The threat to use government regulation to destroy or harm someone's business because they disagree with government officials is thuggery. Like the Obama administration's transfer of money from Chrysler bondholders to its political allies in the United Auto Workers, it is a form of gangster government.
Emboldened by the crass nature of the opposition to the center, its defenders have started to talk as if it represented no problem at all and as if the question were solely one of religious tolerance. It would be nice if this were true. But tolerance is one of the first and most awkward questions raised by any examination of Islamism. We are wrong to talk as if the only subject was that of terrorism. As Western Europe has already found to its cost, local Muslim leaders have a habit, once they feel strong enough, of making demands of the most intolerant kind. Sometimes it will be calls for censorship of anything "offensive" to Islam. Sometimes it will be demands for sexual segregation in schools and swimming pools. The script is becoming a very familiar one. And those who make such demands are of course usually quite careful to avoid any association with violence. They merely hint that, if their demands are not taken seriously, there just might be a teeny smidgeon of violence from some other unnamed quarter …
As for the gorgeous mosaic of religious pluralism, it's easy enough to find mosque Web sites and DVDs that peddle the most disgusting attacks on Jews, Hindus, Christians, unbelievers, and other Muslims—to say nothing of insane diatribes about women and homosexuals. This is why the fake term Islamophobia is so dangerous: It insinuates that any reservations about Islam must ipso facto be "phobic." A phobia is an irrational fear or dislike. Islamic preaching very often manifests precisely this feature, which is why suspicion of it is by no means irrational.
Well, more or less. I finally fixed my laptop and I'm sitting at Starbucks until they kick me out. Still no internet at home though.
OK that's not entirely true. I'll be checking and responding to emails and and Facebook stuff daily but I'll only have internet access at work for a while. My living situation is in flux at the moment and it's unlikely that I'll get the chance to do any blogging until...well...maybe September.
It's a hard thing, but it's been a long time coming. We love each other, are dear friends and have two wonderful daughters together. Things are very civil-friendly even. It's too bad that it didn't work out the way we had hoped, but sometimes life is like that. Sooner or later you have to face facts and move on. I wish her all the happiness in the world.
Ever since viewing his depressing and disconnected “energy” speech last week, I have been mulling whether Barack Obama actually wants to be president anymore. That was an address given by a man who looked very much like he didn’t want to be there, didn’t want to continue. He appeared slumped and worn, as if he aged eighteen years in eighteen months. His demeanor was oddly distracted.
I am not being metaphorical here — I am quite serious. The more I have thought about this, the more I am convinced Barack Obama no longer wishes to be president. The degree that he admits this to himself, I am not sure. But I rather suspect that in the small hours of the morning he fantasizes he were anywhere but 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And who could blame him? By almost any measure, he is doing a terrible job.
More.
Rolling Stone is running a story that claims General Stanley McChrystal is openly critical of the administration and its policies. There are quotes in the story attributed to the General and his aides which if true, constitute gross insubordination.
McChrystal is by all accounts an outstanding tactician and leader of men. In substance, I agree with his frustration with this administration and his skepticism as to their basic competence...and that's compleately beside the point. The absolute primacy of civilian leadership is the paramount issue. For better or worse, Obama's in charge and his generals need to salute and say "Yes sir!" or resign in disgust and write a tell-all book.
Unless he can show the article is demonstrably false, McChrystal needs to be fired.
