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Well, I'm not on the ping list, but I just wandered across this. I think Islamic terrorism is certainly a threat, but they don't really dominate a lot of that land you mentioned. And I looked up this Islamic State of America site; it seems pretty moribund.

Their list of what must be accomplished seems odd:

1. Teach tolerance and acceptance to the children - Achieved

Actually, that's a natural and naturally evolving part of our culture, so I don't think they had anything to do with it. If anything, their children are likely to be infected by it. The kids probably won't mind, either.

2. Create acceptance for a plurality of gods –Achieved

Again, that's part of our culture. They didn't have anything to do with it, and it renders us more resistant to falling under the sway of anyone’s absolute sense of religious fervor, not less. Plus, it's hard to imagine a real fundamentalist Islamicist advocating that when their whole religious sense is centered around what they would consider to be the one true God.

3. Gain sympathies and eventually acceptance in Hollywood -Achieved

Okay. Sure, maybe they can claim to have done that.

4. Register 100,000 Muslim voters -Achieved

I hate to break it to them, but they're going to need a heck of a lot more than that.

5. Get “acceptable” Islamic’s elected to congress and senate -Achieved

They've got what—one or two? I'd hardly call that achieved.

6. Win the war in Iraq at all costs -Close

Actually, they're not close. We obviously aren't going to be leaving behind the kind of closely allied government many Americans might have imagined when we took over. But they certainly haven't won. At worst for us it's just a mixed bag. Lots of things in life are.

7. Recognition for Islamic holidays -Achieved

Not really. We may have a stamp for Ramadan, but I don't recall any government offices, schools or businesses being closed. And they have a lot more holidays than just Ramadan. Do you think the average American can name even one of those?

8. Get Barack Hussein Obama elected as President -Achieved

Again, I don't really think they can take credit for that. That's like me leaning up against a building during an earthquake and then being amazed by my own strength when it falls.

9. Achieve application of shariah law –Close

Yeah, right. (roll eyes)

10. Enact zakat— Close

Again, yeah, right (roll eyes). But I will admit to actually knowing what zakat is.

11. Seat judges that will remove common law— Achieved

Common law? And that's supposed to mean what exactly? And how many judges have they actually seated? I think the answer would be a big, fat zero.

12. Prepare for militant take over if necessary— Unknown

Judging from their performance on the previous 11, I suspect it will be necessary. And I would give them a chance of slim and none without the slim.

Just my thoughts. Again, it's certainly a real security issue on a number of fronts, but having fought in the Cold War and lived with the specter of nuclear annihilation from the Soviet Union, the threat of an Islamic State of America being realized seems like some pretty weak tea.