WELL, DUH!

So, after all we have been through, we are just now determining that the problem really is Islam? Better late than never, but they seem to be a little bit behind the curve. Has this not been pretty obvious for some time now?

Suicide bombers follow Quran,concludes Pentagon briefing

With suicide bombings spreading from Iraq to Afghanistan, the Pentagon has tasked intelligence analysts to pinpoint what's driving Muslim after Muslim to do the unthinkable.

Their preliminary finding is politically explosive: it's their "holy book" the Quran after all, according to intelligence briefings obtained by WND.

In public, the U.S. government has made an effort to avoid linking the terrorist threat to Islam and the Quran while dismissing suicide terrorists as crazed heretics who pervert Islamic teachings.

"The terrorists distort the idea of jihad into a call for violence and murder," the White House maintains in its recently released "National Strategy for Combating Terrorism" report.

But internal Pentagon briefings show intelligence analysts have reached a wholly different conclusion after studying Islamic scripture and the backgrounds of suicide terrorists. They've found that most Muslim suicide bombers are in fact students of the Quran who are motivated by its violent commands – making them, as strange as it sounds to the West, "rational actors" on the Islamic stage.

"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"

Jose Maria Aznar, Former Prime Minister of Spain

CBS: War Casualties Pass 9/11 Death Toll

It begins:

(AP) Now the death toll is 9/11 times two.

U.S. military deaths from Iraq and Afghanistan now surpass those of the most devastating terrorist attack in America's history, the trigger for what came next.

So what? I'm sure that in the offices of CBS and the Associated Press it is believed that there is some sort of equivalence here that is in need of heralding, but I just don't get the point. Are they trying to tell us that if, after 9/11 we had just retreated into a shell maybe, just maybe we could have limited our losses to only the 2,973 people that were lost on 9/11? How far does one have to reach to find moral equivalence between the indescriminate murder of civilians and the loss of American troops in a war, whether you find that war justified or not?

The only thing that these two groups have in common is their killers - fascist Muslims, and on that point, I will agree. I am sure, however, that this is not the equivalence that the AP and CBS had in mind.

DOES ISLAM NEED A POPE?

Jonah Goldberg seems to think so, and he makes a persuasive argument. Goldberg's work is always well worth the time and no less so in this case.

He reminds us that the Protestant Reformation was not a liberalization of Christianity, but a return to fundamentalism as a reaction to the Catholic Church, which was seen to have become far too liberal and corrupt. The problem with Islam is not that it's too liberal, the problem is that it's overrun by Islamic "Martin Luthers" promoting a return to fundamentalist Islam and that's the problem.

IS ISLAM BEYOND REDEMPTION?

Anyone who has ever been to this site knows I have no small degree of antipathy toward toward Islam. The more time that goes by, this antipathy does not abate and I state this unapologetically. While I have no strong feelings against any of the worlds other major, or minor religions, I am forced to make an exception to Islam due to its ever increasing radicalization, lack of reason or tolerance and ever increasing levels of barbarous behavior on the part of Muslims. I have said this, in this space, many times and in many ways.

So, why am I saying it again? Because it needs to be said, over and over, until people wake up from their love affair with cultural coexistence long enough to understand that some cultures do not share our "we are the world" mentality. In their view, they are the world and our culture is an evil to be overcome and replaced by Islamic law and Islamic culture and they are determined to achieve this goal by any means necessary.

Yes, I know many would say that "you cannot judge all Muslims by the acts of a radical few." The fact is that a conservative estimate places the world's Muslim population at about 1 billion, and growing at a rate of 2.9% per year. As to how many of these could be considered "radicalized" Muslims, estimates vary but the figure that I've heard bantered about is in the neighborhood of 10% worldwide, more in some countries less in others. This would indicate that we may well have some 100 million radicalized Muslims but, just for the sake of argument, let's say that only 10% of that figure could be considered truly dangerous. This gives us 10 million, so if saying that "you can't judge the many by the few" let's you sleep better at night, so be it. Personally, I think it's pretty significant figure.

While I am sure that there are a great many perfectly peaceful Muslims, men and women of goodwill who practice their faith in harmony with God and their fellow man, the religion as a whole seems to be a remnant of the past that the civilized world has long moved beyond. Much like its followers, Islam has seen little change, and no reformation in 1,400 years. Tragically for them, none seems to be forthcoming, Muslim leaders seem even more intent on moving backward rather than forward. They demand tolerance from us but show none toward us. They remain silent while their brothers kill and maim innocent Jews, Christians and even fellow Muslims in the name of their faith. They say that they are a religion of peace while at best condoning and at worst enabling the most barbaric forms of war upon the most innocent of victims.

Here in the west, far too many of us wax philosophically about tolerance while these enemies of tolerance use our goodwill against us. Even after all we have been through, we still cannot seem to identify an enemy that stands in full view before us, clearly stating their nefarious intentions!

It's clear that we are in the midst of a war that will determine the survival of our civilization. Call it a religious war if you will, as that is how it has been foisted upon us by the Islamic fascists. The fact remains that it is a struggle in which we must prevail. The only other option is a marked change in the nature of the Islamic culture that will bring it in line with the other religions of the world that have set aside their primitive and violent pasts.

So how does one change Islam from without when it shows no interest in changing from within? Well, cessation of the practice of bending over backwards to appease their every whim and demand would be a start. Every western nation must begin by making it clear that certain behaviors will simply not be tolerated. Preaching hate and inciting violence in mosques will not be tolerated. Consorting with known terrorist groups will not be tolerated. Violence against women will not be tolerated. These people must be made to feel isolated and their countries must be made to feel isolated as well. "Outreach" programs simply play into their victim mentality, they don't need "outreach", they need to be told in no uncertain terms that if they are to become members of our society, they will have to conform and respect our customs. Is that not the way it is in Islamic countries? They make no attempt whatsoever to accommodate the customs of westerners and failure to conform to their social order is harshly penalized. If they choose not to conform to our societal structure, they are welcome to leave. Tolerance is a two way street and I do not think that reciprocity is too much to ask. Freedom of religion is one thing, but when that religion becomes a means and motive for mayhem it is no longer religion, it is sedition.

To assume that Islam, as a whole, bears no responsibility for its radicalized believers is sheer folly. For far too long putative Islamic leaders have whined incessantly about "Islamophobia" while casting a blind eye toward their brethren who speak and act in the most un-Godly of ways and wage their "holy war" in a most unholy manner. The fact is that Islam, in its current state is the problem. Islamic apologists continue to speak of the "religion of peace" but I see nothing but butchery in its past, present and immediate future. I see the rhetoric of so-called Muslim leaders continually dialed up, not down. Their reaction toward even the mildest criticism is met with vitriolic displays of indignation and, in many quarters, calls for increased violence and execution of the critics. If Imams can condone and foment violence as they speak to the faithful at mosques throughout the world, then they can do the opposite. Regrettably, they have no incentive to do so, because they have succeeded in convincing us that the radicals do not speak for Islam though Islamic moderates seem to have little taste for rebuttal.

In short, until the voices of reason within Islam cry louder than the voices of violence and death, I can only assume that the "religion of peace" is, in fact a religion of brutality. History has left me unconvinced and the events of each passing day leave me more so.

The Heir Apparent
~

I wrote below about the recent loss of "The Duffer", a better dog, and friend one would dare not hope to to have. He left such a tremendous hole in our lives, one that is hard to describe, but well known to those whose lives are touched by them. When it was first clear that he was ill, there was no doubt that the end was nigh and since that time the grief has been almost more than we could bear.

It has become increasingly clear that this gaping hole must be filled as nature abhors a vacuum. The vaunted post of family Scottie is simply too important be left vacant for long. We have had the privilege of keeping Scotties for more than 25 years (that's a long time in dog years) and we feel lost without their steady hand, or paw, on the tiller.

I am pleased to announce the imminent arrival of the above pictured Scottie who will soon grace us with his noble presence. While he will never replace The Duffer, may he pick up the standard and carry on the proud tradition that has been set forth for him.

It's a daunting task, but he looks up to the challange, don't you think?

A FRESH BREEZE OF CLARITY FROM DOWN UNDER

(Via Michael Ledeen in The Corner)

AUSTRALIA'S Muslim leaders have been "read the riot act" over the need to denounce any links between Islam and terrorism. The Howard Government's multicultural spokesman, Andrew Robb, yesterday told an audience of 100 imams who address Australia's mosques that these were tough times requiring great personal resolve.

Mr Robb also called on them to shun a victim mentality that branded any criticism as discrimination.

"We live in a world of terrorism where evil acts are being regularly perpetrated in the name of your faith," Mr Robb said at the Sydney conference.

"And because it is your faith that is being invoked as justification for these evil acts, it is your problem.

"You can't wish it away, or ignore it, just because it has been caused by others.

"Instead, speak up and condemn terrorism, defend your role in the way of life that we all share here in Australia."

I've said for some time that our position should be "clean up your own house or we shall clean it for you." What began as a Muslim problem is now our problem and all of this whining that exudes from "the Arab Street" whenever someone dares question this cult of death, better known as Islam, has become tiresome in the extreme. The current Pope controversy is a perfect example. These people who regularly refer to Jews as "decendants of pigs and monkeys" have the audacity to be outraged when anyone so much as casts a wary eye at the violence and barbarity that is practiced on a daily basis in the name of Islam. Enough already!

We are involved in a war that will determine no less than the survival of our civilization. These are people who do not want peaceful coexistance, they want total dominance over us. Their goal is that all governments be replaced by Islamic law. When will we listen to what they say and take them at their word?

POPE'S REMARKS PART OF ISRAELI-US PLOT
Paranoia Reaches New Heights in Iran

Let's see, the Catholic Pope makes comments that strike a nerve with Muslims, and it's all the fault of the Jews? It just boggles the mind.

Iranian hardline newspapers said there were signs of an Israeli-US plot behind remarks by Pope Benedict XVI that linked Islam to violence and created a wave of anger across the Muslim world.

The daily Jomhuri Islami said Israel and the United States -- the Islamic republic's two arch-enemies -- could have dictated the comments to distract attention from the resistance of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah to Israel's offensive on Lebanon.

NUN MURDERED IN SOMALIA

In an effort to display the peaceful nature of Islam, Muslim gunmen in Somalia shot and killed a 70 year old Catholic nun. She was shot in the back.

Religious Leaders Across Mideast Rage Against Pope's Comments on Islam

I never ceased to be amazed by Muslims' abject inability to "get it".

The Pope, while delivering a lecture chose to quote a 14th century Byzantine emperor who said:

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

The quote, it appears to me, is one that is simply drenched in historical accuracy, though Benedict was very careful to not endorse the emperor's remarks. I think that Benedict gives Islam too much credit, and the Muslims, shall we say, doth protest too much.

To say that Mohammed was a "man of peace" is crude revisionism. Mohammed was a soldier and the spread of Islam over the centuries was less conversion than it was coersion. The simple fact is that there has been rivers of blood shed in the name of Islam. Certainly, there has been much blood shed in the name of many religions over the centuries. In the case of Islam, however, those rivers of blood still flow and that is what sets it apart in the modern world. This is something that Islam simply refuses to come to grips with and therein lies the problem.

But even that was not the point of Benedict's speech. His point was his belief in God's rejection of the shedding of blood in His name and the quote was used in the context of 14th century thought. Personally, I think that the Muslim reaction says much more about them than it does about Benedict XVI.

And the what is the Muslim reaction? Indignation, seething, anger and...maybe even violence!

But anger still swept across the Muslim world, with Pakistan's parliament uanimously adopting a resolution condemning the pope for making what it called "derogatory" comments about Islam, and seeking an apology from him.

"Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said.

Examine last sentence once more: "Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence." That pretty much says it all, don't you think?

Ah yes. Islam, the religion not only of peace, but of tolerance as well (cue the chirping blubirds). And if anyone even so much as insinuates the contrary, these otherwise placid souls are compelled to carry out bombings, beheadings, dismemberment any any other number of barbaric acts.

Well, it seems that that old Byzantine emperor may well have been onto something. As for Benedict XVI, I think that I'm starting to like the guy!

ORIANA FALLACI, R.I.P.

We lost a brave voice against Islamic facism today, and I morn her passing. If you have not read "The Rage and the Pride" and "The Force of Reason" , do so. It is simply all you really need to know about the crisis we face.

MacDuff

"The Duffer"

April 1, 1994 - September 12, 2006

I lost my friend today. His name was MacDuff, but he will always be The Duffer to those who knew him. He was as good a friend as one could want and probably a better friend than I deserved. He had no enemies, and had a way of endearing himself to those who met him. He loved everyone and everyone loved him.

Some would say "he was just a dog" but those of us who love them and welcome them into our family know that they are much more.

I was out of town when he breathed his last. My friend, The Duffer, who was always there for me, did not have the comfort of knowing I was there for him when he needed me the most. He was very sick and I simply did not want to prolong his suffering for one moment longer, while he awaited my return. He had already spent much of his life loyally awaiting the return of his humans as we went about our work and chores that took us out of the house. I tried to relieve him of that duty on this, his last day. I acted in his interest rather than my own, but I wish that I could have seen his adoring brown eyes just one more time and said goodbye. I wish that I could have kissed his forehead once more and let him know how much he meant to me.

He was suffering kidney failure and that, coupled with his age was simply more than he could overcome. As his humans, my wife and I made the heart-wrenching decision to send him to his appointed end, rather than allow him to suffer any more agony. I feel that he had probably been in pain for some time, but he would not allow us to see. They're like that you know, they don't want to trouble us with their pain. He received his shot from his vet, and his little loyal heart slowly stopped while he lay in my wife's arms. Now, all we have is a gaping hole that The Duffer once occupied. I would like to think that the joy he gave us during his life far outweighs the current pain of his absence, but that's hard to see right now through the veil of tears.

Godspeed my freind. Thank you for your love and loyalty, I'll never forget you.

September 11, 2001 Never Forget, Never Forgive.

September 11, 2006 Not Forgotten, Not Forgiven.

~

As we commemorate the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, may we rededicate ourselves to ridding the world of those who would make war on free people and kill innocents in the name of a misbegotten and corrupted religion. May God have mercy on all those who have been murdered in His name and may His special justice rain down upon the souls of those murderers, in His time and in His way. May we unite those souls with Him as quickly as possible.

~

And for those who still still refuse to understand the nature and the motivation of our enemy, may you continue to be protected by those who do, whether you want to be or not, for you are my fellow Americans, whether I like it or not.

Man arrested in airport knife scare

ROMULUS, Mich. - A man with a one-way ticket to Yemen attempted to board a plane with a knife hidden in a book, authorities said.

Mohammed Ghanem, 21, of Hamtramck, was jailed Saturday on $500,000 after being arraigned on a charge of possessing a weapon in the sterile area of an airport.

Ghanem was arrested Thursday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after Transportation Security Administration officers detected the knife "artfully concealed" in the book, airport spokesman Michael Conway said.

Someone had carved out the inside of the book and placed the knife inside it, said Ghanem's attorney, Nabih Ayad.

"He said he didn't know where the knife came from," Ayad told the Detroit Free Press.

Let's see, Mohammed has a one-way ticket to Yemen, and it just so happens that he has a knife hidden inside of a carved-out book, and his attorney, Nabih Ayad says his client Mohammed has no idea where the knife came from.

Oooookay. I think Mohammed may well need a long vacation at Club Gitmo.

China Calls for Peaceful Iran Resolution

HELSINKI, Finland (AP) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Saturday that the international standoff over Iran's disputed nuclear program must be resolved peacefully and he cautioned against the imposition of sanctions.

Wen stressed his country doesn't want Iran to develop nuclear weapons and would "make tireless efforts" for a negotiated solution.

"That said, diplomatic efforts will be a long process," he told reporters on the sidelines of a summit with the European Union. "

To mount pressure or impose sanctions will not necessarily bring about a peaceful solution."

His comments came as EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana met with Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani in Vienna, Austria, about Tehran's defiance of international demands that it give up uranium enrichment.

Immediately what comes to mind here is Neville Chamberlain. But in fairness to Chamberlain, he was just a pathetic idiot and dupe. China, on the other hand, is a not-so-thinly-veiled enemy of the United States.

"...diplomatic efforts will be a long process." Yeah, right. Just long enough for Iran to achieve its goal.

More Muslims Arrive in U.S., After 9/11 Dip

America's newest Muslims arrive in the afternoon crunch at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Their planes land from Dubai, Casablanca and Karachi. They stand in line, clasping documents. They emerge, sometimes hours later, steering their carts toward a flock of relatives, a stream of cabs, a new life.

This was the path for Nur Fatima, a Pakistani woman who moved to Brooklyn six months ago and promptly shed her hijab. Through the same doors walked Nora Elhainy, a Moroccan who sells electronics in Queens, and Ahmed Youssef, an Egyptian who settled in Jersey City, where he gives the call to prayer at a palatial mosque.

"I got freedom in this country," said Ms. Fatima, 25. "Freedom of everything. Freedom of thought."

Oh. Goody. Just what we needed.

Forgive me if I do not wax ecstatic at the thought of more Muslims "assimilating" in this country. Call me what you will, but I just get a bad feeling about such things, particularly when it's a New York Times piece dated September 10, heralding the fact.

While I was on the subject of dogs (below), I simply could not resist posting this picture. He's the winner of an "ugliest dog" contest that I came across several months ago.

He certainly would have gotten my vote.

Good luck getting this face out of your head.

NO DOGS? NO CATS?
The Muslims are Doomed

The ever-tightening circle of Mulsim hatred now includes house pets. What a bunch of ass-hats:

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia's religious police, normally tasked with chiding women to cover themselves and ensuring men attend mosque prayers, are turning to a new target: cats and dogs.

The police have issued a decree banning the sale of the pets, seen as a sign of Western influence. The prohibition on dogs may be less of a surprise, since conservative Muslims despise dogs as unclean. But the cat ban befuddled many, since Islamic tradition holds that the Prophet Muhammad loved cats — and even let a cat drink from his ablutions water before washing himself for prayers.

The religious police, known as the Muttawa, have the role of enforcing Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic code. Its members prowl streets and malls, ensuring unmarried men and women do not mix, confronting women they feel are not properly covered or urging men to go to prayers.

But the government also gives the Muttawa wide leeway to enforce any rules they deem necessary to uphold the social order.

The decree, which applies to the Red Sea port city of Jiddah and the holy city of Mecca — bans the sale of cats and dogs because "some youths have been buying them and parading them in public," according to a memo from the Municipal Affairs Ministry to Jiddah's city government.

The memo, obtained by The Associated Press, urges city authorities to help enforce the ban. Pet owning is not common in the Arab world, though dogs are kept for hunting and guarding. In large cities around the Middle East, stray dogs often wander the streets and are considered pests. Street cats are also plentiful, and people will often feed them or play with them — but it isn't a widespread custom to keep one in the home, and many cannot afford it.

However, in the past decades, owning dogs or cats has become a fashion tatement among Saudis. Showing off a Doberman, pit bull or fancy breed of feline has became a status symbol.

Conservatives decry the trend as a Western influence, just like the fast food, shorts, jeans and pop music that have become more common in the kingdom, which is ruled by the puritanical Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. They say it should be fought because it is threatening the fabric of Gulf nations.

"One bad habit spreading among our youths is the acquisition of dogs and showing them off in the streets and malls," wrote Aleetha al-Jihani in a letter to Al-Madina newspaper. "There's no doubt that such a matter makes one shudder."

"Then what's the point of dragging a dog behind you?" he added. "This is blind emulation of the infidels."

Given the choice of a dog or Islam, I'll take a dog any day. A god that doesn't like dogs is simply not my kind of god. Call me infidel extrorinaire.

In view of the fact that I've never much liked people who dislike animals, I'm not surprised in the least by this story. I've always found dogs, in particular, to be pretty good judges of character - perhaps that's why "the prophet" dispised them so.