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What They've Thought
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What They Thought June 25, 2006 Alan
Caruba Click here for columnist bios |
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Americans and others in the West cannot comprehend why anyone would blow themselves up to kill, as often as not, other Muslims. Even if you were convinced that 72 virgins awaited you in paradise, committing suicide for the purpose of murder is so foreign to the Western mind that it remains, for most, outside the realm of any discussion. Clearly, though, the West has witnessed and been victimized by a religion and culture for which this is a perfectly acceptable way to wage war and Islam is all about war, the conquering and reduction of an enemy to submission. The very word, Islam, translates as submission. “Some Crusaders and Zionists, for example, doggedly accuse Islam of being the religion of the sword, claiming that it was spread by the edge of the sword,” wrote Sayyid Qutb in “Basic Principles of the Islamic Worldview” before he was executed by the Egyptian government in 1966 as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. “These people forget that Islam, being the last divine path for humanity, has an essential right to establish its own system on earth so that all humanity can enjoy its blessings…Establishing the ‘Islamic system’ to have beneficial sway over all humanity, those who embrace Islam and those who do not, does indeed require Jihad as does the liberty of men to follow their own beliefs.” Qutb is careful to nod in the direction of the Islamic admonition that “there is no compulsion in religion,” but Islam is all about compulsion. Qutb (1906-1966) was an Egyptian Islamist who wrote extensively about modern civilization and, with absolute certainty, the superiority of an Islamic theocracy to all other faiths and modes of governing on earth. As such, he is widely regarded as the intellectual father of the Islamic revolution that has been in play since the late 1970s and of al Qaeda. His brother, Muhammad Qutb, moved to Saudi Arabia where he became a professor of Islamic Studies and one of his students, an ardent follower of Sayyid Qutb, was Ayman Zawahiri, the mentor of Osama bin Laden. Thus, we can begin to connect the dots of a religion that fosters a certitude and arrogance that the Western mind cannot comprehend. It is necessary to understand, however, that Islam arrived more than 2,500 years after the existence of Judaism, and 700 years after the spread of Christianity. It was the invention of Muhammad, based on his own spotty knowledge of these earlier religions and, like Muhammad, Qutb’s regard for both is one of utter contempt. “Judaism,” wrote Qutb, “the religion of the Children of Israel, was polluted with pagan concepts as well as racial arrogance.” Well, so much for the first and oldest monotheistic religion. (Editor's Note: There are other older monotheisms. But there's no question that Judaism predates both Christianity and Islam.) Modern day Muslims are so befuddled by not only the continued existence of Judaism, but the fact that Jews have reestablished the nation of Israel, they have waged a relentless effort to exterminate Israel’s Jews. “Christianity was no better than Judaism,” wrote Qutb. “It was even worse.” Hinduism is dismissed in a paragraph or two and Buddhism isn’t even mentioned. Well, so much for tolerance! Despite the superficial effort to reflect some regard for the prophets that preceded Muhammad, Qutb’s view is that “Islam has served as a correction to all the chaos and confusion, to all the deviations and faults into which all the distorted religions and clashing philosophies have blindly fallen, whether before or after the emergence of Islam.” By Qutb’s standard, anything anyone believes that is not Islamic is just confusion and deviation. The extraordinary thing about Qutb’s belief is that he clearly possessed a keen intellect. Well schooled in Islam, as a youth he moved to Cairo where he received a Western education between 1929 and 1933 before starting a career as a teacher. The turning point, ironically, was a trip Qutb took to the United States from 1948 to 1950 on a scholarship. He received a master’s degree from the Colorado State College of Education. His contact with the West radicalized Qutb because, as far as anyone can tell, he was not merely an ascetic, but a celibate who found normal human desires and behavior deeply offensive. He never married. Just about everything in those years of American rejuvenation after WWII was an abomination to Qutb who took time to write his first theoretical work of religious exegesis which was published in 1949. Writing about America he pronounced life there as “primitive” and endlessly shocking. Clearly, he retreated into Islam as a defense against the real world and, in particular, the dynamic world of the West. The Middle East had been in decline for hundreds of years by then after its so-called golden years of conquest and expansion. Driven from Europe by 878 C.E., suffering the Crusades from 1095 to 1291, and fading under the Ottoman Empire, the Muslims of that region were locked in ignorance, poverty, and oppression. Anything modern, anything secular, including the rise of Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser, the leading proponent of Arab nationalism, was an anathema to Qutb. He was not ignorant of the West, but he was utterly contemptuous of it. Despite his having read widely of Western philosophers and, apparently, science and other topics reflecting the long road to modernity made since the Enlightenment, the only truth to be found anywhere, so far as Qutb was concerned, was in the Koran. “First and foremost,” wrote Qutb, “the verses of the Koran were revealed in order to establish the correct criteria on which God wishes the concepts of humans as well as their life to be based.” Everything that preceded the Koran was the “accumulated debris; beliefs, concepts, philosophies, myths, thoughts, doubts, superstitions, customs and traditions.” Prior to Islam, humans were “unable to find certitude.” The one thing Islam does provide to those born into it and to those who convert to Islam is certitude. And with certitude comes the human affliction of an arrogant belief that no other religion or form of government other than that imposed by Islamic law has any right to exist. The punishment for leaving Islam is death. The enemies of Islam are to be beheaded. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you al Qaeda, Wahhabism, and the Islamic revolution that is your obligation to resist for the sake of all mankind. |
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Let me begin this by saying that gridlock is a wonderful thing. I really do miss it, but not enough to vote for it. By the time I’m done you’ll understand why. First let’s take a look at our universe as some of us understand it. I’ll of course look to Stephen Hawking’s view of the universe as he explains the nature of matter and antimatter and what it means to all of us: “It is said that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. But the universe is the ultimate free lunch.” He is discussing quantum theory when he makes this claim, referring to the view that matter is made up of positive energy and antimatter is made up of negative energy. These are both made at the same time, because through the creation of one the opposite also comes into existence. The two of them can’t be allowed to touch each other because they will cease to exist. (Politicians need to remember this critical fact, by the way.) One might be inclined to wonder how all of these things can be created out of nothing. The answer is rather simple and obvious. What do you get when you add them together? You get a great big zero. He says, “Now twice zero is also zero. Thus the universe can double the amount of positive matter and also double the negative gravitational energy without violation of the conservation of energy.” This may well be the reason why there is an almost limitless abundance of ideology added to the level of political stupidity on both sides of the spectrum that still adds up to nothing. Regarding gravity, he also said that two pieces of matter that are close together have less energy than two pieces that are far apart. (Clearly another universal warning against correcting gridlock.) Now that we’ve done that "as above" thing, let’s get back down to earth for that "so below" thing. As we near the next election cycle, we’re all seeing the honest truth out of the politicians. They are elected to represent us and it’s a sad thing that they usually don’t bother with really trying to represent us until just before the election. When you see a politician zip back towards the center they’re telling you something. They’re telling you that they haven’t been on your side but they’re willing to consider it for awhile until voted back into office. It is one of the few times when they have to be honest with what they think you want. They reflect back to you what they think you want to see. That is when you can view them against what they’ve done all along and then see how honest they really are. If the two are completely at odds they add up to zero and need to be cancelled with your vote. Now I’m certain there are a few of you frothing at the mouth because of what I’ve said so far. Yes, Bush has done some serious re-centering lately as he seeks out his legacy. This isn’t uncommon. All of them do it, but that doesn’t make them right. It is as if all of these leaders get drawn inexorably into that place they all fear only to become centered and then cancelled out. Bush gave us this huge medicine for old farts plan that will almost collapse the economy if people actually use it. He’s called the unarmed citizens on the border reporting illegal aliens entering the country vigilantes. He’s done a lot of left-leaning things that are just plain wacky. Clinton tried to look like a conservative several times and it just made him look like a political cross dresser. At least Bush still looks like one of the guys. (So does Hillary, for that matter.) Back to that point about things having more energy when they’re separated than when they’re together: This is true for both political ideologies and matter. I never did like it when both parties were able to get along, or the same party held both houses and the White House because it brought about a pile of stupid laws and regulations that ran us into the ground. The real reason for Clinton’s supposed success never had anything to do with Clinton. It was the fact that he didn’t have the backing he really needed in Congress after the mid-term election. The people were so pleased with the totally awesome job Bubba was doing that they gave Congress back to the Conservatives. That was so we could have gridlock again. What’s really bugging me is the fact that we aren’t seeing enough of the forty years of damage done by the free lunch offering liberals undone. The Republicans are leaving too much in place and it is for a very sad reason that this is occurring. It is cowardice, and it’s the last thing one wants to see in a supposed leader. They are being drawn inexorably into that scary place known as the "black hole of public opinion" where ideology warps, implodes, cancels and ultimately ceases to exist. Isn’t it a shame that the black hole that provides the pull and direction is actually us? At least in the last election people remembered national security. I hope they are smart enough to remember it again in the next one. If they fail to remember that issue we are doomed to be cancelled. R.A. Hawkins Web Site Contact Back to Top |
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Former beard wearer and popular vote winner Al Gore has a new movie out this month called An Inconvenient Truth. In it, he makes the case that humans have but ten years to reverse course and stave off the horrors of global warming. Assuming this thesis is anywhere near true—and what the hell, let’s just say it is—I can still think of at least three reasons why Iron Al’s movie might not make a difference: 1. Because it’s a movie: People may well walk out of theaters planning to fight global warming. That’s great, but people may well walk out of Superman Returns planning to fly home. 2. Because he’s Al Gore: Let’s be honest with ourselves here. It doesn’t matter if his facts are accurate, or if his intentions with this movie are genuine. He can tell every interviewer in the world this film has nothing to do with him running for president. I can think of at least 60 million Bush voters who aren’t going to believe him, who will probably contribute to global warming on purpose just to spite him. 3. Because saving the world is like voting for president: I don’t recycle. I also don’t take elections seriously. This is no coincidence. In both cases, I realize I wield little personal power. Now, all that said, I want to be more than the bearer of bad news here. I think An Inconvenient Truth is a convenient starting point for changing hearts and minds on the global warming issue. But in order to truly make a difference, I believe it needs some sort of marketing tie-in. People need to know this problem hits close to home. And they need to know it transcends mere politics. They need a reason to cross partisan boundaries—a reason to unite on the steps of Capitol Hill and hold hands and sing the Pledge of Allegiance and/or We Shall Overcome. Only one thing can compel people to act this way. And that one thing is Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s baby, Shiloh. In order to stop global warming, Al Gore has to threaten to kill that baby. I know this is going to make a whole lot of people a whole lot of uncomfortable. But when you get right down to it, it’s the only way. Just think about how big a deal this baby is for a moment. For months and months and months, the whole world watched and waited for word of its birth. We’re talking about the whole world here. Moses never got this sort of press. Jesus never got this sort of press. Now that it’s born, this Shiloh kid’s an even bigger deal than ever. Whole cults are practically popping up around the thing. It’s weeks old and it’s already starting fashion trends. Magazines are paying enough to feed whole countries—and even enough to feed small planets—just for pictures of the tyke. Why? Most of us want nothing to do with anyone else’s baby pictures. Baby pictures annoy people. And yet, in the case of Shiloh, people—and People—just can’t get enough. This kid’s soiled diapers would outsell almost anything else currently listed on eBay. There is very little chance that you, me, or anyone else reading this article will ever see as much money in our lifetimes as this stupid baby has already commanded in just under a month. This is power. Real power. And Al Gore would be crazy not to tap into it. Simply put, Shiloh is the only creature alive at the moment with the power to stop people’s high-pollutin’ ways. What I’m proposing would take very little effort on Gore’s part. And, if done correctly, it may take little actual infanticide on his part, too. Matt Lauer usually sets aside at least half an hour of Shiloh time each morning between war updates and domestic politics on the Today Show. Simply use that time to go on TV and let the People of Earth know they’re facing two grave problems. One, global warming. Two, the clubbing of Young Brangelina like a baby seal. Then encourage them to log onto the official Inconvenient Truth website, climatecrisis.net, to learn how changing a light bulb and adjusting their thermostat can cool down the planet and ensure the continued existence of the world’s most popular little poop factory. And that’s it. I realize this solution is a tad unconventional. It may even be wrong in some sense or another. Or illegal. Or just plain not funny. But it’s not intended to be funny. It’s intended to save the planet. And I am certain it will work. If I’m wrong? Well, then I’m wrong, and I’m sorry, and Shiloh dies a martyr, and polar bears start melting, and the oceans swallow New York. But if I’m right? Then by the time this kid’s ten and stops being cute and starts doing coke in the bathroom at Drew Barrymore parties, the world will be a happier, healthier, and environmentally friendlier place. Jonathan David Morris Web Site Contact Back to Top |
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Let me ask you a question: Do you think you pay enough taxes? Throughout the year you paid federal taxes through withholding, including Social Security payroll taxes. You also paid state income taxes, unless you’re fortunate enough to live in Texas or another state without an income tax. You paid local property taxes. You paid local sales taxes every time you bought something, and you paid numerous miscellaneous taxes such as vehicle license fees and federal gas taxes. Like most people, you probably feel taxed to death by all these city, county, state, and federal taxes. Well, hold on to your wallets, because the United Nations now wants to impose a whole new level of global taxes on us. UN bureaucrats think rich nations like America ought to give more money to poor nations — a lot more — simply because we’re rich. Never mind the billions of foreign aid tax dollars we send overseas every year; never mind the billions donated to overseas charities by Americans, the most charitable people on earth. The UN mindset blames the western world for poverty everywhere, assuming that our relative wealth must have come at the expense of the third world. The poor countries themselves are never deemed responsible for their own predicaments, despite their often corrupt governments, lack of property rights, and hostility toward wealth-producing capitalism. Somehow, it’s always our fault. So the UN holds conferences to talk about how we should pay to make things right, and the idea of a UN tax naturally arises. Understand that the UN views itself as the emerging global government, and like all governments, it needs money to operate. The goal, which the UN readily admits, is to impose a comprehensive set of global laws on all of us — laws that supersede sovereign national governments. To do this, the UN needs a global military, a global police force, international courts, offices around the globe, and plenty of highly-paid international bureaucrats. All of this costs money. Rest assured that the UN is absolutely serious about imposing a global tax. In fact, it has been discussing a global currency tax for years. The "Tobin tax," named after the Yale professor who proposed it, would be imposed on all worldwide currency transactions. Such a tax could prove quite lucrative for the UN. The Tobin tax is not the only idea being considered. Some have suggested taxing all airline travel or carbon emissions. The ultimate goal is an income tax, which will be imposed after we’ve all swallowed the concept of UN taxing authority. Fortunately, the House of Representatives last week passed my language in the 2007 Foreign Operations bill that prohibits the Treasury from paying UN dues if the organization attempts to implement or impose any kind of tax on US citizens. But that only protects us for another year. Given the stated goals of the UN, it would be foolish to believe the idea of a global tax will go away. Rep. Ron Paul Web Site Back to Top |
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Everyone has an agenda. To truly read between the lines, a person must be able to recognize flaws in an argument, misinformation, and ideological bias. More importantly, a person must be cognizant of why some stories are buried in the midsection of the paper and why some are not included at all. Although schools are charged with teaching critical thinking skills, many teachers do not present both sides of any issue or back up opinion with hard numbers and facts. Unfortunately, proselytizing occurs in our schools. Another travesty is that there are teachers instructing in specialty areas; such as history, without subject mastery and utilizing unsound textbooks. Graduates of these courses are more susceptible to anti-American tirades. Moral relativism, giving equal weight to all belief systems and justifying any behavior, no matter how abhorrent, further adds to confusion. Just as everyone cannot be the brightest, in charge, or the winner; not all ideas, philosophies, and behaviors are acceptable. Therefore, I divine as true the ideas and belief system which influenced the framers of our constitution. This is because I believe in everyone’s right to freedom. Recognizing the balance between individual needs and the needs of the group, our system of government was structured so that citizens could pursue life, liberty, and happiness without impinging on the rights of others. Common sense and an adequate education allows one to recognize that the benefits of a governing body with limited power and liberty as its mission outweigh any conceived detriments. “Constitutional Literacy,” the code to understanding governmental process, is not inherited. Studying the history and philosophy leading up to our country’s system of federalism, landmark court cases, amendments, and decisions made by those in power can help the average person navigate the news, separate fact from opinion, make sense of policy decisions, and perform civic duties responsibly Writing on matters of public policy, so that others can participate in our system of government; helping generations of people grasp the complexity and beauty of our system of government, my agenda is to protect the U.S. Constitution and preserve the freedom of future generations. Hoping to ignite discussion, provoke thought, provide facts; my purpose has been achieved if you have read this all the way to the end. Nancy
Salvato
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