1.31.2006
Russia's New Missiles >>> A friend of mine discussed this story with a longtime friend and Raytheon employee who had this to say about Russia's new missile technology: "Trust me. There's nothing to worry about."
Jihad: Denmark and Norway >>> The statement reveals an interesting paranoia present in the Jihadist mindset. It is assumed that the West hates them and seeks their destruction. Of course, that's exactly right when it comes to Islamic terrorists, but Muslims in general are not to be included in that category--though many people would like them to be. So how do we separate the two? Do we even see a distinction between them? Do they understand that distinction? And just as many Muslims think we seek to destroy them, a good number of Americans--most of them are predictably Christian--view that Muslims as a whole seek to do the same to us. Make no mistake, the religious component of this war has been around for centuries and it's not going anywhere soon. But putting religion aside--let's hope it stays there for a while--there are practical choices that need to be made, and theological bickering isn't getting us anywhere. I've said for years that the only way we're ever going to do some serious damage against radical Islam is to enlist the help of regular Muslims against their militant relatives. Divide and conquer, anyone? Dymphna sums up the 'bad apple' in the barrel of Islam. Oh, as for this whole 'cartoon of Mohammad debacle', Big Pharoah's reaction is my favorite so far.
"Lo hara lo wara" >>> Mohammad at Iraq the Model asks whether democracy can succeed in Iraq, or even the Middle East as a whole. A great read.
Putin and Palestine >>> Putin's statement that 'Russia has never declared Hamas a terrorist organization' is nonsensical given Hamas' record, but it does highlight a frustrating lack of solidarity when it comes to the preposterously named 'War on Terror'. Who is the enemy? From an American standpoint the enemy is al-Qaeda. The Israelis have Hamas and Hezbollah, the Russians have militant Chechens, Spain has the ETA, Britain the IRA, and the list goes on and on. At present, 'terrorism' is simply a generic label for 'the bad guys' of any given nation-state. I don't mean to diminish the threat, but it's beyond cliche. If this was truly the 'War on Terror', we'd be going after more than just al-Qaeda, or even militant Islam. But it's not, and we aren't. To each his own?
The Tet Offensive: 38 Years Ago >>> Murdoc's closing paragraph is key; remember it.
Jihad: Denmark and Norway >>> The statement reveals an interesting paranoia present in the Jihadist mindset. It is assumed that the West hates them and seeks their destruction. Of course, that's exactly right when it comes to Islamic terrorists, but Muslims in general are not to be included in that category--though many people would like them to be. So how do we separate the two? Do we even see a distinction between them? Do they understand that distinction? And just as many Muslims think we seek to destroy them, a good number of Americans--most of them are predictably Christian--view that Muslims as a whole seek to do the same to us. Make no mistake, the religious component of this war has been around for centuries and it's not going anywhere soon. But putting religion aside--let's hope it stays there for a while--there are practical choices that need to be made, and theological bickering isn't getting us anywhere. I've said for years that the only way we're ever going to do some serious damage against radical Islam is to enlist the help of regular Muslims against their militant relatives. Divide and conquer, anyone? Dymphna sums up the 'bad apple' in the barrel of Islam. Oh, as for this whole 'cartoon of Mohammad debacle', Big Pharoah's reaction is my favorite so far.
"Lo hara lo wara" >>> Mohammad at Iraq the Model asks whether democracy can succeed in Iraq, or even the Middle East as a whole. A great read.
Putin and Palestine >>> Putin's statement that 'Russia has never declared Hamas a terrorist organization' is nonsensical given Hamas' record, but it does highlight a frustrating lack of solidarity when it comes to the preposterously named 'War on Terror'. Who is the enemy? From an American standpoint the enemy is al-Qaeda. The Israelis have Hamas and Hezbollah, the Russians have militant Chechens, Spain has the ETA, Britain the IRA, and the list goes on and on. At present, 'terrorism' is simply a generic label for 'the bad guys' of any given nation-state. I don't mean to diminish the threat, but it's beyond cliche. If this was truly the 'War on Terror', we'd be going after more than just al-Qaeda, or even militant Islam. But it's not, and we aren't. To each his own?
The Tet Offensive: 38 Years Ago >>> Murdoc's closing paragraph is key; remember it.
posted by Jesse Clark at
4:37 PM
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