Posted on 09/28/2001 2:44:17 PM PDT by Yaelle
How do we end terrorism without being impolite to Muslims?
Culture/Society Front Page Editorial Keywords: MUSLIM DISCRIMINATION
Source: Disgust at the news in general......
Published: 9/28/01 Author: HairOfTheDog
Posted on 09/28/2001 11:00:41 PDT by HairOfTheDog
How do we end terrorism without being impolite to Muslims?
Subtitle: Why are we so messed up that BLIND political correctness is our priority right now?
I am sorry that Muslims are being shouted at from pickup trucks... because shouting from pickup trucks is unseemly and ineffective. But constantly tripping over ourselves apologizing to Muslims who are just "normal Americans" is going to ensure that we lose.
These terrorists make an art of coming to this country, making friends and seeming very normal for many years, taking full advantage of our political correctness, our free right of travel, our education in universities, our flight training, and while they are here they study our weaknesses, not the least of which is our desire to be completely trusting and accepting of them.
The hijackers who did this did not wear "Terrorist in Training" T-shirts. They looked very much like those who claim to be unfairly treated now, and also look like those that I have seen walking through Seattle trying not to make eye contact with anyone... I am very vigilant at watching them now.... I wonder what they think, whether they know one of them, whether they are one of them. I know they feel me watching them, and I hope they are getting mad... Not mad at me, but mad at those among them that are causing my fear.
I guarantee that my mistrust of Middle-Eastern Muslims will grow and not diminish, until there are long lines of Muslims waiting at police precincts to report suspicious behavior among them, and until the interviews shown on television are NOT people of European decent full of guilt at their own mistrusting thoughts telling us how to behave and what to think.
My mistrust will diminish when those Middle-Eastern Muslims here in America are the most vocal about rooting out this problem. The problem is that those that are speaking up so far are those that feel victimized unfairly, or offer vague references that Islam is a religion of peace, and not terror. Clearly there are lots of Muslims who have read something else. Where are those that have overheard discussions, but did not participate? Where are those that have been approached to participate or give money, but chose not to? Where are those that were trusted enough to confide in, but did not decide to join? Or those that joined ethnic or Muslim groups they believed to improve people's lives, only to find out that the real mission was something very different? Where are those that are vocal about exposing those among them that are the problem? Until they speak up, I will continue to mistrust all of them without feeling an ounce of guilt, because I refuse to feel guiltier than they do about these attacks on our country.
Remember grade school, when the teacher needed to know which student in the class had stolen Suzie's crayons? And all students were forced to stay after class until the guilty party confessed, or his friends ratted him out? Everyone in the class faced equal suspicion until the common desire to go to recess was greater than the embarrassment of confession. The peer pressure to end the detention of everyone turned toward finding the evil-doer within. Well, I for one will continue to blame the whole class rather than be made a fool of when they strike again while we do our best to be polite.
I have no doubt that America can take out all the terrorists and supporters that they find. But killing them from the outside will never really solve the problem. Weaken it maybe, make money harder to raise maybe, keep them running maybe, but we do not have a lock on craftiness and talent. Outsiders can never get them all, and will probably create more enemies as we try. Only "they" can solve this problem, and it is imperative that we compel them to do so, or assume they are guilty if they do not.
We should be very afraid that Muslims here and abroad that have been our friends when we could help them are only quietly and half-heartedly helping us now, trying not to be overly offensive to their own. We should be very afraid that Muslims in this country are silently trying to keep their heads down. I am very afraid that many Muslims in this country know more than they have admitted, and yet want the benefit of the doubt from me.
Let us not seem hysterical by shouting at them from pickup trucks, but let us never let political correctness allow us to be blindsided again...
Yaelle, I'm in a similar situation with a lesbian/super-liberal sister-in-law. She and her girlfriend are coming here in December for a couple of weeks. I've had to make the decision between keeping peace in the family or blasting her away with my politically conservative arguments. I've decided that familial peace is more important. I have a mental list of "safe" topics: my daughter/her niece, the weather, her job, my home business, the weather, sites to see in the Phoenix area, and the weather. It's going to be a long two weeks. LOL
Also it's more a gender and age group profiling and of course heavy Middle-Eastern accent profiling. They're doing the same thing in Mexico I hear and also all along the border, people who are darker skinned are on the look-out for Middle East foreigners. I'm sure blacks are too.
I loosely quote, "The American's who are calling for peace and forgiveness, must separate forgiveness from justice. For example, if I broke into a house to commit a robbery and wound up murdering one of the residents and the two others were only injured but lived, over the course of time one or both of the survivors might forgive me. That does not supercede justice. I would still be charged with the murder and prosecuted and brought to justice for that murder, regardless if those that survived forgave me."
The anti-war crowd needs to realize that there is a difference and while we can combine forgiveness with justice, (perhaps by not blaming all Muslims for the attacks that were perpetrated by a few), the former cannot simply replace the latter.
Ask the liberal if it would make sense to interrogate people wholly at random, which would take forever? Or start with the most likely prospects?
I see a number of good responses.
Attacking a conservative with the "racist" label is an old liberal tactic. Know that what your friend is trying to do is not necessarily defend non-racists attitude but trying to knock you out of any arguements in the first round.
When hit with this, I revert to reminding the liberal(s) that I could not possibly be a racist because I do not like anybody and my dislike is uniform.
Then I divert the racist argument. I remind them that minorities have more abortions per capita then whites and that the limosine liberals know that and applaud it, because they perfer not to have as many minorities around-they are the true Nazis.
I am just warming up.
Don't let that stop you. Where there's a will, there's a way!
Best FReegards...Mustang sends.
At least one of the pilots was a former military pilot (the Pentagon attack). The Pentagon attack was the most difficult, flying an jet aircraft at over 400 knots at treetop level. The pilot tried first to strike the white house, but was unable to line up, so he went for his secondary target (military attacks have secondary targets, criminals do not).
The Pentagon was a miltary target. The WTC was an economic target. This was a military attack.
The two planes that struck the trade center attacked from opposite directions. This is typical of how a military air attack would happen. The first was from the north, the second was from the south. The second attack coming from an initial point in central New Jersey (initial point is a miltary aviation concept), put the plane as far away from our interceptor fighters out of Massachusetts as possible. Again proving this was a planned military attack.
As appointed as commander in chief of the Taliban army, Bin Laden was not acting as an independent criminal but was functioning as the commanding general of a sovereign country's military.
Osama bin Laden declared war on the U.S. in 1996.
Wow. Somebody opened a can of Texas wuppass... ;')
I don't know if I'd call that "WELL" read. both at least they keep up with events.
These should be safe avenues of discourse. If not, show'em the door.
Best FReegards...Mustang sends.
It might help to know what you want to have accomplished upon walking away from the liberal(s). For me, I resent being "labeled" as racist. Most of the time, I want to genuinely influence the liberal(s).
I recognize the truism that to be liberal requires little thought and little effort(thank you Rush Limbaugh). When I want to influence a liberal, my goal is to get them to think for a moment. If I can do that, then I feel that I have accomplished a major victory because I know that they will quickly revert to feelings away from critical thinking.
I also like to drive a wedge between liberal politicians and the liberal rank and file. Enough for now.
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