Rushdie Rumble

So, a gutsy German author wants to read Salman Rushdie's, The Satanic Verses: in a mosque.  And I thought only Islamists wanted to be martyrs. He claims he wants to initiate dialogue and discussion, but some disagree:

Henryk M. Broder, a columnist with DER SPIEGEL, criticized Wallraff's idea as "actionism" saying: "The issue isn't about whether you can read 'The Satanic Verses' in a mosque or not. After all, it would never occur to anyone to serve non-kosher food in a synagogue or pork meat in a Catholic church on Good Friday."

Uh huh.  Except that Jews and Catholics don't riot and murder over this sort of thing.  And strictly speaking, it IS about whether you can read The Satanic Verses in a mosque or not ; reading in an angry mob doesn't work terribly well.

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Perhaps if they brought back the Inquisition?

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Grievance Theater

Malaysian Muslims apparently find the movie "Evan Almighty" ... wait for it ... INSULTING TO ISLAM! Horrors!

Malaysia's influential Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) said the comedy, which plays on the story of Noah's ark and features actor Morgan Freeman as God, was insulting to Islam.

"The movie refers to the big flood during the time of Prophet Noah, but this has been turned into a comedy which is insulting to Islam," Secretary-General Maamor Osman told news agency Bernama.

"Featuring a human being as God in the movie is also against Islam," he added.

Other things that are insulting to Islam:

• Ham sammiches.
• Feisty women
• Piglet
• Danish Cartoonists
• Famous novelists
• Teh gay
• Infidels
• Logic and reason
  

In their defense, pretty much everyone ought to find this film insulting. "Look Steve Carell is being hit in the nuts by yet another exotic animal! Hilarious!"

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Core Conservative Values

It's beginning to look as if the conservative base will need to begin defining precisely what it is we stand for, because your average member of the ruling elite sure as hell isn't doing it. 

One blogger takes an excellent stab at it here; he's going for 90% of people agreeing with 9 out of 10, but I'm with him on all 10.  It's a decent list, and I like his selection of solutions to problems.  They're quite creative.

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Cancer Killer?

According to this Reuters article, scientists have engineered a particular strain of the Herpes virus to target and kill cancerous cells.

This is actually pretty amazing:

The latest progress in a small study using MediGene AG’s virus NV1020 was presented at the annual European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Lugano, Switzerland.

NV1020 is a modified version of the herpes simplex virus which causes cold sores. Its genetic make-up has been altered that so it only replicates in cancer cells, killing them in the process, and leaves ordinary cells alone.

About a particular test patient:

He was given four weekly infusions of the virus followed by two cycles of chemotherapy, and six months after treatment scans showed that his liver tumors had nearly disappeared. The patient survived for 12 months following the intervention.

“The reduction in the tumor masses was really impressive in this patient. The hepatic (liver) masses almost disappeared,” Mescheder said in a statement.

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Hey Pope, Ask Me If I Care.

No really, ask me!

This is just foolishness on the part of the pope:

Protestant churches yesterday reacted with dismay to a new declaration approved by Pope Benedict XVI insisting they were mere "ecclesial communities" and their ministers effectively phonies with no right to give communion.

What I don't get is the "dismay" on the part of the Protestant churches.  Isn't everyone just rolling their eyes at this guy by now?  After all, Protestants don't recognize his authority in the first place.  The old fart might as well say declare that the sky is purple for all I care. 

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Lighting a Fire Under Rudy

So apparently fire fighters are going to start attacking Rudy about his 9/11 leadership - or that's how it looks anyway.  The ABC news headline reads "Firefighters Burn Giulinani."  As usual, this is deceptive. Check out the text:

ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: "America's Mayor" is about to come under attack.

The nation's largest firefighters union is set to launch a video on Wednesday that seeks to tarnish former mayor Rudolph Giuliani's reputation as a strong leader before and after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. [emphasis mine]

Government employee's unions rarely represent the interests of all or even most of their members.  What's more, they're usually in bed with your average populist Democrat, so this ought to be no surprise.  Get it right ABC. 

Not firefighters: a well nigh-mandatory union.  I say that because in most cases, union dues are taken directly from one's check.  If you choose to direct the funds elsewhere, you have to designate a charity, so it comes out regardless.  Most people wouldn't want to be left without representation should something awful happy, so they just sigh and give money to an organization they don't really support. 

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I <3 Metal

I'll be honest.  I have a weakness for crazy, over the top, shredding.  I also have certain degree of disgust for the rampant corruption and general uselessness of the UN.  Now those two proclivities have a unique nexus.

Yes, I realize this has a twilight zone feel to it.  It's Monday though - totally not my fault.  On the other hand, I may actually pick up a Megadeth album.

Odd as it is, I hope that this is a sign of more widespread criticism of the UN.  That organization has serious issues.  Just look at the various nations represented on some of the councils.  It looks for all the world like they were chosen for maximum comedic effect.  That or someone is using the UN to teach remedial classes in irony to Alanis Morissette fans.

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Imaginary Moral Authority

I'm sure most folks out there traveling the blogosphere have seen screeds like this in one place or another.  It's a common rant among lefties; America has lost her credibility/moral authority runs the argument.  People usually cite Pew research polls that assess how "favorably" populations view the US and other such instruments as a means of coming to this conclusion. 

What I find absolutely astounding is that they don't realize just how idiotic this is.  These studies are nothing better than global opinion polls.  Let's think about that.  Quite a few individuals on the left are using world opinion as a metric for judging the morality of the United States.  If the folks citing this research were willing to claim that all the respondents were moral, that would be at least internally consistent, (if utterly ridiculous) but I'm almost certain that they haven't even thought it out that far.  They merely see that someone doesn't like them.  So desperate is their need for approval that they'll disparage the actions their own country to disassociate themselves from the negative opinion of the world.

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A Most Prestigious Honor

I really could go on a rant about the kind of garbage Fox News is reporting these days, but why?  I'm mildly ashamed to link the story myself, but it fits in that "so stupid it's kinda funny" category. 

Victoria McArthur is suing Mars Inc. for more than $25,000 for "permanent personal injuries" because she claims that a too chewy Starburst somehow damaged her jaw.  And it took her "3 chews or so" to figure out that something might be wrong.  Such a shame, this young woman struck down in the prime of her life by a pernicious "fruit chew."

Ladies and gentleman, may I present to you the first weekly Unrepentant Geek "You Fail At Life" award!

My hat goes off to you, Ms McArthur, for suing a candy company because you couldn't grasp the concept that "fruit chews" might actually be chewy!

Congratulations:

at life!

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For Their Own Good

I really dig Jeff Goldstein, mostly because he writes stuff like this:

I wrote a week or so back about the Edwards campaign’s attempts to turn pointed criticism into “hate speech,” a designation that carries with it the stigma of criminality thanks to the (unfortunate) existence of actual hate speech laws, which are increasingly poised to grease the slipperly slope toward a linguistic “tolerance” based upon the illiberal premise that particular identity groups have a “right” not to be offended — a concept that, should it continue to gain policy support, will have the practical effect of turning the concept of free speech completely on its head, replacing it with a kind of “benevolent” totalitarianism that would dictate the kinds of speech that are acceptably free.

I'd been wanting to make that point, but he did it so well with that one paragraph that I can't see why I'd bother making the attempt. Go read the whole thing.

I'd argue that the whole "Hate Speech/Hate Crime" thing is actually symptomatic of a more general tendency found in most liberals.
Many of them are so completely convinced of their own enlightenment that they believe that they know what's best for the "brainless masses" or "sheeple" (gag) better than the "masses" themselves. And of course, this means that we "masses" types had better tow the line, or else pay the consequences. It's for your own good, you see. In response, allow me to quote another author vastly more talented than yours truly:

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. -- CS Lewis, "God in the Dock" (1948)

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Aussie Defense Minister States the Obvious, AFP Has Vapors

It would appear that the histrionic rantings of the "NO BLOOD FOR OIL!!1!" crowd have gained international resonance.  One Australian Defense Minister had the temerity to make a solid point, and even the normally stalwart Prime Minister John Howard slapped him down.

"Energy security is extremely important to all nations throughout the world, and of course, in protecting and securing Australia's interests," he said.

"Obviously the Middle East itself, not only Iraq, but the entire region is an important supplier of energy, oil in particular, to the rest of the world.

"Australians and all of us need to think what would happen if there were a premature withdrawal from Iraq," Nelson said.

Note that Nelson is not using oil as a justification for entering Iraq.  He's just making the case for staying there, on the grounds that a quick withdrawal would destabilize the region and probably cut off that country's supply of oil for a long time.  That's a fairly credible claim if you're honest with yourself.  After all, oil wells don't produce much usable oil if their operators have been slaughtered for being Sunni in a Shiite area (or vice versa).

But even if you accept the ridiculous premise that the coalition went to Iraq to grab resources, how do you explain the fact that they haven't bloody well grabbed any resources?  Who's going to stop the US from tapping Iraq now?  Surely someone willing to invade a country and topple its leader just for oil would be willing to take the final step and just take that oil.  After all, that's the easy and relatively bloodless part.  Or is the media actually going to claim that they guilt-tripped the coalition into abstaining from the oil?  That'd be a narcissistic delusion fitting of the media and the left in general: their own vehement disapproval changed the course of war and averted a tragedy of justice.  Truth to power, man.

Frankly, I'd be willing to bet that large rodents exert greater influence over the hearts and minds of their owners than big media does, but let's not go down a rabbit trail.  (Sorry.  Couldn't resist.)

As if their restraint re: oil wasn't enough, the coalition has made every attempt to assist the Iraqis in rebuilding and (dare I say it) civilizing their country.  Our rewards?  Improvised explosive devices.  Accusations from across the world.  A proxy war with Iran.  As much as I've questioned the wisdom of this endeavor in hindsight, you can't honestly question the spirit behind it. 

If we really wanted some quick cooperation from the Iraqi people, we could just tell them that for every soldier killed by an IED, we'd take a certain number of barrels of oil.  Then we'd watch as Al Qaeda in Iraq and many similar organizations are handed over en masse.  But no.  We're even avoiding the appearance of wrongdoing.

Some will insist that the Iraqis never wanted Saddam out in the first place.  I'd point them toward the Kurds first, then the bodies found in mass graves, those killed and tortured, and those brutalized in rape rooms.  Ayep.  They sure loved Saddam. 

But what about the WMDs?!?!  Oh yes.  Those.  Well, you'll recall that Saddam had this nasty habit of kicking out weapon's inspectors, and making noises about having an arsenal.  He squawked too loud, and we believed him.  We called his bluff.  And this makes us the bad guys how?

I'm sure media will play this story up, given that it "fits the narrative" and all, but I doubt they'll give it some honest thought.  You can almost feel how giddy the reporter is that these imperialist swine finally admitted to their dark goals.

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Ragtag Group Not Exactly Ragtag Anymore

If you've seen coverage of the various conflicts between Hezbollah and Israel, you know the common tack of left-leaning news organizations.  "Hezbollah is just a band of fighters defending their homes!"  Yeah, yeah sure.

If they're really just a bunch of poor, pitiful victims caught between an uncaring Lebanese government and mean old Israel, then where are they getting all this technology?

Oh yes.  Iran.  Can we please just announce that the Iranians are waging a proxy war on Israel and the United States already?  We've got Iranian troops and material in Iraq, and now Iranian tech in Lebanon.  How did this "ragtag" group pay for that stuff?  Goats?

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Appeasement Watch - Pakistan

Shocking as this may be, it appears that the military ruler of Pakistan, General Musharraf, has finally figured out that appeasement doesn't work.

Demanding strict enforcement of Sharia (Islamic law), Red Mosque clerics had let loose moral squads on the capital to "prevent vices and promote virtue" - a concept first institutionalised by the Taleban in Afghanistan.

These moral squads, consisting of armed male and female students, were going around the city threatening music shop owners, and kidnapping women over allegations of operating brothels.

But every time they took the law into their own hands, the government had opted for negotiations, arguing that any use of force was likely to lead to bloodshed.

That line of reasoning look familiar? Anyone care to take bets on what happened?

Emboldened by the government's perceived pussy-footing, Red Mosque clerics kept raising their public profile until they became a major embarrassment for the government.

Surprise!  Diplomacy fails in the face of a determined enemy every bloody time.  What's more, you don't get much more determined than a religious zealot who knows, in the core of his being, that his god demands and ordains his actions.

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Get It Off, GET IT OFF!!!

Ugh.  Freakin' Allah.  You've got to warn people when you (warning, hazmat suit required) link Kos.  It's only polite, like letting someone know that that a nearby airlock is opening post haste.

Anyway.  Turns out Saint Cindy is back in politics.  Joy.  Look, I can forgive being stupid.  I can forgive being loud.  But I have a really, really hard time forgiving someone for being both stupid AND loud. 

Could someone tell this screeching harpy to make like Saint Pancake and jump under a bulldozer?  It'd save me no end of irritation.  I can only roll my eyes so many times before they'll wear out you see.

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If It Ain't Scottish...

Scotland is to the UK what Texas is the US, but with better accents and horrible coffee.

Ace should really do a "Cool Facts about John Smeaton" thread. He basically bull-rushed a terrorist and gave him an old fashioned Scottish beat down.

"So I ran straight towards the guy, we're all trying to get a kick-in at him, take a boot to subdue the guy."

...

Demonstrating the "have-a-go" attitude typical of Glaswegians, Mr Smeaton continued: "Glasgow doesnae accept this, if you come tae Glasgow, we'll set about you." 

Of course, if anybody saves the UK, it'll be the Scots.  Some Jihadist will 'asplode himself during a soccer game and it'll be all over.  They're hardcore that way.

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I've got a fever...

... and the only prescription is MORE RON PAUL.

Now you RonPaulBots can spam meaningless internet polls from the bus you ride to the nearest Long John Silver's!

Honestly I think RP is making a dangerous assumption here: that all 16 of his supporters can actually afford an i-Phone.

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Downsizing in the Pantheon

Technically, she bloody well can wear those obnoxious t-shirts, though I assume she has the class to refrain.

Unfortunate as it is that the young goddess was fired, it'd be a hell of an item to add to your resume.

"Ms. Shakya, I see hear that you've done some temp work for Merril Lynch ... and you've been a goddess.  Well.  I guess its safe to say that you're overqualified for the position; uhh ... when can you start?"

It probably helps that she's adorable; but could you really end up as your village's own licensed goddess without getting a little, shall we say, spoiled? 

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Submerged Tropical Fruit

So I happened to receive a pdf flier announcing a party celebrating a co-workers promotion.  His name is Bob, and on said flier there was a picture that struck me as ... disturbing.

more...

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In Memoriam Of...

... this guy.

I figure that after the article he has a lifespan ranging from several days to perhaps a few minutes.  I love the token leftists in the comments whining about "resource wars" and asking "who are the real terrorists?" 

A couple notes to them:

If the various wars the US has fought in recent years have been over "resources" precisely what would those be, and where the hell is my cut?  I notice my Zionist check hasn't arrived yet either.  These New York Money Men are total deadbeats.  (PS. Hey guys, I'll even take payment in shekels!)

The "real terrorists" are the people strapping bombs to six year olds.  Now take your moral equivalence and ram it sideways.

---

But anyway.  As much as I like the sentiment Asim expresses, he doesn't exactly have the weight of traditional doctrine on his side, nor are his views exactly internally consistent.  Or thus sayeth folks like Robert Spencer anyhow.  The fundamentalists are influential because they can point to textual evidence of their views ... an no one can refute them using the texts. 

If Islam is going to play nice with Western Culture, the overwhelming majority of Muslims (and I mean like 99%) are going to need to decide that it isn't ever acceptable to murder someone, riot, or generally create havoc because a person:

A) Publishes cartoons critical of your faith or picturing your prophet
B) Writes fictional stories that cast your prophet in an unfavorable light
C) Creates movies that criticize your faith and your prophet
D) Makes a logo that could sorta-kinda-maybe be said to look like "Allah" in Arabic
You get the general idea.  Thems the rules.  Christians put up with this stuff all day long.  Submerge our holy symbol in urine?  We'll write you a forceful letter of disapproval!  Scary!

Think about this: if the Jews decided to take issue with half of the stuff Muslims and Arabs crank out every bloody day, Gaza and the West bank would be smoking wholes in the ground and then parking lots soon after.  Or possibly they'd submerge both areas in carnitas.  Which would be both delicious and hilarious.

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