Tolerance or Solidarity?

In Algeria Christians who did not fast during Ramadan are being condemned to prison sentences or ordered to leave the country, defined as a “land of Islam”.

Lest we forget - or lest we never knew - present day Algeria, along with Egypt and the rest of North Africa (to say nothing of Arabia itself),  adopted Christianity with enthusiasm in the first centuries of the first millenium, well prior to its spread in Europe. It was only long after, in the 8th century, that Islam was imposed by conquest. But Christianity persisted, despite oppression. In recent decades the massacres and persecutions of Christians and Christianity rival and surpass previous episodes, and an active resistance is starting to form. Its fate is impossible to predict - particularly in the absence of support from a de-christianized West.

In France there are now calls for a moratorium on the construction of mosques, by solidarity with Algerian Christians. The building of churches is forbidden in several “lands of Islam”, and non-Muslims are forbidden to enter certain “holy cities” of Islam.

Tolerance, if it is to retain any meaning or force, must end where this sort of intolerance begins.

Do you know that there is a conflation of “Muslim” and “Arab” in Islam which gives it a certain racialist tone? Most north Africans are not Arabs ethnically. As Muslims, however, there is a pressure to self-define as Arabs. The term “Arab world” - though westerners are becoming more sophisticated in these matters - has tended to cover a much larger area than relatively small Arabia. There are indeed Arabs all over the North Africa and the Middle East - descendants of the Muslim conquistadors of the first millenium, but they are an ethnic minority. Many people considered "Arab in Lebanon, Palestine or Jordan are in fact ethnically Phoenician or Cannanite. And the Egyptians, of course, are not Arabs. Who cares? There are some Muslims and Arabs who care very much.

Funeral Gigue for Christopher Hitchens

For Christopher Hitchens: a funeral gigue!
Let’s hail with laughter the end of his gig,
For sorrow and tears he’d not give a fig,
Having avoided the infernal brig.

Hitch was a dandy of sinister bent
Who dexterously later came to repent,
Though he never would go the full extent:
From atheism he would not relent!

Struck down by Fate - or by God, who can tell?
He was seized by fear that a fear of hell,
In a delirium, like a bad smell,
Seep from his lips, and his life’s work dispel.

Thus Mr. Hitchens has left us to find
How we’re to know that his so-called "right mind"
Has any more right our credence to bind
Than the final gasp of his soul resigned?

Nutbag?

Poor reverend Jones has been denounced in all currently acceptable epithets by the totality of the cultural elite, including the “extreme right” - from Victor Davis Hanson to Mark Levin, though VDH had the decency to draw a clear parallel to imam Rauf, whose Cordoba House project he qualifies as a provocation. 

I won’t go along with any of this. How can the ground zero project in it’s intentions, financing, government support or the impudent hypocrisy of its justifications and the craven obsequiousness and moral posturing of its non-muslim defenders, be in any way compared - to paraphrase VDH - to burning a few objects which belong to you, on your own property?

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First, regarding my qualification of the situation in New York:

“Cordoba House” is a mosque at “ground zero”.

Airplane debris hit the building in question and lowered its value by more than half.

Who can tell what this project is supposed to be, now that it has been redefined several times, and why should its being a mosque be shameful? Why did Rauf back away from that?

“Cordoba” has become a double code: for westerners it is intended as a symbol of muslim tolerance - when in fact Christians and Jews in that city were dhiminis - while for muslims this outpost of their lost empire is a spur to vengeance.

“Cordoba House” will help terrorism and the promotion of Sharia in America.

Imam Rauf can say whatever he wants. A majority of Americans - to say nothing of Europeans - have become convinced that too many mosques are used to preach anti-western jihad, or even to recruit, organize and finance it.

“Cordoba House” is supported by local and national government.

The authorities of NYC, including the zoning board, which have authorized “Cordoba House” have not yet permitted the rebuilding of an orthodox church destroyed by the 9/11 attack. This situation is getting little attention, and the story reported is about obstruction on the part of the church itself, naturally. The mayor of NYC and the president of the USA - our Benevolent Guides - have given public support to Rauf. The church is not even mentioned.

“Cordoba House” will be financed by the middle east. 

Rauf has no financing of his own. Is the “muslim community” of NYC, already tricked out with 100 mosques, going to come up with the millions and millions needed to pay for a 15 story “center” in lower Manhattan?

Kadafi recently told an audience of 500 young women in Italy that Islam would soon take over Europe, and there is talk like that all over the place, for anyone willing to hear it. 

“Cordoba House” justifications are impudent.

For nine years Americans have been hearing the same thing: 9/11 was essentially thier own fault because of America’s international behavior and domestic attitudes. One would think that American efforts in Kuwait and Kosovo - to mention only those - and the uncounted mosques which have sprung up in America in the last 10 years - to say nothing of those already present or the fabulous American tradition of religious tolerance which in fact shows no sign of waning - would temper this sort of claim.

[Do Americans go berzerk, or just shrug, every time some rag-head burns the stars and stripes or saws the head off one of our fellow Americans? Why should we not hold these people to our standards of tolerance/indifference - or else? Or, if their attitude is superior, why not adopt it (and go berzerk at each "provocation")? At any rate the two attitudes cannot co-exist. Either we let ourselves be cowed by their attitude, or we make the world safe for our own.]

The defense of “Cordoba House” by non-muslims is concocted of craven obsequious and moral posturing.

Fear of the murderous mobs and fanaticized assassins so facilely mobilized by islamic tribunes is understandable. Equally understandable - and equally repugnant - is the very tired tactic of responding to every doubt or argument regarding islamism’s relation to Islam by hurling anathema upon those who dare entertain them. This unacceptable procedure is sanctioned by a well placed but centripetal and shrinking minority.

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I am hard to shock, but the repeated expressions of disgust and contempt on the part of media stars and pundits who pontificate daily, and year after year, to audiences of millions, that a “jackass”, “nutbag”, “non-entity” should get so much attention, has succeeded. The depths of arrogance and the heights of hypocrisy thus revealed have stunned even the philosophical fellow I believed myself to be. What of Equality and Fraternity? What of the 15 minutes of fame these people so complaisantly predicted and welcomed for all? In this light the bravery, certainly, but also the probity seem to be with Jones.

Despite efforts to camouflage the fact with lies, the attention Jones has gotten is due, above all, to the likes of MSNBC, and the reason these people give him so much attention comes out of the same pot as their eagerness to brand the Tea Party movement as racist. Jones is the greatly desired “proof”, eagerly seized, that America is indeed the islamophobic provocateur they claim. Now, if this is true, would it not be expedient to placate this dangerous populo, the way these same geniuses patiently explain it is prudently obligatory to do in places where enlightenment and tolerance reign supreme, like Jordan? I mean, because Jordan is mostly muslim, it must, right?

The more Obama insists America is not at war with Islam, the more it sounds like it is. Who is provoking whom? Last night, in amazed fascination, I watched CNN’s coverage of the mosque controversy, which consisted of a parade of bearded and dark skinned muslims between the ages of 20 and 30, using sociology-speak to denounce America as "islamophobic", with a cooing obligato from the upper-middle class white anchors. If this is an organized attempt to incite Americans to war on Islam it could hardly be better managed. But the fact is that the ignorance, malice and unavowable intentions inspiring these people lead them into speeches and acts which are incoherent at best.

As for the reverend Jones and his backyard trash fire, it seems he has allowed himself to be talked out of it. Now: has any muslim terrorist, kidnapper, decapitator, lapidator, rioter or jihadist ever allowed himself to be talked out of anything, or have they ever been stopped by anything but force - or multi-million dollar ransoms? What about Imam Rauf ? Will Trump's ransom offer do the trick? If not, will the government - the American government of and by the people - apply force? And if not, what then?

Once he decided upon it, and once it was publicized, Jones should have stuck to his guns, since now he is just another spineless occidental appeaser. But the story is not over, since Jones - unless he really has backed down - may have been tricked. 

Oh how fearful to burn a Coran! Does anyone take note of the angry and frustrated Algerians currently sacking mosques and burning Corans? No, because such vermin exist even less for "us" than the despised reverend Jones.

If Jones again goes ahead, he will be more like the rowdy but sturdy Africans and Asians who answer muslim provocation by burning mosques - more like them, but not really like them; for that he would have to burn more than paper - and bump off a few people. Must it really come to this sort of civil war?? Eventually only churchillian adamance will suffice. Meanwhile an American, in America, burning some printed paper which belongs to him, on his own property, is very far short of that.

Doom, and also Gloom

It’s one thing to throw Obama out of office, along with other anti-American perverters of constitutional principles. After all, these folk have been at it a long time, and they have not destroyed American yet. But we have reached a point where things like a supreme court packed with Elena Kagans, taxpayer responsibility for auto worker pensions, a likely massive new population of regularized “citizens”, a perverted financial and insurance system snared in bloated bureaucracy busy regularizing enclaves of sharia compliance and micro-managing civil life, as well as a debt unlike any ever dreamed of in the history of the universe, give the problem a new dimension.

A responsible government can back out of many things, but I fear that properly fixing the thing is starting to imply civil war. The quarrel over slavery was only tactically about state’s rights and not fundamentally about morality. The basic question was whether Negroes were really people, in the full sense. But the slave owners - this seems obvious - were more concerned about maintaining their situation than scoring theoretical points. After all, even if it had been accepted that Negros are not really people, this does not automatically imply they ought to be treated as property. There are many kinds of discriminations thoughout history which did not result in slavery, and slavery, historically, did not depend on dehumanization. On most constitutional, as well as religious and sexual matters, there was broad agreement in north and south.

Today the situation, on the theoretically plane, is much more sever. Americans are divided into two camps of profoundly opposed views in vital areas. The situation is unstable, and will not persist indefinitely. Furthermore, the forces are not equal. Though the left, or what might be called the Sodomites, hold much high ground, they are a minority. If the Anti-sodomites find effective leadership, or if the Sodomites fail to pull back and moderate, there may be “hell to pay”. The knuckle dragging, church-going, beer swilling, gun-owning, NASCAR watching hordes are restless.

The doctrine of the “living constitution” is now revealed for what it always was: a total lack of interest, concern or respect for each specific constitutional provision and protection, as well as for the spirit of that document, and for the Declaration. There may be common ground for moderated laws on abortion and capital punishment, but contemporary anti-clericalism, “gay rights” activism and La Raza boosterism seem radicalized beyond hope of reconciliation.

Europe is in a similar situation, though here it is less explosive because the ruling Sodomites are - amazing as this may seems - more moderate and prudent than their American counterparts. And the European population is softer and more perverted than its American counterpart. Still, the imbalance is sufficient to wreak the EU, and the real problems - which are more severe than in America - may well end up being treated though some degree of violence.

Enjoy the last moments of this halcyon era, children, while it lasts!

Disaster Disaster

The greatest ecological disaster in history of the United States of American ended last week. The consequences, of course, are grave. The oil has evaporated, and only two pelicans got tarred, but the economy of Louisiana has been closed down...by the prudent ban on off-shore drilling. The Louisiana judges keep throwing it out, but it keeps coming back, to really make sure we are safe from another, and certainly worse, man-made ecological disaster. Indeed: each new disaster seems to be worst than the last (how does that work?) even when it ends in a whimper.

These man-made natural disasters seem to be escaping all human control…

Ceausescu: an Abortion among Tyrants!

So last night we watched a documentary about how Ceausescu banned abortions in Romania, an act billed as “the greatest and most tragic social experiment in the history of humanity”. The result: lots of “unwanted” babies (now all adults) and “2000” deaths though rogue abortion attempts.

At one point in this festival of hang-wringing, lamentation and uncritical pro-abortion sentimentalism, it was recounted how the ban did not apply to gypsies - which was qualified as a surreptitious policy of “genocide”.

Poor Ceausescu, he can’t win! Ban abortion and he is a liberty killing oppressor of women. Allow it, and he commits genocide. Romanophobia?

Standard Double Penetration

Much delight this morning on “France Culture” radio.

First the glad report - based on the say-so of some Italian reporters - that the Vatican will announce sterner measures today against child-molesting priests: the prescription for these crimes will be extended from 10 to 20 years, and the perps will be defrocked.

This was directly followed by the daily “chronicle” of Alexander Adler, unofficial-official historian/revisionist of France, TV and radio personality, and eager predictor of a 2004 Kerry victory. Alexander began with a proclamation of how "enchanted” he is by Roman Polanski’s new found freedom. Then he gave his sermon. The subject: how rotten and irresponsible the American justice system is for giving poor Roman such a hard time for such a minor offence committed so many years ago.

The French Doctors

Last night the president of France, in his “oval office” interview equivalent, mentioned the “grave crisis” of the French doctors, though the media takes little interest. In this morning news: yet another retreat of the socialized system, a list of more areas no longer covered by the state mandated insurance which all French citizens and foreign workers are obliged to pay as a “social security” tax - not to mention the private “complementary insurance” which all prudent people feel obliged to have, to help cover the now looming gaps in public financing - though the social security tax remains in full force. In the last few weeks a plan to close all surgical units which perform less than 1000 operations a month has given rise to much complaint, but in France there is always fuss at any prospect of change, because each situation has state mandated winners who don’t want to lose. But what can one expect of a “rationalized system”, other than that it be impractical and hopelessly expensive? If this sort of thing worked the USSR, Red China and the Khmer Rouge would still be going concerns.

For the doctors - that is the “generalists”, the individual doctors who constitute the front line and the mass of the troops in the battle against illness - this “grave crisis” is grave indeed. Within 2 years, unless something gives, it is altogether possible that there will be no more generalists in France. Not only are there not enough young people who want to work in this field, not only are generalists disappearing into retirement as fast as they can, not only are there whole regions of France where there is already an alarming lack of them, but those remaining are deserting the field “en masse” to take posts in the public system. There, instead of working 80 hours weeks, instead of having state-designated duty nights, instead of earning tiny state-regulated fees for specific medical acts which they are obliged to pile up and account for in order to be paid, instead of being ordered onto the carpet and interrogated by supervising magistrates every time they happen to prescribe too much of this, or not enough of that, instead of seeing what they do earn drained away in taxation which often tops 50%, instead of continuing to stagger under a quickly growing mass of regulation and bureaucratic obligation of all sorts impossible for an individual to bare, and hardly easier for doctors grouped in clinics which can afford to share a secretary, instead of all this, they will work 35 hours a week, take home a salary, and say goodbye to all that.

 

The consequence? Front line French health care will soon occur in “emergency rooms” only, emergency rooms already absurdly overburdened. The system will shrivel into a sclerotic inefficiency which, however, can be ignored by the public “health care givers” and their administrators, who will have no obligations beyond their employment contracts, and budgetary relation with the state. It’s not that the French doctors are not alarmed about this but they are only human. Thier energy and thier nerves have limits. Their suicide rate has reached a new high. 

And what will happen to “health care”? Need I go into details?

McCrystal Stoned, Obama Stupid

McCrystal reminds me of officer Crowley, the guy who arrested that black Harvard professor, and got called “stupid” by Obama.

Both men are Obama voters, and both behaved stupidly. Both are “professionals” - McCrystal is even a 4 star general - and I do not doubt that both not stupid in their areas.

But why did McCrystal have anything to do with Rolling Stone? There are lots of theories; mine is that Rolling Stone was no problem for McCrystal (whether its reporter was imposed, or he accepted him). The manipulation theories are absurd. What does McCrystal, or the army, or the war in Afghanistan, get from this? Is not McCrystal a Patreus/surge/Anbar-awakening guy to begin with? Does putting Patreus in his place change anything basic?

McCrystal is another one of those millions and millions of mostly left-leaning people who can’t understand that a rag like Rolling Stone has an agenda hostile to their essential interests, and to them personally for being attached to them. In this sense he is “stupid”.

As has been pointed out, and in spite of the hosannas, Obama makes himself look stupid by firing McCrystal for a few cracks reported in some stupid paper, and makes himself look even stupider by turning to Patreus whom he previously ridiculed. This, the still open Guantanamo, and that drone attacks in Pakistan are on the rise since he has become president, does not help.

What is Petreus’ game? Is it stupid to have accepted responsibility for the Afghan war? He must think he can win - under present or foreseeable conditions. If not…

Art Talk

Here are several recent posts about art.

I think I have finally had enough of the Natural Pigments board, where too many of the active posters are trolls, and the rest are cowards. Anyway, on my board can be found comments about "classical realism", a primer on composition, and other things.