The Battle of Lepanto

Gilbert Keith Chesterton

[Goetz_von_Berlichingen]

And some of us hold an even MORE serious grudge against Islam for having invaded Spain in the first place.

The Taliban mentality is set firmly in the Middle Ages. To them, the Reconquista counts as a current event.

[livius]

Yes, I found the comment about Spain to be very interesting. A loss of hundreds of years ago still rankles the Muslims. We owe a great debt to Spain, which fought steadily for 800 years to evict the Muslim invaders from the Iberian peninsula. Granada fell and the last Islamic ruler was expelled in 1492...surely a year that now has two reasons to have a special resonance for Americans!

[Romulus]

"Pax tibi Marce, Evangelista meus."

[wardaddy]

Indeed 1492 is a year for more than one celebration. I believe Santayana's old adage about history is quite appropriate for the here and now.

[Andrew Byler]

I'm sure you'll join with me Goetz, in saying to Usama and his right hand man about Spain: "Leck' mich am Arsch!"

[Goetz_von_Berlichingen]

Genau!

[Cicero]

People forget that the Moors conquered Spain from North Africa and drove the inhabitants into a small corner of the country in the mountains. The Reconquista was a long and bloody but hugely heroic work. Only the twisted mentality of the politically correct would say that we should give America back to the Indians but the Spaniards should be condemned for winning back their own native land from cruel and oppressive invaders.

I might add that, although I am a firm supporter of the Jews and of Israel, there were historical reasons why the Spaniards treated them harshly. In the long war to drive the Muslims from Spain, and to fend off their repeated incursions from the sea, with frequent piracy and slave-taking, the Jews often played both sides. As a result the Catholic Spaniards came to regard them as treacherous. Unfair, perhaps, but a great deal more understandable than the picture of Catholic antisemitism that is usually pushed today by our PC intellectuals.

[harbingr]

Link to EWTN's Series on Chesterton...
G.K. Chesterton, the Apostle of Common Sense

Link to description of the Battle from Nafpaktos/Giorgios Rigas...
The Battle of Lepanto

Link to...
The Power of the Rosary - a Weapon Against Terrorism

[MattinNJ]

If I am not mistaken, Cervantes (Author of Don Quixote) lost his hand in this battle.

If anyone wants to read a great book about Christian Knights repelling a muslim invasion read "The Siege of Malta" by Ernle Bradford. Phenomenal read.

[VOA]

"The Siege of Malta" by Ernle Bradford

Added to "to read" list.

I'll also recommend
"Islam Unveiled"
by Robert Spenser (or Spencer)

I heard the author interviewed on The Michael Medved Show; sounds like a well-documented,
politically-incorrect (=honest) book about the greater aims and actions of Islam.

[MattinNJ]

Thanks. I'll add it to my list

Oh, I made a slight mistake-the actual title is "Great Siege:Malta 1565."

I was reading about the Barbary Pirates last night. These sick twisted bastards were so bad that Jefferson, a true pacifist, sent a fleet to open a can of whip ass on them.

[VOA]

Thanks for the additional info. on the book. This helped me track it down at www.amazon.com.
Five-star average rating from six reviewers...pretty high praise.
For lurkers who are interested, here is the ponderous URL for the book:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1840222069/qid=1034026977/sr=1-47/ref=sr_1_47/103-1537409-5626237?v=glance

And here is more info. on the "Islam Unveiled" book:

Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World's Fastest Growing Faith
by Robert Spencer
Publisher: Encounter Books; ISBN: 1893554589; 1st edition (August 2002)

located at this ponderous URL:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1893554589/qid=1034027381/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-1537409-5626237

[Salvation]

 

Pray the Rosary. 

Pray without ceasing.

[Cicero]

A good reminder on this anniversary.