School Bus Tragedy in Huntsville, AL

November 23, 2006 at 10:03 am (News)

When we send our children off to school they are at risk just like everyone else on the road or at “work.” We risk our lives every day as we go about our routines. It is rare that we think about what we would do if our children died at school or going to or from school.

Today I am thinking about that. I am thinking about it because a school bus crashed today here in Huntsville. The details of the accident are still sketchy as the police and NTSB continue their investigation, but it is clear that the bus drove off the I-565 overpass and crashed about 30 feet below near Church Street.

As of now there are three dead students and a couple of dozen injured students, including several that were critically injured. One of the students died at the Huntsville Hospital.

Tragedies like this are sad whenever they happen anywhere in the world, but they seem to hit harder when they happen in your own community.

Watching the footage on the news and listening to the grieving parents was tear-jerking, at best.

While the community gathers around candles tonight at prayer vigils, those of us that are secular will simply grieve with those that lost their children and keep everyone in our thoughts. Prayer will not bring the dead children back. Prayer will not help heal the students that are in the local hospitals tonight.

What will help is hands: hands voting for seatbelts in buses, hands holding the shoulders of crying children, hands embracing those children that need a hug, hands helping the families that suffered a loss this day, and hands that can provide physical and tangible support to those that need it.

Let the community pray: it makes them feel better about themselves. As for my family and I, we will hold those that lost their loved ones in our thoughts and hope that medical science can help the injured students mend and get on with the rest of their lives.

Our thoughts are with you.

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North Korea

October 18, 2006 at 9:59 pm (News)

Once again I find myself wondering, “How was Iraq more dangerous than Iran and North Korea?”

Axis of Evil commentary aside, it appeared at first glance back then when Bush was pushing for the toppling of Iraq that Iraq was the “lesser of three evils.”

Now, years after invading Iraq for no reason at all (Bush’s reasons and predictions were false or blatant lies), we find ourselves in a world with two tyrants building or trying to build nuclear arsenals.

Of course, we can question the motives of Iraq versus Iran/North Korea all day and get nowhere. We can speculate how Iraq was a pushover compared to the other two. We can speculate how Iraq had easy oil. We can speculate about how doing something about North Korea would piss off China.

We can speculate that Bush invaded Iraq instead of Iran and North Korea because he is a weenie.

Again, I must reiterate that Saddam was a bad person that needed to go. Heck, if Bush had been upfront about it from the beginning I probably would have supported the effort to dethrone Saddam. However, we all know the truth about Bush’s “reasons,” “arguments,” and “facts” about Iraq and their so-called programs.

I personally do not have a problem with Iran having a nuclear energy program as long as that is what they are using it for. One thing is for sure, I do not trust the Bush administration to tell me what Iran’s intentions are.

What does concern me, more than Saddam ever did, is a nuclear North Korea.

The question is, “What is the Bush administration going to do about it?”

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The Foley Effect

October 18, 2006 at 9:58 pm (Politics)

ORIGINAL COMPOSE DATE: 04 October 2006

Sometimes you just have to love Washington.

I know, it seems rather cruel, almost sadistic, to laugh at the current fiasco that is Washington, especially considering the circumstances, but there is a reason for my laughter.

I love watching hypocrites go down. It does not matter if they are Republican, Democrat, Green, or Independent. The fact that Foley was on a committee designed to protect children, worked with John Walsh, and helped pass legislation that cracked down on pedophiles makes this current fiasco much sweeter.

Laughter aside at politicians scrambling to distance themselves and form a circular firing squad within the Republican camp, this is a serious issue.

Foley’s actions are abhorrent and I hope that he is prosecuted to the full extent of the laws that he helped create.

It is abhorrent that Foley’s activities were allowed for so long. Anyone that knew about Foley’s activities and allowed it without investigating or doing something about it should also be prosecuted to the full extent of the laws that Foley helped to pass.

Up until today I could have cared less if Hastert resigned. However, today’s new information that Hastert’s office was informed years ago by Foley’s ex-Chief of Staff changes things drastically in my view. Hastert and his Chief of Staff must go because they aided and abetted in a crime against a minor and obstructed justice.

Is this political war? Was this released in a timely manner to wage war on the Republicans before an election?

First, if there were Democrats that knew about this crime and they kept it to themselves, then they, too, should be prosecuted for aiding and abetting in a crime against a minor and for obstruction of justice.

Second, the fact that Republicans would even mention that this is somehow a smear campaign is a slap in the face of the victims of these crimes perpetrated by Foley and apparently allowed by higher members of the GOP. A child has been victimized and some hapless Republicans want to know if it is a pre-election smear campaign?

Please… where is your taste and couth?

The GOP needed a good shake-up to remind them that they are not the “party of values.” They are the party that “panders to values.”

In reality, like every other brand of politician, they are just that: politicians. Unfortunately for them, their pandering to “values” has placed them on a pedestal in the eyes of millions of Americans.

There is one drawback to being on a pedestal: more distance between you and the ground when you fall.

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To Live or Die by Fire

October 18, 2006 at 9:57 pm (General)

ORIGINAL COMPOSE DATE: 04 October 2006

Today there was a fire in my hotel. A contractor was soldering and caught some material close by on fire. He pulled the fire alarm and extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher that he had on him (bravo to the contractor for practicing fire safety when soldering).

During the last month and a half, this was the fifth time that I have been driven outside by fire alarms in hotels. Three of them were false alarms and two were actual fires (both put out before they could do any major damage).

What struck me during these alarms and the evacuation of the hotel was the nonchalant attitude of most of the guests.

Many guests never evacuated. During one of the fires in Vineland, New Jersey, my two coworkers never exited the building and continued to sleep while the fire fighters entered the building and extinguished the small fire in the laundry room (someone forgot to empty out the filter in the dryer).

Ten minutes after the fire alarms were sounded people were still walking out. One woman made a comment about how she needed to put makeup on. Another woman made a comment about having to change into decent clothes before she headed down the stairs.

Several business men were gathered together with all of their laptop bags and briefcases. They took over five minutes gathering all of their business items before they finally evacuated.

Having seen the wrath of fire in both my civilian and military life, I am not one to take alarms nonchalantly. I am not going to die in a hotel fire while looking for my best pair of jeans and a decent shirt. If I have to run outside in my underwear, then so be it.

While my laptop contains my life (photos, web pages, banking accounts, articles, and my book) I would never risk my life to save it. If I can grab it quickly on the way out, then so be it.

What is it that causes most people to ignore warnings? Why do most people walk casually as if this is just “another stupid drill?” Are people still warped from all the fire drills we conducted in school that the sound of fire alarms still rings of drills instead of the real thing?

Why do most people go out the front door of the hotel through the lobby? There are exits everywhere and many of them much closer to your room. Why are people such creatures of habit with a desire to exit the way they came in?

That behavior killed a lot of people at the club fire in Rhode Island and it has killed thousands more in other disasters and emergencies. Watching hotel fires on television it is amazing how fast they spread when not put out immediately. Evacuation has to begin immediately – not after you found your best clothing, secured your brief case, and put makeup on.

Common sense people… it will save your life one day.

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Scientists & Engineers for America

October 18, 2006 at 9:56 pm (News, Science)

ORIGINAL COMPOSE DATE: 30 September 2006

For years I have been complaining about the “Ivory Tower” of science. Scientists have long ignored politics and let science in the public realm fall to the wayside.

Only a handful of scientists have taken on creationists. While the majority of scientists find creationism laughable, at best, they also stay away from the confrontation. The fear being that confronting creationism will somehow give it merit; that debating creationism will give the public the perception that creationism is a threat to valid science.

Nonsense! When scientists debated the elliptical earth with flat earth believers did it prop flat-earth belief up by giving off the perception that flat-earth belief was a threat to valid science? What about when scientists debated the heliocentric solar system with believers in geocentric solar system?

We are talking about the future of American children and creationism should be challenged every step of the way.

Of course, this mindset goes beyond creationism and touches upon every instance where science is thwarted publicly because of religious beliefs or politics bent toward religious voters.

Stem cell research, emergency contraceptives, use of condoms in AIDS-stricken Africa, global warming, energy conservation, wildlife conservation, and many other issues have taken a backseat to religious ideology and politicians pandering to those ideologies (or believing in them personally).

The New York Times reported today that a new organization of scientists and engineers is now ready to take on this battle. Clearly, the group is not purporting to be anti-religious or to be taking on religious at all. What they are espousing is the need for politicians to stop ignoring scientific facts.

It is about time.

Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA) officially launched on September 27th. Science-oriented individuals everywhere need to join this organization and help it to become a political voice.

SEA has a national agenda that includes national security, energy, the environment, health, education, and economic growth. This is a large task, but with enough membership and enough of a voice, it is a task they can take.

Kudos to all the scientists that formed the SEA and every citizen and scientist alike that has joined and will join the SEA in their fight to ensure politicians and policies do not blatantly ignore scientific facts.

We are talking about the future of America and her children; policies based on beliefs that ignore the facts should be challenged all the way!

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The Real State of Atheism

October 18, 2006 at 9:48 pm (Atheism, Religion)

ORIGINAL COMPOSE DATE: 19 September, 2006

When I got done reading Eskow’s rant about Atheists and their supposed bigotry against Muslims (The Sad State of Atheism), I felt compelled to answer. I will address several of his points individually.

ESKOW: “Finally, there’s common ground between these two groups: they both kick Muslims around, and they both disagree with me!”

I would not use the word “kick” to describe what Atheists do when it comes to debating the theology of world religions, but Eskow fails to realize that Atheists are not indiscriminate. Atheists think all god belief is silly, no matter what religion happens to believe in any said god or gods.

ESKOW: “Harris is now ready to pimp GOP talking points in order to make his case.”

While I certainly did not agree with everything in Harris’ book, Eskow fails to notice that Harris also lambastes the fundamentalists among the camps of Christianity and Judaism in addition to his rant against Islam.

ESKOW: “Specifically, Harris would not acknowledge the research of Martin E. Marty and the Fundamentalism Project…[...] Among the Project’s findings was the discovery that fundamentalists, who average roughly 20% of any major faith today, all seek to acquire power using similar techniques and belief systems.“

And therein lays the false premise behind Eskow’s statement and entire article. While it may be true that only an average of 20% of all believers of any given religion may be fundamentalists, the study does not document extremists.

Fundamentalism is not the problem with Islam: extremism is the problem. While Christianity has had its share of terrorists (Atlantic Olympics bombing, abortion clinic bombings, physician assassinations, etc.), they are nowhere near the numbers that come from Islam.

When someone blows up an Islamic building, the Christians are not out dancing in the streets. When an Islamic cleric demonizes Christianity or calls the United States the “Great Satan,” the Christians are not burning the flags of Iran or Syria in the streets.

Eskow is ignoring the 800 pound gorilla by pretending that the chimpanzees represent the entire primate order. It is ludicrous, at best.

I will be the first to admit that there is a large contingency of Islamic followers worldwide that are not extremists and try to follow a life of peace. However, it is naïve to think that somehow Islam does not breed a greater number of extremists within the ranks of Fundamentalists.

ESKOW: “Their beliefs share much more in common with fundamentalists of other faiths than they do with their co-religionists, a finding that challenges the notion that Islam is an especially evil religion.”

The main difference between Islam and Christianity today is that Islam lacks a reformation. Christianity, at the hands of Martin Luther and his followers, shook the Christian world and laid the foundation for a reformation: the final transformation from “convert by the sword.” While elements of swordsmen remained embedded in Christianity (and still do to this day), the overwhelming majority of Christians, to coin an old adage, “took a chill pill.”

This is not the case with Islam. Islam has not had a reformation of any kind and that has placed it in an odd predicament with the modern world. Instead of opening itself up, it has closed itself in.

While Islamic Fundamentalism may be on par with Christian Fundamentalism, as the study suggested, it does not address the issue of extremism, which is the major threat to the civilized world.

ESKOW: “This finding challenges an assumption that is deeply cherished by Harris and his ilk, and equally beloved by Bauer and the Christian Right: that Muslims are more extremist than other people.”

The findings do not discount that assumption. The findings only correlate the pious views of Fundamentalism across the religious spectrum, which is to be expected and a study really was not needed to know that. There is no assumption made about the extremes of Islam.

ESKOW: “Besides being willing to do Karl Rove’s dirty work, the Harris crowd revels in using anti-Muslim bigotry to promote their conception of atheism.”

I fail to see how that is the case. When referring to 9/11 and other terrorists attacks, they are generally used as a reference to the “evils of religion,” not the “evils of Islam.” While those events certainly lend credence to the extremism beyond Fundamentalism of Islam, they are more indicative of the greater struggle against the brainwashing that is religion and the gullibility of people to personify their faith in martyrdom, regardless of the faith they believe in. It just so happens to be a fact that the greatest numbers of the martyr-willing crowd are Islamic.

How can anyone deny that fact?

ESKOW: “Nothing would disappoint Russell more, however, than their calculated appeals to bigotry.”

How is criticizing a theology bigotry? That is like saying that criticizing the GOP is bigotry. The dictionary defines bigotry as “Irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion.”

While I cannot speak for Harris, I can certainly aver for myself that I do not hate Islam, or any other religion for that matter. I certainly find god-belief to be silly and irrational, but I do not hate the theists or their belief system. What I do despise is those that use their faith to wreak havoc around the world, kill in the name of their god or gods, and use their faith to excite their martyrdom dreams into a reality with 100 pounds of explosives in a crowded marketplace.

Speaking directly and succinctly about the religious issues of our times, especially when those issues are killing people, is not bigotry: it is the correct response of a responsible human being. It is our moral duty to speak out against such atrocities taken in the name of gods, no matter what altar they kneel before. It is our moral duty to stand up for the human species as a whole, no matter what tribe, ethnic group, race, or creed they come from.

Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, Humanists, and every other religious and non-religious group needs to stand side-by-side to thwart all extremism that sees suicide or killing as the only outcome of its beliefs.

There may be a bunch of monkeys standing in the theology court, but only one 800 pound gorilla: Islamic extremism.

ESKOW: “How can atheists work with people of faith to create a better society if they won’t even read and learn about their fellow human beings?”

How can Atheists work with people of faith whose only desire is to kill them where they stand because they are “with Satan?” How can Atheists work with people of faith when those same people view Atheists at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to morality and the “American vision” (recent study by University of Wisconsin)?

At one point I joined the Interfaith Alliance in Mobile in order to start building that bridge and working with faith groups to better humanity and find some common ground. What I found was an unwillingness to work with me because I was an Atheist.

Where is the bigotry coming from here?

Such action against Atheists is unwarranted and nothing more than true bigotry based on ignorance. Speaking out against Islamic aggression and the role the Islamic theology plays on that aggression is not bigotry at all.

If Islam was less of an extremist religion and Hinduism was the cause of world terrorist attacks on the level of Islam, then we would be talking about Hinduism instead of Islam. This has nothing to do with race or nationality and everything to do with the silliness of willing to die for one’s god because of a warped and twisted theological belief. That is not irrational or bigoted on our part: it is the responsible and rational thing to discuss.

ESKOW: “I’m not defending rioters. I’m simply pointing out some inherent biases in the comment. Ultra-Orthodox Jews have rioted in Israel, and one of them killed the peacemaking Prime Minister. Christians have rioted, too. People tend to riot because they feel powerless, not because they’re inherently evil. (Killing’s another matter – it’s always indefensible.)”

Eskow seems to not grasp the reality of the situation. Of course there are terrorists in the religious camps of Christianity, Hinduism, and others. Of course Christians, Hindus, and others have done some bad things. No one has ever discounted that.

The fact of the matter is that Islam is breeding extremists above and beyond the 20% of Fundamentalists. Fundamentalists are not the problem (except when it comes to politics and the desire to create a theocracy): extremism is the problem.

ESKOW: “Far more Americans have been child molesters, percentage-wise, yet it would be bigotry to say we live in a nation of pederasts.”

If we were the only country creating pedophiles at an alarming rate above and beyond the average worldwide, then yes, we should talk about what in America causes such a high rate of pedophilia. If Islam is the only religion in the world that is creating terrorists at an alarming rate above and beyond the worldwide average, then yes, we should talk about what in Islam causes such a high rate of extremism and a willingness to die for one’s faith and kill others in the process.

ESKOW: “A study released today showed a 30% increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the U.S. between 2004 and 2005.”

It is unfortunate that people behave in such a manner. It should be noted that not a single demonstration by American Muslims took place after the Pope’s comments. I can almost guarantee that Atheists were not part of those hate crimes.

ESKOW: “The innocent victims of these crimes are being persecuted because of misunderstanding, fear, and hate. Is this really the kind of climate progressive atheists want to help engender?”

Discussing the issues and trying to identify the root of the problem does not engender those crimes. Hatred, misunderstanding, and fear certainly do, but the Atheists are trying to understand the causes of such hatred – not promote it. It is the hatred that has the Atheist asking, “What about Islam causes such extremism to the point of blowing one’s self up and taking innocent people with you?”

Islam is just the current big head of the religious hydra. It is not the only head: just the one doing most of the damage. We should not be afraid to ask questions about the dangers of theology, especially when they promote murder and genocide: no matter what religion is spawning such.

ESKOW: “The enemy isn’t Islam or Christianity or Judaism or atheism — it’s fundamentalism, those rigid believers who over-identify with a “religion” and authoritarianism, not with the Transcendent or a belief system.”

The entire article was a waste of words because in the end Eskow agrees with the Atheists: Fundamentalism is a problem. However, there is a larger picture here: what about certain theologies creates violent extremism?

It is a valid question and one that I personally will keep asking, no matter what Eskow or others think about me.

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The Woes of the New York Times

October 18, 2006 at 9:46 pm (News, Politics)

ORIGINAL COMPOSE DATE: 27 June, 2006

Before I go any further I want to make it perfectly clear that I do not read the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, or Wall Street Journal. I wanted to clear up any misconception that I might be partial toward the New York Times.

Where is the outrage at the Los Angeles Times? Where is the outrage at the Wall Street Journal?

Could it be that all the outrage at the New York Times is politically motivated? Is it perhaps that the New York Times is the “big boy” when it comes to liberal-leaning newspapers and the Republicans are just sucking up to their base?

No, surely politicians are above that.

Perhaps the outrage is just smoke and mirrors to cover up the fact that the USS King George has a leak? Everyone is blasting the New York Times, and yet none of the Bushians are talking about the leak.

I think we will be seeing another Judith Miller trial coming up in about a year and $270,000 later. There is nothing like a cool quarter of a million spent on a grand jury or independent investigation to settle a score with a “liberal rag.”

The nagging question, of course, is whether or not the New York Times should have run the article.

I can see the validity of some of the points on both sides of this argument. The media has a responsibility to make sure the public is aware of what the government is doing. However, that responsibility is a double-edged sword. Issues of national security (a gray area) and issues that involve risking the lives of soldiers (that is why Geraldo was kicked out of Iraq) make an editor think twice.

So, with all the rhetoric being tossed around by the King’s High Court about soldiers dying, is this article actually going to do that? Cheney practically said that if another terrorist attack occurred it would be The New York Times’ fault. Oh good grief…

I fail to see how this leak is anything new to the terrorists. The terrorists already knew we were tracking their bank accounts. After all, there have been numerous politicians, including King George himself, that have touted this fact during several speeches. I can remember at least two times that Bush has said in a speech that he will do everything to stop the terrorists, including going after their financial backers and tracking their bank accounts.

So what did the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal print that is so outrageous? Oh yeah, they hinted that the activity may be illegal. Oh… now I understand where the outrage is coming from.

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What Is Going On With the Muslims?

October 18, 2006 at 9:45 pm (News, Religion)

ORIGINAL COMPOSE DATE: 06 February, 2006

What is going on with the Muslims? I understand that every religion has its radicals. I understand that every ideology has its radicals, as well. Even among Atheists, a few radicals exist out there that could give the rest of us a bad name. Most Atheists do not let the few radicals speak for all of us.

In most of my essays, I tend to pick on Christianity because I live in a country dominated by Christians. I can suppose that if I lived in Tehran that most of my essays would pick on Islam. Then again, if I lived in Tehran, I would have been dead years ago when I first pronounced my own Atheism.

Christianity has its dark past. I do not think that anyone denies that. To Christianity’s credit, most Christians are docile and do not take their religion seriously enough to embark upon the recent acts the world has witnessed by the Muslim communities.

There are a few radical Christians in the United States. Now and then, they blow up an abortion clinic, kill abortion providers, chop off their baby’s arms for God, beat up a homosexual, or other acts of violence. Most Christians are content to attend a peaceful protest or to initiate a letter-writing campaign to their congressional representatives.

Of course, as my wife pointed out, it may be the environment of the United States keeping Christians docile. For example, Christians in many African countries are committing atrocities on a daily basis and openly fighting Muslims for a foothold of power. Another recent example would be the crises in Kosovo, Serbia, and Yugoslavia.

When Christians are upset about a portrayal of Jesus, they use boycotts, write letters, and stand in the picket lines. A good example would be The Last Temptation of Christ when it first came out. Christians were upset, but no one burned down theaters that ran the movie or blew up the production studio. A few Christians picketed theaters that ran the movie, but that is a right afforded to Americans by our Constitution.

As I stated above, there are radical Christians in the United States that go to the extreme when they are upset over an issue. Michael Newdow, the Atheist that sued for the removal of “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance, received numerous death threats on his answering machine.

I have received a few death threats over the years. It comes with the territory. When you speak out about people’s religions, you tend to make them angry. The issue is not the anger, but the expression of that anger. Sending me hate email is one thing, but setting my house on fire is another. The worst thing to happen to me during my years of activism is my car was bashed in with a baseball bat, my bumper stickers stolen, Bibles left on the porch, and a cross planted in my front yard (made from sticks).

I used to think that the majority of Muslims were peaceful and that they only suffered, like Christianity, from a few radicals amongst them. A friend of mine challenged me to find one geographic area in the world, dominated by Islam, which was not in conflict with itself or its neighboring countries. Turkey immediately came to mind, but then I remembered that Turkey hates Greece and has border skirmishes with Armenia and the Turks in Northern Iraq. I should also note that without the secular Turkish Army, Turkey could very well fall into a theocracy no different from the Taliban.

Recent behavior by Islamic adherents around the world is making me rethink my view of Islam again. After my friend’s challenge, I had to rethink my view in the first place, but now I am rethinking my position on a new level.

The recent actions by Muslims around the world reacting to a comic strip depiction of Mohammed in a Danish newspaper are abhorrent. These people take their religion too seriously and they are a danger to everyone around them.

We understand that it is against the Islamic religion to draw or depict Mohammed. We understand that the image was offensive to Muslims. Regardless of their religious dogma, what right does that give them to torch embassies, initiate death threats, and harm people over a depiction by a non-Muslim? The actions of Muslims in the streets of the Islamic communities have shone a new light on Islam for the rest of the world. How does offense over religious dogma justify physical harm to others?

One cannot watch the video of the demonstrations in Syria and Lebanon and think for one minute that there are only a few radicals responsible. The throngs of Muslims in the street burning Danish flags, protesting violently, burning embassies and attaché offices, and voicing death threats speaks volumes to the mindset of the average Muslim.

The reaction by the Islamic community is ridiculous. No religion should take itself so seriously to incite such a reaction. We are not seeing normal anger over an issue. We are witnessing pure outrage over a silly comic strip portrayal of Islam’s prophet. Mohammed is not a god or the son of a god. Mohammed is only a prophet. Getting this upset over a portrayal of a prophet is a sign of a religion that is in desperate need of help.

The Danes must now be concerned about terrorism in their own country. The torching of the Danish embassies is an act of terrorism, perpetuated by religion. Terrorism is a faith-based problem.

Some would argue that perhaps it is cultural instead of religious. The recent actions of Muslims in Safaga, Egypt would be an example. Were the actions of the Muslims on the pier attacking the offices of El Salam Maritime and Egyptian police motivated by culture or religion? Can you imagine if Americans tore down the offices of a major airline when investigators found that pilot error caused the loss of 240 passengers?

I admit that some cultural aspect may play into the fervor seen in the streets of Islamic countries where rioters are destroying Danish symbols and buildings. However, as we know from our experiences in the United States, culture and religion are interchangeable and influence each other equally. The two feed off each other.

In many cases, the religion creates the culture. The Islamic religion has stifled growth in Muslim countries. Theocratic Islamic countries teach children the Qur’an instead of math and science. We have heard a lot about Madras schools in the Middle East since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. When you pound religion into the minds of children and do not education them properly, then you establish a culture of ignorance based on religious fanaticism.

If the United States became a theocracy and we bore the Bible into children’s heads instead of math and science, then we would expect to see the same thing here. Industry would disappear and our civilization would resort to a Medieval mindset.

I recently visited www.ogrish.com to view a few videos. I watch the videos to remind me why I am opposed to the war in Iraq. I support our troops and it angers me to see them killed and maimed by religious fanatics. We can call them terrorists all day, but when you watch the videos that they make of their attacks, you can clearly tell that they are religious fanatics.

In almost every video taken of attacks on American soldiers, the attackers are chanting “Allah Akbar” repeatedly. American soldiers are not chanting, “The Will of Jesus” repeatedly when they engage targets. Listening to Muslims chanting religious rhetoric while they are killing innocent people is sickening. It is a reminder of the dark side of religion in general, and the evil of Islam. That is right. I said it. Islam is evil.

The Islamic attackers enjoy killing people for Allah. They truly believe they are doing the work of Allah by killing infidels and the Muslims that help infidels. If nationalism or a sense of patriotism for their former government motivated the attackers, then perhaps we could understand just a little bit (after all, our Founding Fathers fought the same battle). That is not the case, though. The motivation is solely religion. They are not chanting, “Long live Saddam” or “Long live Iraq” when they attack people. They are chanting the name of Allah and saying it is his will for infidels to die.

The Islamic religion is driving Muslims to commit acts of atrocity against anyone they can. Even their fellow Muslims are not safe. My mother asked me why they were attacking fellow Muslims. She wanted to write a letter to Islamic papers in the Middle East asking them why they were killing each other. I told my mother that the Qur’an makes it clear that any Muslim that aids an infidel is worse than the infidel (see below for text of Surah).

The Qur’an is full of Surahs that talk about killing infidels. I have included the Surahs that I have found in the Qur’an below so you can see for yourself. I know of three references in the Bible to killing infidels (two in the OT and one in the NT), but the Qur’an is full of them. I am sure that in searching the Qur’an I did not find all the references to killing infidels.

Islam is approximately five hundred years younger than Christianity. When you think about the history of Christianity five hundred years ago, it is not much different from today’s Islam. Christianity had a reformation that changed the landscape of the theology and calmed it down a bit. The reformation did not solve all of the problems, but it made a big dent in them. Islam is in desperate need of a reformation.

If Islam does not see a reformation soon, then we will be fighting this menace for a long time to come. As long as Islam remains in its current state then the world faces a great danger. No country is safe from the Islamic mindset.

There is a catch, though. The Bush Administration fails to grasp the catch. Islam is not compatible with Democracy. As I said above, even the democratic Turkey is tenable, as several coups have occurred over the years to overthrow fundamentalist governments. Islam needs a theocracy, dictatorship, or monarchy.

We cannot change the government of an Islamic country and hope that theocracy does not reestablish itself. We must change the mindset of Muslims first. We must reform Islam before we have a chance of bringing democracy to the Muslim world.

The recent elections in Palestine speak volumes to this. The people of Palestine did not elect a democratic government or a reform government. They elected a terrorist organization to run their country. The reason they elected a terrorist organization to lead their government is that the majority of Muslims support terrorist activity in the name of Allah.

We cannot win the war on terrorism unless we change Islam first. As long as Islam remains in its current theological state then terrorism will be with us. For every terrorist that we kill, we make more in the name of Allah. For every country that we invade, we make more terrorists in a rejuvenated thrust of Islamic pride.

Islam is the enemy. Islam needs to be reformed. The Islamic faith, as it stands, is the number one problem facing the global community.

I am certainly not suggesting that we go to war with every Islamic community. I am certainly not suggesting that we launch nuclear weapons against the Middle East and turn the desert into a giant piece of glass. Actions like that will only escalate the violence to new levels.

I am not sure how we can manipulate the theology of Islam to force a reformation. I do not have a solution. I wish I did. The future of Islam rests in the hands of the worlds’ Muslims. Unfortunately, the hands of today’s Muslims are already marred with blood and the mindset of violence is already set. The children of today’s Muslims are our next best hope, but when watching videos of the children in the streets emulating their parents, that hope is diminishing quickly.

I wish I had a workable solution. I am glad that I live in a country that allows me to speak out against any religion I want.

To those Muslims out there that are truly peaceful, I ask one thing of you. Take back your religion from the lunatics. Speak out against the idiocy that we see happening around the world. Let the world know that you exist. Demand that the Imams and leaders of Islamic counties speak out against these acts and reprimand those responsible for doing it. Demand that the Imams speak out against idiotic reactions to a simple cartoon drawn by a non-Muslim.

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Agreeing With the Right

October 18, 2006 at 9:45 pm (News, Politics)

ORIGINAL COMPOSE DATE: 05 September 05

Did I just hear that right? Did Tucker Carlson, the bow-tied media strong-arm of the Bush administration, just say that the Bush administration was culpable and should bear the blame of this tragedy for not responding fast enough? Did I hear that right?

This is amazing. The right wing media is slamming the Bush administration on so many counts.

What I do not understand is why people are throwing the race card around. We all understand that race is associated with poverty, that is a given, but to say that these people are being ignored because of their race is ludicrous as best. The reason the majority of the people on our television screens are black is not that their black skin causes people to ignore them: they are the majority because in New Orleans, a majority black city, the black population dominates the poverty-stricken neighborhoods.

This is not about race: it is about class. The city of New Orleans is culpable from the very beginning. How can you put out a mandatory evacuation and not help people get out? When officials ordered a mandatory evacuation, officials should have mobilized buses and helped the poor people get out. The military should have sent in C-130 cargo planes to take people out..

You cannot give a mandatory evacuation and then not help people that cannot get out on their own.The city of Biloxi equally suffered from the class separation. The Point is where the poverty-stricken citizens of Biloxi live. Most of them could not get out of the city. Most of them died. Rescuers on the ground say that there will likely be 1,000 deaths in Biloxi and most of them from The Point.

The government not only failed the citizens of these states after Katrina left, they failed before Katrina ever arrived.

Even today the Mayor of New Orleans helped people from a classy hotel evacuate and get head of the line privileges at the Sewer Dome, I mean Super Dome. Why is that? He allowed the rich foreigners and out-of-towners to go ahead of his own poor people.

This is not about race. This is about class. This is about an incompetent administration.

Why is everyone so quiet about this? Am I the only one that is pissed off about what is going on along the Gulf Coast? Why are so many Americans dumbfounded over the national tragedy level of this catastrophe?

The father of my daughter’s friend had a conference call today with his clients, suppliers, and main office. They were talking about the fact that their plastics factories rely on petroleum and they are having a hard time getting it. They are talking about canceling orders and increasing prices to compensate for having to truck gas in all the way from California. They talked about stopping sales and just taking care of existing orders, which means he would be out of a job. Their main technician is stuck in Jackson, Mississippi with no gas to get home.

I rely on Mobile to get my parts to do my job. My work is still recovering, but they told me today that even if they could send parts, UPS is limited in the Mobile area because some of their employees are suffering loses, and they are also having a difficult time getting gas for their trucks. Do people not realize the national ramifications of the fact that UPS, FedEx, and even the Post Office are having problems delivering items to people? What will happen when the trucking industry shuts down because the truckers are not getting compensated enough money to purchase gas for the long hauls?

The Texaco one block from my house has raised the price of gas over fifty cents today. It rose slowly over the day. In just 2 1/2 hours alone, it went from $3.10 to $3.38! We went to Wal-Mart to get groceries and when we came back, it had gone up just twenty-eight cents. Then when my wife went back to work an hour later it was up to $3.48! This morning several Huntsville gas stations ran out of gas.

My cousin is complaining that she cannot get to the Auburn game and that the universities are asking people to cancel their reservations so they can house refugees. If I were in Mobile, I would reach out and slap her. The universities should cancel the game to ensure that refugees could use all the rooms available. Are we that stupid? Are we that ignorant of the ramifications? People are actually going to waste gas to see a stupid football game.

Cancel the NFL season and house these people in every dome stadium across the United States until resources can integrate refugees into their adoptive cities. Melt down the ice in Ice hockey rinks and use them as shelters.

I just do not get it. I am angry. I am upset. I am saddened. I am grieving.

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Putting Things Into Perspective

October 18, 2006 at 9:44 pm (News, Politics)

ORIGINAL COMPOSE DATE: 3 September, 2005

Now that the government is fully engaged and actually helping people that need the help, it is time to put a few things into perspective.

When I say things such as “no one is getting anything done,” or “why is no one helping these people,” I say such in general terms. I am speaking generally about the lack of government intervention.

Anyone with half a brain, and I am assuming that most of the people working for Bush have at least that, would know that when a major city is destroyed, you could not rely on the local police and a few FEMA civilians to take care of things.

I applaud the efforts of the New Orleans police that stayed on duty. While I am ashamed of those that fled, I must admit I understand why they did. I applaud the efforts of the Louisiana State Police and the FEMA representatives that did show up to help. They made a heartfelt attempt and they deserve the credit. No one is attacking them. No one is detracting from his or her efforts. They gave it their best shot and that is all anyone could ask for.

When I scream out and talk about others that are screaming out, I am not trying to give myself any more credit than anyone else deserves that was screaming. It was shameful that these people were sitting there without anyone (using that term generally to represent the federal government in general) helping them.

We also need to recognize that the few federal employees that were there initially (FEMA civilians and DOD contractors) were concentrating on two places: the Sewer Dome and the levees. No one ventured out to see where people needed help.

In the first 48 hours there were local people going around in boats trying to rescue people from their attics and rooftops. Anglers in bass boats, with a few Parish Sheriff Deputies, stood up and made the effort. We should applaud them for their efforts and bravery. They stood up when their government was lying down.

People have accused me of politicizing the disaster in order to promote my agenda against President Bush and his administration. I think I need to clear a few key points up in regards to such.

People need to understand that this is not a partisan issue. Leftists, liberals, left-wingers, and Democrats are not the only ones giving the Bush administration grief about this. The reporters and people that I normally disagree with are agreeing with me. This is unprecedented.

I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. I have a certain disdain for most politicians, no matter what party they belong. I admit that I enjoyed it very much when Anderson Cooper tore up Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu live on CNN. Politicians were too busy thanking each other to realize that a major tragedy was occurring. Anderson Cooper called Senator Landrieu on this and told her that the victims of this tragedy did not want to hear politicians patting each other on the back – they wanted to hear when relief was coming.

What makes this a unique situation is that the right and left media reporters were all agreeing. We all know that every reporter with his or her own show has an agenda to push. We all know that certain channels lean to the left or right (FOX News being a big example of such). All of them, however, were hammering the government for failing to react in a timely manner and in some cases for failing to act at all.

I never watched FOX news before this. FOX did an excellent job. Shepard Smith was one of the most vocal reporters on the scene pleading for help for the stranded victims on the I-10. FOX was doing a great job until they sent Geraldo Rivera in there, anyway. LOL

I pass on kudos to Anderson Cooper, Tucker Carlson, Shepard Smith, and many other field correspondents for calling the government to task for their inability to get the job done and save thousands of lives. As we said in the Navy, Bravo Zulu!

I admit I do not like the Bush administration, his polices (foreign and domestic), but this is not a political issue. I am lambasting the Bush administration not because they are Republican, because I did not vote for him, or for any other political reason. I am lambasting the Bush administration because they failed to act in a timely manner.

I am not asking President Bush to be perfect. I am asking for a response. Bush sat in his ranch for two days before doing anything. He even traveled to San Diego to give a speech on the anniversary of the Japanese surrender in WWII. He then talked about the war in Iraq – not the tragedy in Louisiana and the rest of the Gulf Coast. Then he decided to cancel his vacation and go back to Washington after everyone started asking where the federal government was.

That has nothing to do with him being a Republican or Democrat and everything to do with his incompetence and his inability to recognize this for what it was. No one watching the news could miss it. We knew at 2 AM Tuesday morning that the levee was broken and the city was flooding quickly. We knew by 3 AM that people were dying left and right in New Orleans and in Biloxi; because CNN was the only news channel reporting it live (we stayed up and watched all night). Bush was still in Texas and getting ready to go to California for a speech on Iraq.

If Republicans find that to be excusable, then I suppose that is their right. Nevertheless, I find that action inexcusable, no matter what political party one is associated. That is how everyone is seeing it: right and left. The fact that I agree with the reporters, editorialists, and others from the conservative side of the political spectrum is something that has never happened before in my lifetime. It is a phenomenon worth reporting on.

I do not blame only Bush. He is the captain of the boat, however. That being said, I still am angry with the Congress. When the news said, “The House and Senate wasted no time passing a 10.5 billion dollar aid package for the relief of Hurricane Katrina victims,” I wanted to scream. How can the media say that they wasted no time? They stayed on vacation for two extra days before coming back. Bush had a two-day head start on these elected officials. My previous blogs reflects my anger at these fools just as much as it does at Bush. As I said before, I was angry with Democrats and Republicans: I was angry with my government.

Many people, especially politicians, are now saying that we should not be pointing fingers right now. Instead, they say, we should be trying to help these people.

I agree there should be an accounting when everyone is safe. We need to look at our procedures and revamp them. We have let the terrorists know that we cannot handle a major catastrophe in this country. All the hyperbole over security in the post 9/11 environment was for naught.

This is what I think these people do not understand, though: people in the media and many people like me were complaining about it because people were not getting the help they deserved. We wanted those people to get help and it was not there. We wanted the military involved and the governor of Louisiana was refusing to request federal help.

We were (and are) raising a stink because no one was doing anything. We saw the carnage and death. We saw the human tragedy. We saw the atrocities. We saw no one doing anything. We raised hell about it and suddenly people were responding and the government pulled its head out of its arse, got down there, and helped.

You do not know how pleased we are to see the military down there getting this thing taken care of. We are ecstatic to see the government finally rescuing people in New Orleans and surrounding areas.

That is exactly why people like me are venting. It was obvious that the government was not getting food and water to the victims. It was obvious that the government was not finding places of comfort for these people. At this very moment, there are still no government officials in the Ninth Ward part of New Orleans and the people there are still desperate.

We rant and rave because when we do, people listen. We ranted and raved about the Convention Center and look at what happened today. Would the government have gone in to the Convention Center today if no one were screaming about it yesterday and demanding that the government act?

We are not yelling for political gain. We are yelling for the gain of humanity during this human crisis and tragedy.

I think it was important to point this out because it helped get the government moving. People are pointing and screaming because they care for the people in the areas affected. I am a humanist, which means my number one concern is for humanity and human beings. If I have to scream and yell to get someone to care for his or her fellow human beings or respond to a human tragedy, then I will.

I know it sometimes seems that I am only lashing out at Bush, but I cannot help it. Bush irritates the bejesus out of me. When he got on television and made his first speech from the white house, he was so smug and nonchalant. I wanted to reach through the TV and slap that stupid grin right off his face. Thousands of people are dying and he has that stupid smug look on his face that he has when he talks about Iraq. That smug look was not on his face when he stood atop the rubble with firefighters after 9/11.

No matter what criticisms I may have of Bush and his administration, I cannot criticize his amazing ability to lead people and inspire people to follow him. He has an uncanny gift at it. He can even get people to follow a lie. It is truly a remarkable skill. Sarcasm aside, I am being sincere when I say that his leadership skills are exceptional (please do not equate leadership skill with leadership ability – they are two separate things). I did not fault him on 9/11 and I did not fault him in Afghanistan. He was doing what was right and I was behind him.

The fact that he stayed in Texas and went to California first has now opened his leadership skills up for criticism. Bush has scratched and gouged the one thing he had as a buffer from the left. That is why I was emphasizing that the right is also speaking out against him. Even they recognize that he failed miserably on this one. He is the captain of their boat and the captain of our national boat.

It is a mystery why the President went to California before going back to Washington. The people of the United States deserve an answer from Bush explaining why a WWII anniversary speech to compare WWII with Iraq was more important than thousands of dying people along the Gulf Coast. I doubt we will get it. While no one detracts from the heroic efforts of WWII veterans, I am sure they would understand why the President would cancel the event in order to attend to the natural disaster occurring in the country in the present time.

I am pointing my anger equally. I know I can sound one-sided because of my dislike for Bush, and I know this makes my anger seem biased. Please rest assured that is not the case. My anger is an equal opportunity employer. I am angry with the Senate and House, Republican and Democrat alike. I am angry with the Democrat governor of Louisiana for fumbling the ball and taking three days to pick it up and pass it to the federal government. I am angry at the Democratic senators that could do nothing but thank Senator Frist for initiating the monies for the relief effort, when they should have been condemning him for taking four days to get back from vacation (notice that Frist is now in Louisiana playing doctor to revamp his image).

I am angry with Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton for raising the race card. There was no reason to pull the race card from their shirtsleeves. They already had a Royal Flush in their hands from the bumbling of the Bush administration.

I will grant you that the left is screaming about this one, and some are politicizing it. That is to be expected. What makes this situation unique is that the left and right are screaming equally about it. Of course, the right is not politicizing it, but they are blaming the president and his administration for not acting fast enough to save thousands of people.

Joe Scarborough was a Republican Senator who now has his own show on MSNBC. I have to admit that I cannot stand the man. He and I disagree on every issue. When he and I agree, it is indeed a historic day. LOL

Scarborough called many Republicans to task for failing to do their jobs. He slammed the President for not canceling his vacation sooner. He slammed his Republican friends in the House and Senate for waiting until Thursday night to cancel their vacations and pass an emergency bill to give money to those dying people along the Gulf Coast.

I am trying my best not to fall into the same trap that many on the left are falling into: the trap of politicizing the deaths of so many innocent victims. I appreciate when people help keep me on my keel. However, I must admit that it is extremely difficult not to politicize it. It is hard to stay the course and hope we are going to win the game when the President is fumbling the ball every time he tries to pass it. Luckily, for this team, we have a good defense that can prop up the lousy offense.

While no one will deny that efforts need focusing to ensure victims are out of harm’s way, my rants, and the rants of others are making the right waves to get the balls rolling. We push that ball because we see the suffering and horror of what used to be New Orleans, Biloxi, Waveland, Pass Christian, Slidell, Houma, and others. We see this devastation and we do not see any form of government there to help. This makes us scream and yell until someone listens and does something to help these people.

People demanding that we focus our attention on the rescuing of victims instead of politicizing this event are in harmony with me and we are on the same page. I just refuse to sit on the sidelines and only donate money. I want them helped NOW. I do not want to wait three days for the president to cancel his vacation. I do not want to wait three days for the governor of Louisiana (a Democrat, by the way) to finally ask for federal help. I do not want to wait four days for the government to give food and water to thousands of refugees standing on a bridge while ten of their family and friends die each day in front of the FOX News cameras. I do not want to wait five days for the people suffering at the Convention Center to receive aid and comfort.

Donate money: people need it and appreciate it. I will donate money, but I will also scream and yell until somebody gets off their arse and does something about the devastation to humanity that is unfolding across my television screen.

To reiterate, this is not a Republican issue. I am angry with the Democratic governor and senators from Louisiana. I am angry with the Republican governor of Mississippi. I am angry with the Republican president. I am angry with the government in general.

Luckily for the human devastation going on in Louisiana there were a few shining stars. To be honest, in my view, most of those shining stars are the ones that were screaming, yelling, and pointing fingers that caused the government to move. It was the Republican FOX news anchor on the I-10 Bridge screaming for help. It was the Democratic CNN news anchor in Biloxi screaming for help. It was the Republican MSNBC reporter screaming for help. It was the Democratic SKY News reporter screaming for help.

I am grateful for the finger-pointers and those that are screaming for help. They encouraged the nation to rally and encouraged the government to get moving. Now we are FINALLY seeing relief come to these people.

Thank you for finally getting the people out of the Convention Center. Thank you for finally getting the military into the city to restore some order. I just cannot help but wonder if the response would have been faster if half of the National Guard from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama were not in Iraq.

I also want to retract my statement that the NFL should cancel the season to let people use the domes. Someone poignantly pointed out to me that doing so would have serious economic ramifications on the cities involved. Personally, however, I cannot see myself going to a football game when thousands (if not ten thousands) of my fellow citizens are dying because the government failed them.

While I am sure that the NFL franchises would have no problem losing one year’s worth of income, I do not think the cities would fare as well. They need the revenue. The economic impact of this tragedy will reverberate for a long time.

I guess the fact that I am not a sports enthusiast got the better of me. As I replied to a comment I received, do not get me started on the scholastic emphasis of sports over academics.

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