me, "We are different from you Americans. When you make a deal, you make a contract, that's it. You make a contract, then you do it. With us Muslims, a contract is just for today, and tomorrow it is the place to begin negotiating again." Another, an Iranian with a PhD in pharmacology, came to California to escape the purges of the Khomeini revolution in Iran after the Shah was deposed. Speaking no English, he went to work in a restaurant owned by two of his nephews, doing whatever needed to be done, prep, cooking, cleaning, bussing. They paid him minimum wage for forty hours a week, although they never actually paid him in full, and required him to work from opening to closing every day, seven days a week, more than a hundred hours a week. He was allowed to sleep on the floor in the store room, and he was not allowed to leave. In other words, they made their uncle their slave. He escaped, and with an Iranian acquaintance to translate went to the Labor Commission to file a complaint for unpaid wages, and after he returned his nephews beat him nearly to death. He wanted to know if he could sue them. I replied that he could, but asked what they would do to him if he did. He answered, "They will kill me."

(7) Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others.

Lack of empathy - indifference to the emotions and feelings, the pain and suffering, of others, is also a defining trait of psychopaths, "...predators who use charm, manipulation, intimidation, and violence to control others and to satisfy their own selfish needs. Lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they cold-bloodedly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt." (Hare, Robert D., Psychopaths: New Trends in Research, The Harvard Mental Health Letter, September 1995).

This narcissistic psychopathy is amply on display in the embrace of terrorism by militant Islam. Those who have empathy for the emotions, feelings, grief, pain and suffering, for the lives of others, do not blow up nightclubs filled with vacationers in Egypt or Bali, wedding parties in Jordan, schools full of children in Beslan, Russia, trains filled with commuters in India and Spain and England, buses, synagogues, banks, and consulates in Turkey, police recruits and shoppers in Iraq, cafes in Israel, and they do not plot for years to fly airliners full of innocent passengers into the World Trade Center in New York, killing thousands of people from dozens of countries, Muslim and Infidel alike. They do not decapitate Daniel Pearl and Nicholas Berg on TV.

If Islamic terror were not hiding behind the Mosque and the Koran, and if America and Europe were not intellectually blinded by its camouflage of religion, and its outspoken protestations of "offense" at every criticism, and by our own uncritical and indiscriminating Liberalism, which is a sort of inverted Nihilism (while the Nihilist approves of nothing, the Progressive Liberal approves of everything except rational discrimination between good and bad), America and Europe would not hesitate to call these terrorists and their allies what they are, pre-meditated mass murderers, and the Jihad, the Global Intifada, what it is - a world-wide conspiracy to commit mass murder, serial murder, in the relentless narcissistic pursuit of religio-political power.

( Is often envious of others, or believes that others are envious of him or her.

It is probable that one of the driving forces underlying the Jihad, the Global Intifada, perhaps the most powerful and dangerous one, is jealousy, or envy, the unspoken, perhaps unrecognized, inarticulate envy of many Muslims who resent Israel and the West for their success, which contrasts badly with the failures of much of the Islamic world. The Islamic world should (according to Islam) be most greatly blessed by Allah, it should dominate the globe, and the greater achievements and prosperity of the West presents a stark challenge, a desperate cognitive dissonance, to the ideology of Islamic perfection, supremacy, Specialness. To the narcissist who seeks Specialness above all else, to compensate for his lack of real accomplishment, those who achieve what he has not, or will not, or cannot, are hateful. He despises them, because they become a mirror in which he sees himself for what he is, or what he is not, but cannot admit to being or not being.

A mirror which must be broken.

(9) Shows arrogant, haughty behavior or attitudes.

The Islam of Jihad, the Islam of the Global Intifada, displays absolute arrogance. This Islam assumes that it is privileged to attack every continent, and any nation, killing people all over the world, burning churches and synagogues and temples, killing Christians and Jews and Hindus merely because they are not Muslims, without remorse, without apology, killing Muslims by the thousands to destabilize Iraq to prevent Iraq from becoming a peaceful and prosperous democracy friendly to the West. Then in the next moment Islam takes extreme offense at any criticism or disparagement of Islam, demonstrating, rioting, calling for retractions and apologies, disdaining all other political traditions and religious faiths as illegitimate. Its arrogance knows no limitations. It is infinite.

Islam is in desperate need of soul-searching, of self-reflection, of reality. Islam needs a long hard look in the mirror. Islam needs to see itself as others see it, not merely as it sees itself.

I wonÂ’t go so far as to argue that you have to be crazy to follow Islam, but it seems pretty clear that Islam itself displays serious elements of psychopathology. Can it regain (if not gain for the first time) its sanity and become a healthy part of human culture and the world of spirituality?

And as if to prove the point made above, there is this little gem coming out of Libya.

The elder son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has called on Pope Benedict XVI to convert to Islam immediately, dismissing last week's apology from the pontiff for offending Muslims.

"If this person were really someone reasonable, he would not agree to remain at his post one minute, but would convert to Islam immediately," Mohammed Gaddafi told an awards ceremony on Monday evening for an international competition to memorise the Qur'an.

"We say to the pope - whether you apologise or not is irrelevant, as apologies make no difference to us."

Gaddafi junior also hit out at "those Muslims who look for comfort in the words of a non-Muslim".

He said Muslims "should not look for charity from the infidel... but should fight Islam's enemies who attack the faith and the Prophet Muhammad".

Yeah – like that’s gonna happen.

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1

hello madam/sir

Your letter is full of hate and dislike, it's your opinion. I want to ask you few questions, just to understand you better, if you don't mind?

what you mean by Islam?....the relegion itself or people? because Islam came as a continuity of judism,christianity (you must believe in Jesus and Mosas,to be muslim)....if you mean muslim people,yes, since many years ago,after they stop follow strictly the islamic rules,they become weaker and less respected. e.g

I will give you some of prophet Mohamed's advice when he sent his followers to distripute islam...

-No one should be forced to inter this relegion.

-No fights, unless someone force you to defend yourself.

-never cut a tree,destroy buliding, or hurt someone.

this is what I believe my relegion is.....please...share with me your opinion.

thanks

 

Posted by: Ahmed at Sat Jan 13 19:39:25 2007 (sEd+W)

2 Sorry, Ahmed, but I reject your comments. Islam is not a continuation f Judaim and Christianity -- indeed, it requires that its followers reject essential elements of both the old and New Covenants between God and His People. The Muslim fight to steal the Promised Land from the Jews is an example of the rejection of the former, and the blasphemous rejection of the divinity of Jesus Christ shows its rejection of the latter. Indeed, said rejections lead me inexorably to the conclusion that Islam is a counterfeit inspired by some spiritual force other than God -- I'll let you take that assertion to its logical extension.

And as for your statements about the instructions of Mohammad, I cannot help but notice that they were violated even in his time -- and even by Mohammad himself. They have been repeatedly violated throughout Islamic history. This leads me to conclude that islam is not the peaceful, respectful religion you claim, and that such assertions of Islam's peaceful, respectful nature are falsehoods -- but i will refrain from deciding if they are spread knowingly or not by those who seek to propagate them.

Please recognize and embrace this fundamental spiritual truth, that you might have eternal life:

There is no God but God, and Jesus Christ is his only begotten Son.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Sun Jan 14 06:12:50 2007 (6br+E)

3 None of which is to say, however, that the average Muslim is not a decent person with a high sense of personal morality. Rather, it is to note that Islam as a faith is fundamentally flawed -- precisely the opposite of the position you take, Ahmed.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Sun Jan 14 06:25:19 2007 (6br+E)

4 Islam is indeed a continuation of Judaism and Christianity despite what many people have chosen to believe. The only problem with modern Judaism and modern Christianity is that they have somehow strayed from the true teachings of the religion. As it has now been discovered by CHRISTIAN scholars, the original content of the bible did not contain the word trinity nor did it contain the fantasy that Jesus is the son of God. So for that view of yours I would advise you to research your own religion much more carefully. As for the rest of your preposterous allegations I would advise you to research Islam a lot more carefully. Granted that Muslims of today tend to be far from perfect, it is wrong of you or indeed anybody (even me) to stereotype anyone. Muslims of today have strayed from Islam's fundamental beliefs. That is a fact. However, to judge Islam by that is not only wrong it is ignorant. People make mistakes as did Adolph Hitler who you may remember was a Christian. The true teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) have not been contradicted but taken out of context or misinterpreted. Islam is indeed a religion that does not condone violence unless when protecting Islam or yourself. It is not Islam that exports oil or terror, it is people. To claim that America or Britain are responsible for anything less than mass murder is ridiculous. However, that is another issue completely. Jihad exists in Islam only as a way to die for ones religion, not as Al-Qaeda believe to murder for it. Suicide is the only guaranteed way to Hell whether that’s through suicide bombing or any other means. To judge Islam right now is the equivalent of judging Christianity at the time of the Crusades. At that time Islamic countries were the more cultured and the Christians were seen as uncultured. Indeed before Muslims took over, Europe was seen as a place with nothing to offer. It was Muslims who brought knowledge and culture to Europe. Even Oxford University was started by gaining knowledge and books from these Muslims. To say that we are “stealing” the Promised Land from the Israelis shows a lack of understanding of the situation in the Middle East. Israel was granted as a small state initially. However, it illegally took over most of the land it now occupies. It did originally belong to Muslims. When it did people of all religion were welcomed not just Muslims. Muslims have not declared war on anyone but those that declare war on Islam. You stated that, “If Islam were in truth a religion of peace, it would have no enemies,”, In that case we can say that Gandhi also had no enemies as he was a man of peace, ignoring the fact that he was shot by someone that I am presuming was not a friend. Humans will be humans irregardless of religion. The stories you tell of bad Muslims I could also relate to you the same stories about Christians, or Jews, or Hindus, etc. Having read your article I find that your views hate filled and baseless. I would advise to read up on Islam or check your sources. “La-Illah-Ha-Illullahhu-Muhammadur-Rasulluah” “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) is his messenger” Saif Choudhry

Posted by: Saif Choudhry at Sun May 13 15:53:22 2007 (wTxTD)

5 No, Saif -- not when Islam denies the essential element of Christianity, namely the divinity of Jesus Christ. Nor when the Quran calls for killing Jews.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Mon May 14 11:48:28 2007 (mG8tM)

6 You are of course forgetting the fact that the original untampered version of the bible NEVER states that Jesus was the son of God nor does it even mention or refer to the so called "Holy Trinity". This is not something I am fabricating, it is in fact confirmed by Christian scholars that are called on to assess these scripts. The Qu'ran does not call for the killing of Jews. You are of course, again, misinterpreting verses of the Qu'ran. These sort of lies are what cause tension between religions and people. I would again ask you to check your sources on both Christianity and Islam. Saif Choudhry

Posted by: Saif Choudhry at Mon May 14 13:54:57 2007 (wTxTD)

7 Just found a quote you might like from the Qu'ran; 2:62 "VERILY, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians -all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds-shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve." This quote states that in Islam, even Jews and Christians can enter heaven. This contradicts your view that the Qu'ran calls for the killing of them. No misquotations here. Saif Choudhry

Posted by: Saif Choudhry at Mon May 14 14:20:39 2007 (wTxTD)

8 Please quit coming here and lying about my Lord and Savior. But then again, your stock in trade appears to be Islamo-lies.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Mon May 14 15:02:21 2007 (/MTqO)

9 Your quote above states that there is only one God and that is God. Then why is it that you refer to Jesus as your Lord. You seem to be contradicting yourself in order to spread propaganda. From the way you are talking it also seems you are yourself suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. You are following all the characteristics described above. I will not be so narrow minded as you were and diagnose the whole of Christian society with your problems. It forbids such behaviour in Islam...maybe you should read up on it... Saif Choudhry

Posted by: Saif Choudhry at Mon May 14 16:10:02 2007 (xEYAU)

10 Saif -- Might I introduce you to a very basic part of scriptures -- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And lest you question that this refers to Jesus, let me point you to this later verse from the same chapter -- "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." So the Word was, in fact, God -- and the Word took on flesh and dwelt among us as a man. And that man was Jesus. So since you deny the divinity of Christ, nothing else your false religion has to say particularly matters -- except to the degree that it teaches teh murder of non-believers, and acts to see it carried out today.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Mon May 14 22:49:02 2007 (MmOwl)

11 You keep saying things such as Islam asks you to kill non-believers indiscriminately when you know yourself it is not true otherwise you would have backed yourself with words. In the Qu’ran it states: “Thus, if they let you be, and do not make war on you, and offer you peace, God does not allow you to harm them.” This is a quote from the Qu’ran. It only allows you to harm those that harm you or your religion. You are most definitely showing traits of Narcissistic Personality Disorder as described above. Here are some of the characteristics I identified: (7) Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others. You showed this when you said, "Sorry, Ahmed, but I reject your comments." without showing any respect for his religion or belief. Free speech is good but not at the cost of respect. If you feel something that is likely to upset people on a large scale (particularly if your views are baseless and narrow minded such as yours)it is better to keep them to yourself. ( Is often envious of others, or believes that others are envious of him or her. You showed this trait when you claimed, "But then again, your stock in trade appears to be Islamo-lies." This is pure and simple something you said in order to spread propaganda against people of the Muslim faith. What I said was completely 100% correct. However, if I did do something wrong it is on my conscience. It is not right for you to blame the whole of the Islamic society for my problems. (9) Shows arrogant, haughty behaviour or attitudes. One of the times you showed this was when you stated, “So since you deny the divinity of Christ, nothing else your false religion has to say particularly matters…” You seem to be purposefully saying things in order to stir the pot and cause fall outs between religions and people. I would see a psychiatrist if I were you. Saif Choudhry

Posted by: Saif Choudhry at Tue May 15 08:35:35 2007 (xEYAU)

12 I'm sorry -- I have no empathy for those who follow a counterfeit religion inspired by Satan. And trust me, I'm not envious of you or anyone else who follows the path of darkness rather than that of light. Lastly, since your religion denies the central truth of Christianity, nothing else it has to say about being a continuation of the Christian faith matters because it is a demonstrable falsehood.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Tue May 15 09:22:08 2007 (k3KX3)

13 What's wrong? You only leave up messages you can defend? Fair enough, delete this message too and live in ignorance. There's not alot I can do about it. P.S. If you were raised in a Muslim country, you'd be here defending Islam! Ironic, isn't it?

Posted by: serotonin_wraith at Wed Jul 11 04:37:39 2007 (AdNmH)

14 What are you talking about?

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Wed Jul 11 04:54:42 2007 (UlWia)

15 You deleting my other message. Play innocent if you like. Lie if you like. That's obeying the Bible, isn't it? Lying? Whatever you say, we both know what you've done. I'll leave it at that and let you say you don't have a clue what's going on, as I'm sure you will.

Posted by: serotonin_wraith at Wed Jul 11 07:50:52 2007 (AdNmH)

16 Given that I got hit with over 200 comment spam messages last night, it is possible that your message got swept away by the despamming blacklist during my cleanup activities this morning. Given that much of the comment spam was drug-related, it is possible that serotonin triggered something during the clean-up. I'll go into the blacklist and check, and fix the problem by removing that term if it is there. If you would care to repost the comment, it would be welcome.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Wed Jul 11 08:01:29 2007 (UlWia)

17 You selectively chose to criticize Islam and Muslims, implicitly romanticizing the West and the Western culture. I must say to you that a criminal and oppressive Western gang just gave birth to a mad and crazy Muslim gang. Congratulations to mankind! You are yourself portraying the same symptoms of the illness you are talking about. You speak with an unusual degree of self-righteousness, selectivity, bigotry, and ideological bias. When Oppression and universal injustice becomes the rule rather than the exception, what do you expect? Muslims for centuries have been colonialized, robbed, genocided, minimized and that is why they immigrated to the west in the first place desperately seeking a better life. Their fanaticism is no more than an allergy reaction to a disease that started its epidemic at the West. You lack the courage and decency, and perhaps the knowledge, to point out the horrendous acts of the colonial and capitalist greed of the Western expansion which had its roots in the crusaders who used religion as a sham to rob the Muslims in the East in the medieval times. Those waves of Western expansion which revived again around the middle of the last millennium and led first by the kings and queens of Spain, England, France, and the Dutch were responsible for the killing of 19 million Indians in the Americas, and the disappearance of about 50 millions of blacks from Africa. The recent Colonial history of Europe to the Middle East for the past two centuries, and many places in Africa and South East Asia is nothing less to mention. The modern involvement of the CIA plotting and conspiring against the developing countries in South East Asia, South America, Africa, and the Middle East which resulted in the death of millions who resisted the corporatist world governments are all no sins to you, and you come here with your twisted scientific seemingly objective tone of reason to say that Muslim know nothing about peace, that they are envious of the West and the Western achievements, that they take advantage of the laws and liberties extended to them by the generous West! Very well done Mr. Psychiatrist! Muslim are trying to break the mirror which reminds them of their misery, but that is a natural reaction and a self-preservation mechanism, so what is your objective excuse to being ignorant of history and the roots of all evil? Maybe you do not know better and I ask the mighty power to give you enlightenment as I celebrate not to see a soul in darkness and ignorance. I wish you and the rest of mankind happiness and wellbeing. I truly do. I would hope that you could have more balanced and symmetric views of the world around you. What you are saying is no different from what is being pronounced in the mainstream media, the same media which power vetoed the rest of the world when they came to criticize Israel, the same media which fabricated evidence and told lies to go to war and destroy a whole country, placing its greedy contractors into the festival of billions of dollars in pure profit. The world is a mess Mr. Psychiatrist and what you see is evil born out of a bigger evil. Only when humanity is restored to its honor bestowed by the creator, one could only point the finger and judge. The sad historic perspective which has always been and will always be is that it is much easier and more satisfying to blame the victim when the aggressor is the mighty one. What you see today is two wrongs trying to be right, so whom to blame if you want to be fair?

Posted by: Truthseeker at Sat Mar 8 09:13:57 2008 (/7wOS)

18 Good God! What a load of crap! But since you want to place the blame where it belongs, let's go back to the very roots of islam. From its very inception it has been about doing violence to those who dare to believe differently. From the day of the false prophet Muhammad, Islam has marginalized all who will not accept its perverse message. Remember -- the Crusades were nothing but a reaction to Islamic expansion by force into Christian lands. I'm well aware of the faults of Western society -- but I prefer that society, warts and all, to the oppression and human rights violations that are implicit in Islam!

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Sat Mar 8 16:11:20 2008 (yv1Pz)

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Anne Applebaum says it better than I could in her column in Slate & the Washington Post.

But we can all unite in our support for freedom of speech—surely the pope is allowed to quote medieval texts—and of the press. And we can also unite—loudly—in our condemnation of violent, unprovoked attacks on churches, embassies, and elderly nuns. By "we" I mean here the White House, the Vatican, the German Greens, the French Foreign Ministry, NATO, Greenpeace, Le Monde, and Fox News. Western institutions of the left, the right, and everything in between. True, these principles sound pretty elementary—"we're pro-free speech and anti-gratuitous violence"—but in the days since the pope's sermon, I don't feel that I've heard them defended in anything like a unanimous chorus. A lot more time has been spent analyzing what the pontiff meant to say, or should have said, or ought to have said if he had been given better advice.

All of which is simply beside the point, since nothing the pope has ever said comes even close to matching the vitriol, extremism, and hatred that pours out of the mouths of radical imams and fanatical clerics every day of the week all across Europe and the Muslim world, almost none of which ever provokes any Western response at all. And maybe it's time that it should: When Saudi Arabia publishes textbooks commanding good Wahhabi Muslims to "hate" Christians, Jews, and non-Wahhabi Muslims, for example, why shouldn't the Vatican, the Southern Baptists, Britain's chief rabbi, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations all condemn them—simultaneously. Equally, I see no reason why Swedish social democrats, British conservatives, and Dutch liberals couldn't occasionally forget their admittedly deep differences and agree unanimously that the practices of female circumcision and forced child marriage are totally unacceptable, whether in Somalia or Stockholm. Surely on this issue they all agree.

Maybe it's a pipe dream: The day when the White House and Greenpeace can issue a joint statement is distant indeed. But if stray comments by Western leaders—not to mention Western films, books, cartoons, traditions, ethics, and values—are going to inspire violence on a regular basis, I don't feel that it's asking too much for the West to quit saying sorry and remain united, occasionally, in its own defense. The fanatics attacking the pope already limit the right to free speech among their own followers. I don't see why we should allow them to limit our right to free speech, too.

It shouldn’t be difficult – but too many voices in the West would rather dhimmify than fight.

Posted by: Greg at 09:19 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 431 words, total size 3 kb.

Given that we have lately been infested with a Holocaust denying cockroach, I think that the passing of the last survivor of the Chelmno concentration camp, Shimon Srebnik is an appropriate time to present the testimony of an eyewitness to the industrialized slaughter of Jews by the Nazis.

"When we got to Chelmno the older people said, 'What a beautiful place,' 'We'll be happy here,' 'It's green, birds are singing,' 'A real health resort.'

I remained in the 'house kommando.' I was in a barrack with Waler Bonmeister. We sorted people's gold and possessions, things people left behind, suitcases. There was a big tent where Jews sorted things.

How did I know my mother arrived in Chelmno?

There were many handbags, a mountain of handbags. Once, I found a handbag with my mother's pictures and all her documents. I told Bonmeister: 'Look, this is my mother's.'

'Yes, she's in heaven,' he said.

'It's my mother's.' I was naive.

He said, 'Yes, but she's in heaven.'

I didn't know what he meant by 'heaven'."

- from the testimony of Shimon Srebnik in the Yad Vashem archives.

In a rural green forest area in central Poland, in the town of Chelmno, 47 miles west of Lodz, the Germans built their first extermination camp for mass murder by gas. Between December 1941 and January 1945, more than 300,000 Jews and 5,000 gypsies from Lodz and the vicinity were murdered in Chelmno. Only three people survived.

The last survivor of the Chelmno Extermination Camp, Shimon Srebnik, 76, of Ness Ziona, died last month at Tel Hashomer hospital after a long battle with cancer. Srebnik, who lost both his parents in the Holocaust, was a boy of 13 when he was deported to Chelmno from the nearby Lodz Ghetto, and was forced to bury the dead at the Nazi extermination camp.

Upon arrival in Chelmno, Srebnik was sent to join a small group of slave laborers at the rural extermination camp, whose pastoral settings deluded the people in the doomed transports into a false sense of hope, having come from the filth-ridden and disease-infested ghettos.

Like the rest of the prisoners, Srebnik had his legs immediately shackled - the length of the chain between them was about 40 centimeters - in order to prevent any possibility of escape from the secluded camp, which was manned by armed Germans.

The prisoners at the death camp were forced to wear their chains 24 hours a day. For the first two or three months, Srebnik put up tents and prepared the crematorium where his own mother would be gassed to death. Once the transports of Jews from Lodz began arriving regularly for extermination, Srebnik was assigned the job of extracting the gold from the teeth of the victims.
He was also involved in general sorting operations, before being assigned to bury the dead.

It was when he was sorting through the victims' personal possessions that he came across pictures belonging to his mother and realized that she too had been murdered in Chelmno.

WHEN THE victims arrived in Chelmno, they were gathered in the camp courtyard, and told they were being sent to a work camp and needed to wash up.

Groups of 50 were then escorted to the basement of the camp building, where they were told to remove their valuables and undress; men, women and children together.

During their walk to death, the victims were continuously reassured by signs reading "to the washroom" or "to the doctor" when in fact they were walking down a ramp into a parked gas van.

After the van was completely filled, the driver locked both the doors and turned on the motor. About 10 minutes later, the gas fumes had suffocated everybody inside.

In his vivid, bone-chilling testimony, Srebnik details how the prisoners were killed at the camp.

"There were three gas vans. The exhaust gas from the engine entered the van through a gridiron on the floor. Each van held 80 people. There was a bigger van that held 100 people. The distance from Chelmno to the forest was four kilometers. During the ride, gas entered the van.

When the doors opened, you could see that all the dead were injured.
Everyone wanted to survive, wanted to live, so they scratched each other. It was terrible. When the van reached the furnace, two people entered. The furnace was already lit.

What a fire! There was a railway gridiron in the furnace. They put a layer of wood on top of it and lit it and then a layer of people, and a layer of wood. This happened every two days. They pulled out gold teeth along with the flesh. I sat and removed the gold from the flesh.

It smelled awful. I collected the victim's teeth. It wasn't only my mother, I handled thousands of mothers. My heart ached for them and for my mother. But there were thousands like her...

Did I think about my mother? She was already in heaven. Nothing could be done."

As related on the Yad Vashem website, in January 1945, as the end of the war approached and the Soviet troops drew near, the Nazis began evacuating Chelmno, which they had begun to destroy four months earlier.

The Germans decided to liquidate the camp, and opened fire on the last 48 Jewish prisoners, shooting them in the back of the neck.

Srebnik was seriously wounded by Nazi gunfire during the liquidation, but, along with two others camp inmates, managed to escape during a last-minute fight that the dying and emaciated prisoners put up against their captors.

Srebnik was able to find refuge with a Polish farmer in the town who cut off his shackles and took care of the feverish boy. The following day, the Germans offered a large cash reward for turning Srebnik in.

But the Poles, who already feared the approaching Russians more than the Germans, did not betray him, and so he was able to reach the approaching Russian forces. After the war he immediately immigrated to Israel, meeting his future wife on a way station in Italy.

THREE AND a half decades later, in 1978, Srebnik received his shackles back from the Polish farmer who saved him when he went to the site of the extermination camp with Claude Lanzmann for the filming of the Holocaust documentary Shoah. After some hesitation, he would later donate the leg irons to Yad Vashem, where they are currently on display.

"It was not easy for him to part from the shackles," said Yehudit Inbar, director of the Museums Division at Yad Vashem who took down Srebnik's testimony several years ago.

Srebnik, who had earlier testified at the Eichmann trial, also assisted the Polish archeologist who excavated the Chelmno site over the last two decades.
Noting that the shackles are among the museum's most-visited exhibits, Inbar added: "He was a very special man, with a very special story."

Srebnik is survived by his wife, two daughters, five grand-children, and a great-grandchild.

Never Again.

And never forget, no matter how loudly the genocide deniers and Nazi-wannabes claim it never happened.

Posted by: Greg at 09:17 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 1195 words, total size 7 kb.

Given that we have lately been infested with a Holocaust denying cockroach, I think that the passing of the last survivor of the Chelmno concentration camp, Shimon Srebnik is an appropriate time to present the testimony of an eyewitness to the industrialized slaughter of Jews by the Nazis.

"When we got to Chelmno the older people said, 'What a beautiful place,' 'We'll be happy here,' 'It's green, birds are singing,' 'A real health resort.'

I remained in the 'house kommando.' I was in a barrack with Waler Bonmeister. We sorted people's gold and possessions, things people left behind, suitcases. There was a big tent where Jews sorted things.

How did I know my mother arrived in Chelmno?

There were many handbags, a mountain of handbags. Once, I found a handbag with my mother's pictures and all her documents. I told Bonmeister: 'Look, this is my mother's.'

'Yes, she's in heaven,' he said.

'It's my mother's.' I was naive.

He said, 'Yes, but she's in heaven.'

I didn't know what he meant by 'heaven'."

- from the testimony of Shimon Srebnik in the Yad Vashem archives.

In a rural green forest area in central Poland, in the town of Chelmno, 47 miles west of Lodz, the Germans built their first extermination camp for mass murder by gas. Between December 1941 and January 1945, more than 300,000 Jews and 5,000 gypsies from Lodz and the vicinity were murdered in Chelmno. Only three people survived.

The last survivor of the Chelmno Extermination Camp, Shimon Srebnik, 76, of Ness Ziona, died last month at Tel Hashomer hospital after a long battle with cancer. Srebnik, who lost both his parents in the Holocaust, was a boy of 13 when he was deported to Chelmno from the nearby Lodz Ghetto, and was forced to bury the dead at the Nazi extermination camp.

Upon arrival in Chelmno, Srebnik was sent to join a small group of slave laborers at the rural extermination camp, whose pastoral settings deluded the people in the doomed transports into a false sense of hope, having come from the filth-ridden and disease-infested ghettos.

Like the rest of the prisoners, Srebnik had his legs immediately shackled - the length of the chain between them was about 40 centimeters - in order to prevent any possibility of escape from the secluded camp, which was manned by armed Germans.

The prisoners at the death camp were forced to wear their chains 24 hours a day. For the first two or three months, Srebnik put up tents and prepared the crematorium where his own mother would be gassed to death. Once the transports of Jews from Lodz began arriving regularly for extermination, Srebnik was assigned the job of extracting the gold from the teeth of the victims.
He was also involved in general sorting operations, before being assigned to bury the dead.

It was when he was sorting through the victims' personal possessions that he came across pictures belonging to his mother and realized that she too had been murdered in Chelmno.

WHEN THE victims arrived in Chelmno, they were gathered in the camp courtyard, and told they were being sent to a work camp and needed to wash up.

Groups of 50 were then escorted to the basement of the camp building, where they were told to remove their valuables and undress; men, women and children together.

During their walk to death, the victims were continuously reassured by signs reading "to the washroom" or "to the doctor" when in fact they were walking down a ramp into a parked gas van.

After the van was completely filled, the driver locked both the doors and turned on the motor. About 10 minutes later, the gas fumes had suffocated everybody inside.

In his vivid, bone-chilling testimony, Srebnik details how the prisoners were killed at the camp.

"There were three gas vans. The exhaust gas from the engine entered the van through a gridiron on the floor. Each van held 80 people. There was a bigger van that held 100 people. The distance from Chelmno to the forest was four kilometers. During the ride, gas entered the van.

When the doors opened, you could see that all the dead were injured.
Everyone wanted to survive, wanted to live, so they scratched each other. It was terrible. When the van reached the furnace, two people entered. The furnace was already lit.

What a fire! There was a railway gridiron in the furnace. They put a layer of wood on top of it and lit it and then a layer of people, and a layer of wood. This happened every two days. They pulled out gold teeth along with the flesh. I sat and removed the gold from the flesh.

It smelled awful. I collected the victim's teeth. It wasn't only my mother, I handled thousands of mothers. My heart ached for them and for my mother. But there were thousands like her...

Did I think about my mother? She was already in heaven. Nothing could be done."

As related on the Yad Vashem website, in January 1945, as the end of the war approached and the Soviet troops drew near, the Nazis began evacuating Chelmno, which they had begun to destroy four months earlier.

The Germans decided to liquidate the camp, and opened fire on the last 48 Jewish prisoners, shooting them in the back of the neck.

Srebnik was seriously wounded by Nazi gunfire during the liquidation, but, along with two others camp inmates, managed to escape during a last-minute fight that the dying and emaciated prisoners put up against their captors.

Srebnik was able to find refuge with a Polish farmer in the town who cut off his shackles and took care of the feverish boy. The following day, the Germans offered a large cash reward for turning Srebnik in.

But the Poles, who already feared the approaching Russians more than the Germans, did not betray him, and so he was able to reach the approaching Russian forces. After the war he immediately immigrated to Israel, meeting his future wife on a way station in Italy.

THREE AND a half decades later, in 1978, Srebnik received his shackles back from the Polish farmer who saved him when he went to the site of the extermination camp with Claude Lanzmann for the filming of the Holocaust documentary Shoah. After some hesitation, he would later donate the leg irons to Yad Vashem, where they are currently on display.

"It was not easy for him to part from the shackles," said Yehudit Inbar, director of the Museums Division at Yad Vashem who took down Srebnik's testimony several years ago.

Srebnik, who had earlier testified at the Eichmann trial, also assisted the Polish archeologist who excavated the Chelmno site over the last two decades.
Noting that the shackles are among the museum's most-visited exhibits, Inbar added: "He was a very special man, with a very special story."

Srebnik is survived by his wife, two daughters, five grand-children, and a great-grandchild.

Never Again.

And never forget, no matter how loudly the genocide deniers and Nazi-wannabes claim it never happened.

Posted by: Greg at 09:17 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 1204 words, total size 7 kb.

In the midst of a great analysis of Pope Benedict XVI's recent speech and the barbaric reaction of Muslims to an old quote, there comes this observation on the lack of reciprocity in the treatment of religious believers between the West and the Islamic world.

Desire for a more muscular stance, however, has been building among Catholics around the world for some time. In part, it has been driven by persecution of Christians in the Islamic world, like the murder of an Italian missionary, the Rev. Andrea Santoro, in Trabzon, Turkey, in February. A 16-year-old Turk fired two bullets into Father Santoro, shouting “God is great.” But perhaps the greatest driving force has been the frustrations over reciprocity. To take one oft-cited example, while Saudis contributed tens of millions of dollars to build Europe’s largest mosque in Rome, Christians cannot build churches in Saudi Arabia. Priests in Saudi Arabia cannot leave oil-industry compounds or embassy grounds without fear of reprisals from the mutawa, the religious police. The bishop of the region recently described the situation as “reminiscent of the catacombs.”

When will we demand religious freedom for Christians in every land, or impose islamic-style restrictions on the religious freedom of Muslims in the West?

Posted by: Boyo at 10:07 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 216 words, total size 1 kb.

Just goes to show what we have always known -- those with the least education tend to be least involved with the civic life of their community.

High school dropouts are significantly less likely than better-educated Americans to vote, trust government, do volunteer work, or go to church, according to a new report that reveals a widening gap in "civic health" between the nation's upper and lower classes.

The report, a portrait of civic life in the United States, finds that Americans' disengagement from their communities during the past few decades has been particularly dramatic among adults who have the least education. Among people who lack a high school diploma, the percentage who have voted plummeted from 1976 to 2004 to 31 percent -- half the 62 percent of college graduates who voted in 2004.

Now the question has to be asked -- is this due mainly to poverty, or is it due to differences in attitudes? It appears that there is a connection. So not only does lack of an education lower one's income potential, it also lowers one's engagement in the community around you.

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The Pope must die, says Muslim

A notorious Muslim extremist told a demonstration in London yesterday that the Pope should face execution.

Anjem Choudary said those who insulted Islam would be "subject to capital punishment".

His remarks came during a protest outside Westminster Cathedral on a day that worldwide anger among Muslim hardliners towards Pope Benedict XVI appeared to deepen.

The pontiff yesterday apologised for causing offence during a lecture last week. Quoting a medieval emperor, his words were taken to mean that he called the prophet Mohammed "evil and inhuman".

He insisted he was "deeply sorry" but his humbling words did not go far enough to silence all his critics or quell the violence and anger he has triggered.

A nun was shot dead in Somalia by Islamic gunmen and churches came under attack in Palestine.

Choudary's appeal for the death of Pope Benedict was the second time he has been linked with apparent incitement to murder within a year.

The 39-year-old lawyer organised

demonstrations against the publication of cartoons of Mohammed in February in Denmark. Protesters carried placards declaring "Behead Those Who Insult Islam".

Yesterday he said: "The Muslims take their religion very seriously and non-Muslims must appreciate that and that must also understand that there may be serious consequences if you insult Islam and the prophet.

"Whoever insults the message of Mohammed is going to be subject to capital punishment."

He added: "I am here have a peaceful demonstration. But there may be people in Italy or other parts of the world who would carry that out.

"I think that warning needs to be understood by all people who want to insult Islam and want to insult the prophet of Islam."

As well as placards attacking the Pope such as "Pope go to Hell", his followers outside the country's principal Roman Catholic church also waved slogans aimed at offending the sentiments of Christians such as "Jesus is the slave of Allah".

A Scotland Yard spokesman said of his comments: "We have had no complaints about this. There were around 100 people at the demonstration. It passed off peacefully and there were no arrests."

Larger Islamic groups in Britain said they accepted the Pope's apology. Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain said: "The Vatican has moved quickly to deal with the hurt and we accept that.

"It was something that should never have happened - words of that nature were always likely to cause dismay - and we believe some of the Pope's advisers may have been at fault over his speech."

Yesterday's sermon by the Pope was the first time a pontiff has publicly said sorry.

He said he regretted Muslim reaction to his speech and stressed that the quotation did not reflect his personal opinion. Anger and violence - including attacks on seven churches in the West Bank and Gaza - have characterised one of the biggest international crises involving the Vatican in decades.

The Pope appeared determined to move quickly to try to defuse the anger but the fury of many radicals was unabated last night and there were fears for his safety.

Iraqi jihadists issued a video of a scimitar slicing a cross in two, intercut with images of Benedict and the burning Twin Towers.

The website run in the name of the Mujahedeen Army, used by extremist groups who have claimed responsibility for attacks in Iraq, was addressed to "You dog of Rome" and threatened to "shake your thrones and break your crosses in your home".

In a reference to suicide bombing, it said: "We swear to God to send you people who adore death as much as you adore life."

The threat of violence against Catholics and Christians was emphasised by the murder of an Italian nun in Somalia. Sister Leonella, 66, was shot as she walked from the children's hospital where she worked to her house in Mogadishu, a city recently taken over by an Islamic government.

A Vatican spokesman said he feared her death was "the fruit of violence and irrationality arising from the current situation".

Father Frederico Lombardi said he hoped it was an isolated event. "We are worried about this wave of hatred and hope it doesn't have any grave consequences for the Church around the world," he said.

The murder suggested that extremists are determined to use the Pope's embarrassment as an excuse for violence.

In Turkey, state minister Mehmet Aydin said the Pope seemed to be saying he was sorry for the outrage but not necessarily for his remarks.

"You either have to say this, 'I'm sorry' in a proper way or not say it at all," he told reporters in Istanbul.

There were fierce denunciations of the pontiff from Iran. The English-language Tehran Times called his lecture in Bavaria last week "code words for a new crusade".

The powerful cleric Ahmad Khatami told theological students in the holy city of Qom: The "Pope should fall on his knees in front of a senior Muslim cleric and try to understand Islam."

But the Turkish government signalled it was content and that the Pope's visit to the country in November can go ahead.

In his sermon yesterday at the Papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo outside Rome, Benedict spoke amid strengthened security.

He said: "I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims.

"These in fact were a quotation from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought. I hope this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address."

No other Pope is thought to have made such an apology.

A faith that has millions and millions of followers, that decrees that no one who believes as they do, should be killed, as a matter of fact. And that for all intensive purposes (those "radical/extremist followers) are "not" dressed down publically, for fear that "they" (infidels) will be targeted?

We infidels need to understand that as far as these extremists are concerned, we have been, and always shall be targeted. And apologizing, appeasing and being civilized dissagree-ers with the concepts and culture of islam will get us nowhere to any peace or reduced threat, ever.

What we are doing now is not so much a "war on terror", that is just the surface of the concept.

Once we study and apply the lessons we can learn from the basic "old school" of the conflict between Isaac and Ishmael (I think thats right, if I recall correctly), I believe that will be half the battle.

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Several months ago, I met a fellow who has become a good friend in the time that has followed. You folks have come to know him as Boyo, one of my semi-regular commenters. He and I have a compatible view of political matters -- especially state and local politics.

He'll be posting soon, to introduce himself and comment on whatever suits his fancy. Welcome aboard, friend!

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Once again, we see that "pro-choice" is really "no-choice" on abortion. But unlike most pro-aborts, who simply don't want women to hear about or consider non-abortion options (adoption, keeping the child), this pair is willing to be downright militant about denying a woman the right to make fully informed decisions about her pregnancy.

A Maine couple upset that their 19-year-old daughter was pregnant tied her up, loaded her in their car and began driving to New York to force her to get an abortion, police said.

The daughter, Katelyn Kampf, escaped Friday at a shopping center and called police, who arrested her parents, Nicholas Kampf, 54, and Lola, 53, of North Yarmouth, Maine. They were jailed on a kidnapping charge and were being held on $100,000 bail each.

The parents were scheduled to be arraigned in Salem District Court. A call to attorney Mark Sisti was not immediately returned.

"Her parents chased her out into the yard, grabbed and tied her hands and feet together," Salem Police Officer Sean Marino wrote in a court affidavit. "Katelyn states that her father then carried her to their car and they headed toward New Hampshire."

Investigators said rope, duct tape, scissors and a .22-caliber rifle were found in the Kampfs' Lexus and Nicholas Kampf had a loaded .22-caliber magazine clip in his pants pocket.

The Kampfs were upset that their daughter was pregnant by a man who is now in jail, police said, and before leaving Maine on Friday they had an argument at the parents' home.

"Katelyn stated to me that upon her parents finding out that she was pregnant, they told her she had no choice but to get an abortion," Marino wrote in his court affidavit.

And what's more, it appears likely that these folks were planning to force the daughter to have an abortion after the child was viable.

Authorities in Maine said the parents apparently thought that, in light of their daughter's stage of pregnancy and the different abortion laws in each state, the abortion should be performed in New York. Fili said she did not know how many weeks pregnant she was.

Maine law prohibits abortions once a fetus is able to live outside the uterus unless the mother's life or health is at stake. The law does not specify when that is, but it generally is 20 to 27 weeks, said Dr. Dora Ann Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. New York law prohibits abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy unless the woman's life is at stake.

Dare we call them what they are? The new faces of "pro-choice" America!

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Could this be a sign of an end to the mother of all divisions within Christianity -- the split between Eastern and Western Christianity that began as much over such non-issues as whether priests should have beards and whether the bread for communion should be leavened or not as it did over the great theological issues of the day.

Top Roman Catholic and Orthodox dignitaries declared Monday that the time has come to close the ages-old rifts between the ancient branches of Christianity and bring East and West closer together.

Representing the world's 1.1 billion Catholics and more than 250 million Christian Orthodox, sixty bishops, metropolitans and cardinals — 30 from each side — convened in the Serbian capital Belgrade for a renewed "theological" dialogue while acknowledging that much wider issues are involved.

"East and West have been estranged from each other since the 11th century," said Orthodox Metropolitan John Zizioulas, referring to the historic schism in 1054 when the spiritual leaders in the Vatican and in Constantinople — now Istanbul, Turkey — severed ties over the rising influence of the papacy.

That split was sealed then with an exchange of anathemas — spiritual repudiations, which were lifted in the 20th century but only with halting progress toward restoring bonds.

"We experience in our time that European nations unite and create one family," he said. "It is time to recover the ancient unity. ... East and West meet now not only on the theological level, but also on the political level."

As Christians around the world face the common threat of jihadi Islam, it is time for us unite and put such disunity firmly in the past. May God grant that it be so!

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We've heard a lot lately, in response to the words of Pope Benedict XVI in quoteing a long-dead Byzantine emperor, that jihad is not about holy war, that it is only defensive warfare, and that Islam was not spread by force. In light of these claims, I think it is important to repost this piece from November 2005. Thanks to Teresa from NoisyRoom for reminding of it and linking to it.

We always hear about the evil of the Crusades and the righteous indignation of Muslims over a series of wars that provide a poor witness to the Gospel. However, was Islam an innocent victim, or were the crusades a response to a long series of Muslim religious conquest of Christian lands and oppression of Christian believers?

Take a look at the timeline and decide. I'll put Muslim jihad against Christian lands in bold, and Christian assaults on Islamic lands in italics.

630 Two years before Muhammad’s death of a fever, he launches the Tabuk Crusades, in which he led 30,000 jihadists against the Byzantine Christians. He had heard a report that a huge army had amassed to attack Arabia, but the report turned out to be a false rumor. The Byzantine army never materialized. He turned around and went home, but not before extracting “agreements” from northern tribes. They could enjoy the “privilege” of living under Islamic “protection” (read: not be attacked by Islam), if they paid a tax (jizya).

This tax sets the stage for MuhammadÂ’s and the later CaliphsÂ’ policies. If the attacked city or region did not want to convert to Islam, then they paid a jizya tax. If they converted, then they paid a zakat tax. Either way, money flowed back to the Islamic treasury in Arabia or to the local Muslim governor.

632-634 Under the Caliphate of Abu Bakr the Muslim Crusaders reconquer and sometimes conquer for the first time the polytheists of Arabia. These Arab polytheists had to convert to Islam or die. They did not have the choice of remaining in their faith and paying a tax. Islam does not allow for religious freedom.

633 The Muslim Crusaders, led by Khalid al-Walid, a superior but bloodthirsty military commander, whom Muhammad nicknamed the Sword of Allah for his ferocity in battle (Tabari, 8:158 / 1616-17), conquer the city of Ullays along the Euphrates River (in todayÂ’s Iraq). Khalid captures and beheads so many that a nearby canal, into which the blood flowed, was called Blood Canal (Tabari 11:24 / 2034-35).

634 At the Battle of Yarmuk in Syria the Muslim Crusaders defeat the Byzantines. Today Osama bin Laden draws inspiration from the defeat, and especially from an anecdote about Khalid al-Walid. An unnamed Muslim remarks: “The Romans are so numerous and the Muslims so few.” To this Khalid retorts: “How few are the Romans, and how many the Muslims! Armies become numerous only with victory and few only with defeat, not by the number of men. By God, I would love it . . . if the enemy were twice as many” (Tabari, 11:94 / 2095). Osama bin Ladin quotes Khalid and says that his fighters love death more than we in the West love life. This philosophy of death probably comes from a verse like Sura 2:96. Muhammad assesses the Jews: “[Prophet], you are sure to find them [the Jews] clinging to life more eagerly than any other people, even polytheists” (MAS Abdel Haleem, The Qur’an, Oxford UP, 2004; first insertion in brackets is Haleem’s; the second mine).

634-644 The Caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab, who is regarded as particularly brutal.

635 Muslim Crusaders besiege and conquer of Damascus

636 Muslim Crusaders defeat Byzantines decisively at Battle of Yarmuk.

637 Muslim Crusaders conquer Iraq at the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah (some date it in 635 or 636)

638 Muslim Crusaders conquer and annex Jerusalem, taking it from the Byzantines.

638-650 Muslim Crusaders conquer Iran, except along Caspian Sea.

639-642 Muslim Crusaders conquer Egypt.

641 Muslim Crusaders control Syria and Palestine.

643-707 Muslim Crusaders conquer North Africa.

644 Caliph Umar is assassinated by a Persian prisoner of war; Uthman ibn Affan is elected third Caliph, who is regarded by many Muslims as gentler than Umar.

644-650 Muslim Crusaders conquer Cyprus, Tripoli in North Africa, and establish Islamic rule in Iran, Afghanistan, and Sind.

656 Caliph Uthman is assassinated by disgruntled Muslim soldiers; Ali ibn Abi Talib, son-in-law and cousin to Muhammad, who married the prophetÂ’s daughter Fatima through his first wife Khadija, is set up as Caliph.

656 Battle of the Camel, in which Aisha, MuhammadÂ’s wife, leads a rebellion against Ali for not avenging UthmanÂ’s assassination. AliÂ’s partisans win.

657 Battle of Siffin between Ali and Muslim governor of Jerusalem, arbitration goes against Ali

661 Murder of Ali by an extremist; AliÂ’s supporters acclaim his son Hasan as next Caliph, but he comes to an agreement with Muawiyyah I and retires to Medina.

661-680 the Caliphate of Muawiyyah I. He founds Umayyid dynasty and moves capital from Medina to Damascus

673-678 Arabs besiege Constantinople, capital of Byzantine Empire

680 Massacre of Hussein (MuhammadÂ’s grandson), his family, and his supporters in Karbala, Iraq.

691 Dome of the Rock is completed in Jerusalem, only six decades after MuhammadÂ’s death.

705 Abd al-Malik restores Umayyad rule.

710-713 Muslim Crusaders conquer the lower Indus Valley.

711-713 Muslim Crusaders conquer Spain and impose the kingdom of Andalus. This article recounts how Muslims today still grieve over their expulsion 700 years later. They seem to believe that the land belonged to them in the first place.

719 Cordova, Spain, becomes seat of Arab governor

732 The Muslim Crusaders stopped at the Battle of Poitiers; that is, Franks (France) halt Arab advance

749 The Abbasids conquer Kufah and overthrow Umayyids

756 Foundation of Umayyid amirate in Cordova, Spain, setting up an independent kingdom from Abbasids

762 Foundation of Baghdad

785 Foundation of the Great Mosque of Cordova

789 Rise of Idrisid amirs (Muslim Crusaders) in Morocco; foundation of Fez; Christoforos, a Muslim who converted to Christianity, is executed.

800 Autonomous Aghlabid dynasty (Muslim Crusaders) in Tunisia

807 Caliph Harun al-Rashid orders the destruction of non-Muslim prayer houses and of the church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem

809 Aghlabids (Muslim Crusaders) conquer Sardinia, Italy

813 Christians in Palestine are attacked; many flee the country

831 Muslim Crusaders capture Palermo, Italy; raids in Southern Italy

850 Caliph al-Matawakkil orders the destruction of non-Muslim houses of prayer

855 Revolt of the Christians of Hims (Syria)

837-901 Aghlabids (Muslim Crusaders) conquer Sicily, raid Corsica, Italy, France

869-883 Revolt of black slaves in Iraq

909 Rise of the Fatimid Caliphate in Tunisia; these Muslim Crusaders occupy Sicily, Sardinia

928-969 Byzantine military revival, they retake old territories, such as Cyprus (964) and Tarsus (969)

937 The Ikhshid, a particularly harsh Muslim ruler, writes to Emperor Romanus, boasting of his control over the holy places

937 The Church of the Resurrection (known as Church of Holy Sepulcher in Latin West) is burned down by Muslims; more churches in Jerusalem are attacked

960 Conversion of Qarakhanid Turks to Islam

966 Anti-Christian riots in Jerusalem

969 Fatimids (Muslim Crusaders) conquer Egypt and found Cairo

c. 970 Seljuks enter conquered Islamic territories from the East

973 Israel and southern Syria are again conquered by the Fatimids

1003 First persecutions by al-Hakim; the Church of St. Mark in Fustat, Egypt, is destroyed

1009 Destruction of the Church of the Resurrection by al-Hakim (see 937)

1012 Beginning of al-HakimÂ’s oppressive decrees against Jews and Christians

1015 Earthquake in Palestine; the dome of the Dome of the Rock collapses

1031 Collapse of Umayyid Caliphate and establishment of 15 minor independent dynasties throughout Muslim Andalus

1048 Reconstruction of the Church of the Resurrection completed

1050 Creation of Almoravid (Muslim Crusaders) movement in Mauretania; Almoravids (aka Murabitun) are coalition of western Saharan Berbers; followers of Islam, focusing on the Quran, the hadith, and Maliki law.

1055 Seljuk Prince Tughrul enters Baghdad, consolidation of the Seljuk Sultanate

1055 Confiscation of property of Church of the Resurrection

1071 Battle of Manzikert, Seljuk Turks (Muslim Crusaders) defeat Byzantines and occupy much of Anatolia

1071 Turks (Muslim Crusaders) invade Palestine

1073 Conquest of Jerusalem by Turks (Muslim Crusaders)

1075 Seljuks (Muslim Crusaders) capture Nicea (Iznik) and make it their capital in Anatolia

1076 Almoravids (Muslim Crusaders) (see 1050) conquer western Ghana

1085 Toledo is taken back by Christian armies

1086 Almoravids (Muslim Crusaders) (see 1050) send help to Andalus, Battle of Zallaca

1090-1091 Almoravids (Muslim Crusaders) occupy all of Andalus except Saragossa and Balearic Islands

1094 Byzantine emperor Alexius Comnenus I asks western Christendom for help against Seljuk invasions of his territory; Seljuks are Muslim Turkish family of eastern origins; see 970

1095 Pope Urban II preaches first Crusade; they capture Jerusalem in 1099

So, let's consider these simple questions. Were the Crusades an unprovoked assault by the Christian world upon Islam, or a Christian response to a long train of attacks and assaults upon Christian nations, Christian institutions, and Christian people? Is the anti-Christian rhetoric of Osama and the Islamists a response to the Crusades, or a true expression of Islam that dates back to its foundation?

I believe the above makes the answers quite obvious.

Posted by: Greg at 12:33 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Results are in -- and a pair of excellent posts were the winners in this week's voting by the Watcher's Council.

The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are Your Chance of Dying in a Terrorist Attack by Socratic Rhythm Method, and And At Night, I Dream Of You... by Villainous Company.  All members, please be sure to link to both winning entries (and to the full results of the vote) in a post.  Thanks to everyone for all the great entries this week...  I'm eager to see next week's entries!  Here are the full tallies of all votes cast:

Votes	Council link
2  2/3	Your Chance of Dying in a Terrorist Attack Socratic Rhythm Method
2	Three Strands Not Easily Broken Soccer Dad
2	9/11 Ambiguities ShrinkWrapped
1  1/3	A Little Journalistic Arrogance Rhymes With Right
1	Pronoun Trouble Done With Mirrors
2/3	Bush Only Confessed to a Crime, if You DonÂ’t Actually Read the Law. Or a Calendar. The Sundries Shack
2/3	9/11, Five Years Later Joshuapundit
1/3	The Terrorist Attacks of 9-11: Views from the Classroom The Education Wonks
1/3	The Danish Face in the NATO Picture Gates of Vienna
1/3	America Does Diplomacy The Glittering Eye
1/3	Angel M. Pabon and the 2996 AbbaGav
1/3	The Tears No Longer Come Right Wing Nut House

Votes	Non-council link
1  2/3	And At Night, I Dream Of You... Villainous Company
1  1/3	Ten Reasons Why the West Will Lose the War on Terror (the pessimistÂ’s view) TMH's Bacon Bits
1  1/3	Countdown To 9/11: My Days With the Dead Greetings from the French Hill
1  1/3	The Shadow of Our Hand The Belmont Club
1  1/3	A General Theory of Just About Everything Cross-Currents
1	38 Years of Terrorism Alpha Patriot
2/3	9/11 + 5, Part II American Future
2/3	One Brave Little Girl Electric Venom
2/3	Off the Net (and Off the Mark) In From the Cold
2/3	9/11 and News Reporting on Jihadist Terrorism Counterterrorism Blog
2/3	The Disunited States of America Chicago Boyz
1/3	Proportional (Mis)Representation Discriminations
1/3	The Gods of the Copybook Headings Canker

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But then again, isn't it always?

H/T WuzzaDem & Michelle Malkin

Also, Michelle Malkin has done a great job of keeping track of Muslim barbarism in response to the Pope's use of a 700 year old quote. Churches have been bombed and burned. A nun has been murdered by Islamists. A priest has been kidnapped. All by this supposedly peaceful religion that allegedly just wants respect.

And then you get this pack of barbarians in London, courtesy of Joee Blogs - A Catholic Londoner.

Holy Mass on a Sunday is the very source and summit of the Catholic week, so my family decided this Sunday to make the trip to Westminster Cathedral together. As we came out about 100 Islamists were chanting slogans such as "Pope Benedict go to Hell" "Pope Benedict you will pay, the Muja Hadeen are coming your way" "Pope Benedict watch your back" and other hateful things.

Below are photos from the demonstration, with my personal reaction to the signs.

Before Islam conquers Rome, Mecca and Medina will glow in the dark!

Wrong, bucko! Jesus is the Son of the One True God, and that sure ain't Allah.

Trinity of Evil? Do I detect a bit of blasphemy against Christian belief?
Maybe the time has come to give you that Crusade you keep bitchin' about!

And let me clarify something for those who protested at Westminster and any Muslim who shares their sentiments: drop to your knees and pray to your false god that no harm comes to Pope Benedict XVI, for if he is harmed it will be Muslims who need to watch their backs.

Posted by: Greg at 04:19 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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As it has been since before the Civil War, the Democrat Party seems to still be the comfortable home of racism and anti-Semitism. We've seen that in postings at MoveOn.org, Kos, And DU.

Now, Maryland Congressman Ben Cardin has had to fire a staffer from his Senate campaign in the wake of the discovery that she had been blogging racist and anti-Semitic comments.

Rep. Benjamin Cardin has fired a campaign staffer who posted racially charged comments against his opponent on the Internet, the congressman's campaign said Saturday.

The staffer's blog includes references to Oreo cookies. Cardin's opponent, Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who is black, has said people threw Oreos at him during a 2002 debate as a slight directed at his race and political views.

In a statement, Cardin, who is white, also condemned comments written by the female staffer on her blog that he considered derogatory to Jews.

"I am deeply offended and disgusted by the blog's racial and anti-Semitic overtones," the 10-term congressman said. "The staff person responsible was promptly dismissed and will have nothing to do with my campaign."

Melissa Sellers, a Steele spokeswoman, criticized the blog.

"It is deeply disturbing to learn that a staff member of 10-term Congressman Ben Cardin would keep a blog chronicling racial prejudices toward Lt. Gov. Steele and others," Sellers said. "This is the kind of attitude and gutter politics that Marylanders are sick of and why they are ready for change."

I will praise Cardin for getting rid of his little bigot, but will again note that we keep seing racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric spewing from the Democrat Party and its allied organizations and supporters.

While the campaign and the Washington Post won't identify the little bigot, Wizbang Politics seems to have ferretted out her identity.

According to the latest FEC filing, there was a Ursula Gruber from Chicago paid a salary of $782.46 on Aug. 15, The "Persuasionatrix" posted about moving from Chicago to Maryland on August 4. Gruber filed an expense report from the supplies store Staples, for $67.82, on Aug. 18. The "Persuasionatrix" posted about visiting Staples on Aug. 4. Given that no one else matches those details, it's pretty safe to assume that your Persuasionatrix, or rather your ex-Persuasionatrix, is Ursula Gruber.

Enjoy your unemployment, Ursula. Given your name, I'm not surprised that you have views that would have been mainstream in the National SOCIALIST Party.

MORE AT Blog-o-Fascists, Soccer Dad, Heaving Melons, The Right Angle, Alabama Liberation Front, Pajamas Media, LaShawn Barber, Mary Katharine Ham

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