Looney Liberal of the Week: Chuck Schumer

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- This week's award goes to Chuckie "Schmuckie" Schumer (D-NY). This week Schumer announced that the cause for the run up in gasoline prices was directly attributable to "Big Oil". Specifically, he said that there was a lack of competition, and implicitly he suggested that "a handful of giant oil companies" are manipulating prices.

Schumer's solution? ..."Get tough on big oil". Schumer said he plans to offer an amendment to the upcoming supplemental bill "that will require a complete examination as to whether or not we should break up the big oil companies". Of course! Why didn't we think of that before? Breaking up Ma Bell was such a wonderful example of how "Big Government" can help streamline our economy.

Now here is a man who apparently knows nothing about economics. Doesn't Schumer know that the price of gasoline is market-driven? Doesn't Schumer know that gasoline futures are traded on the NYMEX? Doesn't Schumer know that prices are essentially set by market traders who evaluate factors driving supply and demand? Does Schumer even know what "supply and demand" is? Has Schumer forgotten that in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina gasoline prices were just as high as they are today?

The following charts show the NYMEX gasoline futures and the actual retail cost of gasoline including all taxes. Notice any similarities for the period April 2005 through April 2006? Hmmmm. I wonder if there might be any relationship?

No Laughing Matter

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Back on January 1st of this year, I posted an article called Justice Dept. Seeks Name of CIA-Leaker. The article started out as a satire, by suggesting that the Justice Department would go directly to the CIA to find the source of the NSA wire-tapping leak.

The article quickly became matter-of-fact however, discussing the attempts by some at the agency to undermine the Bush administration. Near the end of my article I asked... "Why would I not be surprised if this investigation by the Justice Department leads straight to Langely?"

I was somewhat amused then, when I learned that a CIA officer was just fired for leaking classified information. Although it isn't exactly clear what information was leaked, it has been speculated that the information regarded the alleged interrogation of terrorist prisoners at foreign locations, mainly in Europe. Some have alleged that the CIA used torture techniques at these foreign locations.

And if it wasn't so serious, it would almost be comical that the leaker is believed to be Mary McCarthy who was originally appointed by Sandy Berger to serve as senior director for intelligence programs in the Clinton Administration. Berger you will remember, himself pleaded guilty to stealing and destroying classified information from the National Archives.

Mark Levin has a great article HERE suggesting that a Plame-type investigation should be conducted of Ms. McCarthy. He also asks why the media seems to be down-playing this story. Hmmmm... I wonder.

Looney Liberal of the Week: Paul L. Caron

CINCINNATI, OH April 23, 2006 -- This week's award goes to Paul L. Caron, from the University of Cincinnati. His official title is "Charles Hartsock Professor of Law and Director of Faculty Projects"... whatever that means. Although this guy seems far more mild-mannered than some of our past recipients, he managed to squeak his way onto our radar screens this week by raising the issue of Vice President Dick Cheney's tax return. The official White House press release can be found HERE.

This guy gets the award because at his TaxProf Blog, he has the audacity to question Cheney's motives for giving $6.8 million to charity. Caron implies in no uncertain terms that Dick Cheney "is a major beneficiary of the Hurricane Katrina tax relief act." That's right... this rotten scoundrel Cheney gave to charity "77% of his AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) -- well in excess of the 50% limitation that would have applied absent the Katrina legislation." (Ooooohh! Bad boy Cheney! You "profited" by giving your money to charity! Go sit in the corner!)

To be fair, Caron (and Michael Kirsch whom he quotes) point out the fact that Cheney seems to have taken advantage of the Hurricane Katrina tax relief act without clearly giving any money to Katrina-related charities. Is this legal? Apparently so. Is it worrysome? C'MON! Who in their right mind would complain because a guy chose to give 27% more of his income to charity? Who in their right mind would complain that a guy wrote a $2.3 million check and gave it to charity? Only a liberal I guess... a looney liberal at that.

For a real good laugh, click on the link to the TaxProf Blog above, and scroll down to read some of the comments from his readers. Now there are some REAL Looney Liberal Idiots!

What Bush Needs To Do

April 21, 2006 -- The economy is surging. Real GDP increased a solid 3.5% in 2005. Inflation is under control. Manufacturing expansion continues. Construction spending is at an all time high. More than 5.1 million jobs have been created since August 2003. There have been 31 straight months of job increases. The unemployment rate is lower than the average of any time during the 1960s, 70s, 80s or 90s. The stock market is hovering near all-time highs. Corporations are announcing record earnings. Jobs are going unfilled for lack of available candidates. College grads face the best job market in 5 years. Twelve million illegal immigrants are also earning the best money they've ever enjoyed in their lifetimes. And if the illegals weren't here, the unemployment rate would be even lower.

Back in the days of the 1992 presidential election, a phrase was coined that has been attributed to James Carville... "It's the economy, stupid!" Considering that the present economy is so robust, one would assume that President Bush would be riding a tidal wave of poll ratings approaching or exceeding 80% approval. Nevertheless, the polls would suggest that second only to the war in Iraq, the economy is one of the nation's greatest concerns. And President Bush's approval ratings are in the 35-40% range. So what gives? And what must the President do to turn public opinion around?

There can be no doubt that the war in Iraq hangs heavy over public sentiment. Like the Sword of Damocles, it creates fear, doubt, and uncertainty. We have primarily the mainstream media (MSM) to thank for this malaise. It seems as if the MSM delights in giving us "only the news that's sh*t to print". Their liberal bias has been documented so often, that an undergrad at any college could generate a doctoral thesis on the subject that would not be refuted. The MSM will form an alliance with anybody that hates Bush, and has adopted the following policy statement... "If it's bad for America, it's bad for Bush". The result has been a continual stream of depressing, negative, anti-American slurs aimed not so much at honest reporting, as at "tar-and-feathering" the Administration for its alleged failures.

Why the partisanship? It's nothing new. There was isolationism and anti-war sentiment during World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. But the current round of anti-Administration sentiment can trace its roots directly to Monica Lewinsky. The Democrats never forgave the Republicans for impeaching their hero Bill Clinton. At that point, the partisan divide grew about as wide as one could imagine. The presidential election debacle of 2000 only added fuel to the fire. Die-hard Democrats will always believe that George W. Bush "stole" the election from Al Gore, despite the fact that the MSM news outlets predicted outcomes way too early. The Democrats only became more bitter with John F. Kerry's defeat in 2004.

In the face of such opposition, George W. Bush should take a lesson from Ronald W. Reagan. President Reagan took a lot of grief during his presidency as well, but never to the extent of GWB. In fact Ronald Reagan was called the "Teflon President", because nothing bad seemed to stick to him. In an article by Congresswoman Pat Schroeder (D-CO), the self-avowed liberal who coined the term "Teflon President", it was Reagan's ability to connect with Americans that afforded him that attribute, as well as his being "The Great Communicator". Schroeder further says... "And, let's be honest, Reagan told people what they wanted to hear."

So what can George W. Bush learn from Ronald Wilson Reagan? Lots. And it shouldn't be taken piecemeal. It should be taken together as a package.

First, George Bush needs to communicate more... and BETTER. Ronald Reagan used to go on air with charts and graphs that were simple to understand. People can really grasp a well-prepared chart or graph. With employment numbers up 5.1 million from August 2003, a simple graph would go a long way towards convincing people we are moving in the right direction. Unemployment is lower than 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s? Use a table or chart! The stock market is up? Use another graph!

George Bush also needs to "show" the American people why gasoline prices are so high. He needs to show them with charts that gas consumption is up because SUVs use more gas than typical sedans. He needs to show us "WHO" controls the world's oil supplies and where it might be subject to curtailment (i.e., Iran, Venezuala, Nigeria, etc) which puts upward pressure on price. He needs to show Americans how small the proposed ANWR drilling area is versus the entire ANWR. He needs to show Americans how many untapped oil reserves we have off the coasts of Florida and California, etc. He needs to show Americans how American oil can offset foreign oil. He needs to show Americans that "ZERO" refineries have been built in America in the last 30 years versus how many we need. He needs to show Americans that "ZERO" greenhouse gas emissions are produced from nuclear power plants. He needs to show Americans that "ZERO" nuclear plants have been built in America in the last 30 years. He needs to show Americans that clean nuclear electricity can produce clean hydrogen.

But simply communicating more and better is not enough. GWB needs to tell the American people what they want to hear. The American people do not want to hear that the war in Iraq is endless. The American people do not want to hear that oil companies made millions or billions of dollars in profits when they are paying top prices at the gas pump. The American people want hear GOOD news. They want to hear about American victories and successes. If the MSM won't give it to them, then the President needs to share it with them. And not from some little college out in the Midwest during the middle of the day. They want to hear it on prime-time TV. Like Ronald Reagan's speeches, Americans want to hear that America's best days are still ahead. Americans want to hear that they are a bright shining city on a hill. Americans want answers. They want to know they are being heard. And they want optimism.

No small task for GWB, but then... Ronald Reagan is a tough act to follow.

Petition For National Broadcast Decency

I received the following in an E-mail from Grassfire.org and thought I would share it here...

We have just learned that the networks are headed to federal court demanding a first Amendment right to use the f-word, and the s-word during family hour... this is outrageous, and Grassfire is responding by presenting hundreds of thousands of citizen petitions DIRECTLY to the Senate Commerce Committee next week.

Please take a moment to click on the image below and sign this petition. And thanks for "Viewing".

Next Week's News?

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- MSNBC apparently has resources that few others in the media possess... the ability to predict next week's news. The picture seen here was posted today at the MSNBC website HERE. Gee, I wonder if Scott McClellan knows he's resigning next Tuesday?

UPDATE: Well, somebody at MSNBC musta read my article and corrected it.

Iran Building Secret Enrichment Facility

NEYSHABOUR, Iran -- According to DEBKAfile, intelligence sources say that Iran is constructing a uranium enrichment facility in Neyshabour, which is about 600 km northeast of Tehran. The plant is scheduled for completion and start-up by the end of 2007. The facility has been built 150 meters deep and will house 155,000 centrifuges. This compares with the 54,000 centrifuges slated for Natanz. About 3 years from now, the facility could produce enriched uranium for 9-15 nuclear bombs per year, according to the article. It is believed that Russians designed the facility in 2003 and that construction was started in early 2004. It is assumed that the Iranians fear Natanz and other nuclear sites will be targeted for destruction, hence this hardened facility.

Read more Here.

Looney Liberal of the Week: Hillary Clinton

NEW YORK, NY -- And now ladies and gentlemen... back by popular demand... the Looney Liberal of the Week! (Drum roll please)...

And this week's award goes to Hillary Clinton. This LL is the presumptive Democratic candidate for the Presidency in 2008 and she is starting out her campaign by doing exactly what John F. Kerry, her predecessor in 2004, did so well to help him lose the election... flip-flop! A year ago Hillary was claiming that she was to the right of George W. Bush by taking a harder line on illegal immigration than he was. In the last few weeks, her true colors have come out when she jumped in front of the cameras to say how mean those right-wing Bush fanatics really are! This week, she jumped out in front of demonstrating illegals in New York City to say how noble breaking the law can really be. Keep up the good work Hillaryous! A few more flip-flops and you're well on your way to defeat.

Wafa Sultan On Islamic Hit List

The 'Jawa Report' posted an article on Tuesday that starts out as follows...

An Egyptian group calling itself the "al-Jama’ah Consultative Council" has sent an e-mail hit list to people deemed 'apostates' yesterday. The group warned that those people on the list who had left the faith would have three days (as of yesterday) to repent or they would be killed. The group also warned that the wives and children of the Muslim apostates were being followed & would be killed. (Read more... Here)

Why am I not surprised to find that Wafa Sultan is on top of the list? Wafa Sultan, as some of you know, is a California resident who blasted the Islamic religion in an interview on Al-Jazeera. She also did an interview in English which can be heard at Little Green Footballs... Here.

Chirac Surrenders!

PARIS, France -- In a fashion reminiscent of June 1940, Jacques Chirac surrendered on Monday to the demands of students and labor unions, reversing his attempt to reduce unemployment in France with a new law instating the First Job Contract (CPE). Under the proposed law, employers who are currently mandated to hire employees for life, would be allowed to hire and fire employees under the age of 26. The law was designed to give French employers an incentive to hire young workers on a trial basis.

Unfortunately, Chirac was not prepared for the reaction of French youth who don't really want to work because it would cut into their protest and demonstration schedules. "Hey... we've got cars to burn and placards to wave, mon ami!", said one of the youthful protesters. "I can't make it with the... 'minou'... you know, Les Pussycats, if I'm working all day!", he said.

Kerry Passes Flip-Flop Mantle to Hillary

WASHINGTON, D.C. April 11, 2006 -- It appears that John F. Kerry (D-MA), who almost didn't lose the Presidential election in 2004, has passed the mantle of "Flip-Flop-Meister" over to Hillary Clinton (D-NY), the presumptive Democratic nominee for President in 2008. Just over a year ago in late 2004, Hillary made headlines with her strong stance on anti-immigration. Now, with thousands of illegal aliens and their supporters marching in the streets, Hillaryous has suddenly changed her position.

Addressing a rally of cheering illegal aliens and their supporters in New York City on Monday, Shrillary said... "Your faces are the faces of America... Your faces are the faces of those who give us a fair day's work — and often not for a fair day's pay." She then went on to thank the crowds for doing the kinds of jobs nobody else wants to do, like landscaping, mopping floors and cleaning toilet bowls. To the amazement of some, the crowd continued to cheer despite this crude stereotypical imagery. It has been suggested that perhaps many in the crowd did not speak English.

This comes only days after Mrs. Clinton voiced opposition to the proposed House bill on Immigration Reform suggesting it was "un-Christian" and would probably criminalize even "Jesus himself". Christians believe that Jesus was the "only-begotten" Son of God, and that he came to earth from heaven. Clinton apparently believes this makes Jesus an "illegal alien".

It should be noted that the House bill would toughen immigration policy, in line with what Clinton herself was calling for just a few months ago. When asked about this apparent flip-flop, Hillaryous said, "I was actually FOR tough immigration policy... before I was AGAINST it!"

John F. Kerry could not be reached for comment.

Vote Now!

DOWNTOWN, NJ April 11, 2006 -- Do you want to see a return of The Looney Liberal of the Week? Vote now in the Mini Poll in my righthand column. Vote early. Vote often. And thanks for "Viewing".

'View' 1 Year-Old: The Best Of...

DOWNTOWN, NJ April 9, 2006 -- Hello "Viewers". Tomorrow, April 10th, "View From Above" is One Year Old. To celebrate, I thought I would share some of my personal favorites from the past year. The following (13) articles (all under today's date) are some of those that I enjoyed doing the most, or represent a group of articles in a particular format that I enjoyed doing. I hope you liked them as much as I had fun doing them... OH! and "Thanks for Viewing!"

Wilbanks Reveals Secret Identity

ALBEQUERQUE, NM April 30, 2005 -- In what has turned out to be an extraordinary chain of events, missing bride-to-be Jennifer Wilbanks was found to be alive and well in Albequerque, New Mexico today. Of course, the parents and prospective bridegroom of Jennifer are relieved to know that she is OK. However, Jennifer has been forced to admit that she is really an undercover cop who was in pursuit of a fugitive. (Read more... Here)

Condi Rice Apologizes

Biden

Rice

Bolton

WASHINGTON, D.C. May 8, 2005 -- In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) blasted Condi for her failure to provide documents regarding charges that John R. Bolton (President Bush's nominee for U.S. Ambassador the U.N.) went so far as think for himself. (Read more... Here)

Rumsfeld: Senate Insurgency Could Last Years

WASHINGTON, D.C. June 27, 2005 -- In a series of interviews on various Sunday talk shows, Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, said yesterday that the insurgency in the U.S. Sentate could go on for years. (See 'View From Above' story dated June 23, 2005.) "There seems to be an endless supply of 'homicide ranters' in the Senate that are willing to strap on an explosive filibuster and wipe out anyone in hearing distance with a blast of hot air", said Rumsfeld. (Read more... Here)

20 Lessons For Next Dem Campaign

Posted at www.freerepublic.com today. Decided to reprint it here in it's entirety. (Only slightly edited) It's long, but worth it...


(Read more... Here)

Kennedy Explodes on Senate Floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. July 14, 2005 -- Senator Edward M. "Teddy" Kennedy (D-MA), exploded today in a ball of fire on the floor of the United States Senate. According to eye-witnesses, Kennedy was in the midst of a fiery diatribe spouting incendiary remarks when his sleeve accidentally caught on fire. (Read more... Here)

Top 10 Loony Liberal Idiots

August 6, 2005 -- Inspired by "The Top 10 Conservative Idiots" at the Democratic Underground website, it seemed only logical to return the favor (as there is no shortage of Liberal idiots). So let's start the show... (Read more... Here)

Looney Liberal of the Week: Louis Farrakhan

NEW ORLEANS, LA September 15, 2005 -- This week's award goes to Louis Farrakhan. This Nation of Islam leader is an idiot because he actually believes that the levees in New Orleans were purposely "blown up" in order to kill the city's black population. (Read more... Here)

Are These Men Related?

November 25, 2005
Special Thanks to RAM for the idea.

Christmas Ruminations

DOWNTOWN, NJ December 25, 2005 -- On this most sacred of days in the Christian calendar, we are reminded of how blessed this country has been for nearly 230 years. I believe that these blessings are due in no small part to its being a Christian nation, founded largely by Christians and based on Christian values. Being a Christian nation, it is a giving nation. Americans have given more to charity than any other nation on earth. (Read more... Here)

School Board Rescinds "Intelligent Decisions"

DOVER, PA January 4, 2006 -- The newly elected Dover Area School Board voted Tuesday night to overturn the previous board's policy allowing "Intelligent Decisions". (Read more... Here)

Iran Calms World Jitters

TEHRAN, Iran January 11, 2006 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (pronounced... "I'm-mad-&-an-idjot") continued to bolster the confidence of worldwide leaders with his announcement that Iran has broken the U.N. seals at a uranium enrichment plant on Tuesday. (Read more... Here)

Hawkeye Invited To BBC Radio Debate

February 9, 2006 -- I was very surprised and somewhat flattered to receive an E-mail today from the BBC which read as follows... (Read more... Here)

Under The Knife

DOWNTOWN, NJ March 28, 2006 -- Well, the time has finally arrived... I've been putting off this surgery long enough. Now, I'm going to have it done. (Read more... Here)

Americans Aiding Americans

Over $1 billion has been raised for Hurricane Katrina relief. That according to Chuck Simmins who has been keeping track of such things. Chuck, you may remember was the guy who created "The Stingy List" and kept track of how much money was being donated by Americans to the Tsunami Relief effort. Well, he has done it again, and as he points out... this tally does not include any contributions for Hurricanes Rita or Wilma. To be exact, as of 4-6-06, contributions to Katrina relief totalled $1,001,333,459 excluding contributions-in-kind.

For a break-out of where the donations came from, you can go Here. To visit Chuck's main web site, just click on "You Big Mouth, You!" near the end of the Blogrolling Link List in my righthand column.

And by the way, Chuck's numbers MUST be conservative. I know that because there are dozens of Christian charities which have taken up special collections that have not been included in his list.

Thanks Chuck! Thanks for reminding us just how stingy we damn Americans really are. You're a Great American!

Govt. Response to Katrina - Rita

Here's some tidbits about what the Federal Government has been doing in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita...

The Coast Guard rescued 33,000 people -- six times higher than the number of rescues in all of 2004.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) coordinated the rescue of more than 6,500 people and for the first time deployed all 28 of its Urban Search and Rescue teams for a single event.

The combined rescues performed by these two agencies total almost 40,000 -- more than seven times the number of people rescued during the Florida hurricanes in 2004.

Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency performed over 1,428 missions, which included 672 law enforcement, 128 search and rescue, 78 recovery, 444 hurricane relief, and 97 other logistical support missions. During operations, CBP saved over 328 lives; provided food, water and other supplies to thousands of people impacted by the hurricanes; and donated well over $20 million dollars in seized goods and humanitarian aid.

Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) flew in hundreds of air passenger screeners and federal air marshals to supply ad hoc security during the massive airlift of storm evacuees from New Orleans. TSA processed thousands of evacuees. More than 22,000 people were flown out of New Orleans on military and civilian aircraft; in a single day at the Houston airports, more than 50,000 passengers were screened -- nearly double the traffic on previous peak days.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) helped to rescue and shelter more than 14,000 companion animals and livestock in region.

Within the first six days of the response, the Federal government delivered more than 28 million pounds of ice, 20 million pounds of commodities (such as fruits, juices, vegetables, meats and grains), 8.5 million ready-to-eat meals, and 4 million gallons of water. This exceeds the combined totals for the entire recovery operation during Hurricane Andrew.

Through USDA’s various feeding programs and in partnership with many faith-based and community organizations, over 20 million pounds of food were delivered and served to displaced residents, including almost 2 million pounds of baby food.

Nearly 1.9 million households were signed up to receive close to $900 million in USDA food stamps.

Lots... LOTS more Here.

Can Islamic Democracy Work?

The short answer, in my opinion, is... probably not. Now don't get me wrong. I agree wholeheartedly with President Bush's vision of democracies throughout the Middle East. Unfortunately, the President's understanding of "democracy" is no doubt a rather Judeo-Christian concept. And that is one model that may not work very well in the Islamic world.

Consider for a moment that democracy has flourished primarily in countries rich in Judeo-Christian values, or in those countries that have been colonized by or touched deeply by other countries with a Judeo-Christian heritage. A brief (and over-simplified) list would include most European nations, the North American nations, most South American nations, many Caribbean islands, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific island nations liberated by the Americans during WWII, India, African nations that were former colonies, and Japan.

Japan is somewhat unique in that it was not heavily influenced by Judeo-Christian culture prior to WWII. But there can be no argument that it was most certainly influenced by Judeo-Christian culture following the war. During the war, the Japanese were told to fight to the death because the American invaders would show no mercy and slaughter them in great numbers. Just the opposite happened. The Americans, under the direction of General Douglas MacArthur, assisted the Japanese to establish a democracy (technically a constitutional monarchy with a representative parliament) which is probably closer to Britain's model than America's. They helped the Japanese rebuild the country. They were kind and supportive. As a result, the Japanese view of Americans was radically altered from dread to appreciation to perhaps even fascination.

And there was no great rush of Japanese to convert to Christianity. Even today, only 1.4 million Japanese are Christians out of a total population of perhaps 128 million. The vast majority of Japanese believe in either Shintoism or Buddhism. But this is an important element in our discussion. They were NOT Moslems. Shintoism and Buddhism are tolerant, peaceful religions. Therefore, democracy could flourish.

Wherever Christianity or Judeo-Christians values have been repressed, democracy has not flourished. For example... consider Communist China, Cuba, Venezuela, and Arabic countries. Russia, which has only known democracy for a short time, is struggling... and may be losing. After nearly 80 years of repression against Christianity, democracy finds itself losing ground to the totalinarianism which has pervaded Russia for centuries.

In order for democracy to flourish, there are certain cultural and religious pre-requisites which must be in place. Namely, a capacity for tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Democracy is based on "liberty" and "freedom". In order for some people to be free, then other people must be tolerant of them and allow them to coexist peacefully. In order for all people to be free, then all people must be tolerant of each other and coexist peacefully. Freedom of Religion is meaningless if some religions cannot be tolerated. Freedom of Speech is meaningless if some speech cannot be tolerated. Freedom of Inquiry is meaningless if some inquiry cannot be tolerated.

And "democracy", in Mr. Bush's understanding of the term, encompasses such values. For him, and for me, it is not a democracy if there is no Freedom of Religion, or Freedom of Speech, or Freedom of Inquiry. Democracy is more than merely the right vote for your next dictator or fundamentalist mullah. I repeat, democracy demands a capacity for tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

Islam, unfortunately, is a violent and intolerant religion. Its teachings do not include the "Golden Rule"; that is, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Its teachings do not include things like, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Its teachings do not include things like, "If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all." And certainly, its teachings do not include things like, "Turn the other cheek", or "Pray for your enemies". Islam was never a religion of love.

No instead, Islam teaches us to "Kill the infidels". Islam teaches us to "Convert, subjugate or kill the unbelievers". Islam teaches us that "There is no god but Allah, and no prophet but Mohammed". Allah, by the way, is not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Allah is not the God of the Jews and Christians. Allah is a different god. He is the moon god, the war god and the sword god of the ancient Meccans. He is the god of death and murder. Islam was never a religion of peace.

Islam does not teach equality. Under Islam, women are mere chattel... property to be used and disposed of. Under Islam, Blacks, Hispanics, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, and Atheists are all slated for destruction. That is why I find it so odd that in Western countries, the Nation of Islam has attracted so many Black people. In my opinion, Blacks in the West turned to the Nation of Islam because they saw it as a counter-culture statement. For example, the vast majority of whites in America are either Christian or Jews. And it is well-known that many Black slaves in the South turned to Christianity as a means of solace and hope. So, why should angry young Blacks want to turn to Christianity? They are neither white, nor are they slaves. They cannot identify. And Islam is a "macho" religion, so they turn to Islam. Little do they know however, that Muslim Arabs consider them second class citizens and will kill them too... but only after they kill all the Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and Christians first.

We have only to look at recent examples of Islamic "democracy". In Afghanistan, a man is sentenced to death for converting to Christianity. Afghanistan is supposedly a democracy. Under their new constitution, Freedom of Religion is a prominent right. But in an "Islamic democracy", there can be no true Freedom of Religion, because there is no tolerance or peaceful coexistence. In an "Islamic democracy", Sharia Law still rules. So... Death to the infidel!

We have only to look at Palestine. In their last "democratic" election, Palestinians voted overwhelmingly for Hamas, an organization committed to the overthrow of Israel... for Hamas, an organization committed to terrorism... for Hamas, an organization which will not tolerate any religion besides Islam.

I must say then that, by definition, Afghanistan and Palestine are NOT "democracies". Although they may claim such status, I repeat... the right to vote does not by itself qualify a nation to declare itself a democracy. The right to vote for your next dictator or fundamentalist mullah does not qualify your nation as a democracy. The enactment of a constitution does not make a country democratic. The existence of a parliament or congress does not make a country democratic. Democracy comes ONLY with tolerance and peaceful coexistence of its "diverse" inhabitants.

Islam is like a five-year old boy in kindergarten. He whines and moans and disrupts the class. He wants total attention. He wants everything to be "his way". He demands respect but gives none. He makes fun of the other students, but gets angry when someone makes fun of him. He has nothing positive to offer, but claims superiority to all. He wants what education has to offer, but refuses to be educated. He has invented nothing good and created nothing useful. He has no ability to think freely. He only believes what his childish mind has envisioned. He despises the arts and crafts projects of all the other students and rips them to shreds. If he doesn't get his way, he throws a tantrum. He starts hurting the other students around him. He threatens to kill the teacher and all the other students in class who are not "just like" him (which ultimately means everybody). He becomes so obnoxious that the authorities must be called in control him. He must be removed from the class by force. He must be detained and confined... perhaps sedated. He must not be allowed to re-enter society until he becomes mature enough to do so. What he really needed all along was a damn good spanking!

I am sorry to say that, in my opinion, "Islamic democracies" will not work. That is, not until they become mature enough and tolerant enough to permit REAL Freeedom of Religion, REAL Freedom of Speech, and REAL Freedom of Inquiry. Until then... they just a need a damn good spanking!

UPDATE: I have been remided by one of my readers that Turkey is a Moslem country and is also a parliamentary democracy. Therefore, I am foced to admit that perhaps I have over-generalized in suggesting that Islam and democracy cannot coexist peacefully. In the case of Turkey however, Sharia Law was superceded by secular law.

There is a good article Here, near the end of which outlines the secularization of Turkey by Mustafa Kemal who was later called "Ataturk" or "Father of the Turks". The following statement from Wikipedia is right on topic...

In 1998 the Turkish Constitutional Court banned and dissolved Turkey's Refah Party on the grounds that the "rules of sharia", which Refah sought to introduce, "were incompatible with the democratic regime", pointing up that "Democracy is the antithesis of sharia". On appeal by Refah the European Court of Human Rights determined that "sharia is incompatible with the fundamental principles of democracy". (emphasis added)
--From Wikipedia... Here

Perhaps I should say then that Islamic democracies can ONLY work if and when Sharia Law is abandoned and superceded by secular democratic law.

Good Morning America

I woke up and rolled over to look at the clock. Oh, great. Almost time to get up. And I didn't really feel like it. I had a bit too much to drink the night before, and I had that washed out kind of feeling. Not a hangover really, but in that general direction. Well, I'd better get going. I couldn't let my supervisor catch on. I'd be punished severely, if I was caught drinking... now that alcohol was illegal. They'd want to know where I got it, and then they'd come search my house looking for it. The minimum penalty would probably be flogging with 40 lashes. I could end up dead.

I did my Fajr prayers at 4:54 AM and then started to get cleaned-up and ready for work. It was Sunday. A day I would have ordinarily been able to sleep in, or maybe go to church if I had been more religious. But it didn't matter now. All non-Islamic worship services had been banned. I couldn't go to church if I wanted to. I wasn't much of a Christian then, and I guess I wasn't much of a Moslem now.

But I went through the motions. I did what I had to do to survive. I mean, isn't that what life's all about anyway? Survival? I was lucky. I had made it through the Great Purge. They killed everyone who wouldn't convert to Islam. Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Gaians, Atheists... it was a blood bath. I lost a few people in my own family. My cousin Joey and his wife... they were downright evangelists. No surprise there. But my brother Billy? Now that was a shocker. Never saw him standing up for anything until this. He said he'd had enough and refused to live in a world under Islam. Maybe he was right, and I was wrong. This was no picnic.

I had some breakfast and did my sunrise prayers at 6:13 AM. I got in the car and headed off to work. I turned the radio on to one of the English-speaking stations. Arabic-speaking stations seemed to spring up out of nowhere after the Great Liberation. Or maybe I should call it the Great Capitulation. Those jerks in Washington! They saw what happened in Iraq after we pulled out. They saw what happened in France and Germany and Britain. Did they think it would be any different here? Gutless wonders! They wanted peace... so they got the "religion of peace".

I got to work at 7:20 AM, just in time for my 7:30 Arabic lessons. I hated this stuff. I was never very good at languages. I had picked up a smattering of German back when I occasionally traveled to Germany on business. But my German was not very good... "nicht sehr gut", as they say. I could ask a question, but couldn't understand the answer. They spoke too fast (which was normal speed for them). I would say, "Sprechen Sie langsame, Bitte"... "Speak slowly, please". I couldn't translate in my head fast enough. And the same thing was happening with Arabic. It was like a rerun.

At 8:00 AM it was time for religious training. We got a half-hour of teaching from the Koran everyday. It wasn't too bad. Sometimes it even made sense. But my analytical side kept telling me there was something wrong with this stuff. Where was the peace? Where was the love? If it was there, I couldn't find it. And some of it was downright contradictory. Oh well. The times they are a changin'. Go with the flow. And so begins another day in Islamic America.

UPDATE: Apparently Dan Simmons had the same idea I did. He wrote an interesting Sci-Fi piece Here, not unlike my own... but better.