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November 29 NEW IMMIGRANTSORANGE COUNTY ( CALIFORNIA ) NEWSPAPER
This is a very good letter to the editor. This woman made some good points. For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple. NOT printed in the Orange County Paper....................
New Immigrants
From: "David LaBonte"
My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print" it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined.
Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:
Dear Editor:
So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.
Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.
They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture.
Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy,France and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They were defe nding the United States of America as one people. When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.
And here we are in 2006 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life . I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.
And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.
November 26 THE ACCIDENT IN MINNESOTATHE ACCIDENT IN MINNESOTA
"Didn't you say, sir, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine,'?" asked the lawyer. Ole responded, "Vell, I'll tell you vat happened. I had just loaded my Favorite mule, Bessie, into the... "I didn't ask for any details", the lawyer interrupted. Just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine!'?"
November 25 WINTER WEATHERIT HAS SNOW THE LAST FEW DAYS AND IT IS WELCOMED. IT HAS BEEN COLD BUT, CONSIDERING THAT WE HAD A MILD WET SUMMER WITH PLENTY OF RAIN THIS YEAR. IT WILL CONTINUE TO GET COLD. I GUESS IT SNOW ABOUT A COUPLE OF INCHES BUT BY 3 PM, THE SUN HAD MELT ALL THE SNOW...WELL BACK TO WARM DAYS.
IN OTHER NEWS, BABY GRACE MIGHT HAVE HAD HER PARENTS FOUND....
PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. I DON'T THINK SO. ISLAMIC RADICALS WILL NEVER REST UNITL EVERYONE IS A MUSLIM OR DEAD. PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ, I WOULD SAY IS PROBABLY CATHOLIC, AND THE CRAZY IRANIAN PRESIDENT, WOULD PROBABLY STAB HIM. AFTER ALL CHAVEZ IS AN INFIDEL, JUST LIKE ME, BUT I BELIEVE IN GOD, JESUS, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. SOONER OR LATER, WAR WILL HAPPEN, IT JUST WHEN.
OUR DOLLAR IS NOT DOING SO GOOD. WE EITHER START RAISING MORE TAXES TO PAY THE DEFICIT OR WATCH OUR ECOMONY PLUNDER. THE EURO IS DOING GOOD BUT SOONER OR LATER IT WILL FLOUNDER. THE DEMOCRATS ARE NOT DOING SO GOOD IN GOVERNMENT BUT THEN LOOKS WHO IS LEADING THEM...AS FOR THE REPUBLICANS, TES..TES..TES...JUST GOT TO GREEDY.
OIL WILL HIT A $100 BUCKS SOON. NOW IF OUR OIL REFINERIES WOULD ONLY UPGRADE TO PRODUCE MORE AND EVEN BUILD MORE REFINERIES SINCE NOT ONE HAD BEEN BUILD IN OVER 25 YRS. ETHANOL WILL NEVER DO GOOD. IT POLLUTES LESS THE AIR, BUT I FIGURE IT HAS SOLID WASTE OR LIQUIDS THAT ARE HARD TO GET RID OF....JUST DON'T KNOW THE WHOLE STORY.
AND REMEMBER GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE, PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE WITH A GREAT VARITY OF WEAPONS.
DO YOUR PART IN KEEPING AMERICA BEAUTIFUL, THERE ARE PLENTY OF US THAT CARE. November 24 ONLY IF YOU RETIRE!
November 22 ISLAMIC LAW---MAKES YOU WONDERNovember 21, 2007Saudi defends 200 lashes for gang-rape victimHow could they not defend it? They're just applying Islamic law. "Saudi defends verdict against gang-rape victim," from Reuters (thanks to John): RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia defended on Tuesday a court's decision to sentence a woman who was gang-raped to 200 lashes of the whip, after the United States described the verdict as "astonishing".
Nothing astonishing about it at all. It's just Islamic law, but why would the State Department know or care about that November 21 NOSTALGIC BURMA SHAVE SIGNS NOSTALGIC Burma Shave Signs
Those Grand Old Burma Shave Road Signs TRAINS DON'T WANDER ALL OVER THE MAP 'CAUSE NOBODY SITS IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP Burma Shave SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH BY MISTAKE SHE THOUGHT IT WAS HER HUSBAND JAKE Burma Shave Remember these? For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's, '40's, and '50's. Before there were interstates, and on old 301S, when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields. They were small red signs with white letters. Five signs, about 100 feet apart, each containing 1 line of a 4 line couplet . and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream. Here are more of the actual signs: DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD TO GAIN A MINUTE YOU NEED YOUR HEAD YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT Burma Shave DROVE TOO LONG DRIVER SNOOZING WHAT HAPPENED NEXT IS NOT AMUSING Burma Shave BROTHER SPEEDER LET'S REHEARSE ALL TOGETHER GOOD MORNING, NURSE Burma Shave CAUTIOUS RIDER TO HER RECKLESS DEAR LET'S HAVE LESS BULL AND MORE STEER Burma Shave SPEED WAS HIGH WEATHER WAS NOT TIRES WERE THIN X MARKS THE SPOT Burma Shave THE MIDNIGHT RIDE OF PAUL FOR BEER LED TO A WARMER HEMISPHERE Burma Shave AROUND THE CURVE LICKETY-SPLIT BEAUTIFUL CAR WASN'T IT? Burma Shave NO MATTER THE PRICE NO MATTER HOW NEW THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE IN THE CAR IS YOU Burma Shave A GUY WHO DRIVES A CAR WIDE OPEN IS NOT THINKIN' HE'S JUST HOPIN' Burma Shave AT INTERSECTIONS LOOK EACH WAY A HARP SOUNDS NICE BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY Burma Shave BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL EYES ON THE ROAD THAT'S THE SKILLFUL DRIVER'S CODE Burma Shave THE ONE WHO DRIVES WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING DEPENDS ON YOU TO DO HIS THINKING Burma Shave CAR IN THE DITCH DRIVER IN THE TREE THE MOON WAS FULL AND SO WAS HE. Burma Shave And my all time favorite: PASSING SCHOOL ZONE TAKE IT SLOW LET OUR LITTLE SHAVERS GROW Burma Shave Do these bring back any old memories? If not, you're merely a child. If they do - then you're old as dirt... LIKE ME! and I remember: Don't stick your elbow Out so far It may go home In another car BURMA SHAVE WHEN YOUR SUPPLY
GETS DOWN TO FOUR THAT'S THE TIME TO BUY SOME MORE Burma Shave BEST ADVICE NO IF OR BUTS DRIVE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IS NUTS Burma Shave THIS SIGNS MAKE GOOD SAFETY SIGNS AT LARGE PLANTS WHERE DRIVING CAN BE MILES. November 20 GOLFING AT ITS BEST.....A MUST READ FOR ALL GOLFERS . . .
A nun walks into Mother Superior's office and plunks down into a chair. She lets out a sigh heavy with frustration. What troubles you, Sister?" asks the MotherSuperior. "I thought this was the day you spent with your family." "It was," sighed the Sister. "And I went to play golf with my brother. We try to play golf as often as we can. You know I was quite a talented Golfer before I devoted my life to Christ." "I seem to recall that," the Mother Superior agreed. "So I take it your day of recreation was not relaxing?" "Far from it," snorted the Sister. "In fact, I even took the Lord's name in vain today!" "Goodness, Sister!" gasped the Mother Superior, astonished. "You must tell me all about it!" "Well, we were on the fifth tee...and this hole is a monster, Mother -540 yard Par 5, with a nasty doglegleft and a hidden green...and I hit the drive of my life.I creamed it. The sweetest swing I ever made. And it's flying straight and true, right along the line I wanted. and it hits a bird in mid-flight not 100 yards off the tee!" "Oh my!" commiserated the Mother. "How unfortunate! But surely that didn't make you blaspheme, Sister!" "No, that wasn't it," admitted Sister. "While I was still trying to fathom what had happened, this squirrel runs out of the woods grabs my ball and runs off Down the fairway!"
"Oh, that would have made me blaspheme!" sympathized Mother. "But I didn't, Mother Superior!" sobbed the Sister. "And I was so proud of myself! And while I was pondering whether this was a sign from God, this hawk swoops out of the sky and grabs the squirrel and flies off, with my ball still clutched in his paws!" "So that's when you cursed," said the Mother with a knowing smile. "Nope, that wasn't it either," cried the Sister, anguished, "because as the hawk started to fly out of sight, the squirrel started struggling, and the hawk dropped him right there on the green,
and the ball popped out of his paws and rolled to about 18 inches from the cup!" Mother Superior sat back in her chair, folded her arms across her chest, fixed the Sister with a baleful stare and said... "You missed the putt, didn't you?" November 18 MRE DINNER DATEMRE DINNER DATE
MRE dinner date, the following is a true story .... told from the point of view of a young Marine.
I had a date the other night at my place. On the phone the day before, the girl asked me to "Cook her something she's never had before" for dinner. After many minutes of scratching my head over what to make, I finally settled on something she has DEFINITELY never eaten.
I got out my trusty case of MRE's. Meal, Ready-to-Eat. Field rations that when eaten in their entirety contain 3000+ calories. Here's what I made I took three of the Ham Slices out of their plastic packets, took out three of the Pork Chops, three packets of Chicken-a-la- King, and eight packets of dehydrated butter noodles and some dehydrated/rehydrated rice. I cooked the Ham Slices and Pork Chops in one pan, sautéed in shaved garlic and olive oil.
In an other pot, I blended the Chicken a-la-king, noodles, and rice together to make a sort of mush that looked suspiciously like succotash. I added some spices, and blended everything together in a glass pan that I then cooked in the oven for about 35 minutes at 450 degrees.
When I took it out, it looked like, well, ham slices, pork chops, and a bed of yellow poop. I covered the tops of the meat in the MRE cheese (kind of like Velveeta) and added some green sprinkle things from one of my spice cans (hey, if it's got green sprinkle things on it, it looks fancy right?)
For dessert, I took four MRE Pound Cakes, mashed 'em up, added five packets of cocoa powder, powdered coffee cream, and some water. I heated it up and stirred it until it looked like a sort of chunky gelatinous organism, and I sprinkled powdered sugar on top of it. Voila--Ranger Pudding.
For alcoholic drinks, I took the rest of my bottle of Military Special Vodka (yes, they DO make a type of liquor named "Military Special"--it sells for $4.35 per fifth at the Class Six) and mixed in four packets of "Electrolytes - 1 each - Cherry flavored" (I swear, the packet says that). It looked like an eerie Kool-aid with sparkles in it (that was the electrolytes I guess... could've been leftover sand from Egypt ).
I lit two candles, put a vase of wildflowers in the middle, and set the table with my best set of Ralph Lauren Academy-series China (that shit is EXPENSIVE... my set of 8 place settings cost me over $600 on sale at the Lejeune PX ), and put the alcoholic drink in a crystal wine decanter.
She came over, and I had some appetizers already made, of MRE spaghetti-with- meatballs, set in small cups. She saw the dinner, saw the food, and said "This looks INCREDIBLE!! !"
We dug in, and she was loving the food. Throughout the meal, she kept asking me how long it took me to make it, and kept remarking that I obviously knew a thing or two about cooking fine meals. She kind of balked at the makeshift "wine" I had set out, but after she tried it I guess she liked it because she drank four glasses during dinner.
At the end of the main course, when I served the dessert, she squealed with delight at the "Chocolate mousse" I had made. Huh? Chocolate what?
Okay... yeah... its Chocolate Moose. Took me HOURS to make... yup
Later on, as we were watching a movie, she excused herself to use my rest room. While she was in there, I heard her say softly to herself "uh oh" and a resounding but petite fart punctuated her utterance of dismay.
Let the games begin.
She sprayed about half a can of air freshener (Air Freshener, 1 each, Orange scent. Yup. The military even makes smell-good) and returned to the couch, this time with an obvious pained look.
After 10 more minutes she excused herself again, and retreated to the bathroom for the second time, I could hear her say "What the hell is WRONG with me???" as she again send flatulent shock waves into the porcelain bowl. This time, they sounded kind of serious, and I heard the toilet paper roll being employed, and again, LOTS more air freshener.
Back to the couch. She smiles meekly as she decides to sit on the chair instead of next to me. She sits on my chair, knees pulled up to her chest, kind of rocking back and forth slightly. Suddenly, without a word, she ROCKETED up and FLEW to the bathroom, slammed the door, and didn't come out for 30 minutes.
I turned the movie up because I didn't want her to hear me laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my cheeks.
She came out with a slightly gray pallor to her face, and said "I am SOOOOOO sorry. I have NO idea what is wrong with me. I am so embarrassed; I can't believe I keep running to your bathroom!!" I gave her an Imodium AD, and she finally settled down and relaxed.
Later on, she asked me again what I had made for dinner, because she had enjoyed it so much. I calmly took her into the kitchen and showed her all the used MRE bags and packets in the trash can.
After explaining to her that she had eaten roughly 9,000 calories of "Marine Corps Field Rations" she turned stark white, looked at me incredulously, and said "I ate 9,000 calories of dehydrated food that was made 3 years ago?"
After I rogered, she grabbed her coat and keys, and took off without a word.
She called me yesterday. Seems she couldn't have a bowel movement for 5 days, and when she finally did, the smell was so bad, her roommate could smell it from down the hall. She also told me she had been working out nonstop to combat the high caloric intake, and that she never wanted me to cook dinner for her again, unless she was PERSONALLY there to inspect the food beforehand.
It was a fun date. She laughed about it eventually and said that that was the first time she'd ever crapped in a guy's house on a date. She'd been so upset by it she was in tears in the bathroom while I had been in tears o n the couch.
I know ... I'm an A**hole, but it was still a funny night.
As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way !!! November 17 CHEROKEE WISDOM Cherokee Wisdom Two Wolves
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentmentinferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied............The One you feed November 15 SOUTHERN FRIENDS"FRIENDS" VS. "SOUTHERN" FRIENDS
November 14 DEAF WIFEA man feared his wife wasn't hearing as well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family Doctor to discuss the problem.
The Doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband Could perform to give the Doctor a better idea about her hearing loss. Here's what you do,' said the Doctor, 'stand about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response.'
That evening, the wife is in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he was In the den. He says to himself, 'I'm about 40 feet away, let's see what happens.' Then in a normal tone he asks, 'Honey, what's for dinner?' No response. So the husband moves closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his Wife and repeats, 'Honey, what's for dinner?'
Still no response. Next he moves into the dining room where he is about 20 feet from His wife and asks, 'Honey, what's for dinner?'
Again he gets no response. So, he walks up to the kitchen door, about 10 feet away. 'Honey, what's for dinner?' Again there is no response. So he walks right up behind her. 'Honey, what's for dinner?' (I just love this) 'Ralph, for the FIFTH Freakin' time, CHICKEN!'
November 13 ROOSEVELT'S IDEAS ON IMMIGRANTS 1907Guess his words were forgotten.......
November 12 FIGHTINGThe purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory indefense. The sword is more important than the shield and skill ismore important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All elseis supplemental." -- John Steinbeck1- Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he's too old to fight, he'll just kill you.2- If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.3- I carry a gun 'cause a cop is too heavy.4- America is not at war. The U.S. Military is at war. America is atthe mall. (Ain't this the gospel truth!)5- When seconds count, the cops are just minutes away. (shoot first -then call 911).6- A reporter did a human interest piece on the Texas Rangers. Thereporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying andasked him "Why do you carry a 45?". The Ranger responded with,"Because they don't make a 46."7- An armed man will kill an unarmed man with monotonous regularity.8- The old sheriff was attending an awards dinner when a ladycommented on his wearing his sidearm. "Sheriff, I see you have yourpistol. Are you expecting trouble?" "No Ma'am. If I were expectingtrouble, I would have brought my rifle."9- Beware the man who only has one gun. He probably knows how to use it. November 11 OUTSOURCINGThe Trouble with Outsourcing
I was depressed last night so I called Lifeline.
November 10 DR. PHIL'S TESTThis is fun...only takes a couple of minutes. Below is Dr. Phil's test. ( Dr. Phil scored 55; he did this test on Oprah - she got a 38.) Some folks pay a lot of money to find this stuff out! Answers are for who you are now --- not who you were in the past. Have pen or pencil and paper ready. a) stand with your arms folded b) have your hands clasped c) have one or both your hands on your hips d) touch or push the person to whom you are talking e) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair . b) your legs crossed c) your legs stretched out or straight d) one leg curled under you a) red or orange b) black c) yellow or light blue d) green e) dark blue or purple f) white g) brown or gray 5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2
51 T 60 POINTS : Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate. November 09 COOLPretty Cool  ( Don't ask me! I don't know how it's done!!) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Stretch your brain This is not a test - just a phenomenon. All readings are explained. Read out loud the text inside the triangle below.  More than likely you said, "A bird in the bush,"! and. ....... if this IS what YOU said, then you failed to see that the word THE is repeated twice! Sorry, look again. Next, let's play with some words. What do you see?  In black you can read the word GOOD, in white the word EVIL (inside each black letter is a white letter). It's all very physiological too, beca use it visualize the concept that good can't exist without evil (or the absence of good is evil). Now, what do you see?  You may not see it at first, but the white spaces read the word optical, the blue landscape reads the word illusion. Look again! Can you see why this painting is called an optical illusion? What do you see here?  This one is quite tricky! The word TEACH reflects as LEARN. Last one. What do you see?  You probably read the word ME in brown, but....... when you look through ME you will see YOU! Do you need to look again? Test Your Brain This is really cool. The second one is amazing so please read all the way though.  ALZHEIMERS' EYE TEST Count every " F " in the following text: FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTI FIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS... (SEE BELOW) HOW MANY ? WRONG, THERE ARE 6 -- no joke. READ IT AGAIN ! Really, go Back and Try to find the 6 F's before you scroll down. The reasoning behind is further down. The brain cannot process "OF". & nbsp;  Incredible or what? Go back and look again!! Anyone who counts all 6 "F's" on the first go is a genius.  Three is normal, four is quite rare. Send this to your friends. It will drive them crazy.! And keep them occupied For several minutes..!  More Brain Stuff . . From Cambridge University . Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on !! Psas Ti ON ! November 08 POPE ISLAMOPHOBEOctober 22, 2007Spencer: The Muslim Letter to the PopeThis week's Jihad Watch column at Human Events: The Vatican responded Friday to the open letter sent at the end of Ramadan by 138 Muslim scholars to Pope Benedict XVI and a wide array of other Christian leaders. The response was somewhat deflating, given the mainstream media’s enthusiasm over the Muslim letter -- an enthusiasm which the senders must have anticipated. Noting the Muslim scholars’ declaration that “the future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians,” the Telegraph‘s headline was typical of the coverage: “Muslim scholars’ olive branch to Christians.” Reuters burbled about an “Unprecedented Muslim call for peace with Christians.” But was it really? This week’s response from Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, hardly seemed sporting. Tauran observed that the possibility of serious dialogue between Muslims and Christians was limited by the traditional Islamic understanding of the Muslim holy book: “Muslims,” he said, “do not accept that one can discuss the Koran in depth, because they say it was written by dictation from God. With such an absolute interpretation, it is difficult to discuss the contents of faith.” Tauran went on to call for reciprocity between the treatment of Christians in Islamic lands and the treatment of Muslims in the West, decrying the fact that Muslims are permitted to build mosques freely in Europe, but Christians face difficulties or outright bans when trying to build churches in Muslim lands. “In a dialogue among believers, it is fundamental to say what is good for one is good for the other.” But that presumes an equality of religions, and that one can admit the legitimacy of the other. And that is the element missing from the proposed debate. On the basis of the letter alone, it’s surprising that there has ever been conflict between Muslims and Christians, or Muslims and anyone. The scholars say: “in obedience to the Holy Qur’an, we as Muslims invite Christians to come together with us on the basis of what is common to us, which is also what is most essential to our faith and practice: the Two Commandments of love.” Yet the “Two Commandments of love” were nowhere in evidence last August when an Egyptian convert from Islam to Christianity was sentenced to death by Islamic clerics. “The Two Commandments of love” have not saved Christians in Baghdad, where Islamic gangs knocked on doors in Christian neighborhoods, demanding payment of the jizya tax specified for non-Muslims by the Qur’an (9:29). Nor is Iraq the only problem area: in Egypt, Coptic Christians have suffered discrimination and harassment for centuries, and their plight is increasing. In Pakistan a prominent Catholic priest said in August 2007 that Christians are frequently denied equality of rights with Muslims and subjected to various forms of discrimination. The persecution of Christians is the primary indication of the letter’s inadequacy as the basis for any real dialogue between Muslims and Christians. Genuine dialogue must focus, or at least be cognizant of, the reality of what separates the two parties. Nothing can be resolved, no genuine peace or harmony attained, except on the basis of confronting those differences. While saying they want to build on common ground, the Muslim scholars (amid copious Qur’an quotes) never mention Qur’an 5:17, which says that those who believe in the divinity of Christ are unbelievers, or 4:171, which says that Jesus was not crucified, or 9:30, which says that those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God are accursed, or 9:29, which mandates warfare against and the subjugation of Jews and Christians. It seems reasonable to suggest that verses like these would need to be addressed in some way, even if only to give them some benign interpretation, if there is to be any true and honest dialogue. The media enthusiasm for this letter is, at best, premature. We may hope that Muslim scholars will someday address Muslim persecution of Christians and offer a non-literal interpretation of the Christianophobic passages in the Qur’an. Then there will be a basis for genuine dialogue. But they haven’t done it yet. Posted by Robert at October 22, 2007 8:22 AM October 22, 2007Pope Islamophobe I: Religion must never be used to promote hatred and violence, declares Pope BenedictWill the Islamic response to this be more hatred and violence in the name of their religion? "Religion must never be used to promote hatred and violence, declares Pope Benedict," from CNA (thanks to JJD): Naples, Oct 21, 2007 / 12:23 pm (CNA).- After celebrating an outdoor Mass at the Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples, the Pope met with Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox and Protestant leaders as well as the presidents of numerous African and Latin American countries and some Nobel Peace laureates. He reminded the assembled leaders that religions must never be exploited to promote hatred and violence.... Addressing the religious leaders, Pope Benedict said, “Faced with a world torn by conflict, where the name of God is still used to justify violence, it is important to reiterate that religions must never be exploited to promote hatred and violence.” Rather, “religions can and must offer precious resources for the peaceful future of humanity.” November 07 ALL MODERN DISCOVERIES ARE BY MUSLIM SCIENTIST'SNovember 7, 2007Columbia prof: ‘All modern discoveries are by Muslim scientists’They cured polio, flew to the moon, perfected the heart transplant -- wait, no, scratch that. But they did do absolutely everything else. There is a certain sadness to this kind of ridiculous triumphalism, for it just begs the question of why, then, is the Islamic world so mired in misery today? But that question, of course, brings us right back to Zionist Crusader paranoia. It's too bad Muslim scientists haven't discovered a cure for that. "‘All modern discoveries are by Muslim scientists,’" from the Daily Times (thanks to Writer Mom): LAHORE: Muslim scientists have made all discoveries of the current age, said University of Columbia’s Arabic and Islamic Studies prof George Saliba at a seminar at the Government College University (GCU) on Monday. The seminar, titled The Problems of Historiography of Islamic Science, was held at Fazl-e-Hussain Hall. Saliba gave a critique of the standard classical accounts of the rise of Islamic science. He detailed problems in the accounts and explained alternative historiography that described the rise of an Islamic scientific tradition as a result of social and political conditions within the nascent Islamic empire. He said Muslim philosophy was the impetus behind Islamic science that had contributed to various disciplines including botany, zoology, algebra, trigonometry, physics, chemistry, astronomy, physics, chemistry, physiology and mathematics in the pre-industrial era. He said the use of decimal fractions was not a Western invention and that it was discovered by a Muslim scientist. He said the binary system, on which the computer was based, was also invented by a Muslim scientist. He said Arab/Islamic science was not an intermediary between Greek science and European science, but was rather the Renaissance that integrated the Islamic science with European science.... Posted by Robert at November 7, 2007 12:39 PM Comments
(Note: Comments on articles are unmoderated, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Dhimmi Watch or Robert Spencer. Comments that are off-topic, offensive, slanderous, or otherwise annoying may be summarily deleted. However, the fact that particular comments remain on the site IN NO WAY constitutes an endorsement by Robert Spencer of the views expressed therein.) I guess that is why 165 Jews have won the Nobel Prize, compared to 6 Muslims.Posted by: Wimbledon Womble Saliba? George Saliba? The very one who got into a hysterical huff about the work of the historian of science Toby Huff, and Huff's daring to suggest in his excellent study on the rise of modern science (in the West, Islam, and China) that there was something about Islam that prevented such development? The same George Saliba who describes the science, often the product of Christians and Jews and Zoroastrians, or of those who were only a generation or two away from being Christians and Jews and Zoroastrians, and were formed by that non-Muslim milieu), under Islamic rule, as either "Islamic science" or, as in one of his books, as "Arabic science"? That George Saliba? The same George Saliba whom a student charged with bullying and intimidating her in class, claiming that she couldn't possibly be an "Israeli" who had a claim to a sliver of territory in the Middle East because her eyes were not brown, as his were, and only brown-eyed people, apparently, could truly claim descent from Middle Easterners? That George Saliba? Posted by: Hugh Never heard of this guy before. Sounds a tad unstable. ...also, he is dead wrong about the moon landing. Doesn't he know the whole thing was a hoax?!Posted by: RoobartSbunsar The Global Islamic population is approximately 1,200,000,000, or 20% of the world population. Literature Peace: Physics: Medicine:
Literature: Peace: Chemistry: Economics: Medicine: Physics:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1456395/postsPosted by: Ynkedoodl2 MILITARY QUOTES Military Quotes When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of 'empire building' by George Bush. He answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of ts fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return." It became very quiet in the room. Then there was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room saying "Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?" A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: "Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck.. We have eleven such ships; and how many does France have?" Once again, dead silence. A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, 'whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?' Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.' You could have heard a pin drop! November 06 IRAN -- FREEDOM OF RELIGION -- NOT!Iran: Judge rules beating victim guilty of 'evangelism' -- jihadists had right to attack woman because she preached ChristianityIslamic Tolerance Alert: "Judge rules beating victim guilty of 'evangelism': Says persecutors had right to attack because woman shared Christian testimony," from WorldNetDaily.com (thanks to Morgaan Sinclair): An Iranian judge has concluded a woman who was attacked and beaten and had her sewing shop equipment destroyed by vandals has no legal recourse because she was guilty of "evangelism," according to a new report from Voice of the Martyrs, a worldwide ministry to the Persecuted Church. WND earlier reported that persecution of Christians inside Iran is on the increase, and the new report appears to confirm that. VOM said the newest testimony is from its contacts inside Iran, and actually depicts "the resilience of believers who are sharing the gospel despite persecution." The woman, whose name was not revealed, was running a tailoring business, and had volunteered to teach three young ladies how to sew. As part of the conversations that arose, her testimony about Christianity came up, and in response to a number of questions, she started teaching them about Christianity, Voice of the Martyrs said. The VOM contacts reported, however, one of the students was from "a fanatic Muslim family," and when they discovered the teaching, they first opposed it. "But this young lady was seriously following her Christian beliefs. Things got worse, to the extent that her parents started beating her up and threatening her if she didn't leave her faith," the VOM report said. "They told her, 'If you don't return to Islam, we will keep beating you until you die,'" VOM said....
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