Posted on 02/18/2009 1:15:57 PM PST by stan_sipple
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum visited the auditorium of the Nebraska Union on Tuesday to present his idea that Americans do not truly understand why the United States is at war.
Santorum is passing through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a part of his college campus tour on which he describes to students what he believes are the dangers in not knowing what is going on in the Middle East.
“I talk to college students because I can have an intellectual conversation, and they usually don’t agree with me,” Santorum said. “I like to state my case (to students) and let them decide who to believe.”
Santorum was a member of the United States Senate from 1994-2007. He believes that the Bush administration made a huge mistake in not informing Americans exactly what’s happening with the wars and who America is fighting. He said the Obama administration is making the same mistake.
“America has little information and Bush went out of his way to mystify who the enemy really is,” Santorum said. “Is that true, are we really fighting ‘terrorists?’”
Santorum also gave the audience a lecture on Islam. When he asked the audience who knew the difference between the Sunnis and the Shi’ites, three audience members raised their hands. Santorum said this proved his point – America has been at war with Islam for seven years and doesn’t know the two branches.
Santorum said he supported the war when it was unpopular because he thinks not fighting could destroy western civilization. He said he believes that Muslims are America’s enemy because they read their religion literally and apply it to real life, instead of in historical context.
The lecture continued when Santorum pointed out what he thought were the main differences between Christians and Muslims. Santorum said Christians, who believe in Jesus Christ, never governed or conquered anyone, but Mohammed was a warrior and killed people.
Santorum said he believes Muslims’ religious views cannot be changed or altered, so Middle Easterners reject American, democratic ideals.
“A democracy could not exist because Mohammed already made the perfect law,” Santorum said. “The Quran is perfect just the way it is, that’s why it is only written in Islamic.”
So the big question, Santorum said, is what are Americans afraid of? Being politically incorrect or offending someone?
Santorum blames Republicans and Democrats for not giving Americans the whole story.
Santorum received two standing ovations from the crowd.
“I agree that it is a major concern that we don’t know the whole truth, I certainly did not until today,” said Andrew McClure, a sophomore political science major.
“I have a lot of sympathy and fear because the United States could face dangerous predicaments,” said Mark Harrington, pastor at Horizons International Church in Lincoln. “I think that generations of failed leadership has caused much fear in Americans.”
Santorum said he wants people to learn to be more inquisitive of the government.
“I think that if every citizen was fully informed about the war, it would create a commonality between faiths,” Santorum said. “We can’t fear the truth, so why hide from it?”
LAter colonization had nothing to do with Christianity. Hawever Santorum is wrong. Christianity was spread by the sword on many occasion, and even colonization hada religious aspect with missionary activity. Protestants compared the areas to Canaan and the Spanish conquered for “Glory, God and Gold!”
You guys are probably the same bunch who trashed Santorum for doing it and voted for Casey because of it. Hope you like what you got since according to many on FR, Casey will vote just the same as Santorum, etc., blah, blah, blah. Yeah. Uh huh. Sure thing.
Is this presentation on video somewhere?
“Yes, my former Senator is a little factually challenged, here and elsewhere”
Jesus and his immediate followers were not rulers or conquerors. Eventually, rulers were converted.
Islam started out as a military movement, with Mohamed at its helm.
“Santorum said Christians believe in Jesus Christ, who never governed or conquered anyone, but Mohammed was a warrior and killed people.”
Yeah, OK, uhm, uh, .........BS argument in my opinion. Owed "favors" in place of integrity is what is wrong with the pubs and this country as a whole. "Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" has no place in my idea of honorable service. It sucks, and that's why the pubs are sucking hind teat right now.
FMCDH(BITS)
“Santorum said Christians believe in Jesus Christ, who never governed or conquered anyone, but Mohammed was a warrior and killed people.”
I once was asked to provide quotes for our local newspaper’s religion section. My quotes were so badly butchered that now I’ll only go on the record in religious matters if I can approve the quotes as the story is edited.
And do you remember how much President Bush helped Specter in the primary in 2004? Specter repaid him by helping Kerry.
Why? Because he is pro-life.
That's the only interpretation that makes any sense. The claim as written (that Christians in general never governed or conquered anyone) is just absurd on the face of it.
OK. Well, I’m ignorant on the subject. I stand corrected about the favors OWED. :(
Where the hell is the Empire if we are building one?
I cannot stand Ricky. He’s an arrogant ass.
Wow we must be the worst empire builders ever. The worlds only super power empire and we haven’t added a single territory to our empire in over a century.
I doubt much of this was said as reported.
Can't we just say that neither are worth a fig? Santorum is at best a cultural conservative, but is downright liberal in some ways. He seems to see the federal government as the shortcut to ending all of society's woes and during his tenure, was not shy at all about trying to drastically grow federal oversight in several areas.
For example, Santorum was as happy as a clam to work with liberals, introducing a bill with Kerry called the Workplace Religious Freedom Act(^), requiring employers to make religious accommodations for their employees, stripping employers of their right to run their businesses as they see fit. Hillary Clinton & Ted Kennedy were big supporters of that particular bill, too.
And lets not forget that Santorum tried to push through the Pet Animal Welfare Statute of 2005, which would have regulated small-time pet breeders at the federal level, requiring licensing with the USDA, among other things(^).
And finally, Santorum enthusiastically supported Mitt Romney last year(^), saying "If you're a Republican, if you're a Republican in the broadest sense, there is only one place to go right now and that's Mitt Romney."
FReegards,
FMCDH(BITS)
I guessed right from your reply - that you don’t have the faintest idea what I’m talking about because you don’t know anything about how Santorum got to the Senate in the first place. I can’t stand Specter and have NEVER voted for him and NEVER will, but had it not been for him, PA would never have had Santorum as a Senator at all. That, IMO, is the ONE good thing that Specter has ever done for PA.
As far as Specter working against Santorum's '06 election, that's typical of the Republicrat party. The Democrats are responsible for his win in his primary against Toomey in '04, so perhaps helping Casey was payback to them because had the unions, with orders from Rendell, not run a statewide campaign re-registering as Republicans in order to vote for him in the primary, he would have lost.
You can bet that the Democrats will be doing everything in their power to re-elect Specter in '10 because he cast the deciding vote for Obama's "Porkulus" Bill which would have lost had they not co-opted him.
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