Blaming the Victims

This is an excellent article by Dennis Prager that explores why liberals often blame victims of violence rather than the perpetrators. In the wake of the worldwide Muslim outrage over the publication of cartoons deemed offensive, much of the American media -- the vast majority of which are left of center politically -- refused to show the cartoons, despite their newsworthiness, and blamed the violence on Dutch intolerance. Prager provides three hypotheses to explain the left's propensity to apologize for violent offenders:

One is that liberals tend to blame outside forces for evil. This emanates from the secular humanistic view of people as basically good -- and therefore human evil must come not from the bad choices and bad values of the evildoer, but from the unfortunate socioeconomic and other circumstances of the person's life.

The second explanation is that as you go further left on the political spectrum, it becomes increasingly difficult to blame the "weak" for any atrocities they commit. The Left does not divide the world between good and evil nearly as much as it does between rich and poor, and between strong and weak. Israel is stronger and richer, so Palestinian terror is excused. White America is stronger and richer than black America, so black violence is excused. The West is stronger and richer than the Muslim world, so Muslim violence is explained accordingly.

And third, liberals tend to be afraid of the truly evil. That's why the liberal newspapers of America refused to publish the Danish cartoons, probably the most newsworthy cartoons ever drawn, but have never had any hesitance about showing cartoons and photos that mock Jewish and Christian symbols. Christians and Jews don't kill editors.

We don't know who will be the next target of Islamic or other murderers from poor or non-Western or non-white groups. All we can know is that liberal and leftist thought will find reasons to hold the targeted group largely responsible.

A Manifesto Against Islamism

Michelle Malkin posted a document published in the Jyllands-Posten, which I felt was important to post.

MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism

After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism.

We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all.

The recent events, which occurred after the publication of drawings of Muhammed in European newspapers, have revealed the necessity of the struggle for these universal values. This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the ideological field. It is not a clash of civilisations nor an antagonism of West and East that we are witnessing, but a global struggle that confronts democrats and theocrats.

Like all totalitarianisms, Islamism is nurtured by fears and frustrations. The hate preachers bet on these feelings in order to form battalions destined to impose a liberticidal and unegalitarian world. But we clearly and firmly state: nothing, not even despair, justifies the choice of obscurantism, totalitarianism and hatred. Islamism is a reactionary ideology which kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present. Its success can only lead to a world of domination: man's domination of woman, the Islamists' domination of all the others. To counter this, we must assure universal rights to oppressed or discriminated people.

We reject cultural relativism, which consists in accepting that men and women of Muslim culture should be deprived of the right to equality, freedom and secular values in the name of respect for cultures and traditions. We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of "Islamophobia", an unfortunate concept which confuses criticism of Islam as a religion with stigmatisation of its believers.

We plead for the universality of freedom of expression, so that a critical spirit may be exercised on all continents, against all abuses and all dogmas.

We appeal to democrats and free spirits of all countries that our century should be one of Enlightenment, not of obscurantism.

12 signatures

Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Chahla Chafiq
Caroline Fourest
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Irshad Manji
Mehdi Mozaffari
Maryam Namazie
Taslima Nasreen
Salman Rushdie
Antoine Sfeir
Philippe Val
Ibn Warraq

Bravo.

Oncoming

Some sobering thoughts from David Warren over at Real Clear Politics:

In my judgement, it is the most important thing that has happened since the Al Qaeda attack on the United States, in 2001. It is important in combination with other fast-developing events, including the victory of the openly terrorist Hamas in a Palestinian election; Iran’s public promise to “wipe Israel off the map”; collapsing public order in Pakistan, Nigeria, and elsewhere; the recent Muslim riots, and continuing low-level Intifada in France; and now the destruction of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, triggering vicious sectarian strife in Iraq. And quite literally, hundreds of lesser events of the same nature -- each revealing an Islamic world in combustion, and a West retreating into contrived apologies and other confused gestures of cowardice and panic.

One cannot keep up with all these events -- the wheels of history are turning too quickly. The world in which we will find ourselves, a few years hence, will not resemble the world we inhabited a few years ago. Yet this is among the few predictions that can be safely made. The events will fall out as unpredictably as those Danish cartoons. The names, dates, and places are not yet recorded; but the shape and scale of events is already blotting the sun on our horizon.

"Saddam Had WMD"

Via Powerline:

When the Iraq Survey Group reported that it was unable to find Saddam's WMDs, it was treated, understandably, as a huge news story. The news media interpreted the ISG's failure as undermining, to a great degree, the administration's case for the war. Fair enough. But now it appears that the administration, along with the CIA and the intelligence services of all other countries who assessed the issue, likely was right after all. Why isn't this equally big news?

Bollocks!

This is pretty cool. The Sex Pistols give the bird to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. I'm so glad. I mean, if the Sex Pistols didn't do it, who would?

Clinton's Domestic Spying Program

Via Frontpage:

In 1994, Clinton administration Attorney General Janet Reno launched infiltrators, wiretaps, mail monitoring, and a wide range of other spying activities in a massive coordinated effort that included the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; U.S. Postal inspectors; the U.S. Marshalls Service; and other Federal and local law enforcement agencies.President Bill Clinton had acted decisively to fight what he and First Lady Hillary Clinton deemed the most dangerous terrorist threat facing America: conservative Christians.

Is Civil War Inevitable?

The Belmont Club has an interesting post about the destruction of the al Askariya mosque in Samarra, Iraq. Of particular interest is the comments section, which discusses the potential near-term implications. Wretchard quotes a site called World War 4 Report:

"There is really a three-way civil war underway throughout the Islamic world. The three inter-related conflicts are: 1.) Sunni v. Shia, 2.) fundamentalism v. secularism, and 3.) national liberation v. imperialism. The sad irony is that it is the social iniquities that underly this last contradiction that provide the raw material of endemic rage—which is increasingly exploited, siphoned off as it were, into the prior two. Fundamentalists conflate secularism and imperialism (given a propaganda boost by their neocon enemies, who do likewise), and pose the only alternative as a purified, hegemonic Islam which must, of course, crush internal heresy."

Yellow Press

Captains Quarters contrasts media coverage to the Muslim cartoon controversy and the delay in releasing information about the shooting incident involving Dick Cheney and concludes:

When our media has the testicular fortitude to report on terrorists honestly, then they will have gained the moral authority to lecture any White House on censorship and the responsibility of fully informing the public. Until then, such demonstrations as we saw this week by the White House press corps only stands as a perverse monument to the media's hypocrisy and venality.

Also, be sure to read this article by Jeff Jacoby, which discusses one newspaper's refreshing honesty as to why their editorial staff elected not to run the cartoons.

Good News From the Great White North

There hasn't been much to celebrate in the relationship between Canada and the U.S. over the past several years, but this article is encouraging.

Prayers For Little Man

He's been sick for about a week, possibly with pneumonia. He and his mother waited in the doctor's office for about 2 hours before being seen by the doctor today (it was the first appointment available). When he finally examined Little Man he was impersonal and evasive about the diagnosis. Mother was furious about the whole situation, but finally got some antibiotics for him.

Thankfully, he seems to be doing much better.

Moonbats Are Crashing The Party

I sincerely believe that many liberals love this country deeply and, while I may disagree with them on certain policy issues, I don't view them as 'evil' or 'enemies.' Unfortunately, much of the 'debate' from the political left these days is reduced to adolescent name-calling, bigotry (primarily against Christians), and hate. This has marginalized the Democrat party which, I believe, has been partly responsible for the electoral trouncings they've endured the last several election cycles.

I find it disturbing that some of the most shrill, hysterical voices aren't coming from the fever swamps in the blogosphere (although much of it is found there), but from the most visible leaders of the Democrat party. The most recent, and I think egregious, example of this outrageous behavior recently occurred in Saudi Arabia, of all places.

Here's what the California Conservative had to say about it:

Al Gore’s recent, outlandish remarks to a Saudi audience not only represent his own scorn for the United States, they are also reflective of this country’s liberal establishment. In short, the overriding sentiment of the left towards America is one of complete contempt. And even a cursory consideration of past and present statements from prominent liberals yields ample supporting evidence for this contention.

Read the rest to see some of that evidence.

Raving Muslims

Check out the Muslim rave party that broke out in the middle of a sermon.

My Little Angel

My youngest daughter, sleeping beneath a blanket on the couch.

Cheney's Got A Gun

Some funny comments about Dick Cheney's shooting accident:

Comic Andy Borowitz:

Cheney fired at his fellow hunter based on faulty intelligence.

David Letterman on Cheney's Top Ten Excuses:

No. 4--"I thought the guy was trying to go 'gay cowboy' on me."
No. 2--"Until Democrats approve medicare reform, we have to make some tough choices for the elderly."

Jay Leno:

“Although it is beautiful here in California, the weather back East has been atrocious. There was so much snow in Washington, D.C., Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fat guy thinking it was a polar bear.

“That’s the big story over the weekend. ... Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter, a 78-year-old lawyer. In fact, when people found out he shot a lawyer, his popularity is now at 92 percent.”

“I think Cheney is starting to lose it. After he shot the guy he screamed, ‘Anyone else want to call domestic wire tapping illegal?”’

“Dick Cheney is capitalizing on this for Valentine’s Day. It’s the new Dick Cheney cologne. It’s called Duck!”

John Stewart:

“Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt...making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting veep since Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, of course, [was] shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington? Mistaken for a bird.”

“Now, this story certainly has its humorous aspects. ... But it also raises a serious issue, one which I feel very strongly about. ... moms, dads, if you’re watching right now, I can’t emphasize this enough: Do not let your kids go on hunting trips with the vice president. I don’t care what kind of lucrative contracts they’re trying to land, or energy regulations they’re trying to get lifted — it’s just not worth it.”

It's In The Koran

Check out this Quicktime song, which provides some helpful insight into the "Religion of Peace."

Don't Expect This In The NY Times

This guy evidently didn't get the talking points from the Democratic National Committee (hat tip: The Mudville Gazette).

A letter from the Mayor of Tall 'Afar, Iraq to the men and women of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and their families.

In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful

To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall' Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.

To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.

To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.

Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi's followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zumar and Avgani finally destroyed them.

I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.

The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom. Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.

God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and in every flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.

Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven't the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.

NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID AL-JIBOURI

Mayor of Tall `Afar, Ninewa, Iraq

Al of Arabiya

Scott Johnson over at Powerline rips our despicable ex-Vice President, Al Gore, a new one for his disgraceful anti-American speech in the belly of the Islamic beast-Saudi Arabia. Here's a sample:

I want them to know that Gore's impulse to defame his country before a foreign audience for fun and profit does not represent the desires or wishes or feelings of the majority of citizens of my country. I want them to know that the American people support the enforcement of America's immigration laws, especially against those suspected of having a possible terrorist connection. I want them to know that when 15 of the 19 perpetrators of September 11 were found to have been Saudi citizens, the American people wanted the Saudi government to take responsibility for its role in the attack on the United States and take every action necessary to ensure that it never happens again.

Islamic Chauvinism

Joseph Tartovsky makes an excellent point:

Islamic chauvinism explains what would otherwise be a spectacular irony: in Europe, transplanted Islamic radicals, like Palestinian-born Ahmed Abu-Laban, the Copenhagen imam whose campaigning incited the boycott against Denmark, are demanding that the countries to which they willingly fled from oppression now accept the same habits and attitudes that fetter their homelands. Religious intolerance is just one of these attitudes.

The whole article is worth the read.

Some In U.S. Media Cowered By Fear

Dennis Prager strikes a devastating blow against the lamestream media in this commentary, which persuasively argues that they are not only cowards, but liars. It's an excellent piece.

Sensitivity or Submission?

Read this excellent op-ed by Diana West on the Mohammed Cartoons controversy. A money quote:

These questions may not seem so outlandish if we assess the extent to which encroaching sharia has already changed the Western way. Calling these cartoons "unacceptable," and censoring ourselves "in respect" to Islam brings the West into compliance with a central statute of sharia. As Jyllands-Posten's Flemming Rose has noted, that's not respect, that's submission.

Andrew Sullivan explains that some Islamic leaders are attempting to blackmail the West.

People keep talking about avoiding conflict. They are in denial. The conflict is already here. It is outrageous to be informed by a crowd of hundreds of thousands that the West must give up its freedoms in order to avoid violence.

Redstate wonders if the Europeans are finally waking up to the fact that the crocodile in their midst is going to eat them first, not last.

A Bit of a Scare

One of the worst feelings in the world is that which a parent feels when they realize they can't find their child. Like when they get lost in a department store or, as in the case of our 3-year-old, Emma, in the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas (only for a couple of minutes, thankfully).

Tonight, Cherie called me as I was leaving work with a very worried tone in her voice explaining that she had let our 9-year-old, Hannah, go to a friend's house to play until 6 p.m. Apparently Hannah didn't convey that to her friend's parents, so Cherie began to worry when 6 p.m. rolled by and she hadn't heard from Hannah. She called the parents' cell phone repeatedly and continually got a busy signal. So, on my way home I drove to the girl's apartment to pick Hannah up--but, no one was there.

Shortly thereafter (thank God), a call came. It was Hannah explaining that she had actually been at the mother's boyfriend's house and that they had all gone out to dinner together. Our little girl got an earful as soon as she walked in the door. I felt a little bad for the ambush, but we had been so worried about her that our emotions just came gushing out. Fortunately, everything got worked out and Hannah appeared to understand very important lessons about personal responsibility, keeping commitments, and asking for permission to deviate from a plan settled beforehand.

Needless to say, her mother and I are so relieved that she's okay.

Economy Roars Along, Media Squeaks

The U.S. economy is booming. So, where are all the headlines. This article gives some helpful insight. Hint: It could possibly, just maybe (who knows?) be liberal media bias.

More From The Religion of Peace

Via Filibustercartoons. Also, check out this site, which shows dozens of depictions of Mohammed have been created over the centuries, despite the Islamic prohibition to do so. Finally, be sure to stop by Michelle Malkin's blog. She's staying on top of the disgraceful behavior of radical Islamists.

The Terrorist Bill of Rights

A.J. Strata at The Strata-Sphere thinks the Democrats are proposing a "Contract With al Qaeda." Strata ingeniously uses many of the themes Democrats have been espousing over the past few years to show the logical conclusion of their policies toward terrorists.

I'm Still Here

...but, posting has been really light for the past few days. I've either been out of town (Anniversary weekend), working, or shopping for home theater equipment. All good stuff, but it's keeping me incredibly busy. I'll get back in the swing of things very soon. So, stay tuned.

Hold 'Em

Tonight some friends and I are playing Texas Hold 'Em ostensibly so I can teach them the rules and of the game and some simple strategies before we go to Vegas in a couple of weeks and enter a real poker tournament. It should be fun.

The only thing is...it's gonna cost them.

Update:

I won the first tournament (and $140!) and was well ahead in the second tournament when the cards dried up and the antes got huge. So, I came in second to my brother-in-law Eddie, who finally quit laughing at Wade long enough to realize he had a straight to beat my two-pair.

Very fun night.

I Tend To Agree

...with Dennis Prager:

On just about every issue, the Left lives in a childlike fantasy realm. Their views are expressions of what they wish for, not what actually is. Here is a small sample:

-- Support for terror represents a tiny sliver of the Muslim world.
-- All cultures are essentially morally equivalent.
-- The United Nations is a wonderful institution and the best hope of mankind.
-- Men and women are basically the same.
-- It makes no difference whether children are raised by a loving man and woman or by two loving parents of the same sex.
-- Violent criminals in our society are pushed into crime by socioeconomic circumstances, not because of their own flawed characters and values.
-- War is not the answer.

The list of leftist positions based on a rejection of reality is as long as a list of leftist positions.

Thankful

Lower Than Angels had its first practice in several months last night and I have to say that it was incredibly fun. We ran through three songs during our 4-1/2 hour rehearsal: Mercy (an old one), Ms. Understanding (a relatively new one) and If Only She Knew (a brand new one). I love when my other bandmates bring their talents and ideas to the song. Together, we create an atmosphere/vibe that's uniquely LTA. It makes the songs so much cooler than they are after I've just written them.

Soncially, it was amazing last night. The guitars sounded incredible, and they blended so well together. Darren Varieur played a Fender strat through a 1960s era Fender Bassman amp. I played my Tom Anderson Cobra through a Matchless DC30 and a 1965 Vox AC30. Bob Hartry played a Les Paul through a new 1x12 custom amp made by a local guy named Mike Moody, and a 1950s era Gibson combo amp that he had purchased earlier in the day from Truetone Music. Wade Varieur (drums) and Dean Tapia (bass) added their excellent skills to the mix to round out the sound that is LTA.

I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by such excellent musicians, and blessed to have each one of them as dear friends.

When People Freely Choose Tyranny

Michael Ledeen:

Those of us who advocate democratic revolution are often criticized for an excess of naïveté, for failing to recognize that the passion for freedom is not universal, and that there are many people — perhaps even many peoples — who despise democracy. Given half a chance, these self-proclaimed 'realists' say, much of the world will choose tyranny.

True enough, I know it well. But it doesn't lead me to be more tolerant of tyranny, it reinforces my passion for democratic revolution.

Read the whole article.

(Cartoon by Cox & Forkum Editorial Cartoons).