The American Spectator

Reader Mail

It's the Stupid Economy

4.1.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 3 of 3)

What MSM haven't figured out yet is that Mr. Obama is all done. Maybe blacks and guilty white liberals will vote for a racial apologist, but not the swing voters. They know a 20-year relationship with an America-hating bigot when they see one.
-- Arnold Ahlert
Boca Raton, Florida

My recollection is that it was ABC that spiked the ROTC letter (that an ABC reporter had in hand) of Bill Clinton's until it was too late. So, if the oily Obama keeps slipping and sliding, we can ruefully say, "Barry we hardly knew ye."
-- D. Smith

IN A DESPERATE LAND
Re: Doug Bandow's Stop the Martyrdoms:

Mr. Bandow's article on how Islamic nations persecute religious minorities is spot on. I would point out that the dictatorship of Syria does oppress Christians within its borders and the territory it controls. Syria for over 30 years, directly or through its Muslim surrogates, has persecuted Christians in Lebanon. In Iraq some Christians actually sided with Saddam Hussein's tyranny and mass murder, but those that did not kept a low profile to avoid receiving his attention. It could be said the Christian community in Iraq benefited from Hussein's focus on oppressing the Kurds and Shia, not the dictator's magnanimity. It also should come as no surprise that terrorists in Iraq are targeting Christians. But that does not absolve us as a nation dedicated to religious tolerance to forcefully urge the democratically elected governments of Afghanistan and Iraq to show more tolerance to those of other or no faith. That would be a major step in their integrating into the family of free and Democratic nations.

One sentence in the article that might explain the difference between other religions and militant, violent or imperialistic Islam is, "This matters because persecution is an affront to any faith which claims to speak on behalf of a loving God." Islamic extremists do not claim to speak for a loving god, but the only god. There mission is to compel the world to submit to their god loving or not. Reviewing their faith's history they reached the logical conclusion that Islam spread, prospered and dominated through violence and the sword. Thus, for "evangelistic" purposes they are killing infidels and apostates with abandon to bring about the worldwide caliphate. For our enemies this is a war of faith and will not be resolved until their faith dominates the world. Barack Obama, if elected President, can talk all he wants to "his former schoolmates," but peace will only come when the adherents of violence are dead or unable to carry out their jihad of conquest. An issue that will not be settled by Democrat cowardice and the American public hoping the problem will just go away.
-- Michael Tomlinson

Why should Muslims do anything to reform themselves? They have thousands of Western apologists willing to tolerate "cultural differences" -- perhaps to the point of self-destruction.

Why ruin a "good" thing?
-- Arnold Ahlert
Boca Raton, Florida

Muslims not only persecute Christians in many locations, they also persecute themselves. I live inside the U. S. and have chosen for many weeks on end not to attend a religious service. No police have shown up at my door. Things are probably different for secularists and lukewarm Muslims in nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iran (and now Pakistan). In those lands, I imagine, persistently skipping prayers and failing to prostrate oneself facing east on Fridays could lead to escalating unpleasantries, probably culminating in beheading for those who are especially unmalleable. On our shores, however, thanks to separation of state and religion, our local Elmer Gantrys cannot call up the police chief if we don't show up in our pews. In most (not all) Islamic jurisdictions, however, state and religion are not separated at all, but are fully-integrated monoliths. This would be not only a ghastly situation to live under, but it also would be very unprofitable, judging from observable rates of poverty in East and West. Western culture has resulted in astounding creation of wealth and well-being, so much so that welfare people in U. S. today live better than monarchs lived two hundred years ago. People in most Muslim lands, however, are more or less stuck in the same rut they existed in during the Middle Ages. Even the discovery of oil (and this would have meant nothing without the arrival of our economies to purchase it) has helped few of them. The wealth that has shot out of the ground in those few lucky places also shot right to the top of the monoliths and has pretty much stayed there.
-- Ty Knoy
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, Trade, John McCain, Bill Clinton, Economics, Social Security, Religion, Islam, Abortion, Environment, Global Warming, Law, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, NATO, Energy, Alaska, Oil, Medicare