Getting your Burkha (or Kaffiyeh) in a Knot...
Now that Newsweek has been blasted for irresponsible reportage and being very bad Americans, let's turn our attention to the other side of the coin vis-a-vis the whole Koran-in-the-toilet kerfuffle.

Islam is a sorry excuse for a religion. The people who practice it are often a sorry excuse for people. It's central tenet is the primacy of Islam, to the exclusion of all other religions, even going as far as to advocate violence and sadism in a an effort to either forcibly convert or eliminate non-Muslims.

The Bible says "Thou shalt not kill". It does not make a distinction such as "Thou shalt not kill other Jews" . Islam, on the other hand, tells it's adherants a amalgam of the following: Thou shalt not kill other Muslims, although Jews and all other infidels are fair game, unless of course, you are killing Shi'ites and other apostates or if your murderous rampage is made in the name of securing or regaining secular power, which of course, you will do in the name of Allah."

Islam is all about murder. It's murdered it's way across three continents since the 7th century, so why should it stop now?

Newsweek was definitely wrong to publish that article considering the volatility of the Islamic hoarde and the fact that American boys and gals are in the line of fire. But it's also painfully obvious that Muslims will latch onto any excuse they can find to kill somebody. Anybody.

You know, it's about time all of this "hearts and minds" bullshit in Iraq and Afghanistan came to an end. You can invade a country, drive out the repressive, murderous thugs who run it, introduce democracy and the free market and in the end, the violence continues. It continues because we have been aiming at the wrong target. Saddam and the Taliban were merely side effects: the real poison is Islam.

President Bush has made incredible efforts to frame the current War on Terror not as a crusade (not afraid to use the word) against Islam, but merely the evil dictators and terrorists who hide behind it. I have always disagreed with this contention. If we're serious about winning, it cannot be through magnanimity before victory is achieved, it must be achived before we can be magnaminous. Once again, our Western sensibilities, in this case not knocking anyone's religion, is hindering us.

Flatten Iraq if the people won't turn in or do something about the terrorists and insurgents in their midst. Send Afghanistan back to the Mud Age is people wish to riot over a thrid-hand report of a falsehood, merely accepted as fact because they lack the capacity for independant thought. Murder, rampage and outrage is all these people understand, and naked power is all they respect. Let's start filling some mass graves of our own ---Saddam seemed to rule over a country with no internal dissent when he did it. Only after the rabble rousers and their hangers on are utterly defeated, humiliated, unable to continue the fight on any level whatsoever, can the process of democratization go forward.

The Galloway Affair...
I caught all of about 15 minutes of George Galloway's testimoney in front of the Congressional Oil-for-Food investigation. Mr. Galloway was so arrogant, so huffy, so wrong-headed, that it wasn't worth it to watch any more. Just based upon the stupidity on display, I don't need to see the evidence against him: he protests way too much to NOT be guilty.

Newsweek Makes Up the News...
In the aftermath of the "Koran Debacle" there should be some very sorry and introspective folks at Newsweek. In case you've been living in a cave, here's what has transpired:

Newsweek reported in it's May, 9th issue that military personnel at Guantanomo Bay had flushed a copy of the Koran down a toilet as an interrogation method. After the publication of this little gem, riots took off from Afghanistan to Pakistan, 17 people were killed in the violence and American troops in the Middle East are about to reap the whirlwind. Taking their queue from Newsweek, several American and international news agencies fanned the flames, and of course, continued to question the policies of the United States, although time with a more jaundiced eye that before.

It turns out that Newsweek isn't even sure the story is true. In fact, Newsweek didn't even bother to check it out. Newsweek merely ran a story based on heresay, with out corroboration, and the source for this whole thing isn't even sure where he read it.

So, let's get this straight: Newsweek runs a story based on one source, who's information is suspect and isn't even based upon a first-hand, personal knowledge. The resulting outrage against the United States causes millions of Muslims to flip their turbans (let's be frank, it doesn't take much to begin with) and 17 innocent people die. American troops and diplomats will bear the brunt of the falsehood, and the job we have to do in Afghanistan and Iraq just got exponentially tougher.

You know, everytime someone makes acase against censorship, someone else does something like this and makes us wish we did censor our press, when warrented.

Sixty years ago during WWII, soomething like this would never see the light of day, whether it was true or not --- the potential to damage U.S. operations and the potential harm that could be done to our troops, would have made the reporters of that day think not twice, but three times, before publishing. However, in this day and age of News as Entertainment and the rush to be the first to break a story, it's painfully obvious that what passes for reportage these days is shameful and disgusting.

I certainly hope Newsweek will start a fund not only for the people killed in the riots, but starts putting aside major cash for U.S. personnel who are now more likely to be killed because of the resulting firestorm.

I just cancelled my subscription.

Cheney in '08?
Wouldn't THAT be something to see? I'm salivating over the thought of Dick Cheney deconstructing and destroying Hillary in a debate. It would be no contest, and after it was all over, Mrs. Clinton would be lucky to walk out of the room with her sanity.

However, Dick is an older gentleman, and although he has looked bery healthy recently, there's no telling how that ticker would hold up under the strain of a campaign. Then again, if I was HIllary, I'd be dreaming of facing Dick on the off chance that he actually does have a heart attack before election day: the only way this woman could win the Presidency is if her opponent died.