http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58838

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — For once, the troops got to come home early.

Soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division arrived home Thursday and Friday, six weeks ahead of schedule. Their 15-month deployment was cut short amid improving security in Iraq, allowing the troops to be home for the holidays.

Another fatuous article by Haroon Siddiqui in the Toronto Star today.

The most important point to take issue with is where he quotes an organization called Fairness and Accuracy in Media Reporting, "... some of Islamophobia's most virulent expressions include evocations of Islamic plots to dominate the West". Siddiqui comments, "Free speech advocates need to separate themselves from such racism".

But this is not racism; there are plenty of examples to demonstrate what the "Islamists" are up to. Mark Steyn quotes a former Hezbollah leader, in America Alone: "We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you" (p.151). And when have any of the bin Laden videos ever said anything else?

It takes a hell of a lot of effrontery to call "racism" westerners' right to self-defense and our legitimate wariness about extremist Muslims like these. Just because it is probably only a small minority of Muslims, doesn't mean they aren't dangerous and don't mean what they say.

Siddiqui also quotes Pope Benedict saying that the founding figures and other sacred symbols of religion should not be subjected to mockery or ridicule, adding that Catholics and Muslims "have jointly challenged a fundamental tenet of free speech, that religion is not above ridicule" (he also mentions similar sentiments from various bodies of the world's most corrupt organization, the United Nations). Unfortunately, this is not the Pope's (or Siddiqui's) finest moment: if you can't ridicule religion, then you don't have free speech. PERIOD.

FAIR also is quoted saying that Islamophobia "tends to dehumanize an entire faith, portraying it as fundamentally alien and attributing to its followers an inherent, essential set of negative traits, such as irrationality, intolerance and violence". Yet note the constant use of the term "infidel" by Muslim extremists to demonize those who don't share their faith. Who exactly is "dehumanizing" and "portraying as fundamentally alien"?

Another minor issue: a letter in the Star today attacks the idea that the federal government might sell off some of its assets to help in the battle against the current economic problems. The letter says, "the assets of the Canadian people are not [Flaherty's] to toy with and sell off on a whim".

This person needs to be reminded that property rights are the right of use and disposal; if I don't have the right to dispose of something, such as my alleged share in any government asset, then I don't own it. Government (not "the people") often does hold certain assets that it should not, and privatization is often the best course of action. "Public property", as with most things having the word "public" in front of them, is a sham.

The only thing that dehumanizes Islam is Islam and it's followers.

"FAIR also is quoted saying that Islamophobia "tends to dehumanize an entire faith, portraying it as fundamentally alien and attributing to its followers an inherent, essential set of negative traits, such as irrationality, intolerance and violence"

B.S. Some statistics:

61% of the Quran is about non-Muslims. It is about full on hate towards non-believers. In it we learn that it is not only permissible, but often commanded that Kafirs be tortured, murdered, robbed, raped and enslaved.

In the Bukhari Hadith, when jihad is mentioned, 3% of the time it's about 'inner struggle.' 97% of the time it's about war.

In total, Allah is about 14% of the Trilogy and the Sunna (Mohammed's words and deeds) is 86% of the total. Islam is about Mohammad; his vanity, lusts and desires.

It is also statistically proven, based on the Islamic trilogy that Islam is a political ideology, not a religion.

As they say, 'the proof is in the pudding.' This stuff is their holy writing. It is what their 'religion' is based on. It's what the imams and terrorists, alike, quote. It is what will defeat them.

Until these things are clearly understood by non-Muslims, hissing snakes like Siddiqui are going to get away with their outright lies in their attempt to confuse, undermine and overthrow the non-Islamic world.

Quid Nunc?
...-

"Feel free to ogle my Olga, says rich banker
A Russian billionaire is celebrating his wife's beauty by printing a book of erotic photographs of her"
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5163096.ece

"Candaules, his wife and Gyges"
"One day the king (who was doomed to a bad end) said to Gyges: "It appears you don't believe me when I tell you how lovely my wife is. Well, a man always believes his eyes better than his ears; so do as I tell you - contrive to see her naked.""
http://www.livius.org/he-hg/herodotus/hist14.html

Political correctness goes a-hunting: "staff person".
...-

"The Family Hunt

A feature documentary about Dawn Moylenuex, a Loyalist College staff person, who loves to hunt with her family."
http://www.thepioneer.com/?q=node/2575

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10787_3-10098194-60.html

"Murdoch to media: You dug yourself a huge hole"

"My summary of the way some of the established media has responded to the internet is this: it's not newspapers that might become obsolete. It's some of the editors, reporters, and proprietors who are forgetting a newspaper's most precious asset: the bond with its readers," said Murdoch, the chairman and chief executive officer of News Corp."

"...Murdoch said newspapers can still count on circulation gains "if papers provide readers with news they can trust."

Spengler, Scandal exposes Islam's weakness

"Did you hear about the German Gnostic?"
"He couldn't keep a secret."

Just such a Teutonic mystic is Professor Muhammad Sven Kalisch, a German convert to Islam who teaches Muslim theology at the University of Munster. Kalisch recently laid a Gnostic egg in the nest of Islam, declaring that the Prophet Mohammed never existed, not at least in the way that the received version of Islamic tradition claims he did. Given that Kalisch holds an academic chair specifically funded to instruct teachers of Islam in Germany's school system, a scandal ensued, first reported in the mainstream English-language press by Andrew Higgins in the November 15 edition of the Wall Street Journal.

On closer reading, Kalisch offers a far greater challenge to Islam than the secular critics who reject its claims. The headline that a Muslim academic has doubts over the existence of the Prophet Mohammed is less interesting than why he has such doubts. Kalisch does not want to harm Islam, but rather to expose what he believes to be its true nature. Islam, he argues, really is a Gnostic spiritual teaching masquerading as myth. Kalisch's heretical variant of Islam may be close enough to the religion's original intent as to provoke a re-evaluation of the original sources...

CTS-TV Michael Coren Show 8pm Eastern, repeats next day at noon

TUESDAY, Nov 18 - Human Rights Panels. Canadian Jewish Congress chair Bernie Farber, author Warren Kinsella, blogger Mike Brock and lawyer Noa Mendelsohn Aviv,Director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s Freedom of Expression project.

"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the congress [Parliament] is in session."
Mark Twain
...-

"OTTAWA–MPs return to Parliament tomorrow"
(toredstar)

Haroon Siddiqui might want to ask if slights to Christians are taken seriously in the West. Recently, there was an article in the TorStar on a film depicting Islamist terrorists by a Muslim woman who teaches in the Toronto District School Board. Sorry, I can't find the link.

She was disconcerted by scenes of peaceful Muslims juxtaposed upon scenes of terrorist acts and accompanied by menacing music. I can see her point.

However, I tried to visualize a similar article in the TorStar under the byline of a Christian teacher in the Toronto District School Board objecting to the depiction of Christians in Hollywood movies and wasn't able to do it. For one thing, a Christian teacher might be concerned about keeping her/his job if s/he spoke out about the treatment of Christians/Christianity in Hollywood, let alone in Canada at large or even within the TDSB.

I’m getting tired of every culture in Canada but one of the founding cultures—that of Judeo-Christianity—being given a platform to complain every time someone looks at them sideways or says something unflattering. I’m getting tired of them playing the racist card when something “offensive” (even if true) is said about their group. I’m getting tired of Christians being taken to HRCs for, supposedly, “offending” Muslims or gays, whereas if someone in our “multicultural” society offends the sensibilities of Christians, well too darned bad. We’re expected to suck it up.

My ancestors and their Judeo-Christian faith built a democracy that is the envy of the world and a democratic country which has offered hospitality and refuge to hundreds of thousands of immigrants and refugees since Confederation and before. I’m all for it. My ancestors, after all, were immigrants too, over 200 years ago.

But for newcomers to our “multicultural” mosaic to whine and complain about their host culture, to trash others’ freedoms and cry “racism” where there is none in order to elevate their own status is not on, IMHO. I’m reminded of parasites who destroy their host from within. I’m not for that.

When Siddiqui and his ilk begin to stand up for the rights of all Canadians and not just for their entitled cultural group, I’ll be much more likely to give him a hearing. Otherwise, my advice is, shut up, grow up, get over it.

This is a very successful Democracy. We have all the needed freedoms in our Constitution any respectable citizen could want or need.

Freedom of religion and from religion is one.
I know nothing about Islam aside from all the problems and strife throughout the world where it exists.

People of any faith, Islam/Muslim included can live here, practice their beliefs as long as they are within out laws. In turn they can mind their own business and become productive citizens as our forefathers intended in this democracy.
If our laws impede them from practicing their faith, they don't belong here. They can quit the whining and move to an Islamic state where their faith is law.

Sorry, that should read ....as long as they are within OUR laws.

Lorne Gunter's column reveals a big error by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) -- one of four agencies responsible for monitoring the global temperatures used by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- in its statistics for October. According to the GISS figures, last month was the warmest October on record around the world.....

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=1083d149-cd70-41be-b8a1-a3f13fd759ec

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-6257

H.R. 6257: Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2008

To reinstate the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act.

Sponsor:
Rep. Mark Kirk [R-IL]show cosponsors (4)
Cosponsors [as of 2008-11-07]
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-FL]
Rep. Michael Ferguson [R-NJ]
Rep. Christopher Shays [R-CT]
Rep. Michael Castle [R-DE]

Introduced Jun 12, 2008

Last Action: Jul 28, 2008: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Just read the comments on the RedStar story on the 8 muslims demanding UPS change their uniform to meet their requirements. The issue is quite simple; this is our uniform and it meets all the safety requirments, if you don't like it don't apply or continue to work here. Yet many commentors, still stuck on stupid, attack the company, province or Canada itself for its failure to meet the demands of this group and we must bend over farther to accomodate them no matter how painful it is.

In this case these Somalis, coming from the shithole of the world, instead of being eternally grateful to this wonderful country are now busily undermining our rules and we unbelievably let them. Honestly we don't need you, go back to your homeland.

The Khalid Bin Al-Walid mosque asking that Canadian workplaces respect a strict Muslim dress code is at the same time disseminating slurs against Jews and Western societies, and warning members against social integration.

Even many muslim commentors decry this asinine demand yet our leftist hand-wringers continue to criticize our western culture, they never, never change.

Zombie has declared November 22, 2008 as "Victory in Iraq" Day.

http://www.zombietime.com/vi_day/

RTWT and join the celebration.

Yasser, Arafat, that is, returns to the White(sic) House for a minimum 4-year sleepover.
Kissy, kissy.
...-

"Obama Hires More Clinton White House Veterans

President-elect Barack Obama continued to fill out staff positions for his incoming administration during the weekend, with many of the new appointees having Clinton White House pedigrees. Gregory B. Craig, Pete Rouse, Mona Sutphen, Jim Messina, etc"
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133546/posts
...-

Al-Ahram Weekly | International | Pomp and circumstance
The White House was obviously trying to control the expected damages of the ... than her [Mrs Clinton's] record and the fact that she kissed Mrs Arafat" ...
weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/499/in3.htm

'Are You an Idiot to Keep Paying Your Mortgage?'

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/11/16/headline-are-you-idiot-keep-paying-your-mortgage

I noticed something disturbing recently.My seven year old had mentioned Obama's name quite a few times.During the times he did so I was too busy to ask him why he knew this name,but I made a mental note to discuss this with him in the near future.Whenever the TV is on it is usually on the cartoon channel as I have a four year old as well and sometimes this is the only way to distract them while I try to get things done around the house.More often than not,the TV is turned off.My wife and I hardly ever watch adult programming as we are too busy with our children's sports itinerary,piano lessons,second language training,etc.To make a long story less long,it was at school of course,where he became aware of Obama's name.After some gentle prodding he basically parroted the MSM's shtick,Bush bad,Obama good.I started deprogramming him last night,but it made me mad as hell that the administration at this school would mold {poison} a young mind to fit their own bias.And I'm paying for this?

h.ryan

You aren't the only one worried about your seven-year old. Some folk in America are not only deprogramming them, they are reprogramming them.

"KIDK TV in Idaho is reporting that a busload of grammar school children adopted a chilling mantra aboard their school bus: Assassinate Obama."

Hey Daisy, I think you should look into whether said busload was full of muslim children - after all, only muslims dehumanise others. Idaho must be full of muslims. You would do well to show how the minority of christians in that bus reacted to this chant.

Same dead horse, different stick, eh Daisy.

"When Siddiqui and his ilk begin to stand up for the rights of all Canadians and not just for their entitled cultural group"

I agree. But then we would have to deport all those SDA 'Canadians' who bent over backwards to defend the Israelis when some poor Canadian troop deputed to the UN was killed in a very suspicious manner. Here at SDA, the hierarchy of human life is simple - American (most valuable), Israeli (second most valuable), Canadian (third most valuable). Siddiquis just created his own version.

Excuse me if I'm skeptical,but would this reporting from KIDK TV be the same kind of reporting of the assassination plot that made front page news about the three hillbillies who could not organize a circle jerk let alone the murder of an American president?Don't bother to answer,it was rhetorical.

Useful...7-reasons the 21st century is making you miserable:

http://www.cracked.com/article_15231_7-reasons-21st-century-making-you-miserable.html

http://www.kidk.com/

admit it Dim , you are Dim and made that quote up.

"Here at SDA, the hierarchy of human life is simple - American (most valuable), Israeli (second most valuable), Canadian (third most valuable). Siddiquis just created his own version."

That may be true, but I'll take that over the leftarded hierarchy of life. Dogs & Cats( most valuable), pedophiles and criminals(second most valuable), humans(third most valuable).

Nader Elhefnawy, The Next Wave of Nuclear Proliferation

In recent years record oil prices, long-term concerns about fossil fuel supplies (particularly oil), and worries about the contributions of fossil fuels to the accumulation of greenhouse gases such as carbon and methane have helped revive interest in nuclear energy production. Indeed, it has become commonplace to advocate renewed investment in nuclear energy production in the United States. There has been, however, little consideration as to what a global turn to nuclear energy on an enlarged scale would actually entail, let alone the security implications of such.

This article’s concern, accordingly, is with what a globally expanded use of nuclear energy would mean for nuclear proliferation specifically (as opposed to the issues of nuclear waste disposal or the risk of catastrophic accident, which also merit serious consideration), and this topic as it centers on state actors (rather than nonstate actors such as terrorist groups). In doing so it will, first, examine what an enlarged use of nuclear energy would look like; second, what risks such a changed volume and distribution of nuclear energy production might entail; and third, what the options are for ameliorating those risks...

(PDF warning) Dr. Ephraim Kam, Military Action against Iran: The Iranian Perspective

Due to its weakness, Iran lacks sufficient capacity, from a purely military standpoint, to rebuff an attack on its nuclear facilities. It can respond to such an attack, but its retaliatory capability is limited, and should it attempt to hit American targets, it is liable to suffer much more from the American response.

Given these problems, Iran is heavily stressing the deterrent aspect of its capabilities...

I think Dim is short for Dhimmitude.

Another unexpected benefit of Obama being elected is that you can annoy truthers a little bit more. If you have the misfortune of being in close quarters with one or more,ask them why no one of the thousands involved in the 'inside job' has ever come forward. Their answer is almost always that people are afraid to speak the 'truth' because of the all-powerful Bushitler,commander of the armed forces,CIA,FBI,Secret Service etc.who use fear and intimidation of themselves and their family to keep the 'truth'from the people. The 'truther' will now be gloating and basking in his/her intellectual superiority.That is when you ask them if Obama will allow the 'truth' to be told once he becomes president or is he part of the conspiracy also? Then sit back and enjoy the squirming.

My new, most favorite hated word that I could never hear again is...

BAILOUT

Bail out ~ Definitions:

1. Empty water out of a boat.
2. Rescue someone in an emergency.
3. Jump out of an airplane, using a parachute.
4. Give up on something, abandon a responsibility.

Examples:

1. Bail unions out of society.
2. Bail taxpayers out of welfare.
3. Bail out of the dot com boom.
4. Bail out on stupid blog comments.

"Mad cow case confirmed in B.C.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed the country’s 15th case of mad cow disease in an animal from B.C"
(nnw)
...-

"Harper sends G-G on European arts and culture tour
After arts cuts that sparked a furor in the federal election campaign, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is dispatching Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean on a two-week tour of European countries to promote art and cultural links with Canada."
(nnw)

nv53 "The letter says, "the assets of the Canadian people are not [Flaherty's] to toy with and sell off on a whim"." -- I agree the comment is misguided. It is not as though they are selling off the Parliament buildings. What is more, government auctions of assests go on ALL the time. What else to do with things (including buildings) that are not longer needed or worth retaining. I think it is irresponsible of the Star to publish this sort of narrow-minded complaint. Clearly they publish only a small selection of letters they get. What is the point of publishing something so clearly misleading? Oh yeah -- it's the Star. Maybe they don't care.

"Hey Daisy, I think you should look into whether said busload was full of muslim children - after all, only muslims dehumanise others. Idaho must be full of muslims. You would do well to show how the minority of christians in that bus reacted to this chant.

Same dead horse, different stick, eh Daisy."

It ain't in the NT. And it ain't in Christ's life example. There's no foundation for ideological Christian hate, despite what some people have said and done throughout history.

Unlike the foundation laid by Islam's trilogy and Mohammad's life example.

But then, there's the rub and spark. You're an anarchist hater aren't you, dim? Masquerading as a quasi social humanist, stumping on the soapbox of moral and cultural equivalence.

Or are you just plain stupid? I mean, dim?

Back to your hole.

"You're an anarchist hater aren't you, dim?"

Completely. Anarchists are idiots.

"Masquerading as a quasi social humanist, stumping on the soapbox of moral and cultural equivalence."

No, no. Not quasi. I am a pseudo social humanist. And I am hardly 'stumping on the soapbox of moral and cultural equivalence'. Abrahamic religions are all the same. Believer/non-believer. The term non-believer does not, of course, dehumanize the other. Or does it?

Tell me, Daisy, is this the first time you have put that posting, or is it pretty much the same as most of your other posts on Islam. Stuck record, maybe?

wallyj, how intuitive. Tell your teacher you came up with that all by yourself. And enjoy the gold star you get in return.

cal2,

Of course I made it up. It is part of the vast pseudo social humanist conspiracy. And boy have I succeeded.

"REXBURG - In the aftermath of last week's election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, some grade school students in an eastern Idaho town chanted "assassinate Obama," as they rode the school bus.

The Madison School District says it happened last week with a group of second- and third-grade students. A district spokesperson says most of them didn't understand the meaning of the word "assassinate."

Rexburg is located in Madison County - which overwhelmingly voted for John McCain in the recent election, and is known as one of the state's most conservative communities.

KIDK-TV reports the students also added the name of a student on the bus to the chant.

The district's superintendent e-mailed district employees Friday -- with a reminder that words like "kill" and "assassinate" are taken seriously. Superintendent Geoffrey Thomas reminded employees that using such language can carry sanctions.

The superintendent also stressed tolerance of different political viewpoints."

They believed me. Heh. Also, I am Dim. There. Happy?

Indiana Homez,

Wierd, I don't think Siddiqui was talking about Muslim cats and dogs. I think he was talking about humans. Perhaps I am wrong. Or perhaps you are.

Regardless, if it is true, I expect all those who subscribe to that viewpoint to kindly immigrate to the US and Israel. Canada is for Canadians.

Tree Man who grew 'roots' offered hope of new life by doctor

An Indonesian fisherman who is "half man half tree" has been offered new hope of recovery by an American doctor - and Vitamin A.

32-year-old Dede, who lives in a remote village in Indonesia with his two children, feared that he would be killed by the tree-like growths that cover his body.

More at:
http://www.thatsweird.net/news48.shtml

"And I am hardly 'stumping on the soapbox of moral and cultural equivalence'. Abrahamic religions are all the same."

Enough said. dim indeed.

A fact is a fact, and it has nothing to do with moral equivalence or any type of equivalence. Abrahamic religions divide between believer and non-believer- and they are the same in this regard. But I'll grant I provided you with a soundbite and you pounced on it.

Lets see you grapple with the real question:

The term non-believer does not, of course, dehumanize the other. Or does it?

Go on, lets see you provide more than an opportunistic soundbite.