If I took the bait of every right-wing cretin with a blog out there (and no, they're not all cretins), I'd never get anything done. Sometimes, I just can't let it go though.
Meet La Shawn Barber. "Freelance writer and columnist with a Christian and conservative view point." Okay. A quick glance tells you she labors under quite a persecution complex, the kind encouraged by folks like Roy Moore, Bill O'Reilly, William Donahue, etc. Yeah guys, it's a real lions den out there for you (or really, us, I guess.) But then you get into shit like this.
With 90 percent of the black vote locked down tight, Democrats don’t quite know what to do with the other 10 percent, so they pull the old plantation routine by turning blacks against each other. While the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) shamelessly attacks California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown, a black conservative nominated by President George W. Bush for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, white liberals sit back and gaze upon their handiwork. It’s life as usual on the old plantation.
Ah yes...the plantation. Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind.
And for someone who can't look anywhere without seeing anti-Chritian bias (That Lucky Charms leprachaun is really the devil!), she's surprisingly open about her own bigotry:
Despite what they may say, Muslims are and have always been on a mission to conquer and kill infidels. They’ve been doing it for centuries and will continue until we’re all dead, or they’re all dead, or the world ends, whichever comes first.
I guess she's not on board with the democracy for Iraq plan, oui?
http://lashawnbarber.com/archives/2005/06/07/brown-2/
http://lashawnbarber.com/archives/2005/06/03/if-2/
Posted by mike at June 8, 2005 06:52 PMHa; where do you find all these obscure blogs?
Regarding modern anti-Islamic sentiments; it's easy to get confused about the nature of Islam. There's a vast spectrum of standards and practices here. Allah was cited by Larry Johnson in the post-game interview after his 4-point play against the Pacers years ago at MSG.
But this same Allah was cited by terror-cell fanclubs in the relentless attacks on the World Trade Towers and murdering of innocent New Yorkers. The teachings of the Koran have been and *are being* evoked for purposes of killing in the name of God. This holy killing is not historically unprecedented; the "Extreme Islam" of today shares similarities with Crusading Christianity of centuries past.
While I make no claims of being an expert in religious history, during the Crusades the Vatican's influence over Europe encouraged "holy war," marching down to Jerusalem and killing for glory that was not possible toiling away under an oppressive feudal system back at home. Fast forward to today and we find ayatollahs with the power to set supreme law over people who don't have so many great things going on back at home themselves; these leaders call for jihad, for "holy war," rather regularly. Leaders of Christianity have long since clarified that killing people is not cool; many of today's Islamic leaders are not willing (or are unable) to reinforce that same principle.
I tend to agree w/ Andy Rooney's Memorial Day piece on 60 Minutes in which he suggested it may be time for humanity to invent a new, universal religion.
Posted by: Cam on June 9, 2005 03:59 PMWhere do I find these blogs? I spend WAY to much time on the internet, Cam.
Yeah, I get that certain people use Islam to do fucked up things. But that's certain people. I think you inadvertently point out just how big and complicated a religion like Islam is when you talk about attacks on the World Trade Center and ayatollahs in the same breath. Ayatollahs - Shiite Muslim leaders. 9/11 guys - Sunnis. They didn't take their marching orders from any ayatollahs. I had a professor once who told me, "Trying to understand all the different sects and strands of Islam makes understanding the protestant scene in the US look like cake." He's right.
As for this: "Leaders of Christianity have long since clarified that killing people is not cool," - well yeah, most of them have. Then you have guys like Pat Robertson and Jerry Fallwell talking about how gays were responsible for 9/11. You've got a fringe element that travels around the country with signs that read "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for 9/11" But these guys are just that, a fringe element. Ditto people who crash planes into buildings. My beef is not in pointing out that religion, specifically Islam, motivates some people to do evil things. It's with the broad brush La Shawn Barber uses in statements like, "They’ve been doing it for centuries and will continue until we’re all dead, or they’re all dead."
"Until they're all dead..." is the language of fanatics. Ms. Barber is marches in their ranks.
Posted by: Mike on June 9, 2005 06:46 PMTrue, the 9/11 gang were al Qaeda thugs and followed Khalid Mohammed (and O. Bin Laden) rather than ayatollahs. Most of them came from Saudi Arabia, a heavily Sunni region ruled by the royal family - in contrast to the mostly Shiite nation of Iran that is run by Ayatollahs in an Islamic theocracy.
Yet the ayatollahs have been complicit with violence in the past, most notably the invasion of the US embassy to Iran in 1979 where they took dozens of Americans hostage to use as political leverage against the United States. While the ayatollahs officially condemned the 9/11 attacks on the US, these ayatollahs do use jihad as a legitimate tool for enhancing their power. al Qaeda does this too, feeding recruits' dreams of winning a martyr's glory. If the ayatollahs had the courage to purge jihad from Islam, this would be a huge step towards resolving violence in the Middle East.
[Mike] Then you have guys like Pat Robertson and Jerry Fallwell talking about how gays were responsible for 9/11.
Guh? Did they really say that? ? ? I don't agree w/ the Barber quotes you cited either, but at least with her you can trace her reasoning back approximately to a point of error.