Edshugeo The GodMoor

The Mutha fukkas!

Some background:

The Trial of Geert Wilders

WildersOnTrial.com (Geert Wilders' website)

Acknowledgement: James Hudnall

Labels: civil rights, DANGER WILL ROBINSON DANGER, Islam, Justice, terrorism, Truth, World Affairs, youtube and other video

Just watched this wonderful movie. I was, of course, inspired by recent events to check it out now, though it had been in my Netflix/Xbox queue for a little while.

My heart goes out to the Iranian people as they struggle for their freedom. As well as to other peoples around the world who may draw some strength in watching the bravery of these young people who make it clear that tyranny (and tyrants) must die.

Labels: civil rights, dreams, Fascism, Heroes, History, Islam, Justice, movies, politics, religion, society, youtube and other video

Swiped from the BBC:

The Taleban in Afghanistan have publicly killed a young couple who they said had tried to run away to get married, officials say.

The man, 21, and woman, 19, were shot dead on Monday in front of a mosque in the south-western province of Nimroz.

Nimroz is an area where the Taleban have a strong influence.

Governor Ghulam Dastageer Azad told the AFP news agency the killings followed a decree by local religious leaders and were an "insult to Islam".

Dangerous region

Mr Azad said: "An unmarried young boy and an unmarried girl who loved each other and wanted to get married had eloped because their families would not approve the marriage."

Officials said the couple were traced by militants after they tried to go to Iran. They were made to return to their village in Khash Rod district.

"Three Taleban mullahs brought them to the local mosque and they passed a fatwa (religious decree) that they must be killed. They were shot and killed in front of the mosque in public," the governor said.

He said there were some reports that the families of the young couple could have links with the Taleban. The Taleban could not be immediately reached for comment.

Correspondents say that the killings took place in a remote and dangerous region, where the government has no access.

The Taleban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and during that time implemented its austere interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, carrying out public killings and floggings.

Unmarried men and women were forbidden from talking or meeting in public and women were not allowed out of their homes without a male relative. Girls were discouraged from going to school.

Extrajudicial "honour killings" have been widely carried out in Afghanistan since then by conservative families angered by a relative who has brought them shame - usually by refusing to marry a chosen partner.

The Taleban have widened their influence over the past three years and now control many remote districts where there are not enough coalition forces to establish a permanent presence.

Labels: bullshit, civil rights, Islam, World Affairs

I missed this bit when it happened in June. A bit of a relief as I did not look forward to making more videos.

Labels: civil rights, Fascism, Islam, Justice, religion

I just pre-ordered this muh-fug this morning. Now it's being recalled worldwide because some of the music contains readings from Islam's holy text. I think I'm gonna cancel my order.* I'll get the game eventually, perhaps when it's down to thirty or forty bucks. My purchase this morning was kinda an impulse, nudged slightly by Amazon's offer of a ten dollar gift certificate with the pre-order. Since I order from them all the time, why not? Now with the extra time it'll take to get the game, I think I'll just pass for now.

Sony needs to get it's act together. Right now the PS3 is getting its ass kicked here in the U.S. as well as on it's "home turf", Japan. Is it even fair to still call Sony a Japanese company? I wonder.

Little Big Planet does look like fun, though.

Anyhow, I still enjoy the machine as a Blu-Ray player and continue to order movies for it. I have Metal Gear Solid IV and Rainbow Six Vegas 2 as well as a few downloadable games for the PS3; Loco Roco: Cocoreccho, Pain, and Piyotama. I've haven't touched MGS 4 or Rainbow 6 and barely played the others, so it's not like I have to have a new game right now. Plus there are a few unfinised games for the Xbox 360 as well.


* October 20th, 2008 - I did cancel, but I changed my mind and I'm a gonna order it again (or buy it at or near the time it comes out).

Labels: bullshit, downloads, Islam, japanese, online retailers, PS3, video games

Geert Wilders has had his website, which promotes his anti-Islam film, Fitna, shut down by it's host, Network Solutions. While I don't agree with some of Mr. Wilders views*, I don't like what's going on here. Of course, he can move to a different host, though they aren't the only providers with clauses about "hate speech".

What I like even less is this story (from January) that Network Solutions is registering domain names entered into their search site, to force interested parties into purchasing said domains from them instead of from a (less expensive) competitor.

However, when trying this myself with a couple of bullshit names (soundofnmnmnm, jesusisgoogly), both remained available after leaving and returning to the site. Either they've changed their tune, or have become good at filtering out bullshit names. The latter is unlikely since so many domain names sound silly to begin with (including my own).

Jesusisgoogly might have a couple of decent uses, but I'm gonna pass. As of this writing, though, it's up for grabs.

* www.fitnathemovie.info is still online and was linked above. It appears to be a mirror to www.fitnathemovie.com, though I never saw the offending site, so I guess I can't really say. Supposedly, the fifteen minute film will be viewable there.

Labels: bullshit, Islam, movies, religion, terrorism, World Affairs

This is a bit disturbing. The BBC has posted a story about a woman who has been convicted (in the UK) of possessing terrorist manuals and writing Jihadist poetry.

She had posted her poems on websites under the screen name the Lyrical Terrorist, prosecutors said.

Malik said the poems were "meaningless", but prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said: "These communications strongly indicate Samina Malik was deeply involved with terrorist related groups."

Police said they had found a "library" of Islamist literature in her bedroom including The Al-Qaeda Manual and The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook.

Sounds like guilt by association or consorting with witches. Not that I'm a big fan of Islamist groups, but I don't like this at all.

However... buried deep in the story was this little tidbit;

She also tried to donate money to a terrorist group.

That does seem like a serious charge and one worthy of jail time. The other stuff at best, should have inspired the authorities to keep a watch on her activities and those of her friends.

I just wonder if the other stuff was over played to generate more sympathy.

"She had the ideology, ability and determination to access and download material, which could have been useful to terrorists. Merely possessing this material is a serious criminal offence."

Hmmm. Or not.

Labels: bullshit, civil rights, Fascism, Islam, media, politics

And still looks like a sickly old fuck.

He's got a new announcement coming out, on video tape. Apparently not hip to DVD yet, much less any of the Hi-Def formats. Anyhow, provided he hasn't committed any more mass murders by then, the new video, should it surface, might be worth a laugh or two.
Here's the BBC story about the new tape and the dyed beard.

Labels: bullshit, funny-ass shit, Islam, religion, terrorism, World Affairs

The video of Mickey Mouse's terrorist cousin, Farfur being beaten to death at the hands of an "Israeli agent".
Funny and sick at the same time. I'd be less judgmental about it if it was a Palestinian sketch comedy show aimed at an audience older than 15.

Labels: bullshit, funny-ass shit, Islam, religion, society, terrorism, World Affairs, youtube

The BBC reports that the last episode of the Hamas "Mickey Mouse" show has their terrorist mascot beaten to death by an Israeli agent.

It's a children's show. I guess they wanted to end with a good triumphs over evil message. Maybe not, but all's well that ends well, or something.

Hope the beating shows up on YouTube.

Labels: bullshit, funny-ass shit, Islam, ripoffs, terrorism, tv, World Affairs

The reaction to the Knighthood awarded to Salman Rushdie.

...Comment by Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister Mohammad Ejaz ul-Haq;

"If someone commits suicide bombing to protect the honour of the Prophet Muhammad, his act is justified," the minister said, according to Reuters news agency.

The minister later clarified his statement, saying extremists could use it to justify attacks.

Here we go again with this bullshit.

Bitches.

By the way, shouldn't the term "Islamophobia" only apply to the pussies who roll over for these asshats?

Labels: bullshit, Fascism, Islam, politics, terrorism, World Affairs

The Dutch cabinet has backed a proposal by the country's immigration minister to ban Muslim women from wearing the burqa in public places.

The burqa, a full body covering that also obscures the face, would be banned by law in the street, and in trains, schools, buses and the law courts.

Favorite quote;

"It is very important that we can see each other and can communicate with each other. Because we are so tolerant we want to respect each other."

Read the full article over at the BBC.

Labels: bullshit, civil rights, Fascism, hypocrisy, Islam, terrorism

Read this. It's important. If I could'a said it better, I would. If only the Republican politicians were saying this.

I almost wish I could bring myself to vote for them, but I can't (that's not completely true, just in general). I feel that their arrogance and their lack of faith in the American people has endangered the mission, and the people themselves.

However they do deserve credit for initiating the mission itself, and one should consider the consequences of a Democrat majority in the House and Senate before casting your vote (or worse, not).

Personally, I feel a balance of power would force the White House to make it's case, without acting as though it has a blank check to walk around the Constitution.
I'd also like those guys to be more forthcoming about what our role on the global stage is, rather than leaving that task to bloggers and editorialists.

This article was found via James Hudnall's blog.

Read it, I said. It's important.

Labels: Islam, politics, religion, terrorism, Truth, World Affairs

From the BBC;

Tens of thousands of people are due to attend a mass conversion ceremony in India at which large numbers of low-caste Hindus will become Buddhists.

The ceremony in the central city of Nagpur is part of a protest against the injustices of India's caste system.

By becoming Buddhists low-caste Hindus, or Dalits, can escape the prejudice and discrimination they normally face.

The ceremony marks the 50th anniversary of the adoption of Buddhism by the scholar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.

He was the first prominent Dalit - or Untouchable as they were formerly called - to urge low-caste Indians to embrace Buddhism.

Similar mass conversions are taking place this month in many other parts of India.

Several states governed by the Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, have introduced laws to make such conversions more difficult.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

If Hinduism becomes difficult and these folks head for Islam, watch the fuck out. The caste system has to end. The Hindu rulers should be thankful that the more pleasant road of Buddhism is being chosen rather than the alternative. If Jihad sets in in India, things will not go well. Not for them, and not for US.

edit: Related stories linked to on the BBC page referred to above, show that lower caste Hindus are headed to other religions, such as Christianity and Islam, as well as Buddhism. It'll be interesting to see what kind of conflict laws restricting such conversions will ultimately bring about...

Labels: civil rights, good deal, Islam, religion, society, That's what I'm talkin' about, World Affairs

but I have a weird hunch, that something bigger could be brewing here;

An Iranian cleric, Mohammed Kazemeini Boroujerdi, has been arrested amid clashes between his supporters and police outside his house in Tehran.

Police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of his followers, who had formed a cordon around his residence.

In his sermons Mr Boroujerdi advocated a traditional interpretation of Islam which separates religion from politics. He is accused of misinterpreting Islam.

However, his supporters see him as a religious leader with spiritual powers.

From news.bbc.co.uk

Labels: History, Islam, politics, religion

There was a time when it would have been suicidal to threaten, much less attack, a nation with much stronger military power because one of the dangers to the attacker would be the prospect of being annihilated.

"World opinion," the U.N. and "peace movements" have eliminated that deterrent. An aggressor today knows that if his aggression fails, he will still be protected from the full retaliatory power and fury of those he attacked because there will be hand-wringers demanding a cease fire, negotiations and concessions.

Thomas Sowell - More here.

Hezbollah has to go. Hamas has to go. And where are those weapons coming from?

Labels: Islam, politics, society, terrorism, Truth, World Affairs

I tuned in last night to Joe Scarborough's MSNBC show last night to watch my favorite radio talk show host, Lionel. I got home about quarter after the show began, but didn't miss anything. Lionel's appearance wasn't until the last ten minutes or so, and while somewhat amusing, not a big deal. He was doing it during his show, and it was interesting to hear the same exchanges from the other side when I listened to the podcast of last night's radio show, this morning, on the way to work.

An unexpected bonus was seeing one of my favorite bloggers, Grady Hendrix of Kaiju Shakedown on the show to "discuss" some ridiculous Turkish film which includes "Big Hollywood Stars", Gary Busey and Billy Zane cast as unsimpathetic Americans during the war in Iraq, or something. Busey is (from accounts) a Jewish doctor who harvests the organs of Iraqi casualties. Funny. He doesn't look Jewish. He kinda looks like Nick Nolte's mugshot, if Nolte would open his mouth a little bit and breath through it.

Anyway, it wasn't pretty. Hendrix was pit against that guy from The Catholic League whom you may've seen on other shows like this, and he (William Donohue) was in mad dog form. Hendrix managed to keep his wits about him, kinda, but the exchange and Scarborough's douchebaggery reminded me why I don't normally watch this crap. Not every day, anyway. You know, sometimes.

Click here to read Mr. Hendrix's account of the behind the scenes goings on at Scarborough Country. There's also a link to the video, if you scroll down on that page.

January 14th, 2008 - Those links are dead. Fortunately, I emailed the text to a friend which I still have, so here it is. Not the video, though.
---------------------------------------------------------

WHERE'S MY COOKIE?

They told me there’d be cookies. That’s what the producers promised me. “Oh, you’re in Media 3? We’ve got great cookies there.” But when I showed up what did I find? Three lone chocolate cjhip cookies on a paper plate sitting at the reception desk like something left out for Santa Claus. With only three cookies I couldn’t bring myself to take one, it would be like taking the last piece of cake. These cookies weren’t a yummy treat. These cookies were a trap for the unwary. Sort of like the show itself.

When a producer called me on Thursday morning and asked me to be on MSNBC’s “Scarborough Country” that night I figured “why not?” I’m a relentless whore for attention and the glamour of being on television has seduced weaker minds than mine. There was no pay involved but they would send a car to pick me up and bring me home like I was some kind of high-class call girl.

The segment was about a new Turkish movie, VALLEY OF THE WOLVES: IRAQ which is basically a Turkish Rambo where the bad guys are the Americans in Iraq, played by Gary Busey and Billy Zane. Zane plays an evil US soldier who sounds like a Christian version of Ron O’Neal’s Colonel Bella in RED DAWN. Gary Busey plays a doctor at Abu Ghraib listed on the movie’s official website as “a Jew” who harvests organs from dead Iraqis and sells them on the black market. For Busey this is a step up from his role in last year’s GINGERDEAD MAN and for Zane, well after he slapped around Kate Winslett in TITANIC doesn’t everyone think he’s evil anyways?

The day was spent being fattened up like a lamb for the slaughter. A producer called and told me that host Chuck Scarborough “responds well to facts” and that the other guest was going to be William Donahue, president of the Catholic League. The make-up woman told me my skin was very well moisturized and problem-free.

“Ooh,” she cooed. “It’s so rare to find a gentleman who is comfortable with skin care.”

While I waited I called every number in my cell phone to calm my nerves but no one was home, not even my mother. Actually I did talk to two of my sisters but I’m not sure it helped. I love my sisters but they’re way too smart for their own good.

“Keep your mouth closed so you don’t look like stupid,” said one. “Don’t touch your face or clear your throat. It’s called ‘respiratory avoidance’ and it makes it look like you’re lying.”

Great. Respiratory avoidance. Another thing to worry about. My other sister was even more encouraging. “Either it’s going to be really funny, or else you’re going to get destroyed on national TV. I can’t wait!”

I don’t have cable, not because I’m smart but because I would never get anything done if I had easy access to the Home Shopping Network, so sitting in the bathroom-sized lounge while I waited to go on the air was the first chance I had to see the show.

The host, Joe Scarborough, was talking about the Murder in Massachusetts but it wasn’t his intensity or his “power fingers” that riveted me, it was his vast, immobile forehead. How much willpower does it take to keep one’s forehead completely motionless? Was it Botox? An ancient martial arts technique? I still don’t know, but I do know that Joe Scarborough will never be trapped inside a burning building because he can always batter his way to safety with his mighty forehead.

The talking heads would finish their segments and then come back to the teeny weeny little lounge to get their coats. On TV they were all bug-eyes and weird teeth like some race of earnest goblins, but in person they looked completely normal. The camera was like a funhouse lens twisting their faces into caricatures. At that point I knew my goose was cooked since my face is already twisted into a caricature. To have it further distorted on TV would be like pouring gasoline on a roaring bonfire.

Before I could panic a producer bustled in and took me to a tiny broom closet. There were a few lights clipped to the ceiling and a pull-down backdrop of New York behind me. There wasn’t even a camera, just a lens on the wall. A long, dildo-like earpiece, covered in alcohol, was inserted into my right ear; an experience akin to getting a Wet Willie that just won’t stop. William Donahue was down the hall in another broom closet, and Joe Scarborough was in Washington DC presumably in a broom closet of his very own.

“Look into the lens,” the producer said. “Don't ever look away from the lens. And try not to let them bulldoze you.” And then I was shut in. My only connection to the show was the Wet Willie, which was barking instructions at me: “Don’t look away from the lens. Sit up!” In the background I could hear Scarborough’s voice talking about anti-American extremists and that’s when I realized what I was: the designated extremist.

Suddenly he was talking to me. Between not slouching, trying to keep my hands away from my face, avoiding clearing my throat and staring directly into the lens I barely heard what he was saying. But it was exactly what I had figured: they were out to crucify Gary Busey and Billy Zane. They “had a problem” with Zane and Busey’s career choices. I’m sure Gary Busey’s agent can empathize.

The first thing I said was that as a patriotic American I believed in freedom of speech and of association and that these guys could do whatever they wanted as long as it wasn’t illegal even if I didn’t agree with it. Then Bill Donohue launched into a tirade and I interrupted him.

“I think it’s important for the viewers to know that none of us have actually seen this movie,” I said.

“Shut up, pal,” Donohue snarled. Then he said that most actors would sodomize their mothers to get a paycheck. Trust the Catholic to bring up sodomy right off the bat, the less charitable side of my nature thought. Then they sprung the trap. The movie was anti-Semitic. How could I defend anti-Semites?

To hear William Donahue, the man who had appeared on this very same show a while back to say, “Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular,” getting upset about anti-Semitism was like getting punched so hard by Superman that I had ripped through the fabric of space and time and landed in Bizarro World. My wife is Jewish and if she’s representative of Jews in general, I think they’re more than capable of defending themselves.

Then Scarborough brought the end game. “So you’re telling me that if Errol Flynn made a movie in the 30’s that was pro-Nazi you wouldn’t have a problem with that?” Nazis are to debate what the atom bomb was to World War II: the end. When Nazism comes up in a conversation a bell should ding and everybody should be allowed to go home. If the only way to defend your position is to resort to the Nazi analogy then you need to accept that you can't actually defend your position.

But I failed. I was weak. I answered him. “No, I wouldn’t. I think he has a right to do what he wants no matter how objectionable I find it.” Then Scarborough said it. The other conversation killer. “Whatever.” I was stunned. This was a political debate and he had just said “Whatever”? The word that makes parents see red. The word that is the conversational nuclear option for tweens?

“Whatever? What are you guys?” I asked “A couple of teenage girls?” I began to laugh and threw the “whatever” W but the camera had cut away and the conversation was over. I would like to take this moment to apologize to teenage girls. I know teenage girls and Donahue and Scarborough are no teenage girls. The producer dashed into the room, “That was great, that was great,” she said, sponging blood from the walls. “Look, you should know that Bill Donohue is in these same offices so you might run into him. I’m just warning you.”

I scrammed. A friend called my cell phone and as we chatted the elevator door opened and I was confronted with an impassable wall of garbage. Bill Donahue sprung up behind me and I froze.

“That’s the service elevator,” he said. “The one you want is around the corner.”

I hung up and went and waited for the elevator with him.

“That was fun,” I told him. “Next time they should just dig a pit and let us wrestle for it.” He laughed and shook my hand.

“Usually I’m the one they tell to shut up. I almost never have to tell the other guy to shut up. You just have to start yelling and get in there first.”

And then we had a very nice elevator ride, both of us pumped up on adrenaline and laughing and chatting. And I have to say that he was a very decent fellow, offering some tips and saying that he thought it went well. And that’s when I realized: this was professional wrestling. Public discourse has become a sport where everyone takes on a personality and acts outrageously because they want to be invited back. It wasn’t about debating the topics, it was about making yourself the best guest possible.

Who knows if Bill Donahue believes the things he says? But they’re good TV and that’s why he says them. Even if he responds to this post who knows if it’s how he really feels or if he’s merely maintaining his public image? And realizing this makes me depressed. It depresses me for the same reason the “Would you have a problem with Errol Flynn in a pro-Nazi movie” question depresses me.

What do they mean “would I have a problem”? Would I lose sleep over it? I don’t know. Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh were both Nazi sympathizers and I don’t stay awake at night because I’m tormented by that thought. I find Nazi-ism reprehensible, but if “having a problem” means that I have to accuse Errol Flynn of incestual sodomy and scream about his career choices then no, I don’t have a problem. An individual vocally condemning racism, or any of the other isms, is making a meaningless gesture. Racism is something you choose not to paricipate in, or you choose not to encourage, it's not something you dust off your soapbox and stand on to denounce. That's like proclaiming that ice cream is yummy: it's a "duh" argument. It makes you feel righteous and gives you the illusion of being moral, but it doesn't accomplish the American ideal of bringing people together despite their differences. So within the context of the show I didn't have “a problem" with Errol Flynn in a pro-Nazi movie because "having a problem" is meaningless. That's like asking someone if they'd “have a problem" with someone who killed their parents. Of course they would, but there are people who seek to forgive those who've done them harm and engage them in a dialogue despite their personal pain and I find those individuals far more worthy of praise and far more admirable than people who begin and end with "having a problem".

But because I don’t “have a problem” I’m the one with a problem. It means I’ll never be invited back to “Scarborough Country”. And if I never get invited back, I’ll never get my cookie.

Labels: Awesome, blogs, dead links, funny-ass shit, Islam, movies, Truth, tv, World Affairs

I didn't think I'd like where this article was going, but I agree with at least 99% of it. Click the title to read the whole thing.

To make a long story short:

Summary: The advocates and promulgators of Islamofascism, like the devilfish in Hugo's "Toilers of the Sea," stupefy their prey, and wait, then strike. Missing from the real life dilemma is a Gilliatt. President Bush is not one, nor is Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain. They attack the tentacles but, in the name of tolerance, refuse to cut off the head.

This is the money shot, right here:

The octopus head of Islamofascism is: Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. To a lesser extent, one must include Pakistan and even Afghanistan, since the Taliban are apparently still active in both those countries and the heads of those countries are impotent or unwilling to eradicate it. Most of the madrasses in Pakistan are subsidized by Saudi Arabia, are a chief source of suicide bombers. One might argue that Iraq was a good starting place to eradicate our enemy. But why the U.S. should be expending lives and fortune to establish a “democratic” government there, beggars explanation and reason. After Saddam Hussein and his government had been overthrown, we should have moved on to Syria or Iran and let the Iraqis sort out what to do next. We are under no moral obligation to help anyone discover the benefits of Western institutions, not at the price of sacrificing American lives, American wealth, and American liberties, which is what is occurring now.

This bit, I'm not so sure of...

Where would the West be today if Churchill and Roosevelt were stupefied and adopted the Bush/Blair philosophy of fighting an enemy intent on conquest? Where would we be if they had restricted their combat operations to fighting saboteurs, provocateurs and secret agents on the “home front”? Where would we be if they had not judged Nazism and Bushido as inimical to Western civilization?

I don't know that either the U.S. nor Britain were thinking all too much about Nazism and Bushido until after the smoke cleared.

Labels: Islam, politics, religion, terrorism, World Affairs

From DailyKos.com

How the Islamic crazies are like the Right

by kos

Mon Jul 4th, 2005 at 23:47:07 PDT

Funny how the wingers try to claim American liberals are in league with crazy fundamentalist Muslims.

Reality is, we hate everything Islamic fundamentalism stands for. On the other hand, the Dobson's of the Republican Party -- you know, the people running the show -- have far more in common with the enemy than they'd ever like to admit.

Religion in government

Al Qaida/Taliban: One and the same
American Taliban: One and the same
Liberals: Separation of church and state

Schools

Al Qaida/Taliban: Religious indoctrination. Run by clergy.
American Taliban: School prayer. Religious indoctrination (creationism and "intelligent design"). Private religious school system.
Liberals: Leave religious teachings to parents and sunday school.

Women

Al Qaida/Taliban: No school, must cover entire body, no rights
American Taliban: Government control over reproductive freedoms, hostility to Title IX, hostility to working women
Liberals: Equality of the sexes

Religious freedom

Al Qaida/Taliban: 'Think like us, or we'll whiip you and/or chop off your head'
American Taliban: 'Think like us, or we'll condemn you to hell'
Liberals: To each her own

Homosexuality

Al Qaida/Taliban: Eradicate them from society
American Taliban: Eradicate them from society
Liberals: Equality under the law

You guys can take it from here.

Update (from the comments):

Torture

Al Qaida/Taliban: Torture them or chop off their heads
American Taliban: Torture them or homosexually rape them.
Liberals: No torture

Medicine and Science

Al Qaida/Taliban: Faith-based world view
American Taliban: Faith-based world view
Liberals: Reality-based community

and part two

They are more like our enemy, Part II

by kos

Tue Jul 5th, 2005 at 12:56:25 PDT

Last night I wrote "How the Islamic crazies are like the Right" to hammer home how fundamentalist Islam has more in common with the radical religious right, the American Taliban, than it does with the American Left.

This is a key point-- it was easier for the Right to tie the American Left with our previous boogeyman, the communists, since we technically were nearer to the extreme left than where conservatives.

But today, things look quite different. I started the ball rolling on similarities on that previous post. Here are more similarities, as submitted by readers:

Foreign Policy

Al Qaida/Taliban: World domination - do it our way or we attack
American Taliban: World domination - do it our way or we attack
Liberals: Peace and international cooperation

Executing Minors

Al Qaida/Taliban: Executing Minors OK
American Taliban: Executing Minors OK
Liberals: Find this to be a barbaric and embarrassing practice

Pop Culture

Al Qaida/Taliban: Hate it... kill it
American Taliban: Hate it... ban it
Liberals: Laugh at it... boycott it

Self-image

Al Qaida/Taliban: Belief in their own infallibility
American Taliban: Belief in their own infallibility
Liberals: Willingness to consider other viewpoints

God

Al Qaida/Taliban: God is on our side and will help us kill our enemies
American Taliban: God is on our side and will help us kill our enemies
Liberals: God may or may not exist and will not help us kill anyone

Stem Cell Research

Al Qaida/Taliban: No Stem cell research
American Taliban: No Stem cell research
Liberals: Stem cell research

Leaders

Al Qaida/Taliban: God choose Osama Bin Laden to defeat the Great Satan
American Taliban: God choose George W. Bush to lead us
Liberals: God didn't choose anyone

Use of Force

Al Qaida/Taliban: As a means of propagating a world view
American Taliban: As a means of propagating a world view
Liberals: As a last resort

Bush's War in Iraq

Al Qaida/Taliban: Love it!
American Taliban: Love it!
Liberals: It's a disaster

Press

Al Qaida/Taliban: Control of the Press
American Taliban: Manipulation of the Press
Liberals: Freedom of the Press

Free Speech

Al Qaida/Taliban: Anyone who disagrees with us is an infidel and must be silenced
American Taliban: Anyone who disagrees with us is a traitor and must be silenced
Liberals: Anyone who disagrees with us is in for a spirited discussion

Individuals

Al Qaida/Taliban: Conform or else
American Taliban: Conform or else
Liberals: Embrace diversity

Cooperation

Al Qaida/Taliban: You're either with us or against us
American Taliban: You're either with us or against us
Liberals: We're all in this together

Tolerance

Al Qaida/Taliban: Death to the infidels
American Taliban: Kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity
Liberals: Live and let live

Conscience

Al Qaida/Taliban: Obedience to authority
American Taliban: Obedience to authority
Liberals: Critical reflection

Origins

Al Qaida/Taliban: Universe and man created 6,000 years ago by God
American Taliban: Universe and man created 6,000 years ago by God
Liberals: The Universe began as we know it at least 14 billion years ago, maybe more

Leaders

Al Qaida/Taliban: Subservient to will of its leaders
American Taliban: Subservient to will of its leaders
Liberals: Will served by Representative government

Fear

Al Qaida/Taliban: Life is scary and uncertain, seek refuge in moral absolutes and scorn those that threaten those absolutes
American Taliban: Life is scary and uncertain, seek refuge in moral absolutes and scorn those that threaten those absolutes
Liberals: Life is scary and uncertain, seek refuge in accepting that respect for our fellow man and the individual choices he/she makes is eminently moral

Women

Al Qaida/Taliban: A woman's place is in the home
American Taliban: A woman's place is in the home
Liberals: A woman's place is wherever she wants it to be

Marriage

Al Qaida/Taliban: Marriage is only between a man and a woman
American Taliban: Marriage is only between a man and a woman
Liberals: Marriage is between any two people who love each other

We could keep this up all day, I suspect. Remember, the point isn't that the American Taliban is just like Al Qaida (though given the chance...), the point is that there's no reason that liberals would ever "root" for Al Qaida or the Taliban or any of the crazies in the Islamic fundamentalist world.

The reasons we hate the American Taliban are the same reasons we hate fundamentalists of all stripes -- they seek to impose their own moral code on the rest of society, and do so with the zeal and moral absolutism possible only from those who believe they are doing "God's work".

Labels: civil rights, funny-ass shit, Islam, politics, religion, terrorism, Truth