Replies

Case.

My bad (in part). I was trying to respond to the thread as a whole. Not you in particular. Sorry about that.

Several comments in the thread struck me as racist (or, if you prefer, bigoted).

To wit:
"Had it spread to the bomb rooms in the basement, damage would have been significant, indeed."

"This is a sympathy ply by the towel heads." (they meant to say "ploy")

"Islamism is a hate crime"

"If they find some guy who did it is it wrong to take up a defense collection?"

These are the comments I would term disgusting. Part of what makes America such a wonderful place is that we all come from different places, with different backgrounds and customs, yet we're all Americans; part and parcel of the greatest country on Earth. Then I come on here and I see that the Freeper crowd is in favor of attacking mosques. Aren't we supposed to be better than the terrorists?

"Sounds like a typical Liberal Dhimmicrat / CAIR response - "I can't refute the truth of your statement so I am going to attack you / claim victim status / declare you guilty by alleged association / declare that all moslems are peaceful"

This is pretty unfair. The fire didn't spread to the "bomb room" because there wasn't one. The window to the kitchen opens to the outside so a Molotov cocktail could easily have been tossed inside. The incident happened at 4am, not 2, and there was someone there for the early prayer who put out the fire in the kitchen before it spread (he has obviously been interviewed at length by the police). The firebomb came through the window, by the way, hence no forced entry.

You suggest that this may have been done to provoke the "Bloomington Islamic Street," but there isn't one. The Islamic Center caters to about 200 people, students and professors, mostly, a large number of whom are Central Asian rather than Arab (IU has the nation's best central Eurasian languages program). The language program at IU was started by the US Army around WWII to meet the need for Arab and Central Asian language specialists. It still has ties to the government today. As I said, many students come to IU as a prelude to a career in the military, the CIA, the DoD, the State Dept., etc.

I never said all Muslims are peaceful. But I would suggest that you guys on the Freeper board are talking out of your asses when it comes to the Bloomington community. As I'm sure you know, radical Islam tends to grow out of strong and rigid ideology. The Islamic Center caters to Arabs, Iranians, Uzbeks, Pakistanis, etc. It is exactly the kind of broad-based community that does NOT produce terrorists.

You are misusing Occam's Razor, by the way. OR deems that what appears to have happened (an attack on a mosque by persons unknown but who burned a Koran so probably have animus against Islam) is usually what happened rather than some conspiracy theory that goes completely against appearances.

"Paran said "Many of the people who study here (taught by the people you call terrorists)"--- I did not call any student or teacher there a terrorist. Again Dhimicrat Playbook -- Fake a quote or a document."

You didn't say it, but your colleagues did (bomb room?).

"Paran claims that the student studying under the teachers mentioned above are there "so they can help in the War on Terror."--- On which side? "

Unless you believe that people who work for the US Gov't intelligence agencies are traitors, then you know the answer. (Not that they all go on to that kind of work. It's just a rich recruiting environment for the govt.)

"Paran also says "The implication that Bloomington is a hotbed of radical Islam is absurd"--- Your implication not mine. Again, fake a quote."

Again, your colleagues.

"On the other hand, all of the WTC terrorists and the upper leadership of al-qaeda have been from well to do, college educated families. Where better to hide out, then among those who look & sound like they do? Especially since it is forbidden to "profile". "

Therefore college educated Muslims should be suspected of being in al Qaeda? Classic fallacious reasoning (or, if you're not making that point, then a non sequitor).

"And baiter Paren says "Who's to say it's not people like you who did this?" (after a long list of alledged things, including protesting girls in shorts).--- Typical. "

People like you (plural—remember, I started by saying "you guys"), i.e. people who call Muslims "towel heads" and openly celebrate the attempted arson of a house of worship.

"I bet that you think that Al Gore really did win the election."

It was a 50-50 proposition. I'm not who you think I am. I never liked Gore. Or Clinton. I'm a pro-war leftist who may actually agree with you some of the time.

"It is typical though, for a Dhimmicrat to say that since 'you don't believe what I beleive, you are a racist / bigot / homophobe'"

Um, "Towel heads"? I rest my case.

"Name calling is additional proof that you have limited thinking ability, class or knowledge."

That was in response to the following: "You're obviously filled with hate and racist ignorance. It really is too bad that there are people like you in this great country."

Now, there's no name calling at all in those sentences (well, I do call you "people" but that's it). If you're trying to say that I'm making claims about your motives that you may disagree with, that's true. I stand by what I said with this caveat: I was talking more to the people who posted before you than to you. And I am embarrassed when I share the same nationality as a bigot. It runs contrary to what I celebrate about this country (and what gives it a leg up over much of the rest of the world): anyone can be an American. It's not like in Europe where a Turk, for example, can live in Germany, born in Germany, speaks fluent German, has German speaking kids and is nothing but a turk in the eyes of German law. Same guy comes here and in five-ten years he's a naturalized American and no one would claim his kids weren't. Or would they? I'll put that question to you.

"Our ability and obligation to ask questions is part of what we should do. Since you are, seemingly, saying that I do not have the Constitutional right to say that, based on the facts presented to me, the report makes no sense, I have to ask if you really are an American?"

What on Earth are you on about? When did I challenge your Constitutional rights (and on an Internet message board?!). It's my right to disagree with you if I want. In fact, it's our right to argue and discuss, which is what we are doing. The fact that you would say this makes me un-American (typical Republican playbook, by the way) is appalling. Notice I never said the Freepers weren't American, just that I was embarrassed that they were (the bigoted ones, mind you, you're not all bad).

Anyway, I enjoy the dialogue.

P.S. I'm not a Democrat, and do you think I could afford their playbook even if I was? I'm no John Kerry. I got bills to pay and no ketchup fortune to squander.