There is a great debate between you and those like you about Islam in the USA. Is Islam a peaceful religion? Is it a violent religion? And a lot of people wonder, what the heck is Islam? Well a group in Chicago is coming out with a report on how Muslims in America can fit in better with society.
What I don't understand about the report's suggestions is that all of them seemed to be geared toward non-Muslims. I am all for non-Muslims (or "infidels" for those that believe in the radical Islam) learning about Islamic culture. I think that can be very productive. But for the love of Pete it cannot be the non-Muslims doing all the work. If Muslims want to be better included in society they must begin speaking out against Islamic radicals committing acts of terror across the world. That's the truth Ruth.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Yay for death tolls!
I was flicking through channels the other day and I stopped on CNN (a rare pause on that channel) because I saw something that piqued my interest. While I was watching I of course multi-tasked and read the scrolling ticker at the bottom of the screen. After the ticker told me the date and how many days we have left in the year it reported the death toll in Iraq. I was stunned and upset.
Why report on such a thing continuously and of all places at the beginning of the ticker (signaling to me that it is most important)? I get really tired of the press counting deaths joyfully like the the Count on Sesame Street. I make a joke, but this is not funny. I understand reporting on these things every once in while, keeping a monthly count or something, but my gosh, then I ran across this article in the Washington Post and it makes me sick. These people are real, they are now dead and they are reporting on it like it's a score on a pinball machine. Maybe you and those like you understand that we're at war and our brave soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines have put their lives on the line for our country. And maybe you respect that.
Why report on such a thing continuously and of all places at the beginning of the ticker (signaling to me that it is most important)? I get really tired of the press counting deaths joyfully like the the Count on Sesame Street. I make a joke, but this is not funny. I understand reporting on these things every once in while, keeping a monthly count or something, but my gosh, then I ran across this article in the Washington Post and it makes me sick. These people are real, they are now dead and they are reporting on it like it's a score on a pinball machine. Maybe you and those like you understand that we're at war and our brave soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines have put their lives on the line for our country. And maybe you respect that.
Heroes of Iwo Jima
This is a very cool story about the men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima in WWII and the camera men who recorded the now famous image.
Israel makes an offer to Palestinians
Israel is willing to give up some Palestinian prisoners in exchange for some goodwill. I always like to see some goodwill between these two peoples, but recently it seems as though Israel is doing most of the "goodwilling" with little to no response from the Palestinians.
Israel PM Ehud Olmert met with Arab leaders in Egypt recently and said that there is a possibility of peace talks on the horizon with Abbas and his Fatah crew. This is all being done in the shadow of Hamas taking over Gaza. Does this strike you and those like you as curious? Could it be that the Israelis are seeing a split in the Palestinian government/society between those that are pro-terrorist and those that are anti-terrorist?
My guess is no, but I'm sure they're thinking that it is better to deal with Fatah whose stated mission is not specifically aimed at destroying the Jewish country. Hamas...yeah, that's a different story. They want to destroy Israel and it is their main objective to do so.
All of this talking is good, but it does put some of the Arab countries in the Mid-East in a tough position. They don't want to look like they're friends with Israel, but they don't want to lie in bed with the Iranians or other terrorist groups. This is becoming a very interesting story...
Israel PM Ehud Olmert met with Arab leaders in Egypt recently and said that there is a possibility of peace talks on the horizon with Abbas and his Fatah crew. This is all being done in the shadow of Hamas taking over Gaza. Does this strike you and those like you as curious? Could it be that the Israelis are seeing a split in the Palestinian government/society between those that are pro-terrorist and those that are anti-terrorist?
My guess is no, but I'm sure they're thinking that it is better to deal with Fatah whose stated mission is not specifically aimed at destroying the Jewish country. Hamas...yeah, that's a different story. They want to destroy Israel and it is their main objective to do so.
All of this talking is good, but it does put some of the Arab countries in the Mid-East in a tough position. They don't want to look like they're friends with Israel, but they don't want to lie in bed with the Iranians or other terrorist groups. This is becoming a very interesting story...
SCOTUS and Campaign finance reform
So the SCOTUS just removed some of the restrictions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. It was a 5-4 decision with Roberts writing the majority opinion (brings me back to my days in Comm Law class).
I'm all for free speech, if we didn't have it, I wouldn't have a job (no I'm not talking about writing this blog, but yes, I wouldn't have this either). But the other side of this coin is the fact that there is a major problem in politics today. I'm not saying that this problem hasn't been part of politics from the very beginning of democracy, but it seems to be getting worse as the politicians no longer seem to care to cover it up. The problem you ask? Money.
Money makes our politicians beholden to special interests who are now in control of Washington and maybe in control of your state and local government as well (take a look at Anthony Nownes' books). I have a serious problem with career politicians. I understand that career politicians know what they are doing and therefore can run things better, but it is becoming a joke. Guys like Ted Kennedy, John McCain, etc. they've been in "public service" so long, they don't know what it's like to be part of the public anymore.
Ultimately, (and you and those like you might disagree with me about this), I am for severe campaign reform. Not just finances, but also the length of election seasons and the way that we vote. I'm also for term limits. I cannot stand how politicians are abusing their power. These are some real solutions for fixing these problems.
I'm all for free speech, if we didn't have it, I wouldn't have a job (no I'm not talking about writing this blog, but yes, I wouldn't have this either). But the other side of this coin is the fact that there is a major problem in politics today. I'm not saying that this problem hasn't been part of politics from the very beginning of democracy, but it seems to be getting worse as the politicians no longer seem to care to cover it up. The problem you ask? Money.
Money makes our politicians beholden to special interests who are now in control of Washington and maybe in control of your state and local government as well (take a look at Anthony Nownes' books). I have a serious problem with career politicians. I understand that career politicians know what they are doing and therefore can run things better, but it is becoming a joke. Guys like Ted Kennedy, John McCain, etc. they've been in "public service" so long, they don't know what it's like to be part of the public anymore.
Ultimately, (and you and those like you might disagree with me about this), I am for severe campaign reform. Not just finances, but also the length of election seasons and the way that we vote. I'm also for term limits. I cannot stand how politicians are abusing their power. These are some real solutions for fixing these problems.
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