Don Singleton

Monday, April 02, 2007

Tackle extremists

Telegraph reported Muslim "opinion formers", including imams, are to be given lessons in civic leadership under a new plan to tackle Islamic extremism in Britain.

Are you stupid enough to think that the only reason they are uncivilized is that they have not been taught civic leadership? They have been taught that it is ok to kill anyone that is not a Muslim (and although it is not in the Qur'an, it is apparently ok to kill other Muslims if they are members of a different sects, or just tick you off.)

Ruth Kelly, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, will this week announce details of a £6 million "hearts and minds" drive to deal with growing radicalism among young British Muslims which can fuel terrorist plots.

And at the same time, they are dropping teaching about the Holocaust and the Crusades from history lessons to avoid offending Muslim pupils

Also part of the plan are school-twinning projects, in which pupils from mainly Muslim schools will undertake joint projects, such as music and drama, with children from predominantly white establishments.

But I thought the Qur'an did not approve of music.

The schools could go on trips together, while groups of pupils could spend days in each other's classrooms.

Will the girls have to be accompanied by a male relative?

Congress will fund Iraq war if Bush uses veto, Obama says

USATODAY reported If President Bush vetoes an Iraq war spending bill as promised, Congress quickly will provide the money without the withdrawal timeline the White House objects to because no lawmaker "wants to play chicken with our troops," Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday.

I am not surprised. I just wonder how much pork they will insist on adding to the bill.

"My expectation is that we will continue to try to ratchet up the pressure on the president to change course," the Democratic presidential candidate said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I don't think that we will see a majority of the Senate vote to cut off funding at this stage."

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Offending Muslims

Daily Mail reported Schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons to avoid offending Muslim pupils, a Governmentbacked study has revealed.

Why would they be offended, they did not do it. It was the Germans under Hitler.

It found some teachers are reluctant to cover the atrocity for fear of upsetting students whose beliefs include Holocaust denial.

If they believe in the Tooth Fairy, do you not teach them about dental health?

There is also resistance to tackling the 11th century Crusades - where Christians fought Muslim armies for control of Jerusalem - because lessons often contradict what is taught in local mosques.

They need to learn the truth sometime.

The findings have prompted claims that some schools are using history 'as a vehicle for promoting political correctness'.

If they do not face up to their problems soon Londonistan and the rest of the EU will be under Sharia Law.

Lard Mohammed Scupture Unveiled

Plains Feeder blogged I wonder who will cover next week's showing at Joslyn Art Museum here in Omaha of the sculpture pictured above. The deep relief depicts the Prophet Mohammed, and is crafted entirely from lard. The title is "Lard Mohammed", and the sculptor prefers to remain anonymous, but is widely believed to be a Nebraska blogger.

ROF, LMAO

Easter

Thanks to GetReligion I just learned a very interesting fact. This is the rare year when the churches of the East and West will be celebrating Easter — Pascha in the East — on the same date.

Go to Fact Monster to get the whole story.

Enforce Sharia law within seven days or we will do it ourselves

Asia News reported a Pakistanian Imam said "if within a week Sharia law is not enforced throughout the country than true Muslims “will islamify society on their own”. Maulana Abdul Aziz, Imam of the Lal Masjid Mosque and director of Jamia Hafsa Madrassah has said. Speaking after Friday prayers to thousands of faithful, Aziz clarified: “If the government ignores our requests than we will have to enforce them ourselves”. The man then asked for the closure of “all brothels and gaming houses as soon as possible”, also adding in this case that “that aim may only be achieved thanks to the help of the Madrassah students”.

And they don't just want brothels closed. They are preparing a “list of impure places” to be forcibly shut down, and basically they want Sharia Law to superceed Pakistani Law. They want to turn modern Pakistan into something like Afganistan under the Taliban.

April 1

Google Press Center announced the launch of Google TiSP (BETA)™, a free in-home wireless broadband service that delivers online connectivity via users' plumbing systems. The Toilet Internet Service Provider (TiSP) project is a self-installed, ad-supported online service that will be offered entirely free to any consumer with a WiFi-capable PC and a toilet connected to a local municipal sewage system.

Sounds too good to be true? Remember the announcement was made on April 1st.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Woman fails in bid to renounce Islam

New Straits Times reported <>A 24-year-old Muslim woman yesterday failed in her application to renounce Islam on the grounds that she did not practise the religion and was never given religious education. Syariah High Court judge Jasri @ Nasip Matjakir said the applicant did not submit any concrete evidence that she was no longer a Muslim in action, behaviour or deed that could expel her from Islam.

She said that she did not "practise" the religion. Is the lack of that action insufficient? Are other Muslims that do not practice the religion still forced to remain muslims?

... Jasri, in his judgment, said although the Federal Constitution did state that every individual deserved to choose his or her religion, it did not give authority to the syariah court to allow Muslims to renounce their religion. "The court can only decide whether one’s action is permissible according to Muslim laws.

So the Federal Constitution is not the highest law in the country?

"The reasons given by the applicant are based on fear of punishment which is against the teachings of Islam. Is fear a good enough reason? "The court finds the reasons given are weak and not one that can be used as permissible to murtad (leave Islam)."

Fear is weak? What about the fact that Surah 2:256 says “There is no compulsion in religion”, Surah 16:82 says “Then, if they turn away, your duty (O Muhammad) is only to convey (the Message) in a clear way.”, Surah 42:48 says “But if they turn away (from Islam). We have not sent you as a Hafiz (watcher, protector) over them (to take care of their deeds and to recompense them). Your duty is to convey (the Message)…”, and Surah 88:21-22 says “And so, (O Prophet!) exhort them, your task is only to exhort; you cannot compel them to believe.”

Hope you can swim

I saw this on another blog and thought I would check and see if it is true for every start and stop place. It apparently is. Someone at Google Maps has a sense of humor. Here I asked for the route from London, England to my house, and in step 37 they have "Swim across the Atlantic Ocean 3,462 mi". I hope you are a good swimmer if you decide to do this.

Gaddafi says only Islam a universal religion

Yahoo! News reported Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Friday that it was a mistake to believe that Christianity was a universal faith alongside Islam.

Christianity is a universal faith OVER Islam. Christianity is based on the Son of God, not just an Arab "Prophet" that tried to hijack the Jewish and Christian faiths, and then turned against them and urged Arabs to kill Jews and Christians, and anyone else, to take over other countries by force.

"There are serious mistakes -- among them the one saying that Jesus came as a messenger for other people other than the sons of Israel," he told a mass prayer meeting in Niger. "Christianity is not a faith for people in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Other people who are not sons of Israel have nothing to do with that religion," he said at the prayer meeting, held to mark the birth of the prophet Mohammed.

This just shows how ignorant Gaddafi is of Christianity. According to Mark 16:15 Jesus said to "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."

Gaddafi, who is seeking to expand his influence in Africa, said his arguments came from the Koran.

He should not rely on the lies in the Koran; he should read the Bible

He led similar prayers last year in Mali. "It is a mistake that another religion exists alongside Islam. There is only one religion which is Islam after Mohammed," he said in the sermon, which was broadcast live on Libyan state television. "All those believers who do not follow Islam are losers," he added. "We are here to correct the mistakes in the light of the teachings of the Koran."

You should not trust the holy book of one faith to properly describe another faith.

Gaddafi also said it was a mistake to believe that Jesus had been crucified and killed. "It is not correct to say that. Another man resembling Jesus was crucified in his place."

And how did Muhammad come to that conclusion, living over 700 years after Christ was crucified?

Libya grants financial aid to Islamic communities in Africa and elsewhere to build mosques, Islamic schools and facilities. Libyan state television often shows Gaddafi meeting groups of African men or women telling him they converted to Islam. The mass prayers, chaired by Gaddafi, came a day after Arab leaders wrapped up a summit in Saudi Arabia. Libya was the only Arab state to shun the gathering. "Libya has turned its back on the Arabs ... Libya is an African nation.

If Gaddafi had read the Koran like he claims to he would realize that it seeks to expand the power of the Arabs he rejects. Muslims even claim you are not really reading the Koran unless you read it in Arabic. He should try reading the Bible. Here he can read it in over 50 versions and 35 languages, including Arabic.

As for Arabs, may God keep them happy and far away," Gaddafi has said to explain his boycott of the summit.

Friday, March 30, 2007

Don't confuse terrorism with Islam, says EU

Telegraph reported The European Union has drawn up guidelines advising government spokesmen to refrain from linking Islam and terrorism in their statements. Brussels officials have confirmed the existence of a classified handbook which offers "non-offensive" phrases to use when announcing anti-terrorist operations or dealing with terrorist attacks.

We certainly would not want to offend people that blow people up just to show they disapprove of something.

Banned terms are said to include "jihad", "Islamic" or "fundamentalist".

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and a fundamentalist Islamic jihadist by any other name would still kill indescriminately.

The word "jihad" is to be avoided altogether, according to some sources, because for Muslims the word can mean a personal struggle to live a moral life.

Tell that to the jihadists that are killing people. And tell the Muslims faced with an internal struggle to lead a moral life to criticize terrorist acts when the people that commit them say they are doing it because the Qur'an tells them to do so.

One alternative, suggested publicly last year, is for the term "Islamic terrorism" to be replaced by "terrorists who abusively invoke Islam".

Why use five words when two says it all.

An EU official said that the secret guidebook, or, "common lexicon", is aimed at preventing the distortion of the Muslim faith and the alienation of Muslims in Europe. "The common lexicon includes guidance on a number of frequently used terms where lack of care by EU and member states' spokespeople may give rise to misunderstandings," he said. "Careful usage of certain terms is not about empty political correctness

We hope that they will kill us last if we are nice to them.

but stems from astute awareness of the EU's interests in the fight against terrorism.

Jawa Report blogged Since we cannot use the terms "Islamic fundamentalists", or "jihadis", what exactly are we going to call the Islamic fundametalist jihadis? Oh, yeah: "French youth".

Hot Air blogged In the name of human rights, we’re getting a sharia-based speech code rammed down our throats on a global scale. Is it just me, or the 21st Century shaping up to suck mightily?

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

"Youth" riot

Yahoo! News Riot police firing tear gas and brandishing batons clashed Tuesday with bands of youths who shattered windows and looted shops at a major Paris train station, and officials said seven people were arrested.

Nowhere in the article do they identify the religion of the "youths". Wanta guess?

Officers and police dogs charged at groups of marauding youths, some of them wearing hoods, who mingled with commuters and travelers at the Gare du Nord — one of Paris' most important transport hubs.

Accept peace plan or face war

Telegraph reported The "lords of war" will decide Israel's future if it rejects a blueprint for peace crafted by the entire Arab world, Saudi Arabia's veteran foreign minister warned yesterday. As leaders began gathering in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for today's summit of the Arab League, Prince Saud al-Faisal told The Daily Telegraph that the Middle East risks perpetual conflict if the peace plan fails.

Perpetual conflict is what they have right now. They even pulled all of the Israeli settlers out of Gaza and turned over greenhouses that employed many Arabs, to see if the Palestinians would set up a peaceful state, and found the greenhouses used as terror bases with which to attack Israel.

Under this Saudi-drafted proposal, every Arab country would formally recognise Israel in return for a withdrawal from all the land captured in the war of 1967.

Whoopee. If Israel goes back to borders that are harder to defend against, they will be recognized by every Arab Country. Will those Arab countries all live in peace with Israel, or just recognize where they are, and attack like in 1967?

Why did they do it

This is a humorous clip from the 1/2 Hour News Hour but reminds me of many news reports in which we are just told that "youths" did something, or a crazy individual did something, and leaving out the important piece of information that he was a Muslim. This certainly does not mean that all Muslims do these things, but when one does do them we deserve to know who they were. For example this report of "youths of Arab and African origin". Were they Arab and African Methodists, or Arab and African Secular Humanists?

Monday, March 26, 2007

This is baaaaaad

the Mail reported Scientists have created the world's first human-sheep chimera - which has the body of a sheep and half-human organs. The sheep have 15 per cent human cells and 85 per cent animal cells - and their evolution brings the prospect of animal organs being transplanted into humans one step closer.

This is baaaaaad

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Charter School Effort Gets $65 Million Lift

WaPo reported The charter school movement, begun 16 years ago as an alternative to struggling public schools, will today make its strongest claim on mainstream American education when a national group announces the most successful fundraising campaign in the movement's history -- $65 million to create 42 schools in Houston.

Wonderful news, particularly for parents in Houston

The money, which comes from some of the nation's foremost donors, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, would make the Knowledge Is Power Program the largest charter school organization in the country. KIPP, which runs three schools in Washington, has produced some of the highest test scores among publicly funded schools in the District and has made significant gains in the math and reading achievement of low-income students in most of its 52 schools across the country.

Betsy Newmark blogged Generations of students have entered school and left, failed by our schools. Now a system has come along that helps some of those students and critics gripe that they aren't helping everyone. They would prefer to struggle along with one failed program after another while more generations of students are failed by their schools. These schools are taking their public money, adding in private donations and providing an excellent education for some kids. Yes, those kids are lucky to get there and we wish that all students could go to such schools. But until that happens, should we deny these students at the KIPP Academies their opportunities because we want to hold them hostage in the regular public schools in the hopes that their presence will help other students.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Colorado Woman Sues To Hold Web Crawlers To Contracts

InformationWeek reported The Internet Archive, which spiders the Internet to copy Web sites for posterity (unless site owners opt out), is being sued by Colorado resident and Web site owner Suzanne Shell for conversion, civil theft, breach of contract, and violations of the Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations act and the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act.

Shell is an idiot. If she does not want her site spidered, all she has to do is include a metatag that tells spiders not to index the page, and not to follow links within it.

Shell's site states, "IF YOU COPY OR DISTRIBUTE ANYTHING ON THIS WEB SITE, YOU ARE ENTERING INTO A CONTRACT," at the bottom of the main page, and refers readers to a more detailed copyright notice and agreement. Her suit asserts that the Internet Archive's programmatic visitation of her site constitutes acceptance of her terms, despite the obvious inability of a Web crawler to understand those terms and the absence of a robots.txt file to warn crawlers away.

Proof the left is insane

Bret Stephens wrote in OpinionJournal Since coming to office nearly seven years ago, Mr. Livingstone has become a symbol of the marriage of the European left and the Islamist right..... More mysterious, however, at least as a matter of ideology, has been the dalliance of the progressive left with the (Islamic) political right. Self-styled progressives, after all, have spent the past four decades championing the very freedoms that Islam most opposes: sexual and reproductive freedoms, gay rights, freedom from religion, pornography and various forms of artistic transgression, pacifism and so on. For those who hold this form of politics dear, any long-term alliance with Islamic politics ultimately becomes an ideological, if not a political, suicide pact.

Precisely. The same is true for the Democrats in this country. They are so mad at Bush that they ignore the much greater risk that Radical Islam proposes, and if Islam prevails, Conservative Christains will certainly be hurt, because they will have to live as Dhimmis under Islam and pay a steep tax, but the Secular Progressives will be in far worse shape. They support Gay Marriage, while Muslims not only will not let gays marry, they kill them, by beheading, hanging, throwing off buildings, or other ways. Dems support abortion on demand, while Muslims stone or give 100 lashes to people for having sex outside of marriage.

One cannot, after all, champion the cause of universal liberation in alliance with a movement that at its core stands for submission.... But the stakes today are different. At question for Europeans is not the prevailing view of a distant country. The question is the shaping of their own. Europe's liberal democrats were able, sometimes with outside help, to preserve their values in the face of an outside threat. Whether they can resist the temptations of Islamosocialism remains to be seen.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

A More Islamic Islam

Geneive Abdo wrote on WaPo A small group of self-proclaimed secular Muslims from North America and elsewhere gathered in St. Petersburg recently for what they billed as a new global movement to correct the assumed wrongs of Islam and call for an Islamic Reformation.

It needs one, to bring the 7th century religion into the 21st century.

Across the state in Fort Lauderdale, Muslim leaders from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Washington-based advocacy group whose members the "secular" Muslims claim are radicals, denounced any notion of a Reformation as another attempt by the West to impose its history and philosophy on the Islamic world.

They prefer the 7th century approach.

The self-proclaimed secularists represent only a small minority of Muslims. The views among religious Muslims from CAIR more closely reflect the views of the majority, not only in the United States but worldwide. Yet Western media, governments and neoconservative pundits pay more attention to the secular minority.

Actually we are keeping an eye on the radical ones as well, to make sure they do not succeed.

White House Opposes D.C. Vote

WaPo reported The White House declared its opposition yesterday to a bill that would give the District its first full seat in the House of Representatives, saying it is unconstitutional, and a key Senate supporter said such concerns could kill the measure. "The Constitution specifies that only 'the people of the several states' elect representatives to the House," said White House spokesman Alex Conant. "And D.C. is not a state."

Precise;y. DC should only be the land where people work. With the exception of the White House the land where people live should be given back to Virfinia or Maryland, whichever turned it over to become a part of DC

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