Thursday, 21 December 2006
 

Moderately Funny
Contributed by The Gray Dog

I’ve been picking on the poor “moderate” Muslims lately, so in an ecumenical effort; the Dog has decided to find moderation wherever it exists.  Here is a sampling of my research:

Dancing Baptists

The world is coming to an end... Baptists are dancing!

“A new group is on the scene, shocking the Christian world by naming themselves the Dancing Baptists. Styled as a mixture of Echoing Green, New Order, Depeche Mode, The Cure, and perhaps a little industrial. They apparently made a name for themselves by getting the whole congregation to dance wildly during the song "Victory In Jesus" at a Baptist Church in Houston back in 1995.” http://cdbaby.com/cd/baptists

Continue reading "Moderately Funny"

Contributed by The Gray Dog on December 21, 2006 at 08:42 PM in Current Affairs, Islamism Delenda Est, Religion, The Gray Dog | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 05 December 2006
 

Video:
Phelps’ shock troops chased away from soldier’s funeral
Contributed by Bill Faith

Bryan Preston at Hot Air writes:

Fred Phelps and his gang of crazies were recently chased away from the funeral of a US soldier killed in Iraq. Video here.

Rather than just perfunctorily denounce these lunatics, I suggest you watch this video of Phelps’ wife explaining why they behave the way they do. She’s clearly a bitter woman who can get fired up on rage at the drop of a hat. Something about her ain’t right. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on December 5, 2006 at 01:11 PM in Bill Faith, Caring about our troops, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 31 October 2006
 

October Surprise.
Contributed by The Gray Dog

Down to the wire, the October Surprise was unleashed upon the Democrats yesterday.  Surprisingly it wasn’t launched by the Republicans, but instead the liberal’s very own “useful idiot” John Kerry. 

"You know, education - if you make the most of it - you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq,"

With that comment the Old War Dogs are pleased to make known their own 11th hour October surprise:

The Old War Dogs Forum is now open for membership at www.oldwardogs.org

This site was to be announced next week, but in light of Kerry’s comment and the importance of next week’s elections we hope you will visit what promises to be an exciting place for discourse on the issues of the day.

Participation does require registration, so don’t be shy.

Contributed by The Gray Dog on October 31, 2006 at 07:57 PM in 9/11, Afghanistan, Bill Faith, Bill's Bites, Bobbie Craig, Caring about our troops, CIA/NSA Treason, Current Affairs, Dem Dumbness, DisUnited Nations, G W Bush, Gene Harrison, George Mellinger, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Jean Fraud Kerry, Jim Bartimus, Lloyd A. King, Mad Jack Murtha, Open Posts, Patriotism, Politics, Religion, Russ Vaughn, Shane Briscoe, Steve Gardner, The American Warrior, The Gray Dog, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Video, Viet Nam, War? What war?, William "1stCav" Page, Zero Ponsdorf | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Monday, 02 October 2006
 

Liberal Democrats:
The Politics of Unintended Consequences?
Contributed by The Gray Dog

Original timestamp 2006.10.01.13:09. The webmaster is postdating this item to give it more exposure than it might otherwise get after being posted on a slow Sunday afternoon.

In an epiphany as monumental as the discovery of the “Rosetta Stone,” I have stumbled upon the common link within liberal logic (alliterative oxymoron intended) that supports their notion, that fighting terrorism is actually propagating more terrorists.  Now, of course, I am not accusing the Democrats of actually fighting terrorism, an enterprise for which they are ill-equipped.  It just occurred to me that the Libs are practicing psycho-babble methodologies, such as transference, to superimpose the results of their past and current policies upon the Republicans.  Convoluted as it may be, I now understand the rationale used by the left to insist that Republicans are increasing the terrorist threat to our nation by fighting it.  The liberal left for the past several decades has mastered the art of delivering consequences opposite of their stated goals.  The question that needs to be asked is; “Are these failures merely the unintended results of flawed but well intentioned policies, or were the results a strategic success which continues to propagate the victim class; a voting bloc vital to Democratic success?”

Liberal Democratic policies to eliminate poverty increase poverty.

Starting in the sixties with Lyndon Johnson’s ‘War on Poverty,’ liberals institutionalized welfare as a birthright instead of the temporary assistance it was originally designed to be.  Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) encouraged impoverished single mothers to become baby mills while low cost subsidized housing became their virtual prisons.  While clearly a failed policy, it continues to be a program of pacification that breeds not only poverty, but Democrats as well.

Let’s face facts.  We may all be created equal in the eyes of our Creator, but from the moment of birth additional factors come into play.  There will always be those who are brighter, more driven, more skilled or just plain lucky.  These are but a few of the determinators that will dictate one’s position in the grand scale of American life.  Wishing for, hoping for or expecting a government handout will not elevate anyone from poverty.  Education, a desire to succeed and a strong economy will take you farther than any liberal band-aid. 

Liberal Democratic policies on taxation and revenue ultimately reduce revenue and produce a stagnant economy.

Raising taxes on business and wealthy individuals is always foremost on the liberal agenda.  Their stated intention is to raise additional revenues for additional social programs.  It doesn’t matter that the programs fail or that the short term revenue gains soon disappear as a result of lower personal savings and corporate investments, both essential for economic growth and job creation.  It is enough for the liberal constituency to feel good about the noble efforts of their elected Democratic officials.  An economic downturn has no effect for those receiving monthly checks from the government.

The liberal stand on the taxation of the rich is just a tired effort to “stick it to the Man.”  Individuals with any real desire to succeed financially should rather “join the Man” or “be the Man.”  But it is not a free ride. 

Liberal Democratic policies on education produce lower test scores and achievement.

Social engineering that started with cross-district bussing of school children to achieve balanced racial integration, and culminated in Affirmative Action programs that were more concerned with quotas than quality, has utterly failed to reverse the trend of lower test scores and achievement for minorities.  However, it has created a growing number of indoctrinated voters, who faithfully show up at the polls to give grateful thanks to their Democratic benefactors.

Speaking of indoctrination, the consummate bastion of liberal thought, the NEA, has turned the public school system into liberal orientation camps.  The ‘Three R’s” have been replaced by bashing Bush, learning the nuance of supporting the troops but not the war, and chanting the Gore mantra of global warming.  As our children advance to high school they can receive free condoms in biology class, and a free ride from their counselors to the local abortion clinic. I guess it is fair to say that I support our good teachers, but not their union.  I also wonder how many inner-city educators would not want their own children to attend the schools they teach in, yet support the NEA’s resistance to school voucher programs in an effort to protect their jobs. 

Liberal Democratic energy policies produce pseudo-science and disaster (and less energy.)

From the laboratories of liberal academics in search of funds, to the preservationists’ misguided and uninformed concern for the plight of a stray herd of Alaskan caribou, the pseudo-science of man made global warming and the virtual elimination of new oil exploration on or off shore, has led America to the precipice of an energy disaster.  Additionally, liberal policies have been successful in ensuring that no new nuclear facilities have been placed online since 1996, while several have been decommissioned.  Even a founding whacko of Greenpeace recognizes the folly of his past ways.  In an April 16, 2006 article in the Washington Post titled, “Going Nuclear; A Green Makes the Case,” Patrick Moore writes:

“More than 600 coal-fired electric plants in the United States produce 36 percent of U.S. emissions -- or nearly 10 percent of global emissions -- of CO2, the primary greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. Nuclear energy is the only large-scale, cost-effective energy source that can reduce these emissions while continuing to satisfy a growing demand for power. And these days it can do so safely.”

It would appear that Mr. Moore’s use of the threat of Global Warming does have some positive consequences, purely unintended by the liberals.  And while it may be amusing to watch liberals utilize their own folly to undermine other liberal policies, the only fuel currently provided by liberal energy policies is the one they use to burn George W. Bush and ‘Big Oil’ executives in effigy.

Secular liberal Democratic policies regarding Church and State leave no room for a Church in the State.

Fueled by the miscreants at the ACLU, liberal initiatives which challenge all things Christian in the name of separation of church and state have relegated the religion of our founding fathers and a majority of Americans to a seat at the back of the bus.  School Christmas concerts, became Holiday concerts, which then became seasonal or winter concerts.  Songs about the birth of Christ have been replaced by poetic readings from the Koran. While many Democrats profess to have deep religious beliefs, their level of conviction dwindles submissively in the face of their enlightened outreach to their Muslim brothers and sisters and is conveniently checked at the front desk of abortion clinics.

I will make a disclosure that is difficult for a conservative.  I am an atheist. It is neither a political cause nor a banner I wear on my sleeve.  It is simply a personal philosophical conclusion I arrived at many years ago.  However, my morals and attitudes are derived from the Christian principles I was taught as a child.  I do not scorn Christians, I envy their faith and I share their outrage when others use atheism as a cause to attack their beliefs and their rights to practice that faith. 

Attacks on Christianity are attacks on the very fiber and essence of what America was founded upon.  Eliminating “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance and calling for the removal of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama Supreme Court are not the righteous concerns of minority religions seeking equal treatment under the law.  Instead they are lightly veiled attempts to erode the values of a moral nation.  So, I ask my conservative and Christian friends, would you rather associate with a Christian Liberal Democrat or a Conservative Atheist? 

Liberal Democratic immigration policies foster more illegal immigration.

What part of ‘illegal’ does anyone not understand?  This is one area where the liberals do not masquerade.  They are blatantly advocating open borders for the very purpose of adding numbers, read voters, to America’s impoverished class.  They are not concerned with criminals, terrorists or opportunists that cross, just so long as they can build upon a minority underclass they hope to add to the liberal dole.  Their justification that Mexicans come to America to do the jobs Americans won’t do is the most bigoted outrage imaginable. It acknowledges the liberal eagerness to exploit virtual slaves solely to increase their power base.  The very liberals who purportedly take up the cause of minorities are now advocating the need for a permanent underclass.  Of course the liberal solution to this dilemma will be to raise additional taxes from the rest of us so that they can elevate the servile workers from the fields to the welfare roles.  This is the liberal version of upward mobility.

Liberal Democratic social policies create America’s “New Nobility.”

Noblesse Oblige, literally translated means ‘nobility obligates.’ This phrase describes the progressive attitude of the noble class: That the wealthy and privileged are obliged to help those less fortunate. Or as defined in the Miriam-Webster Online Dictionary: “the obligation of honorable, generous, and responsible behavior associated with rank or birth.”

On the surface this is a high-minded philosophy that “once upon a time in a universe far, far away” was in fact a noble ideal.  In one brilliant stroke, it is a concept that eased the conscience of the “upper class” while helping to alleviate at some minimal level the stress and difficulties of being in the ‘lower class’.  This was well and good in eighteenth century Europe where all people knew their place.  For better or worse your position in society was determined at birth.

But, to have “Champions of the People” there must be people willing to subject themselves to the champion’s rule.  Once you believe that the liberal Democratic candidates are there to look out for your personal best interest, you cede to them the control of your interests.  You not only create America’s “New Nobility,” you present yourselves to them on the proverbial bended knee which is an acknowledgement that they are your superiors.

Nobility as a station or title cannot exist without a willing lower class populace to rule.  The nobility know this.  Their existence requires keeping the populace dependent upon their alms.  Are the mild gains in your comfort worth the sacrifice of your opportunities to succeed?  Do you really believe that the liberals feel your pain? Or, do they need your pain to gain their power and nobility?  Are you willing to have as your legacy, the acceptance of a station in life that pre-limits your children’s right to aspire to rise above the limits imposed by their welfare status?

This is the twenty-first century.  This is America!  We live in a country that believes in the possibility that anyone can achieve his or her own dreams.  It is a country that was founded upon the rejection of nobility.  Are there people born into wealth in this country? Of course there are, just as there are individuals born into poverty!  This has been the reality of all societies throughout all human history.  There is no promise of living the American dream, only the potential.  The greatness of America is that you are not predestined to remain in the station of your birth.  You do have the opportunity to change your lot in life.  Or you can humbly submit to the geo-political expertise and largesse of Barbara Streisand, Michael Moore, Alec Baldwin and Sean Penn. 

The Liberal Democratic policy on the War on Terror

< As soon as one is announced, insert here >

Lacking a policy on the war leaves liberal Democrats with only obstructionism as a political tool.  But, it is that very obstructionism that foretells what the outcome of any stated policy would result in; more terrorists attacks upon America. 

Liberal Democrats do not want the War on Terror to be the central theme in next month’s mid-term elections.  Lacking any policy on terror leaves them vulnerable and exposed as a feckless group of opportunist.  Given the track record on all liberal Democrat policies of the past five decades that lead to opposite consequences, unintended or otherwise, leaves me to wonder just what issues they have to campaign on.  The record shows that the policies of Liberal Democrats do not serve America.  The consequence of liberal leadership (once again alliterative oxymoron intended) leaves no doubt that liberals exist only to serve themselves. 

On November 7, 2006, Americans will go to the polls to determine which party will lead the next congress.  I count myself among the many conservatives who have recently expressed frustration with the current administration’s policies on Iraq and the wider global war.  I don’t believe we are doing enough to defeat the fanatical Islamists that want nothing less than our destruction.  But, however imperfect this president and this congress may be, I shudder to think of a liberal Democratic alternative.  The very thought of a House Speaker Pelosi or a Senate Majority Leader Reid, should be sufficient reason to rally conservatives, Republicans, moderates and even Democrats that care about their children’s future, no, their very existence to vote for the only party that has a policy for defeating America’s greatest threat; The Republican Party.

Contributed by The Gray Dog on October 2, 2006 at 12:18 AM in Current Affairs, Dem Dumbness, G W Bush, Islamism Delenda Est, Politics, Religion, Science, The Gray Dog | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Friday, 22 September 2006
 

The Pope's Divisions
Contributed by George Mellinger

Is the pope wrong to imply--in a rather roundabout way--that there is today something amiss inside Islam, as a community of believers sharing one faith and a long, common cultural tradition? There probably isn't a single liberal editor at a major American or European paper who doesn't think that there is something a little dysfunctional--a disposition that tolerates, if not encourages and admires, violence as expression of religious outrage--among young Muslim males from Northern Europe to Indonesia. We might not be able to put our finger precisely on it--the problems of a radicalized British Muslim of Pakistani ancestry are not the same as a Sunni Iraqi suicide bomber who blows up Jordanian and Palestinian women and children--but we know there is something wrong within Islam's global house, something that cannot be blamed exclusively on Western prejudice, bigotry, military actions or colonialism.

Reuel Marc Gerecht has some very pertinent thoughts on Iran, and the need for dialogue with them, even while suggesting the difficulties in conducting dialogue with such a culture. Go read it all.

-Rurik

Contributed by George Mellinger on September 22, 2006 at 02:10 PM in George Mellinger, Iran, Islamism Delenda Est, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, 18 September 2006
 

Death of A True Martyr
Contributed by Bill Faith

[I first put this in Bill's Bites -- 2006.09.18, then decided I didn't want it scrolling off the main page that soon.]

This what a real martyr looks like
Michelle Malkin

There's a new Associated Press report on the murder of Sister Leonella that confirms the bloody obvious:

An elderly nun who was gunned down at the hospital where she worked in Somalia's capital was "specifically targeted before being executed by gunmen lying in wait," a hospital official said Monday.

Willy Huber, regional director of the Austrian-funded hospital where 65-year-old Sister Leonella had worked for four years, said the killing was not random. "She had no chance," said Huber, who heads the S.O.S. Kinderdorf organization in East Africa. "It was like an execution."

It was an execution:

[...]

Her last words:

Sister Leonella, 65, muttered the words 'I forgive, I forgive' in Italian after being targeted by gunmen in an apparent execution-style killing, father Maloba Wesonga told The Associated Press at the nun's memorial mass in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Monday.

Those are the words and deeds of a true martyr. God bless her.

Forgiving is something martyrs do, and saints, and The Lord Himself if He so chooses, which I doubt in this case. Forgiving is not something this old dog does, not in circumstances like this.

ISLAMISM DELENDA EST!

Also first posted in Bill's Bites but very relevant here:

• 13:02

The Religion of..
Michelle Malkin

...Fill In The Blank.

***

After you're done watching that, watch Dan Riehl's take. Read the latest death threats from members of The Religion of Fill-in-the-blank here and here and here:

The Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of Sunni Arab extremist groups that includes al-Qaeda in Iraq, issued a statement on a Web forum vowing to continue its holy war against the West. The authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified.

The group said Muslims would be victorious and addressed the pope as "the worshipper of the cross" saying "you and the West are doomed as you can see from the defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere. ... We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (killed by) the sword." ...

*** 2006.09.18 17:36

The difference between us and them...

...is that when we watch them insult the Pope with stupid, violent animated cartoons like this ... ...we don't go burning down their mosques and shooting their imams and incinerating their children and slicing their throats and repeatedly smacking the world over the head with a "Christianity Is Peace" placard dripping in blood.

Contributed by Bill Faith on September 18, 2006 at 02:42 PM in Bill Faith, Islamism Delenda Est, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Friday, 15 September 2006
 

Kudos for the Pope
Contributed by Karl Bossi

How is it possible to drive the radical Muslim world into a white-hot frenzy? The answer is for someone in a position of authority to quote from an ancient converstion that is not favorable to Islam.

More people who represent all the religions of the world need to speak out about radical Islam. There should be more serious dialogue and debate about what Islam is all about and what the religion truly represents. 

Islamic leaders have demanded an apology from the Pope, over remarks in which he quoted a 14th century conversation between a Byzantine Christian emperor and an educated Persian, on the truths of Christianity and Islam.

"The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," Pope Benedict said.

"He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached," Benedict quoted the emperor as saying.

Many people who follow Islam that are not paranoid and insecure can accept the Pope's right to quote from a long ago conversation. Instead of taking to the streets and demanding an apology, Islamic zealots should try to prove that it is incorrect. But, they have been brain-washed to the point that any criticism of Islam can't be tolerated. And, therefore, they clearly validate what was said about Islam so long ago.

Debate and discourse about Islam are sadly lacking in the media. Whenever people are intimidated and afraid to express themselves, tyranny rules. Radical Islamists can only demonstrate and threaten everyone who disagree with their goals. In this country freedom of religion is granted to everyone by law. Try passing out Christian or Jewish bibles in Saudi Arabia.

It's important that the Pope, other religious leaders, and politicians around the world continue to speak out about radical Islam. I need to visit a bookstore soon and pick up a title on the subject. A book like "Islam for Dummies" could go a long way in helping non-Muslims understand. 

*** 2006.09.15.:19:02

Bill Faith adds: Excelent, Karl. See also Michelle Malkin: I support the Pope

Contributed by Karl Bossi on September 15, 2006 at 06:10 PM in Bill Faith, Current Affairs, Islamism Delenda Est, Karl Bossi, Religion | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Friday, 01 September 2006
 

Religious education run amok?
Contributed by George Mellinger

Have you heard about the young students who have abandoned all academic learning to pursue their religious studies? Is fundamentalist home-schooling gone completely mad!?

The children, ages 7 to 14, are full-time students, in class 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, even in the summer. But they are not studying math, science or English.

Oh wait. No jihad here. Nothing to see. Move on along.

And another tip of the helmet to High Tory

-Rurik

Contributed by George Mellinger on September 1, 2006 at 08:58 PM in George Mellinger, Islamism Delenda Est, Media Perfidy, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, 28 August 2006
 

Re: The Media Stripped Naked. Part 2.
Contributed by The Gray Dog

Author’s Note:  The Gray Dog has been blessed and honored to be married to a professional educator who put her students and subject matter first. While there are thousands more like her, they are sadly a minority within their profession.  I know that she will not take offense at this post, and I hope that the other classroom professionals that share her integrity and commitment will understand that the following opinion is directed at their institution and not them personally.  You know who you are.  As background, please read Bill Faith’s contribution, “The Media Stripped Naked”, and my first response “Re: The Media Stripped Naked. Part 1”.

In case you missed it the first time and/or don’t want to read the first posts, let me simply state my thesis:  The media, like government, panders to its constituents.  Neither conservative talk shows nor liberal newspapers would continue to exist if they were not providing their customers a product that satisfied their political predispositions.  Likewise, conservatives and liberals are both capable of being easily led to false or misleading conclusions because of their willingness to accept the written and spoken words of their media idols.  In an effort to be “fair and balanced” to our liberal bone heads friends, I first cite the following flight of fancy that appeared on the WSJ online Opinion Journal last week.  “The Fertility Gap” by Arthur C. Brooks, makes the argument that Republicans are procreating at a higher rate the Democrats.  Brook’s questionable mathematics attempts to quantify that Republicans currently enjoy a 41% birth rate advantage over the Democrats.  Add to that the presumption that “about 80% of people with an identifiable party preference grow up to vote the same way as their parents” and voila! You can rest comfortable knowing that Republicans will continue to hold power for all eternity.

A rather non-committal BLOG, Half Sigma, responds with much more impressive math to refute Brook’s claim.  After wading through charts, means and standard deviations, the conclusion reached is, “The trend in the United States is that poor, religious, and stupid people are having more children, while rich, secular, and smart people are having fewer children.”  I’m not sure that either definition describes conservatives or liberals.  Maybe both groups are the result of a mixed marriage. 

The commonality of the two arguments is that the “acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.”  Opposing sides are led to the same conclusion that children will automatically carry on the family political banner.  Partisans all regale in the brilliant analysis of their preferred position while being led down the same primrose path of whimsy.  Unfortunately, it is a path liberals may travel with relative ease and comfort, while conservatives will discover the road to be fraught with peril.

In fact, the very conservatives who send their children to Sunday School, monitor the movies and television they watch, and restrict the types of computer games and internet access available to them, happily send them off each day to the liberal indoctrination camps we call the public school system.  What?

Yes, while we whine about the loss of prayer in school, and bemoan the latest folly of the ACLU, we willingly incarcerate our children each day with one of the most powerful liberal lobby groups in the country, the NEA.  Opting for soccer practice instead of the school board meeting or dance class in lieu of the parent-teacher conference, we leave the education of our most valuable resources in the unbridled hands of the very liberal forces we reject.  Maybe, we need to go back to school. 

As a precocious child of four, I entered Kindergarten in 1956.  Over the years my parents would typically ask, “What did you learn in school today?”   A typical response might range from recounting the adventures of “Dick and Jane” to the amazing factoid that the sun was really a star!  My fear is that a child entering Kindergarten in 2006 will soon respond to the same question with concern that Jack wasn’t using protection with Jill and the earth will soon self-destruct from global warming caused by carbon emissions. 

Of course, we baby boomers are afflicted by our training.  As Ann Coulter describes, we revere teachers as having “absolute moral authority.”  We are afflicted by the argument that “there are good teachers”, much the same way as we respond to “good Muslims” and “good liberals.” 
We hesitate to fire into a crowd of priest to stop a pedophile, we don’t dare criticize a mother whose son was lost in battle, nor do we dare challenge a teacher when confronted with the rare exception that is heralded as nothing less than the second coming of Christ.

There are many remedies that some can do and many can not.  Run for your school board, attend school board meetings, attend parent-teacher conferences, meet with principals, discover which are the good teachers, consider private schools if you can, home school if you must, but more than anything, talk to your children! 

Education today, envelopes far more that the traditional Three R’s.  Today, parents must do more than prepare our children for the work place.  We must prepare them to protect their very existence. History, Religion, Culture, Language, Politics and Family are the basis for Duty, Honor and Country.  If we can take the time to give this vital gift, we may yet preserve a future for the next generation in the same manner our parents preserved ours.  If we fail, history will see us as the “Least Generation.” That’s unimaginable.

Contributed by The Gray Dog on August 28, 2006 at 09:28 PM in Bill Faith, Current Affairs, Politics, R J Del Vecchio, Religion, The Gray Dog | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Thursday, 24 August 2006
 

Imagine
Contributed by The Gray Dog

Subtle, yet ironic is the proximity of the fifth anniversary of 9/11 to the thirty-fifth anniversary of the September 9, 1971 release of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”  Subtle, because of the differences of magnitude and time between the two events, yet ironic for the way that each defined the American psyche of its era.  Many of us, particularly Baby Boomers have a strong recollection of both events, yet few may see the eerie correlation.

While I naively spent many years mumbling half remembered lyrics that easily wafted atop this simplistic melody, to many others, “Imagine” was becoming an anthem emblematic of a generation.  For decades I ignored the impact of John Lennon’s words, yet now, I hear them each day resounding from the speeches of John Kerry, the protests of Cindy Sheehan, the actions brought to court by the ACLU and the decrees issued by Anna Diggs Taylor.

          Imagine there’s no heaven
          It’s easy if you try
          No hell below us
          Above us only sky
          Imagine all the people
          Living for today…

Not one to subject myself to the ritualism of religion, I have lived an agnostic life.  Yet even I dare to imagine a heaven.  To not imagine a heaven is easy, only if you do not try.  Hell, on the other hand requires little imagination.  I attended my 10th high school reunion in 1979.  While fortunate to have not lost any of our classmates due to combat in Viet Nam, we were no less shaken to learn that three had returned only to take their own lives.  Only a visit to hell could have caused such young men to relinquish their spirit before their time. Yes John, imagine.

And like the seventies, America continues to be cursed by its very blessings.  While our military is engaged in a protracted multi-front war, many have time to energetically protest our government and blame America for the ills of the world, while never missing an episode of 24 or American Idol.  Living for today…

          Imagine there’s no countries
          It isn’t hard to do
          Nothing to kill or die for
          And no religion too
          Imagine all the people
          Living life in peace…

In Europe’s rush to find Utopian bliss, their dreams of a European Union are quickly distorting into a Euro-Arabian nightmare.  America, likewise dons blinders while an invasion from the south threatens to turn the “great melting pot” into a centrifuge of disparate cultures and language.  No longer is there a unifying identity in America.  Instead, young men driven by ethnic hatred kill and die for a few blocks of turf or an ounce of smack, ignorant and unaware of the blood spilt by their fathers and grandfathers for a nation that was intended to be their salvation.  Religion remains sacrosanct as long as it does not involve Christianity.  America has become a nation intolerant of the very Christian tenets on which it was founded.  Living life in peace…

          Imagine no possessions
          I wonder if you can
          No need for greed and hunger
          A brotherhood of man
          Imagine all the people
          Sharing all the world…

In the Utopia of Sharia law, possessions, greed and hunger abound.  Of course women are the possessions, greed is tolerated for those in power, and hunger is a shared virtue. Yes John, imagine this idyllic brotherhood of man.  Sharing all the world…

          You may say I’m a dreamer
          But I’m not the only one
          I hope someday you’ll join us
          And the world will live as one

Yes John, you were a dreamer and not the only one.  Like your homophonic brother Vladimir, your lyrics have helped to slow the natural advance of human progress while leaving it vulnerable to an enemy even you didn’t imagine.   I can only hope that as 9/11 approaches, I will hear a more hopeful positive message than the one you left behind.  Maybe Dylan’s “The Times, They are a-Changin’” comes to mind.

Contributed by The Gray Dog on August 24, 2006 at 11:59 AM in Best of Old War Dogs, Current Affairs, Islamism Delenda Est, Music, Patriotism, Politics, Religion, The Gray Dog, War? What war? | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 08 August 2006
 

Dennis Prager: The Left's Inability to Confront Evil
Contributed by Bill Faith

On July 28, 2006, a Muslim entered the building of the Seattle Jewish Federation and shot every Jew he saw, murdering one woman and wounding five others.

On the same day, Mel Gibson was arrested on DUI charges and while intoxicated let loose with anti-Semitic invective at the Jewish police officer who arrested him.

Question: Which story has most troubled the Left?

The answer is known to any American who can hear or read.

So, the real question is: Why? Why has the shooting and murder of Jews elicited less angst from the Left than the anti-Semitic statements made by Mel Gibson when drunk?

The answers are very troubling. As Time magazine said about global warming (but never about Islamic terror), "Be worried, very worried."

[Read on.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 8, 2006 at 01:10 AM in Bill Faith, Dem Dumbness, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, 07 August 2006
 

The jihadis and the Jews (Updated and bumped)
Contributed by Bill Faith

I would have bet a six-pack today's Vent would be about Reutergate. I'd have lost. Click here.

*** Update and bump. Originally posted 09:14

White washing Islamists
By Joel Mowbray

Hiding behind potted plants, Naveed Haq laid in wait for a 14-year-old girl he could use as a hostage. With a gun in her back, he pushed his way past security and through the door. He coldly, deliberately shot six women. When a wounded Pamela Waechter tried to flee up some stairs, he followed her, leaned over a railing and killed her.

Are these the actions of a crazy person?

[...]

In other words, media outlets have spent fantastic energy exploring every possibility -- except the obvious one. Moments after spraying bullets across the offices of the Jewish Federation, he announced, "I'm a Muslim-American; I'm angry at Israel." So while Mr. Haq's short-lived apparent conversion to Christianity might be interesting, it neither inspired the murderous rampage nor serves as evidence that something in his Islamic environment did not.

Where is the investigation into what messages Mr. Haq heard in his hometown mosque, which was founded by his father? Or how about a look at the culture and attitudes of his hometown Muslim community?

[Read the whole thing here.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 7, 2006 at 10:54 AM in Bill Faith, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Afghanistan tosses Korean Christians
Contributed by Bill Faith

Bryan Preston:

Pluralistic? Religious freedom? Ha! Not even in the country that should know the dangers of state-sponsored sectarianism the most:

KABUL: Afghanistan has ordered hundreds of South Korean Christians to leave the country yesterday, accusing them of seeking to undermine Islamic culture and trying to spread Christianity.

Members of a South Korean non-governmental organisation, called the Institute of Asian Culture & Development, had prepared for a ’peace festival’ set for this weekend.

A member of the Korean group has said that the festival has been cancelled at the request of the Afghan government, Agence France-Presse reports.

[...]

[Read on.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 7, 2006 at 09:01 AM in Afghanistan, Bill Faith, Islamism Delenda Est, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 25 July 2006
 

"We Are All Jews Now"
Contributed by Bill Faith

'Can We Get Over It Already?' We Are All Jews Now
Alexandra von Maltzan

I have written enough about Israel, the so called 'Palestine', and the whole mess in the Middle East, for everyone to know that I am fiercely pro-Israel. Realizing that the Arabs in Saudi are finally reaching an understanding of the realities facing the present conflict in the Middle East, it is uncanny to think that, sanity is prevailing, and the region is accepting that siding with extremists is going to get them killed at best, and let them be seen to be 'sleeping with the enemy' and then get killed anyway, at worst. I have said it before and I'll say it again: after nearly 40 years of pin-point targeted response to Arab rabid hostilities leading to this perverse situation where the West pays the Palestinian officials, synonymous with terrorism, billions of Dollars so that they can keep spitting into Israel's face, we have come a full circle.

It's time to point the spot-light not only back at Thug-In-Chief Ahmadinejad and his purpose for Hezbollah, but also at Russia's tacit support for the murdering Jihadists. As much as I know of Russians, they are all fiercely anti-Semitic, and arrogantly feel that they have never quite forgiven the Jews for giving up our Lord Jesus Christ.

Just so that we all understand each other, I am a devout Christian, and I am vehemently against the tyranny of Islamofascism. I am once again clarifying my stand in case my question below is misunderstood to mean that I am neither interested in the Christian faith nor what it stands for. Caravaggio's painting depicted above 'The Taking of Christ' tells the story, and my question is this: "Can We Get Over It Already?"

I give you one of my favorite quotes from Charles Moore @ The Telegraph published a while back, to be never more relevant as it is today:

[...]

[Read on.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 25, 2006 at 03:47 PM in Bill Faith, Islamism Delenda Est, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, 24 July 2006
 

In Every Generation
Contributed by Bill Faith

In sympathy with our friends in their time of need. Click here.

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 24, 2006 at 06:53 AM in Bill Faith, Islamism Delenda Est, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, 02 July 2006
 

Its a Religious war, not a race war
Contributed by George Mellinger

YORK, Pa.--Three days before terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed by a U.S. air strike in Iraq, Pastor Moussa Joseph Moussa led a group of 500 believers in praying for the insurgency to be defeated. After the bombing, Mr. Moussa says, "I really believe that because we prayed, God dealt with the evil forces."  Continue reading here

There are Arab Christians. As a communicant of the Eastern Orthodox Church, I know several of these Believers, members of my own congregation. We even have one poor soul unfortunate enough to have been named Osama many years ago. (Think of the plight of a good American boy unfortunate enough to have been named Adolph in 1923.)  Most of the American Arab Christians come originally from Lebanon, some of them over a century or more ago. Others come from Syria and Iraq, and smaller proportions from elsewhere. And as this article reminds us, they split along party lines in about the same proportions as other Americans. And many of them passionately support the war.

We are not at war with Arabs; we are at war with islam, and in a death struggle with islam's militant true believers. The Christian Arab is my brother, and the secularized, muslim in label only, may be a friend. For the pagan rock-worshipers, no peace!

And in passing let me note that every Sunday, in the opening stages of our Liturgy, we offer a prayer for the leaders of our country and for our troops. That is not just for this war, but  the way we do things.

Contributed by George Mellinger on July 2, 2006 at 07:04 PM in Current Affairs, George Mellinger, Islamism Delenda Est, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack