Inside the Hagia Sofia -- Christianity's Original Center
This is one of the Mosaics from the upper floor of the Hagia Sofia. There are 6 or 7 of these depicting either Jesus or Mary in combination and with others. This Cathedral and possibly these mosaics are over 1700 years old. It’s amazing to see something like this survive from the late Roman Empire in such fine shape.
O Senor Don Gato was a cat.
On a high red roof Don Gato sat.
He was there to read a letter,
(meow, meow, meow)
where the reading light was better,
(meow, meow, meow)
‘Twas a love-note for Don Gato!
“I adore you,” wrote the ladycat,
who was fluffy white, and nice and fat.
There was not a sweeter kitty,
(meow, meow, meow)
in the country or the city
(meow, meow, meow)
and she said she’d wed Don Gato!
O Senor Don Gato jumped with glee!
He fell off the roof and broke his knee,
broke his ribs and all his whiskers,
(meow, meow, meow)
and his little solar plexus
(meow, meow, meow)
“Ay Caramba!!” cried Don Gato.
All the doctors they came on the run,
just to see if something could be done.
And they held a consultation,
(meow, meow, meow)
about how to save their patient,
(meow, meow, meow)
how to save Senor Don Gato.
But in spite of everything they tried,
poor Senor Don Gato up and died.
No, it wasn’t very merry,
(meow, meow, meow)
going to the cemetary,
(meow, meow, meow)
for the ending of Don Gato.
But as the funeral passed the market square,
such a smell of fish was in the air,
though the burial was plated,
(meow, meow, meow)
he became reanimated,
(meow, meow, meow)
he came back to life, Don Gato!
Absolutely loved this song when I was a kid. We sang this at Franklin Elementary School off of Frankfurt Avenue. It’s a fun little song.
Tamerlane ~ Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World
The book was a most entertaining read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Justin Marozzi has a similar style to John Man. Man writes exhaustively about Central Asia, China, Genghis Khan and his grandson Kublai.
Timur was a madman. I love the guy.
We need a Timur or a Genghis in our age. Someone with the balls to do what is necessary rather than politicize and haggle like clucking hens.
Yonghegong Lamasery
Puggy Lisa by Azure Un
A little something that Habibi painted. I slightly altered the lyrics…lol
Nat King Cole sing Puggy Lisa
Fast food overseas. It’s a little different.
This is one example. Lots of tuna and corn offerings over here. In China as well.
McDonalds in India offers no beef burgers at all.
In Israel during some of their Holy Days, they offer only unleavened bread.
Some of the stuff tastes pretty good. Some of it is wierd. KFC does not offer their famous cole slaw in Thailand in so far as I know. They offer a tuna/corn salad instead. It’s pretty good stuff. I grab one every time I stop in to a KFC.
A few differences here and there…
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I purchased this painting in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I’m a huge fan of the Apsara theme and the mythology behind them.
Also picked up the Angkor themed painting below.
My take on WAR by Sebastian Junger from a Political Forum to which I contribute (or decimate…depending on your view point…lol)
It’s a damn good read.
I read it in two days while drinking beers in Phnom Penh. I couldn’t put the damn thing down.
Closest thing I’ve ever read to being there. Though, I’ve never been in that kind of situation as those in the Korengal Valley. He gets the feel of Afghanistan and conveys it to the reader as flawlessly as it is possible to do on the written page.
Best book I’ve read about the Afghan War.
The guy captured it perfectly. It’s in the little nuances and in the way that he talks to the reader.
The story of those soldiers in that valley is well worth the read.
And Sebastion Junger has balls the size of Afghanistan. That guy voluntarily walked out and was airlifted into combat so that he could tell that story as authentically as possible.
While I was there, I went out with the expectation that I’d run into something. Sometimes we did, sometimes we didn’t. I never came close to what those guys experienced though. Not remotely close, I may as well have been on Mars as compared to their experience. BUT I NEVER went out there HOPING for contact. I was always hoping for as little action as possible.
Those guys in that Valley have my utmost respect for having been there and Junger too for writing that book.
Though, I didn’t go through the crucible that those guy have gone through, I know exactly what they are talking about when the express their apprehension to returning Stateside.
After being out there, there’s no way that living in America can measure up to the experience of being out there. Where life can be measured in inches and seconds and chance serves you as well (or as poorly) as preparation and planning.
I don’t know…I’m having a hard time not going on and on about this book.
If you are interested in Afghanistan or the Military, Read It!
If you are looking for a political hit book….this one isn’t your book.
I hope that no Republican types starts trying to target this book as Liberal writing and that no Democrat tries to hype it as an anti-War book. It’s so much more.
So much more…
A US paratrooper who took part in some of the heaviest fighting in the war in Afghanistan – in the remote Korengal Valley – has become the first living nominee for the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam war.
The highest American decoration for military valour, the Medal of Honor has been awarded only eight times, all posthumously, since 1973. Two were given to snipers for the part they played in the battle of Mogadishu in 1993 in protecting a downed helicopter pilot. Since then, there have been six awarded from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but none of them has been given to a surviving serviceman.
Although the Pentagon has refused to comment on the identity of the soldier, the Army Times reported on Friday that it had established that the proposed recipient was Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. His name is understood to have been put forward after he charged into a wall of fire from Taliban fighters, who were attempting to overrun his position, to drag away another US soldier.
The episode, which took place on 25 October 2007, is described in Sebastian Junger’s new book, War, which describes the fighting in the Korengal Valley. A documentary, Restrepo, made by Junger with cameraman Tim Hetherington and covering the same period, is released this weekend.
Describing his attempts to reach a wounded colleague, Giunta told Junger: “I did what I did because that’s what I was trained to do. I didn’t run through fire to save a buddy – I ran through fire to see what was going on with him and maybe we could hide behind the same rock and shoot together. I didn’t run through fire to do anything heroic or brave. I did what I believe anyone would have done.”
Read those last few words again. This guy is a true, real and live hero.
Neither Afghanistan nor Iraq are light situations. They’re deadly serious. There are areas in both that are deadly. There are areas in which one can sit on a FOB for a year and never come under enemy fire. The media doesn’t run stories on this phenomenon. The enemy-less FOBs out there that see no real enemy combat. I’ve been on quite a few FOBs over there that see no enemy contact. I’ve been on some that see rocket and mortar attack. And I’ve been on some that have taken enemy fire.
I’ve never been anywhere close to the Korengal Valley or it’s daily hazard of enemy contact.
The guys in that valley acted heroically on a daily basis for weeks at a time. There are lulls, of course. Times when the taliban and the Arab fighters crawl back into Pakistan to lick their wounds and re-supply. Even so, the danger is ever present in a place like Korengal. There is no let down. The stress is unimaginable. The bond created by that stress. A bond forged in fire is indescribable. Seeing your friends killed or wounded and the unspeakable horror of the possibility or likelihood that you could be next. How does one speak to that.
I had conversations back in the States with some civilian friends of mine. Guys who had never been in a combat zone. They kept telling me that all of our soldiers were heroes. Some even characterized me as a hero. I’m simply a contractor over there. I can leave any time that I feel the pressure is too much. Hell, I could leave just for the hell of it. I was able to take holiday every 3 or 4 months.
Not so for soldiers. They’re there. For the duration. They’ll rotate in and out on leave once during their 12 to 15 month tour. Other than that, they’re stuck. No choice but to sweat it out.
But. There are two types of soldiers over there. Those who see combat and those who don’t. Some soldiers never leave their FOB. Never see an enemy combatant outside of CNN, Fox News or MSNBC. Some of these sit at FOBs that directly support combat troops. Some sit in rear areas like Bagram or Camp Phoenix and never leave the FOB. Others drive around green zones wherein no enemy contact is made.
I spent 18 months at Bagram Air Field (BAF). We were rocketed or mortared once a month at best. There was always a rumor that the insurgents would try to infiltrate. Bullshit rumors at best. Anyone with any knowledge of the situation in Afghanistan and of the insurgency knew that the insurgents had neither the equipment nor the manpower to breach BAF. It just wasn’t going to happen. Aside from the occasional rocket and the daily detonation of mines being detonated on the perimeter, I never felt truly threatened at BAF and the war rarely intruded on my day.
That’s how a great majority of soldiers and almost all of the Navy and Airmen spend their tour in Afghanistan. Contractors are, for the most part, in the same category.
Not so for your average Combat Soldier in Afghanistan. Not so for your average Marine in Afghanistan. These guys are sent out to do the heavy lifting. These guys fight. For those in Western Afghanistan, it’s a bit of a lighter load. Excepting parts of Farah and Badghis Provinces. I know this because I was there for 30 months as a mentor and trainer for the Afghan National Police. I know how much more dangerous some areas are than others in Afghanistan. I’ve spent time in Qandahar as well and up in the Mountains of Ghor. I’ve experienced some of these places and have spoken with folks just out of other areas. I know people in some of these places right now. Out in the East and the South, the fighting is much more intense. Korengal is in the East. Curved up next to Pakistan. I’m sure that during some of the Ops that those guys ran in Korengal, they looked straight down into Pakistan.
Those guys are fighters. Those guys are heroes.
I knew Officers and NCOs over there who never left the FOB. 12-15 months sending Soldiers and Marines out in harm’s way. Never once did they inspect these troops. Never once did they share their hardships and dangers. These Officers and NCOs were not heroes. They weren’t even leaders.
I know this is not politically correct of me to say, but, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who sit at FOBS and never see the enemy. They’re just Joes doing their job. There doing nothing heroic. Contractors out there are hired to do a job. They’re not heroes. There are exceptions to this, of course. Some men and women will fall into situations and become heroes. Others will fail and become cowards.
The men who fight on those hills. They’re guilty. Guilty of going above and beyond and becoming heroes. These are the men who in earlier times would have inspired tribal tales and cultural myths such as Hericles, Perseus and Achilles. These are the rough men standing ready to defend us. They join the military for adventure. They join the military for college funds. They join the military because if they didn’t, they’d probably spend their lives in prison. They join the military for as many reasons as there are individuals out there fighting. Regardless, they find themselves in hell. They fight for their brothers and die for their brothers.
Personally, I feel it’s a stain on the honor of the truly heroic to call all members of the military heroes. It’s even worse the way the term is bandied about as concerns Sports personalities and others of the like.
The title of hero is an honorific that’s earned. It’s an honor above all others. It’s about selflessness. It’s putting the lives of others above yours.
Despite their protestations. these men in the Korengal Valley and similar places are heroes.
We should not diminish their legacy by such easy use of the word.
If you want to delve more deeply into the War in Afghanistan or the Korengal Valley, I recommend reading WAR by Sebastion Junger. It is an amazing read.
It’s true that heroes are inspiring, but mustn’t they also do some rescuing if they are to be worthy of their name? Would Wonder Woman matter if she only sent commiserating telegrams to the distressed?
Author: Jeanette Winterson
“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”
Arthur Ashe
“Sanity is a madness put to good use.” — George Santayana
On this day in 1776, the colonies of England in the Americas declared independence. Thus was born these United States of America. I still believe that we, the United States of America, are the best hope of Earth. The best government on Earth. The most freedom loving people on Earth. Though lately, we seem to have lost sight of Freedom and Liberty and are more beseeching of Comfort and Security. By virtue of this need for comfort and security, we may well lose our Freedom and Liberty.
Think hard America or lose the ability and freedom to do so.
In honor of this day, I though it fitting to display our Founding Document of my blog.
May God Bless America and keep the tyrant at bay. Even if that tyrant be us.
Lest we forget…
For those who seem to have forgotten.
Don’t believe a thing you read on the internet without fact checking it yourself. And I’m not talking about snopes.com. I’m talking about real research. 90% of the tripe that folks forward is half lie, half truth or pure unmitigated frakin’ bull scheit!
Ya gotta love the things that people forward. Great jokes. Awesome stories that inspire and some that help with every day things like getting stains out of your favorite shirt.
Then….ya get those political emails.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I actually like a good political email. I love talking politics. I go to several political boards and get down to the nitty gritty arguing various issues and policy as well as Foreign Affairs.
What I can’t stand are the email forwards that are full of idiotic lies and propaganda. These emails irk the shit out of me. It doesn’t matter to me at whom the lies are directed. Lies directed against Barry Obama. are just as idiotic and heinous and INSULTING to my intelligence as lies directed against George Bush. Often times, it’s so easy to tell that the forwards are lies and ignorant hit pieces that I find it difficult to believe that anyone is sending them to me with a straight face. Even more incomprehensible is the fact that so many willingly believe these lies. I’m told that the world is full of idiots. Stalin called them useful idiots and there is truth to Stalin’s claim.
The latest email is this classic batch of outright lies and not so clever half truths:
This is chilling…
=============================================
In
1952
President Truman
established one day a year as a
“National Day of Prayer.”
—————————————————————————————————————————-In
1988
resident Reagan
designated the
First Thursday in May of each year as
the National Day of Prayer.
—————————————————————————————————————————In June
2007
(then)
Presidential
Candidate Barack Obama
declared that the USA Was no longer a
Christian nation.
—————————————————————
This year
President Obama
canceled the
21st annual National Day
of Prayer ceremony
at the White
House under the ruse
Of “not wanting to offend anyone”————————————————————————
On September 25, 2009
from 4 am until 7 PM,
a National Day of Prayer
for the Muslim religion was Held on Capitol Hill,
Beside the White House.
There were over 50,000 Muslims that
Day in D.C. (Dave’s Edit: This prayer rally was not government sanctioned. This was free people assembling near the White House to express their beleifs. This is part of what it means to be America and American. Freeedom of Assembly is a right of every American. It’s no only for White Americans or Black Americans or Christian Americans or Heterosexual Americans. It’s for all Americans. It’s in the Bill of Rights. Is it possible that the idiot who sent out this email is only for the Bill of Rights when it assists his cause. If the Bill of Rights is used by “others” it’s bad. That’s what this assmite is saying. Do you agree with this?)
HE PRAYS WITH THE MUSLIMS! (Dave’s Edit – NO! He’s taking his shoes off to enter a Mosque. He’s not praying. Not that there is anything wrong if he did. I’ve prayed with Muslims in Mosques. Does that mean that I’m a Muslim? No, It doesn’t. It means that I was with a group of people that I respect and feel that most of the holy places of the world are filled with people who are humbly beseeching God for comfort and assistance or simply peace of mind. Praying does this. It gives peace of mind. Even for a heretical non-believer such as me.)
I guess it Doesn’t matter
if ”Christians”
Are offended by this event -
We obviously
Don’t count as
“anyone” Anymore.The direction
this country is headed
should strike fear in the heart of every Christian,
especially knowing that the
Muslim religion believes that if Christians cannot be
converted, they should be annihilated.This is not a Rumor –
Go to the website
To confirm this info:
( http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/ )
Pay particular attention to the very bottom of the page:
“OUR TIME HAS COME”
I hope that this information will stir your spirit.
The words of 2 Chronicles 7:14
“If my people, Who are called by my Name,
Will humble themselves And pray,
And seek my face, and Turn from their Wicked ways,
Then will I hear from Heaven
And will forgive their Sin and will heal Their land.”We must pray for Our nation, our communities,
Our families, and especially our children.
They are the ones who are going to suffer the most.
.
If we don’t PRAY
May God have Mercy.
IN GOD WE TRUST.Please pass this on
Maybe someone, somehow can figure out a way to put America
back on the map as it was when we were growing up,
a safe place to live, and by
The Ten Commandments and Pledge of Allegiance.
For Obama to continue as our president
is an INSULT TO OUR FOUNDING FATHERS
AND DISGUSTING TO EVERY RED-BLOODED AMERICAN.
Honestly, every red blooded American who received this tripe should be hunting down the lying fuck who created this Orwellian fabrication. I’d love to mangle his fingers so that he’ll never be able to type out idiotic tripe like this again.
This is a 100% fabrication.
The pic is of old Barry entering a the Blue Mosque in Istanbul Turkey.
EVERYONE takes their shoes off to enter that Mosque and every other mosque in the world. I’ve been to hundreds of Mosques and I’ve taken my shoes off in each and every Mosque that I entered. There are quite a few pictures to that effect on my blog.
So this is just another big lie being sent round and round the internet that gullible folks who don’t know the definition of the word “research” will believe because they’re, well……gullible.
Should I be offended that someone thinks I’m this stupid and that I would unquestioningly believe propaganda reminiscent of Stalin and his KGB ran Tass news organization? Should you? Are other people out there who have Right Leaning, Conservative Views truly this willing to be lied to and led by the nose? Is America this devoid of integrity? I wonder. More and more, I wonder. And If one such as I am asking this question, the problem runs deep. Barack Obama can’t get out of office soon enough for me. But I don’t want just another, dumb ass Republican in the White House after him. It’s like trading in a broken down Ford for a broken down Hyundai.
I want someone who will make a real difference instead of lie about changing things like Bush and Obama did and do.
What’s the diff?
How about someone who actually gives a damn about our Republic?
We could start by people rejecting this internet trash.
Honestly and from experience, I know that there are many weak minded folks who believe all of this tripe. Many who want to believe these lies and go on believing these lies even after they have been unequivocally exposed as lies.
I’m constantly told that I need to move back to America because I refuse to lay down and accept these lies or because I don’t see the world so black and white that I will intentionally become angered by machts nicht issues such as these and “Dialing 1 for English.” I do not understand the angst caused by these issues now nor will I if I move back to the States. I’m not apologetic about it either. I have no wish to become somoenes useful idiot.
Enlighten yourself. Raise your awareness. Do no believe the lies. Counter the lies at every opportunity. I’d say that folks should go so far as to ridicule the proponents and propogators of these lies. Certainly, those who lie to us in order to attain high office will lie to us in order to maintain their power. Look no further than Bush and Obama. Both live in houses built upon lies and had/have no choice but to build lie upon lie to stay in power and to keep one step ahead of prosecution.
Yet, we voted these folks into power along with their lying staffs and lying sycophants and press agents. Each lie degrades our Republic and all for which it stands. We are no longer One Nation Under God, we are a nation under a house of lies and our house grows daily into a decrepit cess pool of lies, half truths and propaganda.
Is this the America that was once called the Last Best Hope of Earth by Abraham Lincoln or the America that we are accused of being by our enemies.
You tell me.
Peace and God Bless all of you…Dave
P.S. Obama did not cancel National Prayer Day. And I don’t really care if he did. Americans who want to pray should pray. And be happy that they don’t live in the old Soviet Union where you might have been shot for praying. Depending on how drunk the Officer in Charge was or if he liked you or not.
That simply means God is Great in Arabic. Surely, you agree with that and surely one can have no problems with these words as there are many an Arabic speaking Chrisitan living in the Middle East.
Unny and I had this table custom made for our new digs out in the ‘burbs. Cost a bit, but, not too much. It’s made from teak wood. I wanted something in which to display the monetary notes which I’ve collected from my travels. I only wish that I had some of the notes that are in my storage room back in the States.
There are notes in there from China, Dubai, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, India, Iran, Bahrain, Egypt, Vietnam, North Korea and a few other countries. As well as notes from old French Indochine. The note with the tiger is from Vietnam during the US war era. I actually got that one from ebay.com because I thought it was cool.
There are also coins in there from all over (Japan, Malaysia, EU, England, etc). Some old ones but mostly newer coins. I placed my three French Indochine Silver Dollars. They’re probably counterfeit, but, I don’t care. That actually makes them a little more interesting to me and I paid a pittance for them. 3 or 4 bucks. Nothing to cry over. I knew or thought that they were fakes when I purchased them.
I also placed of couple of Greco-Bactrian coins in there. Supposedly, they’re silver and over a thousand years old. I don’t know. So many fakes being sold in Afghanistan these days. Even so, those coins are supposedly a dime a dozen over there. Chances are they’re real. They’re not rare, though. At least not for anyone who’s traveled in Central Asia. They’re all over the place there. It is said that one can find them walking out in open ground or on fields and such. They’re that common place. Neat little pieces of history.
The necklace is a Kuchi piece that I purchased at a bazaar in Herat. It’s made of brass and copper with a few worthless gems thrown in for good measure. It has an old animist relief on it. Looks to be an old Ganesh likeness to me. I also placed my Bamian Buddha stamps in the lower right corner and four little jewelry/snuff boxes. The two with Camels depicted on them are from Dubai and made from silver and glazed to make the camel likenesses. The other two I purchased in Herat. Those two are supposed to be silver as well. Though, I doubt it.
There you have it. My little collection of monies (and sundry items) from around the world.
I like this. Except that I don't see any of them as scary. I see those labeled as scary as folks who need to be dealt with violently. Not all, but, those who would act violently against US.
On the Muslim World
Muslims see themselves as a community. They always have and always will. The only way to stop that is to kill all of them. Christians think of themselves as a community as well. Christendom is a concept only recently gone out of fashion. There are mentions of Christendom from the 19th Century, I know. Europe was still speaking of Christendom until only recently. I think Churchill mentions it a few times. That was the 20th Century. It is not a foreign concept to think in terms of a World Wide Religious or Cultural community. We think of the West. The West is Christian. No matter how greatly this is denied by atheists and secularists within the West. The West is merely a more secular term for Christendom. The West is as guilty of this kind of speak as is Islam. The difference is that we, in the West, agree with Western Culture. We don’t see it as problem and arrogantly believe that the rest of the World should be overjoyed to join us. Muslim lands. Christan lands. During World War I and at the end of World War I, “The West” celebrated the return of the “Holy Land” to it’s rightful Christian hands by virtue of it’s capture after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire encompassed most of what we now speak of as the Middle East. Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and a few others were 
all part of the now defunct Ottoman Empire. This was considered the Muslim World or the Lands of the Mohamadens (Saracens) and spoken and written about as such by Christian or “Western” writers and historians. That some in our era do not understand the concept of Muslim lands is fairly meaningless. The Great Tides of History are against their ignorance. It’s simply that they are ignorant of the history of the region. Not their fault. Our schools are more interested in Political Correct thought processes than learning. If one truly desires to rail against this concept and this ideology, though, one should at least be aware of this history. Me, I don’t care what history says about Muslim lands. Prior to the Muslims, these lands were all Western (Roman) and/or Christian. Not that Christians ruled them justly either.
History also shows us that the most violent and war like culture wins out in the end. The winners determine the future and control history. Except in our current era, where idiotic pacifists, socialist, multi-culturalists and self defeatists in the West want to write history based strictly upon their feelings of guilt and ignorance of history. They remind me of mini-Pol Pot or Mao Tse Tung pretenders. The greatest threat to the West (Christendom) is not the Muslims or even Communist China. It is the 5th Column of corrupt leftists and extreme liberals within our own borders. In order to finally defeat the Islamic threat, we will need to defeat this 5th Column by making them irrelevant.
Augustin Cebada, Brown Berets; “Go back to Boston! Go back to Plymouth Rock, Pilgrims! Get out! We are the future. You are old and tired. Go on. We have beaten you. Leave like beaten rats. You old white people. It is your duty to die . . Through love of having children, we are going to take over.
Richard Alatorre, Los Angeles City Council. “They’re afraid we’re going to take over the governmental institutions and other institutions. They’re right. We will take them over . . . We are here to stay.”
Excelsior, the national newspaper of Mexico, “The American Southwest seems to be slowly returning to the jurisdiction of Mexico without firing a single shot.”
Professor Jose Angel Gutierrez, University of Texas; “We have an aging white America. They are not making babies. They are dying. The explosion is in our population . . . I love it. They are shitting in their pants with fear. I love it.”
Art Torres, Chairman of the California Democratic Party, “Remember 187–proposition to deny taxpayer funds for services to non-citizens–was the last gasp of white America in California.”
Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Supervisor, “We are politicizing every single one of these new citizens that are becoming citizens of this country . . . I gotta tell you that a lot of people are saying, “I’m going to go out there and vote because I want to pay them back.”
Mario Obledo, California Coalition of Hispanic Organizations and California State Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under Governor Jerry Brown, also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton, “California is going to be a Hispanic state. Anyone who doesn’t like it should leave.”
Jose Pescador Osuna, Mexican Consul General, “We are practicing ‘La Reconquista’ in California.”
Professor Fernando Guerra, Loyola Marymount University; “We need to avoid a white backlash by using codes understood by Latinos . . . “
How successful do these folks think that these areas would be if Mexico still owned these lands? With Mexico as the example, I’d say that they’d be pretty destitute and that the population would be largely poor with a few ultra rich Dons scooping up all the profits.
OUR GOALS
- to educate Muslims about dangers presented by Islamic religious texts and why Islam must be reformed
- to educate non-Muslims about the differences between moderate Muslims and Islamists (a.k.a. Islamic Religious Fanatics, Radical Muslims, Muslim Fundamentalists, Islamic Extremists or Islamofascists)
- to educate both Muslims and non-Muslims alike that Moderate Muslims are also targets of Islamic Terror
OUR MANIFESTO
Brothers and Sisters!
Do not make the next generation of Muslims clean up your mess!
Fight Islamic Fascism now, so your children won’t have to!Acknowledging mistakes
The majority of the terrorist acts of the last three decades, including the 9/11 attacks, were perpetrated by Islamic fundamentalists in the name of Islam. We, as Muslims, find it abhorrent that Islam is used to murder millions of innocent people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.Inconsistencies in the Koran
Unfortunately, Islamic religious texts, including the Koran and the Hadith contain many passages, which call for Islamic domination and incite violence against non-Muslims. It is time to change that. Muslim fundamentalists believe that the Koran is the literal word of Allah. But could Allah, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate, command mass slaughter of people whose only fault is being non-Muslim?The Koran & the Bible
Many Bible figures from Adam to Jesus (Isa) are considered to be prophets and are respected by Islam. Islamic scholars however believe that both the Old and the New Testament came from God, but that they were corrupted by the Jews and Christians over time. Could it be possible that the Koran itself was corrupted by Muslims over the last thirteen centuries?The need for reform
Islam, in its present form, is not compatible with principles of freedom and democracy. Twenty-first century Muslims have two options: we can continue the barbaric policies of the seventh century perpetuated by Hassan al-Banna, Abdullah Azzam, Yassir Arafat, Ruhollah Khomeini, Osama bin Laden, Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, Hizballah, Hamas, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, etc., leading to a global war between Dar al-Islam (Islamic World) and Dar al-Harb (non-Islamic World), or we can reform Islam to keep our rich cultural heritage and to cleanse our religion from the reviled relics of the past. We, as Muslims who desire to live in harmony with people of other religions, agnostics, and atheists choose the latter option. We can no longer allow Islamic extremists to use our religion as a weapon. We must protect future generations of Muslims from being brainwashed by the Islamic radicals. If we do not stop the spread of Islamic fundamentalism, our children will become homicidal zombies.Accepting responsibilities
To start the healing process, we must acknowledge evils done by Muslims in the name of Islam and accept responsibility for those evils. We must remove evil passages from Islamic religious texts, so that future generations of Muslims will not be confused by conflicting messages. Our religious message should be loud and clear: Islam is peace; Islam is love; Islam is light. War, murder, violence, divisiveness & discrimination are not Islamic values.Religious privacy
Religion is the private matter of every individual. Any person should be able to freely practice any religion as long as the practice does not interfere with the local laws, and no person must be forced to practice any religion. Just as people are created equal, there is no one religion that is superior to another. Any set of beliefs that is spread by force is fundamentally immoral; it is no longer a religion, but a political ideology.Equality
Islam is one of the many of the world’s religions. There will be no Peace and Harmony in the World if Muslims and non-Muslims do not have equal rights. Islamic supremacy doctrine is just as repulsive as Aryan supremacy doctrine. History clearly shows what happens to the society whose members consider themselves above other peoples. All moderate Muslims must repudiate the mere notion of Islamic supremacy.Sharia
Sharia Law must be abolished, because it is incompatible with norms of modern society.Outdated practices
Any practices that might have been acceptable in the Seventh Century; i.e., stoning, cutting off body parts, marrying and/or having sex with children or animals, must be condemned by every Muslim.Outdated verses
The following verses promote divisiveness and religious hatred, bigotry and discrimination. They must be either removed from the Koran or declared outdated and invalid, and marked as such.Outdated words & phrases
Use of the following words and phrases or their variations must be prohibited during religious services:
• Infidel / Unbeliever: these terms have negative connotation and promote divisiveness and animosity; Islam is not the only religion
• Jihad: this word is often interpreted as Holy War against non-Muslims
• Mujaheed / Holy Warrior: no more wars in the name of Islam
• American (Christian / Crusader / Israeli / Zionist) occupation: these terms promote bigotry; at this point in time, Muslims living in non-Muslim lands have more freedoms than Muslims living in Muslim landsIslam vs. violence
Islam has no place for violence. Any person calling for an act of violence in the name of Islam must be promptly excommunicated. Any grievances must be addressed by lawful authorities. It is the religious and civic duty of every Muslim to unconditionally condemn any act of terrorism perpetrated in the name of Islam. Any Muslim group that has ties to terrorism in any way, shape, or form, must be universally condemned by both religious and secular Muslims.Portrayal of Prophets
While portrayal of Prophets is not an acceptable practice in Islam could be personally offensive to some Muslims, other religions do not have such restrictions. Therefore, the portrayal of the Prophets must be treated as a manifestation of free expression.The Crusades vs. The Inquisition
While the Inquisition was a repulsive practice by Christian Fundamentalists, the Crusades were not unprovoked acts of aggression, but rather attempts to recapture formerly Christian lands controlled by Muslims.
So long as idiots in the West keep excusing it, the violence of Islamic extremism will exist.
A Septaugenarian Woman given 40 lashes for having two men in her home.
The two men were delivering bread to her.
Is this the Mercy of Allah?
(CNN) — A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a 75-year-old Syrian woman to 40 lashes, four months imprisonment and deportation from the kingdom for having two unrelated men in her house, according to local media reports.
According to the Saudi daily newspaper Al-Watan, troubles for the woman, Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi, began last year when a member of the religious police entered her house in the city of Al-Chamli and found her with two unrelated men, “Fahd” and “Hadian.”
Fahd told the policeman he had the right to be there, because Sawadi had breast-fed him as a baby and was therefore considered to be a son to her in Islam, according to Al-Watan. Fahd, 24, added that his friend Hadian was escorting him as he delivered bread for the elderly woman. The policeman then arrested both men.
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam called Wahhabism and punishes unrelated men and women who are caught mingling.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, feared by many Saudis, is made up of several thousand religious policemen charged with duties such as enforcing dress codes, prayer times and segregation of the sexes. Under Saudi law, women face many restrictions, including a strict dress code and a ban on driving. Women also need to have a man’s permission to travel.
Good Old Islamic Justice of Saudi Arabia. It’s gotta make Muslims all over the world so proud.
This “culture” needs to be eradicated. The stain of this belief needs to be removed from the world.
Someone please explain to me how the Saudis are different from the taliban? I’ll give you a hint. They’re not. The only real difference is that Saudi Arabia has oil. Therefore, no one cares that they are savage animals with no morals. No one cares for their people or that their brand of Islam is exactly that which was espoused and enacted by the Taliban. No one cares that Saudi Arabia and their rulers practice the exact same brand of Islam as Osama bin Laden and his cronies in al Qaeda.
Saudi Arabia is one of the greatest enemies of freedom and liberty extant in the world. They are second only to Iran and their dogs in hizbollah, Quds force and Revolutionary Guards.
Yet, they are our “allies.”
Continuing to do business with Saudi Arabia is like handing your enemy a loaded gun, pointing it at your heart and assisting said enemy in pulling the trigger. It is insanity.
My Fellow Americans! Is this how you see the world, too?
A friend sent me this on facebook. I almost died laughing. Especially the depiction of Europe. He’s a Brit, though. He wanted to know where the Brit Isles were or wy they were omited. His thought was that surely the Brits weren’t being mixed in with the Euros. lol
His comment:
no, but the nation that gave you your great great (repeat as req,) families doesn’t make the map????? its wrong…
and why would an anti-american spell centre like a yank???? not sure, but I like the map!!!
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