Posts Tagged ‘islam’

A tale of two men…

Posted: July 5, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news, war
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…who both died by the hand of the Taliban. One was a soldier Aaron Faibairn:

It appears that Aaron was one of the two soldiers killed in a large Taliban attack on a base in Paktika

This young man willing put his life on the line for his country and died on the 4th of July. Per his father’s request I will be using the tag thankyouaaron on this post.

Taken from his beheading video by Reuters.

Photo taken from his beheading video via Reuters.

The second person you likely haven’t heard of. His name was Piotr Stanczak and the Taliban beheaded him on film back in February. He wasn’t a soldier he was a geologist but died just as bravely:

Piotr Stanczak did not exhibit the slightest hint of hesitation when the Pakistani Taliban asked him to choose between execution and conversion to Islam.

Whether the Polish geologist acted out of pride or religious conviction, he decided to pay through his blood to save his faith, a choice that bewildered his killers and keep them talking about him with respect after his murder.

I would very much like to consider myself a faithful Catholic but I honestly can’t say if in the same situation I would have the same courage.

Via Tim Blair who notes:

An earlier item on Stanczak’s murder:

The video is so horrifying that some news wire agencies chose not to distribute the images.

If they’d been from Abu Ghraib, however …

For our own sakes these men need to be remembered. Both died defending beliefs and principles dear to Americans. Keep this in mind when people try to explain why radical Islam in general and the Taliban in particular should not be resisted.

Democracy and defeat

Posted: June 29, 2009 by datechguy in Uncategorized
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Very busy yesterday so no posting but one thought.

Just finished re-reading Six Days of War that was returned to me after a loan. (My old Amazon review from 2002 is here) At the time the thing that struck me the most was the story of the BIG LIE, namely that the US and England had actively attacked Egypt and Jordan during the 1967 war. I wrote the following at the time:

This more than anything else shows the weakness of dictatorship in general and the arab states in particular. Building a foundation on falsehood; false victories, false reports, false charges is necessary when you have to control your people in order to lead them. Problems can’t be addressed and situations can’t be advanced while this is true, likewise troops can’t be inspired when they can’t believe what their commanders say for can the people be expected to sustain a war when they don’t believe what is being said. For Arabs this cycle is still being repeated today, my favorite example being Imam Muhammad al-Gameia who a few days after attending a service in NY preaching love and unity (in English) went to Egypt and said that the Jews were behind Sept 11 and Arabs were being shot in the streets in NY. (In Arabic)

The rest of my review at the time was edited by Amazon as it was an indictment of current Arab government. Not only has that opinion been vindicated (Remember Baghdad Bob) and the “massacre of Jenin” and of “Haditha” but the tactics were frankly copied by the American left in their description of the war in Iraq and of Gitmo.

I hate to say it but It’s my opinion that there is no real chance for peace in the middle east. Arab leaders don’t dare embrace actual peace and normalcy for fear of their public and power since the Arab street hasn’t embraces reality publicly. The only way democracy is going to be the answer is after a democratic Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt demand fight and lose a war a catastrophic war against Israel.

Until the average Arab feels and acknowledges defeat peace will never happen. Limbaugh is right on this one.

A little too far for me

Posted: June 23, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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As you would know from reading this blog I don’t have a lot of love for radical Islam but this proposal from Sarkozy of France is a bridge too far for me:

Speaking at the Palace of Versailles, Mr. Sarkozy confronted one of the most hotly debated social issues in France, saying there was no room in the republic for burqas, the garments that some Muslim women wear to cloak their bodies and faces.

“The issue of the burqa is not a religious issue. It is a question of freedom and of women’s dignity,” Mr. Sarkozy said. “The burqa is not a religious sign. It is a sign of the subjugation, of the submission, of women.”

To enthusiastic applause, he said, “I want to say solemnly that it will not be welcome on our territory.”

You don’t assimilate people and control radical Islam by denying people rights any more than you control crime by stringent gun laws. It is necessary to instead enforce the law consistently across the board. Put police in Muslim areas in force. Make sure that if Jews, Gays or anyone else are attacked or intimidated that the full penalty of the law awaits them. Make sure that the rights and responsibilities of citizenship apply to all.

This is a case of barking up the wrong tree.

“If we want to avoid making Iran a very nasty country…”

Posted: June 19, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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These word on Morning Joe today are one of the reasons why I have a hard time taking Zbigniew Brzezinski seriously.

The idea that if we even speak in support of the people in Iran that it will prevent us from talking them out of nukes or make them repressive.

Listen, these guys are going to blame all of this on us anyways. These guys aren’t going to become repressive, they already are. We aren’t going to drive them toward a bomb, they are already going there.

Forgetting the morality of it (which clearly says to speak up) and speaking practically, this is our best chance of accomplishing the downfall of the chief sponsor (as Yoda once said there is one other but that’s a post for another day) of terror in the world. It is a chance to do it without a military strike. These guys are very worried, particularly since we have 2 armies right next door.

We need to support these guys, both with public pronouncements and in small ways like the twitter update delay.

President Obama scoffed when his rhetoric was called “just words”, now he is unwilling to even deploy them.

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