What a Contrast

On May 29, 2006 in Kabul, American military vehicles had an ACCIDENT killing 3 civilians. What resulted? Riots, of course. At least 8 more people killed and 107 injured.

On September 11, 2001, (NEVER FORGET) 19 Islamists flew planes into buildings deliberately killing over 3000 innocent people in the name of Islam.

Of course, Christians around the world immediately rioted. Oh wait. No, they didn't.

Trainer of Future Jihadists?

Who would say such a thing as this?

I share the view of many Americans, French, and Europeans, who say that 9/11 could not have been carried out entirely from outside [the U.S.] - by Muslims or others. The confessions by some people could have been edited. But even if they were not edited, I believe that these people were used in a marginal role. The entire thing was of a large scale and was planned within the U.S., in order to enable the U.S. to control and terrorize the entire world, and to get American society to agree to the war declared on terrorism - the definition of which has not yet been determined.

Answer: A teacher of children in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, named Salah Sultan (or sometimes spelled "Soltan"), on May 17, 2006. Mr. Sultan is the former religious director of the Sunrise School in Hilliard, Ohio, a private Islamic school for K through 8 grades. He continues as a once-a-month lecturer, apparently. Mr. Sultan's online resume lists his personal ambition: "“To live happily. To die as a martyr. To meet the beloved ones in the Paradise of the Lord of Heaven and the earth."

Although he signed the July 2005 Fatwah against terrorism as a member of the Fiqh Council of North America (but see this critique), he has made some other public statements of concern, such as challenging a Swiss Mulim's proposal for a moratorium on the barbaric Shari'a law punishments, saying, that "such an issue may give a chance to secularists and anti-Islamists to move to attack Islam itself."” Shari'a law decrees death to those who convert away from Islam and has other punishments unfit for modern civilization.

In fairness to Mr. Sultan (or Soltan, whichever is correct), he is quoted in the Columbus Dispatch as saying, "But again, if you ask me if I support killing innocent people, I do not." Unfortunately, it has been suggested by many critics of Islam that in Islamic thought, no unbeliever is truly an "innocent." So one is left to wonder about the denial.

Iran Erases All Doubt

As if there were any doubt about Iran's intentions, those doubts will be thoroughly erased by the latest Iranian legislation that has been passed by the Iranian version of parliament says, well...:

Iranian expatriates living in Canada yesterday confirmed reports that the Iranian parliament, called the Islamic Majlis, passed a law this week setting a dress code for all Iranians, requiring them to wear almost identical "standard Islamic garments."

The law, which must still be approved by Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect, also establishes special insignia to be worn by non-Muslims.

Canada's National Post story here.

Do jews, Christians and others also have to pay jizya (head tax for the privilege of being non-muslim)?

New Approach to Iran

A blog by a Washington Times Religion editor has a radical idea. Address religion-based attacks with religion-based responses. Fight theology with theology.

Rational Solution to Illegal Immigration

I part company with protectionist conservatives. A bit.

Securing our borders is a matter of national security. We need to know who is entering the country. Widespread border jumping is dangerous. No disagreement, yet.

Here we go, though. I think we should welcome those who want learn English, join our culture and contribute to our national product. Make it easy to cross the border for jobs and immigration leading to citizinship. If we did that, we would get people making crossings in such a way that we know who is coming in. I do not buy the argument that they take jobs away from Americans. Immigrants create jobs, because they need stuff too (clothes, food, gasoline, cars), so they add to the consumption side of the equation as well as production side.

Making it easy to bring in workers will put the coyotes out of business. No more dropping people in the desert, so they end up in hospitals at American taxpayer expense. No more profit in illegal border crossings.

We should reject and refuse to new immigrants any taxpayer-funded social services, for, say two years. Don't make this country an attractive place to those who simply want us to take care of them.

Patrol the borders more effectively. If it were easy for workers to get documentation, to get in for work and to truly assimilate, there would be no incentive for people to immigrate to get welfare. Only terrorists or other undesireables will be border jumping.

Let's reduce our real border problem to a national security problem, so we can focus on protection of American citizens form those who want to kill us.

As for the illegals who are already here, keep the ones who are working or who are supported by someone working. Let them avoid deportation by showing assimilation into our culture and our economy. Deport those on public assistance and those who won't assimilate (including language assimilation).

Assimilating into our culture does not include those who want to behead unbelievers or subjugate unbelievers to second class citizenship under a theocratic rule. (You know who I mean.)

There. I said it and I'm glad.

Cartoon Jihadist Goes Home

The guy behind the cartoon riots, Imam Ahmed Abu Laban, is leaving Denmark. Good riddance. According to the Jerusalem Post,

Imam Ahmed Abu Laban said he has felt humiliated in the aftermath of the cartoon controversy, which led to riots around the world, and that he would leave Denmark to return to Gaza with his family, the Jyllands-Posten newspaper wrote.

"I have recently felt that I am being viewed as a simple terrorist. No human being can accept that. It is an extreme humiliation," Abu Laban was quoted as saying. "I have taken the decision to leave Denmark."

How unfair. Imam Ahmed Abu Laban is upset at being thought a simple terrorist. I guess he wants to be thought a complex terrorist. Here is a simple anatomy of the complex terrorism of the cartoon jihad.

Undercover Jihad in America

Do you wonder how your local jihad is being conducted?

The Koran says, loosely translated, that to further Islam, it is OK to lie.

"Verily the most honourable of you in the sight of God is he among you who exercises Taqiyya most; verily, God is knowing, aware!" Surah 49:13

"Taqiyya" is the art of dissimulation for the preservation of one's faith. Dissimulation is also approved in Surahs 3:28, 16:106, and 40:28.

How is Islam exercising dissimulation to spread Islam in America? See Laura Mansfield's illuminating recitation of her experiense here.

How should any multicultural society deal with any religion that teaches it is OK to lie to preserve the religion and OK to subjugate or behead unbelievers?

Prescription Drug Medicare

President Bush is winding up a tour to encourage seniors to sign up for the prescription drug benefit before May 15, 2006, after which premiums will be higher. See article here.

Is it just me, or is this socialized medicine plan nearly as complicated and difficult to understand as the more comprehensive plan proposed by Bill and Hillary a few years ago? There are probably good reasons that the choices are not simple, but it is also true that the older one becomes, the more difficult it is to deal with complexity.

It was a big-spending bad idea with worse implementation.

United 93 Causing Low Opinion of Muslims?

I could not have said it any better. Robert Spencer from jihadwatch.org, entry on 5/11/06:

Fiza Najeeb in the Poly Post of California State Polytechnic University of Pomona (thanks to Nicolei) asserts that it is movies like "United 93" that make people have a low opinion of Muslims. It doesn't seem to occur to her that the movie is generally accurate in its portrayal of the hijackers, and that maybe people have a low opinion of Muslims because there are Muslims who do things like that.

The Establishment Press Embarrasses Itself--Again.

Patrick Kennedy. Drunk and addicted to painkillers. His traffic accident shows that his addiciton created a danger to the public.

The Mainstream Press (outside New England): Sympathetic. The poor man. Admits he is addicted to painkillers. How sad for him and his family.

Rush Limbaugh. Addicted to painkillers. No reports of any behavior endangering the public.

The Mainstream Press: Gleeful and gloating.

Mark Levin at National Review Online tells it like it is.

And in an unrelated MSM embarrassment, the Los Angeles Times reports on cable news ratings. (Search "Fox News" for May 8 article. Sign in required.) See commentary here.

Moussaoui Antics

So, Mousauoi wants to withdraw his guilty plea after being sentenced to life in prison without parole for being an al qaeda conspirator in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Go figure.

This jerk behaved contemptuously throughout his trial. Despite his nasty behavior, the jury declined to put him to death. NOW, he thinks he can get a fair trial.

Withdrawing a guilty plea after sentencing is a bit like asking the croupier to re-spin the roulette wheel after it lands on black. Sorry, Charlie.

He now says he lied about being an al Qaeda conspirator in the 9/11 attacks. He says he was really an al Qaeda conspirator to kill innocent Americans in a future attack to be carried out later.

Not exactly the kind of guy I want to see set free.

Exxon Excess

The exhorbitant retirement package of retired Exxon Mobile chairman Lee Raymond was in outrageously bad taste. He was given a $400 million package when motorists are paying $3 per gallon. Nice retirement.

As one friend of mine said, "If you think oil companies profits are too high, buy oil company stock." I can tell you this, though, in then next board of directors election, I will be voting against all incumbents.

It does not make any difference if Mr. Raymond deserved it. Or if it was an incentive to get a good person the next time.

It was stupid. For a company that sells a product in competition with other, it was horrendously stupid.

It was so stupid that it has brought on a Congressional inquiry. Serves them right.

America's Truth Forum Terrorism Conference

We just returned from attending America's Truth Forum's terrorism conference in Washington DC. The symposium was fascinating.

The biggest area of disagreement (approximately 2 speakers versus 13 speakers) was about whether there are enough anti-terrorism Muslims to make a difference in fighting the Global jihad.

To be sure there are "cultural Muslims" who are not devout and who oppose violent jihad, the jihad of war and killing. One ex-Muslim described them to me as the silent Muslims. The "good Muslims," that is the devout Muslims who study and know the words of the Koran and sayings of Mohammed agree with Osama bin Laden.

Polls taken after 9/11 indicate that 40% to 50% of Muslims agree with bin Laden and his methods.

One speaker Walid Shoebat, an ex-Hamas terrorist, was asked in a BBC interview (immediately before the lefty interviewer terminated the interview) whether the problem wasn't really fundamentalists of all stripes. Mr. Shoebat responded that "A fundamentalist Christian will witness to you. As a fundamentalist Muslim, I will cut your head off."

The disheartening thing will be the inevitably leftist press reaction (I refer to the NY Times, the Washington Post, ABC, CBS, NBC) that it is the anti-terrorists, rather than the terrorists who are spreading hate.