A disgusting vat of filth that no self-respecting intelligent person would wade into. - Page 127

Mmmm, Burger (C.J.) · 12-12-2006, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Too bad Alcee Hastings was her first choice.

When was that? She prefered him only because it was better than Harman, but once she knew she could bounce them both out of seniority, she did.

Secret_Agent_Man · 12-12-2006, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cletus Miller
And the President's first choice for the last opening on the Supreme Court was Hariet Myers. Everyone makes mistakes.

Now THAT was an embarassment.

SlaveNoMore · 12-12-2006, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Secret_Agent_Man
Now THAT was an embarassment.

What happened to Robert Bork was an embarrassment.

SlaveNoMore · 12-12-2006, 10:03 PM

Why shouldn't Israel take this as an active declaration of war?

Quote:

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday told delegates at an international conference questioning the Holocaust that Israel’s days were numbered.

Ahmadinejad, who has sparked international outcry by referring to the killing of six million Jews in World War Two as a “myth” and calling for Israel to be “wiped off the map,” launched another verbal attack on the Jewish state.

“Thanks to people’s wishes and God’s will the trend for the existence of the Zionist regime is downwards and this is what God has promised and what all nations want,” he said.

“Just as the Soviet Union was wiped out and today does not exist, so will the Zionist regime soon be wiped out,” he added.

His words received warm applause from delegates at the Holocaust conference, who included ultra-Orthodox anti-Israel Jews and European and American writers who argue the Holocaust was either fabricated or exaggerated. ...

Robert Faurisson, a French scholar who has described the Holocaust as a “historical lie,” said the committee included members from the United States, France, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Iran, Bahrain and Syria, ISNA reported.

The article kindly ignores that David Duke is one of the additional honored guests.

Spanky · 12-12-2006, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Why shouldn't Israel take this as an active declaration of war?

For all intents and purposes (oops - sorry Ty) - for all intensive purposes Iran has been at war with Isreal ever since the Shah lost power.

Tyrone Slothrop · 12-12-2006, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Spanky
For all intents and purposes (oops - sorry Ty) - for all intensive purposes Iran has been at war with Isreal ever since the Shah lost power.

No worries -- I'll take any plug I can get.

SlaveNoMore · 12-13-2006, 03:53 AM

I'm the first person to critcize the lack (scoff) of any muslim outcry against their brethren. So let me proudly point out an article from Dr. Jasser, who deserves mention for speaking up:

Quote:

From a Muslim outlook, imams have missed the point on flight behavior
Dec. 11, 2006 10:52 AM

The first thing one must understand about this whole hullabaloo with the Muslim imams taken off a Phoenix-bound plane in Minneapolis is that it most definitely was not about the right to prayer or freedom of worship.

And much as the imams and their handlers may try, it is certainly not about victimization.

But because the case of the six imams (five from the Valley) and US Airways Flight 300 has taken on a life of its own, it would be helpful to look and see what lessons can be gleaned from this story.

All of us as Americans have endured the incremental inconveniences of air travel since 9/11. From 3-ounce fluid limits to random searches, those of us with the first name Mohammed can also attest to humbling profiling. Most of us are quite willing to endure all this because we know the inherent dangers of flying in the world today.

There is little argument that American airport concourses have become clinics of anxiety-laden travelers who have become vigilant in spotting anything out of the ordinary. This vigilance and anxiety is even more acutely felt by U.S. Transportation Security Administration agents and airline crews. They will never be rewarded for a safe flight. But they will be globally vilified for one lax call that leads to tragedy.

Into this highly charged environment comes this incident of the imams returning from their conference. To ignore the larger context is to virtually live in an airtight bubble.

The preponderance of evidence points to some troubling coincidences during flight preparation, regardless of where we stand on this issue. The distribution of their seats, while in fact random, raised concern. Changing seats after boarding, rather than before, raised concern. Conversations in Arabic after boarding raised concern. Seatbelt extenders raised concern. However, no passengers refused to board after seeing and hearing the imams pray aloud at the gate. Taken individually, each of the reported actions could be something any of us would do. However, in totality, although unfortunate in retrospect, it remains hard to fault a cautious crew who must act with little information to ensure a safe flight.

But let us look at the response of the imams since the incident.

They rushed toward the media never looking back. They have taken their story of victimization to every soft media they could find. They then stoked the same tired Muslim flames of victimization through their own political pulpits in mosques around the Valley.

Organizations like CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) and the Muslim American Society also immediately jumped on board, even before the imams' flight reached Phoenix the next day, and began whipping up the drums of victimization. Their handlers flew in from across the country staging rallies and pray-ins so they could teach the American people about this supposed tragedy of injustice.

As a devout Muslim, I have watched this painfully protracted saga unravel, fearing what comes next. The media, especially print media, have bent over backward to hear minorities' fears. Yet public opinion has not seemed to budge in favor of the imams. The lesson here lies in why. It has to do with credibility.

We are all creatures of passion. This fiasco has stirred the passionate cry of victimization from the Muslim activist community and imam community. But where were the news conferences, the rallies to protest the endless litany of atrocities performed by people who act supposedly in my religion's name? Where are the denunciations, not against terrorism in the abstract, but clear denunciations of al-Qaida or Hamas, of Wahhabism or militant Islamism, of Darfurian genocide or misogyny and honor killings, to name a few? There is no cry, there is no rage. At best, there is the most tepid of disclaimers. In short, there is no passion. But for victimization, always.

Only when Americans see that animating passion will they believe that we Muslims are totally against the fascists that have hijacked our religion. There is only so much bandwidth in the American culture to focus upon Islam and Muslims. If we fill it with our shouts of victimization, then the real problems from within and outside our faith community will never be heard.

Though this was not about prayer, let us look at the prayer itself: certainly a central part of our faith both alone and in congregation. The Quran teaches Muslims that God did not make our faith to be too difficult. Thus, during travel, many of us pray alone in silence when we cannot find a private place or where public display is not appropriate.

Prayer is an intimate thing, five times a day for Muslims. It is a personal conversation with God and not about showing others how devout we are.

Congregational prayers are preferred, but in travel (as three of the imams did apparently do) they can be combined upon their arrival in Phoenix.

Alija Izetbegovic, former president of Bosnia-Herzegovina, once said he was never so close to God in his prayers as a Muslim as he was during his solitary confinement for 12 years as a political prisoner struggling for liberty under Josip Broz Tito's oppression.

These imams would do well to learn from President Izetbegovic. He further understood the separation of religion and politics.

He understood God teaches us in the Quran that our religion is based upon intention and that if we perceive that the public situation is not conducive to our congregational prayer, that a forgiving God will understand.

Because these imams and their handlers just don't get it, it's time we Muslims found leadership and organizations that do.

Our predicament is unique, fragile and precarious. We Muslims are a relatively new minority in a nation that gives us freedoms that no other Muslim nation would allow.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, a radical subset of our faith community is seeking to destroy the basis for this liberty.

Either we predominantly direct our passions against these radicals or Americans will not count us as allies in this consuming struggle.

M. Zuhdi Jasser is a Phoenix physician and chairman of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. He can be reached at Zuhdi@aifdemocracy.org.

Bravo, Doctor, Bravo

Secret_Agent_Man · 12-13-2006, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
What happened to Robert Bork was an embarrassment.

Yeah, he didn't deserve it, but those were the old days. Now what Bork got is no worse than what Hillary took for 8+ years.

Besides, I'm _very_ glad he was never on the Supreme Court.
So, you were a big supporter of almost-Justice Miers? Not my recollection.

S_A_M

Secret_Agent_Man · 12-13-2006, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Why shouldn't Israel take this as an active declaration of war?

He's said it before (not that this is a reason -- just noting it).

Answer: Because a war with Iran is not in ISrael's best interests at this time.

S_A_M