Posted on Monday, May 22, 2006. From a September interview with Rashad Akhtar, a twenty-seven-year-old British Muslim, who alleges that the graphic used on the lid of Burger King ice-cream cones resembles the Arabic spelling of Allah. The interview was conducted by Davina Patel, a reporter for the London newspaper Eastern Eye. Burger King apologized and said they would redesign the lid. Originally from Harper's Magazine, March 2006.
The Enlightenment happened at half past 12 a.m. in Burger King, Park Royal. I had ordered my food, and a French guy got talking to me and asked, Are you Muslim? He said, Look at this, and he showed me the cone. I saw it and I thought, Wow, like anyone would. He said, Turn it around.
I was thinking of my stomach. I was hungry. I would have loved to eat an ice cream. When I saw it, my mouth fell open. I dropped the ice cream. I canceled my order. That was the defining moment of my life.
The Burger King logo is there in Arabic. Allah is spelled exactly how it is there, and the Burger King logo is where the ominah should be. Why, there is no way it could be a coincidence. How can you say it is a spinning swirl? How does it spin on something that is static? You cannot spin it around unless you have a mechanical device. You spin it one direction, to the right, and it is offending a billion people.
Im not talking about Muslims in the Park Royal vicinity, or in the U.K. Im talking about globally. Everyone who sees this is going to be offended. If you put a different symbol on there, youre offending Jews, Christians, Sikhs, or Hindus. I am going to try my best in life, so that these people do not operate in a single Muslim country again, so that we get an apology to every single Muslim on this planet in their language, in their country, on a national TV station: Sorry. We, as an American company, are sorry. We didnt mean to offend you.
What angers me most is that most people, once they have finished with it, they look at it and say, Nice cone. Nice design. Nice cone design. They chuck it away. That is disrespectful. Dont throw it away. Keep it as evidence. A reminder of what these people are doing every single day of our lives.
We showed this to Muslim customers in Burger King and they were disgusted. We went to the manager. Is this true? we asked. He said, Yes, my brother. It is true. I spoke to two other Pakistani Muslim guys there and they said, We are sickened. They were cussing Burger King.
I feel humiliated. I want to humiliate the person who did this to an extent that he never works again. Im going to make him see that it was the biggest mistake in his life. I want to meet the guy. I want to ask the guy, What does this mean to you? then never see his face again.
In a way, Im glad he did this to me. It has opened my eyes. The fear of God, the love of God, the love of not letting anyone disrespect God. Even though it means nothing to some people and may mean nothing to some Muslims in this country, this is my jihad. Im not going to rest until I find the person who is responsible. Im going to bring this country down.
#2
Except they occasionally get so twitchy they explode and kill innocent people.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
05/25/2006 13:17 Comments ||
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#3
Only Mel Brooks could dream up something this dumb. Rashad will soon be seeing Allah in the clouds and wan't to burn the earth. Good god!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/25/2006 13:18 Comments ||
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#4
stupid twit
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/25/2006 13:52 Comments ||
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#5
"I was thinking of my stomach. I was hungry. I would have loved to eat an ice cream. When I saw it, my mouth fell open. I dropped the ice cream. I canceled my order. That was the defining moment of my life." Talk about wrapped tooo tight! I am going out on a limb and guess that Rashad is on the Dole and has a LOT of time on his hands to contemplate. FYI MANY things in the world form a cross but I don't drop my Western Bacon Cheeseburger and run away like a little girl.
#8
A link to the images in question. As a courtesy of Little Green Footballs I've linked rather than hot-linked the image.
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/pictures/BK-Cones-pbuh.jpg
#10
We, as an American company, are sorry
This guy obviously doesn't know much about modern business. Burger King isn't an "American" company. Until 2002 it was owned by a British firm (Diageo), then the equity firms, Texas Pacific Group, Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, bought it and took it private. It now plans to go public again with an IPO.
#14
'geek - hey, can you tell me what "playa" or "player" is in arabic? How about "pimp daddy"?
We could put that shit on t-shirts! How about "there are two infidels fucking on the back of my shirt"........then on the back of the shirt you have - "just kidding, believe in Mohammad (puss be upon him)!" or "Mohammad did it for the underage chicks."
I'm smelling a capitalistic idea here for exploitation of arab sensibilities for my own personal gain.......mwhahahahaha
#16
I might go for 'puss be upon him' (as well as all other rapists, pedophiles and murderers), but please, please, no rap, hip-hop or 'gansta' references.
#24
Oh like you guys have never had a profound life-defining moment while playing with your food. Hell, it happens to me everytime I shove habañeros up my nose to impress the chicas in Cancun.
#25
Rashad - You win the prize! Instant rendition to Gitmo. You will learn to get your priorities straight.
Every friggin' day we're confronted with another Islamic absurdity. What is it going to take to get THE SYSTEM to stand up to these ass-clowns? Is it going to take a mushroom cloud over Manhattan, or Balitmore?
We need to kill a whole hell of a lot more of these pukes, and do it a hell of a lot faster.
The Pentagon's annual report to Congress on China's military power, released this week, reveals that Beijing's buildup has advanced well beyond what most analysts considered likely just 10 years ago. Some highlights: The new arsenal of the People's Liberation Army includes more than 700 missiles deployed opposite Taiwan, a fleet of sophisticated diesel electric submarines, a growing nuclear submarine capability and advanced destroyers armed with lethal anti-ship cruise missiles. By making the potential cost of any U.S. intervention in the Taiwan Strait extraordinarily high, Beijing has accomplished its decade-long goal of establishing a credible military threat to Taiwan -- as well as a deterrent to the United States. The question is, what next?
The report points to some answers. With a growing dependence on oil imported from the Middle East and Africa, Chinese strategists are talking about creating a blue-water navy to secure Beijing's energy supply lines. The military may be reconsidering its nuclear "no-first-use policy" and examining ways to secure China's territorial claims in the South China and East China seas. Simply stated, as China's military power has grown, so too, it appears, have the strategic tasks that it may be assigned. This shouldn't be surprising. Our own history teaches that as a nation's power grows so do its ambitions.
As if to underscore this point, an official Chinese military journal recently published an article arguing that Beijing should develop a military "commensurate with its international status." Since Beijing's economic and diplomatic interests span the globe, such strategic thinking can take the People's Liberation Army in some troubling directions. For example, Beijing may conclude that relying on the U.S. Navy for the safety of its energy supplies is too risky, and decide to increase its naval presence along the expanse between the Persian Gulf and East Asia. This would make the Chinese navy the first since the Cold War to compete for sea control with the United States. In addition, there are numerous disputed territorial claims in the East China and South China seas that China could settle by military means. Japan and China already have come close to skirmishing over energy resources in nearby disputed waters.
Of course, given the opaque character of Chinese military planning and government decision making, analysts can only speculate as to what turns the Chinese military buildup will take. It would help if China were to open up its political system so that we and other regional powers could get a better handle on the country's long-term ambitions. But this seems unlikely, at least anytime soon. Indeed, the Pentagon report notes that secrecy, deception and surprise remain key components of Chinese strategic practice.
China has already changed Asia's balance of power. It is past time for America to get serious about deterring the potentially worst sorts of Chinese behavior and to provide allies in the region with reason for renewed confidence in the U.S. security umbrella. Unfortunately, we are only just beginning to grapple with this daunting strategic task.
The latest Quadrennial Defense Review states that China "has the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States." The Pentagon seeks to "shape [China's] strategic choices" and to "dissuade any military competitor from developing disruptive or other capabilities that could enable regional hegemony." The Bush administration has taken some concrete action toward these ends. An upgraded alliance with Japan will improve our deterrent posture. The opening of a strategic relationship with India reflects in part an American desire to ensure that China does not gain hegemony over South or Central Asia. An increase in the size of the U.S. Navy's attack submarine fleet in Guam also brings more American capability into the Pacific. A nascent defense relationship with Vietnam may over time provide the American military with what it needs most in Asia -- more bases.
But our China policy leaves us a day late and a dollar short when it comes to the challenge posed by the speed of Beijing's military buildup. We still have restrictions on relations with Taiwan dating to the Carter era that make the island more difficult to defend. A stronger commitment by the Pentagon to developing long-range surveillance and strike capabilities would make Beijing less confident that it could use its vast territory as a sanctuary for its missile and other "disruptive" forces. Upgrading our undersea warfare capabilities will improve our regional freedom of action.
Washington's largely reactive and tepid response to China's growing military power is understandable given what is on America's plate at the moment. And policymakers are still hoping that they can gain China's cooperation on pressing international security crises. But as the Pentagon report says, China has been less than cooperative on those supposed common interests: denuclearizing North Korea and Iran, for example. A policy seeking to shape China into a responsible global actor works only if you are willing to recognize when it is not working. That time may be fast approaching.
The writer is resident fellow in Asian studies at the American Enterprise Institute. He formerly was senior country director for China and Taiwan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
#1
Can't wait to see all those arms purchased being put to use when the economy faces it first real challenge of a recession and regional interests [re - CEO/Warlords] start to look to their own concerns. Throw in a very heavy dose of corruption and its the end story of so many Chinese dynasties.
This is a proposal for a public service blog about those people in the democratic party who bitterly hate Hillary Clinton and oppose her presidential ambitions, and why.
Enemies Of Hillary (EOH) are too numerous to mention among the republicans, but there hasn't been any substantive listing of her enemies among the democrats.
Being labeled an EOH, however, will hopefully, eventually force a response from those accused, that they either proclaim their undying loyalty, respect and support of Hillary Clinton; that they proudly announce that she is their bitter enemy; or most likely, that they remain non-committal.
Ordinarily, this would be enough, except that Hillary Clinton may interpret non-committal responses as opposition. "They are the ones who did not applaud strongly enough after your speech."
Hillary is known as someone who demands utter loyalty, in lieu of which you are an enemy. The smallest offense by one of her entourage results in their instant dismissal and explusion, with no chance, ever, for redemption.
So this is the purpose of the yet-to-be-created blog. To for once let everybody know where they stand, early on in the game, and even before the beginning of primary season.
For democrats, they will finally know if their candidates are "Hillary" candidates, or if they are "party" candidates, whose loyalty is to the party, and not just a single woman.
But once again, this blog has yet to be created, and surely could be improved with useful suggestions, even as to blog host, formatting, etc. Since local people know far more about their democratic party representatives, they would be the ones to make educated guesses about their likes and dislikes.
But in any event, the end result could be that every prominant democrat could be seen and known for their loyalty to Hillary, a useful consideration to America's voters.
#7
Dave D.: It's good to know who's fighting who for the same reason that teams wear jerseys in football.
For example, Al Gore, Howard Dean, and John Kerry bitterly hate Hillary. And yet in public they have to pretend that they are her good buddies.
In past, this was party solidarity. But this time, Hillary is running almost independently of the democratic party. She is raising money parallel to the party, and not giving a dime of it to Howard Dean.
So what will happen? Will Hillary win and insist that the entire democratic party is just her life support system, much like the way her husband treated them, or how organized crime bosses behave; or will the party want to share leadership power?
The rest of the party really suffered during Bill's tenure. And while presidents are officially the leader of their party, they are supposed to share the wealth out of party loyalty, not demanding utter fealty from the other pols. (When mafia dons don't share the wealth, they tend to get eradicated by their lieutenants. That's why John Gotti got "promoted".)
Bill was slick enough to pull it off, but the only one who benefitted was Bill. And there are a lot of powerful democrats who would do damn near anything to stop Hillary from doing it to them a second time.
But again, somebody, maybe me, needs to set up a scorecard of who is on Hillary's side and who isn't. Because every one who isn't is going to have to be taken care of in some way, in some of the dirtiest political in-fighting we've seen in years.
Retired Marine Colonel and serving Congressman Jack Murtha (D-PA) has sold his soul: Not to the devil, but to his constituency. And as a former Marine, I urge him now to do the only honorable thing: relinquish his sword and his Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. At the very least, he should apologize to the Marine Corps and the American people for making an utterly outlandish statement in an attempt to keep the fire hot in the cut-and-run camp, of which he is a primary stoker.
At a press conference earlier this month, Murtha stated, they [a squad of U.S. Marines from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines operating in Iraq] killed innocent civilians in cold blood. And that's what the report is going to tell. He was referring of course to the November 2005 action at Haditha, a remote farming community in Iraqs Al Anbar Province, where Marines allegedly killed a number of innocent Iraqi civilians including women and children following an ambush launched against the Americans.
Keep in mind, in cold blood means deliberately or cruelly; ruthlessly, showing no concern or passion, a complete lack of emotion. In other words, killing without heart or mercy. How Murtha, who was not present with the Marines at the time of the action, purports to know how the men involved felt or what they actually did is beyond me.
Heres what we know for a fact:
On the morning of November 19, a Marine Humvee was struck by a roadside bomb, killing Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas. Then, insurgents are said to have opened fire on the Marines from several directions. The Marines counterattacked. Several enemy combatants were killed, and apparently innocent civilians were, as well.
Within hours, I received an e-mailed press release from Multi-National Force West at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, stating: A Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was killed in action when his vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device attack while conducting combat operations against the enemy in the vicinity of Haditha.
The following day, I received a second release from the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, a portion of which reads: A U.S. Marine and 15 Iraqi civilians were killed yesterday from the blast of a roadside bomb in Haditha. Immediately following the bombing, gunmen attacked the convoy with small arms fire. Iraqi Army soldiers and Marines returned fire killing eight insurgents and wounding another.
Just how the civilians were actually killed has been the subject of a series of investigations. Some published reports indicate there were more than 15 civilians killed, including a three-year-old girl, and that they were killed as a result of raids on at least three houses believed to be harboring insurgents. A preliminary investigation was completed in March, and three Marine officers have since been relieved of command.
What we do not know are the particulars of what actually happened and why: and we wont know until a more thorough investigation is completed in the coming weeks, followed by possible courts martial of those involved.
A recent editorial in National Review Online pegged the Murtha condemnation accurately: The militarys investigation of those claims isnt finished yet, but Murtha apparently cant wait for all the facts to emerge before damning the accused. And an editorial in The Washington Times says the accusation is not only irresponsible, but an egregious violation of ethical conduct by a sitting congressman.
Indeed, but how could he? How could a retired Marine officer possibly forget, not only from whence he came, but that all Americans including his fellow Marines who are performing the most dangerous missions on the ends of the earth are innocent until proven guilty.
Now, this is not easy for me to write. After all, Murtha spent 37 years in the Corps, starting out as an enlisted rifleman, becoming a drill instructor, later an officer. He served in Vietnam, was highly decorated, and ultimately retired as a Reserve colonel.
Murthas service to our country should be respected. But unless he retracts his statement and issues a public apology to the Corps, perhaps his title (Marine) should be stripped, even if the Marines involved are ultimately found guilty.
This has nothing to do with blind obedience to a cause on either side of the political fence, or lemming-like fealty to either party. It has everything to do with being always faithful to the Corps, respecting our Marines in the field, and above all acknowledging the fact that the Marines involved are accorded the presumption of innocence until the Uniform Code of Military Justice deems otherwise.
Im not making excuses for those who may have done something incomprehensibly dark in the heat of battle. I pray they did not. If anyone is found to be guilty of committing war crimes, they should be punished; and if found guilty I am confident they will be.
But that is not the case as of this writing. It was not the case when Murtha accused unconvicted Marines of killing in cold blood.
When I was a young Marine-recruit, I was taught there is no such thing as an ex-Marine: Marines are either active, reserve, retired, former, or dead; thus the adage, Once a Marine, always a Marine.
The only ex-Marines were those whom did not make it through boot camp; or as we liked to say those not packing the gear to serve in the Corps. The only other way for a Marine to become an ex-Marine would be to shame or denigrate the Corps in such a way that he would essentially be excommunicated, which it pains me to say is what Colonel Murtha should be.
#2
As w/the Pantano incident and the mosque shooting I am withholding judgment until the UCMJ runs it course. I pray the devil dogs involved are innocent of any wrongdoing. If they are adjudicated and found "not guilty" then I want Murtha's f*cking skull. Either way I want his globe & anchor now.
#3
Murtha no longer considers himself a Marine, now he is a democrat. He eats the democrat shit and kisses the babies of countless unemployed third and fourth generation welfare recips.
An interesting and comprehensive denunciation of Algore and the environazis...
Dear Mr. Gore:
I have just seen your new movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," about the threat that global warming presents to humanity. I think you did a very good job of explaining global warming theory, and your presentation was effective. Please convey my compliments to your good friend, Laurie David, for a job well done.
As a climate scientist myself -- you might remember me...I'm the one you mistook for your "good friend," UK scientist Phil Jones during my congressional testimony some years back -- I have a few questions that occurred to me while watching the movie.
#1
But you have to understand, perfessor, that I'm not into facts.
/channeling Gore off.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
05/25/2006 13:47 Comments ||
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#2
As to China, a recent report on MSN of all places had the top 10 polluting cities in the world all in China........hardly the poster child for environmental practices.
Olmert Speech to Joint Session of Congress: Witnessing history
And a reliable witness am I.
Ehud Olmert became the first Israeli prime minister in more than a decade to address a joint meeting of both houses of Congress. [this was covered in the MSM... below was something not covered]...
#1
When people refuse to politely applaud a speaker by obvious stilled hands, they are trying to convey disapproval. So, what exactly do they disapprove ? Israel is a democracy and an ally.
Perhaps PM Olmert's speech called for defending his country, and this is why these democrats disapprove.
It's astounding, without the MSM covering their asses, these jerks would self-destruct faster than a MI tape.
It is true that many of these representatives get kid-gloves treatment from their local media. But it is also true that most of these anti-anit Islamic terrorism voters and most of those who voted for the anti Islamic terrorism bill have safe seats.
Our little princes have spoken. Their kingdom, on Capital Hill, should be safe from law enforcement.
I just shook my head when Pat Kennedy got driven home. Trent Lott told bloggers to go jump in the lake. Pork projects burst from every nook and cranny in the building.
Business as usual, I thought.
Then the FBI, with a warrant obtained from a judge, cleaned out the offices of William Jefferson, one of the proudest sons of Louisiana. They went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that they recovered only evidence in the case that they were investigating.
Our little princes, the darlings of the Beltway, are furious. It seems that whatever a Senator or Congressman has in his offices on Capital Hill should be immune for discovery by law enforcement. In short, on the Hill, our little princes are above the law.
There are few people polling lower in the esteem of the American people than Congress. This foolish insolence, this presumption, will drive away any remaining respect we might have held for our elected lawmakers.
I just used the word "elected". We elect them. We pay their salaries. They work for us.
Every single member of the House of Representatives and one third of the Senate are up for election, re-election, in November. Our little princes seem to have forgotten that theirs is not a hereditary position, but one they must earn. I do not believe they are earning re-election. I think we need to butt kick a few of our employees.
The unique thing about the United States is that we all believe that we are just as good as the people we send to Congress. We may recognize that some Americans are better than others, but from the very beginning we have held the firm opinion that Congress is not. This is the nation that elected Andrew Johnson President. We sent Davy Crockett to Congress. Richard Nixon had to have a cloth coat. Our employees, the people we elect, are no better than we are.
Ill be writing my two Senators and Congresscritter. It may do no good, but two of the three are up for re-election in November. I will remember.
#1
Exactly. The false sense of entitlement has been pervasive in the halls of congress for years - especially in the senate. Unfortunately more Americans tuned into American Idol last night than Fox News to get a clue about Willie Jefferson. Although clearly the latter story has more implications toward their daily lives wrt congressional improprieties & pork. My point being that when a lot of Americans vote they go for name recognition or vote for the incumbent vice the challenger. Sh*t, I bet 3 to 1 those who are 18-25 in this country can name last night's Idol winner but cannot name either the speaker of the house or even who the V.P. is. It's almost time for another revolution to kick out the corrupt.
#2
Since Howard Dean accused the republicans as having a culture of corruption, The following democrat Congresspeople have fallen down the stairs. Cynthia Mc Kinney, Patrick Kennedy, William Jefferson. More please.
New York Notes: I guess this time it's really going to happen, says an Israeli expert. "It," meaning the separation fence between the U.S. and Mexico. He has been following the debate surrounding this fence with curiosity, and some amusement. So, he asks, "what should we call it? A fence or a wall?"
The Washington Post had a long story last weekend about American and Mexican communities along the Texas border. These communities will be influenced by the new fence - if it is built - and by any force trying to interrupt the daily flow of people and goods from one side of the border to the other. It's a story reminiscent of the one of Palestinian workers and commuters and farmers finding it difficult to adjust to the reality of an actual, not imaginary, border.
Two weeks ago, I attended a panel discussion during which a New York Times editor explained why the paper chose "barrier" as the word to best describe the Israeli fence and wall along the West Bank. The word's not perfect, but it's somewhat more neutral. The anonymous Israeli expert is eagerly waiting to see what kind of barrier the Americans will be building. And he is more than ready to offer some advice (free of charge, but also of commitment). And he is not the first or only one to do so. American officials, and even more so, politicians, sought some advice from Israel on this matter in the past ? and according to some knowledgeable people, are expected to do so even more in the near future. Former California Governor Pete Wilson cited the Israeli fence as a model for the U.S. in an article he wrote for the Investor's Business Daily. So here is some of what our Israeli expert has to say about it:
Money: It will probably cost more than you think. Why? Because that's always the way it is with such projects. Americans, the Israeli says, tend to be very structured in their work, in a way that has many benefits but also some limitations. It means that they waste a lot of money on "process" and "management" and "studies" before they really act. They make no short-cuts, thus save no money. In the last issue of The National Journal, the Israeli fence is mentioned as the example to use when calculating the cost of such a fence (2000 mile fence = $6.4 billion dollars). The Israeli expert thinks the Americans will end up paying more.
Efficiency: It can work, the expert says ? and other Israeli know-hows agree. Don't buy the argument of liberal opponents who say "no fence can stop people from coming." If done in a proper way, the fence can work. It can achieve whatever goal the U.S. wants it to, "100 percent, 90 percent, 80 percent prevention. Just make the right commitment and you?ll get results."
Tactics: Don't just rely on sophisticated machinery and equipment. You need people on the ground using the equipment to pursue the invaders. They need to react fast, they need intelligence, and they need to be tireless. It will only take a couple of months before the flow of immigrants will become much weaker.
Intelligence: Recruit people on the Mexican side to be your eyes and ears and to tell you what the smugglers are up to. Make sure you can communicate fast, and react even faster. Good intelligence can be the key factor for success.
Routine: The smugglers will be inventive and will look for ways around you. If you stick to some regulated routine, you'll end up wasting your time and your money. Surprise them where they don't expect you, make them understand that no place is safe, no route out of reach. "Don't police them, fight them."
Ruthlessness: Is it really important for the Americans? If it is, they should be prepared to show it. "Make the other side understand that this is no game - that life can be in danger," says the expert. "I know this is the toughest advice of all, but short of doing it the Americans will end up pretending to stop illegal immigrants rather than really doing it. At the end of the day, it is very simple: America is more powerful than the smugglers - meaning, it can deter them from doing what they do." But there's one condition necessary to keep this preponderance of power working: "It should be as important for America to stop the illegal new comers as it is for them to come."
Danger: You mean they have to shoot the smugglers? "No, they have to stop them. But if they run away they have to chase them, and if they resist they need to use force. Eventually, they'll end up doing things you don't want people to watch on television. I'm not sure if they have the resolve and the stomach to do it. Maybe it's not as important for them as they claim it is."
Conduct: Corruption can be a serious problem on the sealed border. As it gets tougher to enter the U.S, people will be ready to pay a high price for it, and the temptation to help those people in something one shouldn't underestimate. Take it into account while devising the system.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/25/2006 13:47 ||
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#1
The true voice of experience - covering all angles and warning of the various types of blowback. Excellent stuff.
#3
"Is it really important for the Americans? If it is, they should be prepared to show it."
That sums it up. If it's important enough, and you're willing to be ruthless enough, you don't even need a fence. At $20 per box you could buy enough '30-.06 rounds for decent shots to stop permanently everyone illegally crossing the border. But it's not going to happen, because it's not important enough.
Hare Krishnas demand death for non-Krishnas
Car bombs kill 19 Confucians in Singapore
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Jews Riot Over Pictures of Buddhist Symbol
Demonstrations break out in 25 countries, embassy of Buddhist Thailand burned down, leading rabbi calls for holy war against infidels.
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Zoroastrian terrorist leader warns West
Cartoonists who draw unfavorable pictures of the Prophet Zarathustra will be killed; Parsee community demands severe penalties for publications that have run parodies of Zarathustra.
Shouting "Alla-U-Abha," Baha'i zealots attack schools in Tehran demanding that anti-Baha'i teachers should be killed. Wave of kidnappings of Muslim professors in Iran causes concern for officials. Muslim journalists critical of Baha'i religion are intimidated into silence.
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Dalai Lama calls for destruction of state of India, says that when the Hindu nation is "erased from the map," the world's problems will come to an end.
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Christians riot - 20 major US cities ablaze
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C. I. A. R. -Christian Institute for All-out Resistance- files lawsuit against school board for defaming Christianity as violent. Seeks millions in damages. Says school board members will not live long if they do not agree to demands.
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Supervisors of school districts in Colorado and California institute mandatory instruction in Christianity in order for their students to understand and respect diversity of other cultures.
#4
"Supervisors of school districts in Colorado and California institute mandatory instruction in Christianity in order for their students to understand and respect diversity of other cultures." When that happens start stocking up on food/water/weapons because the end is near.
#5
"Supervisors of school districts in Colorado and California institute mandatory instruction in Christianity in order for their students to understand and respect diversity of other cultures."
when that happens, The End is NOT near: it'd have done come and happened, hunnah...
I don't remember if this was posted here or not, and even though it's a few months old, it's worth the read.
When Europeans first began to explore the globe, their greatest surprise was not the existence of the Western Hemisphere, but the extent of their own technological superiority over the rest of the world. Not only were the proud Maya, Aztec, and Inca nations helpless in the face of European intruders, so were the fabled civilizations of the East: China, India, and Islamic nations were "backward" by comparison with 15th-century Europe. How had that happened? Why was it that, although many civilizations had pursued alchemy, the study led to chemistry only in Europe? Why was it that, for centuries, Europeans were the only ones possessed of eyeglasses, chimneys, reliable clocks, heavy cavalry, or a system of music notation? How had the nations that had arisen from the rubble of Rome so greatly surpassed the rest of the world?
...
The most convincing answer to those questions attributes Western dominance to the rise of capitalism, which took place only in Europe. Even the most militant enemies of capitalism credit it with creating previously undreamed of productivity and progress. In The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels proposed that before the rise of capitalism, humans engaged "in the most slothful indolence"; the capitalist system was "the first to show what man's activity can bring about." Capitalism achieved that miracle through regular reinvestment to increase productivity, either to create greater capacity or improve technology, and by motivating both management and labor through ever-rising payoffs.
...
It was during the so-called Dark Ages that European technology and science overtook and surpassed the rest of the world. Some of that involved original inventions and discoveries; some of it came from Asia. But what was so remarkable was the way that the full capacities of new technologies were recognized and widely adopted. By the 10th century Europe already was far ahead in terms of farm-ing equipment and techniques, had unmatched capacities in the use of water and wind power, and possessed superior military equipment and tactics. Not to be overlooked in all that medieval progress was the invention of a whole new way to organize and operate commerce and industry: capitalism.
...
Given the fundamental commitment of Christian theologians to reason and progress, what they did was rethink the traditional teachings. What is a just price for one's goods, they asked? According to the immensely influential St. Albertus Magnus (1193-1280), the just price is simply what "goods are worth according to the estimate of the market at the time of sale." That is, a just price is not a function of the amount of profit, but is whatever uncoerced buyers are willing to pay. Adam Smith would have agreed St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) did. As for usury, a host of leading theologians of the day remained opposed to it, but quickly defined it out of practical existence. For example, no usury was involved if the interest was paid to compensate the lender for the costs of not having the money available for other commercial opportunities, which was almost always easily demonstrated.
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Free labor was an essential ingredient for the rise of capitalism, for free workers can maximize their rewards by working harder or more effectively than before. In contrast, coerced workers gain nothing from doing more. Put another way, tyranny makes a few people richer; capitalism can make everyone richer. Therefore, as the northern Italian city-states developed capitalist economies, visitors marveled at their standards of living; many were equally confounded by how hard everyone worked.
The common denominator in all these great historical developments was the Christian commitment to reason.
#1
Now that's some serious load of bullcrap! The west only went up by sinking the ones around it down. Follow history... the most peaceful nations disapeared and the most mercyless of them are now on top. History is happening again with the US of A. But no thanks I dont want no blood on my hands Mr. Christian.
#2
That's ok.
I know that it's hard to see the blood on your hands when your pathetic "civilization" cannot even produce a lightbulb.
Or even a candle.
Just those stupid "magic lamps".
#3
OpenMindedCreature, you need to re-read the entry. Europe was moving toward rationalsim and the scientific method long before it took up colonization -- what you call "sinking the ones around it down." What's more, you don't have to be a Christian to see that Christianity's emphasis on reason contributed to the birth of the scientific method.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
05/25/2006 11:21 Comments ||
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#4
Mr. closedmindedcreature, There are a number of hardline athiests here, myself include.
And I happen to know a fair amount about the history of ideas. The Western world won for three hundred years because it had the people with new ideas and the system to execute them, aka capitalism.
You are a fuckwhit. You can respond if you like, but trolls generally leave here in shock that those on the right are much smarter than they are (especially us athiests).
#10
"a just price is not a function of the amount of profit, but is whatever uncoerced buyers are willing to pay."
A just price is difficult to define apart from the Bible, as capitalism devoid of morals and ethics is the black market. It is human nature to take advantage and conscience developed through religion; advanced civilization tracks with the Jewish and Christian diasporas. And how to we define corrupt practices apart from a moral code? Christianity led to science because believers understand they are created in the Creator's image and born into an orderly universe for a reason, with the command to subdue and tend it wherever God happens to plant you. It is in finding our life purpose that we discover how to prosper our souls and make the world a better place. Islamic fundamentalism and any other traditionalist indoctrination stifles creativity and fosters stagnation and death of any new ideas.
#11
I firmly believe that all humans are born with a divine spark and created equal by a supreme being, however I also firmly believe all cultures do not evolve equally. Thus the notion of equal opportunity and free will vice the notion of guaranteed equal results.
In other words, sucks to be you OMC...mwhahahahahahahahaha
#13
On the subject of 'Why some cultures are inferior to others':
"Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things."
#14
When Europeans first began to explore the globe, their greatest surprise was not the existence of the Western Hemisphere, but the extent of their own technological superiority over the rest of the world. Not only were the proud Maya, Aztec, and Inca nations helpless in the face of European intruders, so were the fabled civilizations of the East: China, India, and Islamic nations were "backward" by comparison with 15th-century Europe.
More along the lines of adoptivity. When cultures and civilizations think that they are be all and end all of knowledge and truth, someone more nimble and open will exploit the static or corrupted structures of those societies. Adapt or perish. Modern Europe faces the same problem. It is spending its energy and resources just to stand still. Nature and human behavior/interaction is chaos. Either ride it or be overriden by it.
#15
The Dawn of Modern Science: From the Ancient Greeks to the Renaissance by Thomas Goldstein, with a forward by that evil old Bible thumping fundie Isaac Asimov, is a good overview of the history.
Posted by: Ernest Brown ||
05/25/2006 15:48 Comments ||
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#16
Dear Dr. Asimov wrote a wonderful history of the Old and New Testaments. Like his science popularizations, he brought together all the evidence -- archeological, linguistic, literary analysis and contemporaneous historical and religious documents, plus lots of helpful maps -- into a book, chapter and verse analysis of the whole thing. The only thing he doesn't analyze is the religion/faith thingy, which is as it should be; like the actual existence/non-existence of God, faith is experienced, unanalyzable. It can be gotten as a special order from any of the big box bookstores for about $25 as I recall.
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