Holy War

Today's Daily Banter column is a bit of a monster. It's pegged off of an e-mail exchange between Sam Harris and Glenn Greenwald.

Here's the opening shot:

"I'm a fan of Sam Harris. A very big fan, in fact, despite not agreeing with him across the board. His 2004 book, 'The End of Faith,' is just about the seminal guide to refuting faith-based religion through bulletproof fact and near-flawless argumentation. If you're an atheist, it's basically, well, your Bible. Harris prides himself on his intellect and on an absolute reliance on reason, which means that he's a formidable foe to debate simply because his logic is generally made of concrete and titanium. I admit that while Harris himself dislikes having to constantly defend himself against the same ridiculous attacks on his beliefs over and over again -- typically from those who either misunderstand statements he's made perfectly clear or who feel like they need to purposely twist his arguments to serve their own ends -- I enjoy watching him rip those who go up against him to shreds. He does it with such confidence but, provided the adversary in question isn't just being an asshole, with such respect that it makes you glad people like him exist to act as intellectual super heroes when our culture needs them.

One of the more ludicrous accusations that's been leveled at Sam Harris throughout the years has to do with his supposed tendency toward 'Islamophobia.' As with his contemporaries in the "new atheist" movement, people like Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens, Harris believes that radical Islam represents an especially insidious and dangerous form of faith simply because it often manifests itself in physical violence aimed at both non-believers and believers alike. It may be politically incorrect to say that Islam is the most pervasive and immediate religious threat our world is facing at this moment in its history, but it's not necessarily factually incorrect."

Read the Rest Here

Gods of War

Today's piece for the Daily Banter takes a look at the protest in Libya that killed an American ambassador and three other U.S. diplomats.

The excuse that angry, violent mobs used to attack our embassies in both Libya and Egypt? Somebody said something bad about Muhammad.

The gloves are off on this one.

Here's an excerpt:

"The Middle East/Northern Africa is one of the most bustling and thriving regions of the world — and it also happens to be one of the most culturally stunted, thanks in large part to a nearly absolute devotion to ancient superstition that’s been allowed to dictate, typically with a governmental mandate, every facet of the lives of those who live there. In many Middle Eastern countries, Islam is a meal that’s force-fed — and it’s a fact that’s held an otherwise vibrant point on the globe stuck in time while putting those outside its purview in the unenviable position of having to walk on eggshells and gush ridiculous platitudes in an effort to make sure the often barbaric beliefs that rule the lives of its people are never shown anything less than the utmost respect. Because if they aren’t, well, you get what we’re witnessing right now in Libya."

Read the Rest Here

Quote of the Day Jr.

"(President Obama) has said he's a Christian, so I just have to assume that he is. All I know is I'm a sinner, and God has forgiven me of my sins... you have to ask every person."

-- Franklin Graham, this morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe

A personal rule of thumb: If you've got the word "reverend" in front of your name chances are I'm gonna care less about your opinions on politics than I do about anything that comes out of the mouths of those people who won't shut up about Downton Abbey.

By the way, is Franklin Graham a self-righteous asshole? Well, he says he isn't, so I guess I'll have to take him at his word. You have to ask every person, though.

Quote of the Day

"Non-Muslims in America and Europe don’t deserve to have halal turkey forced upon them in this way, without their knowledge or consent. So this Thanksgiving, fight for your freedom. Find a non-halal, non-Butterball turkey to celebrate Thanksgiving this Thursday. And write to Butterball and request, politely but firmly, that they stop selling only halal turkeys, and make non-halal turkeys available to Americans who still value our freedoms."

-- Conservative, and quite likely insane, blogger Pamela Gellar on the encroaching Muslim threat to our traditional American holiday dinners

I can't even imagine how difficult it is to be someone like Gellar. The constant paranoia, the incapacitating fear that you can never let your guard down, lest the America you love be overrun by godless "others," the humorless vigilance that allows you to keep chasing shadows even when every not-crazy person on the planet is laughing at you to your face. This Thanksgiving, I ask you to remember Pamela Gellar. In fact, I call upon you to fight for your country's overall mental health and write to Gellar requesting, politely but firmly and through the use of subtle mockery, that she take her own life by inserting a non-halal turkey into her ass. Sideways.

Assistant Quote of the Day

"Sharia Law has nothing to do with this at all, it’s crazy! The guy is an American citizen! (This) Sharia Law business is just crap… and I’m tired of dealing with the crazies."

-- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie defending his appointment of a Muslim-American judge to the state bench

It's sad to think that stating the incredibly obvious -- and perfectly sane -- can constitute an act of courage, but credit where credit is due here. While I haven't always been a fan of Christie's policies, given the current default position within much of the GOP when it comes to stoking xenophobic rage through completely unfounded, nonsense controversies, Christie's verbal smackdown is damn refreshing.

Watch and learn, Herman Cain and Peter King.

Fault Lines

Not to go all local on anyone, but yesterday there was a series of arrests in Miami -- where I happen to be at the moment -- that the feds say breaks up a money-funneling operation that was directly funding the Pakistani Taliban. It should probably go without saying at this point that any time you hear the name Taliban attached to a group -- irrespective of what locator, modifier or title precedes it -- you can be pretty sure it's not something the U.S. government wants to see you wiring a lot of money to. Well, two Miami-area Imams were indicted along with their sons for supposedly doing just that.

Are they guilty? That obviously hasn't been proven yet. But what's worth mentioning is that during the press availability immediately following the arrests, the U.S. attorney overseeing the case went out of his way to -- and stop me if you've heard this one before -- unequivocally stress that the actions taken by federal agents should in no way be perceived as an indictment of Islam as a whole, a religion whose adherents are, he insists, overwhelmingly, decent, lawful and peace-loving people. A large part of me understands why such a distinction should be made in situations like this one: a potential backlash against Muslims throughout the U.S. would be entirely unfair and therefore whatever can be done to assuage the concerns of America's dumb-ass knee-jerk contingent benefits justice and the spirit of the law. But I'm not sure that's the real rationale behind the government's very clumsy qualifier. The real reason -- and I don't think anyone can argue this anymore -- is that we're terrified of pissing off Muslims. And it should be obvious that being afraid of the Islamic faith to the point where you handle the subject of it with kid gloves -- and treat its followers as if they're always one poorly chosen word or inadvertent offense away from strapping on a vest full of Semtex and walking into a shopping mall -- is a much bigger insult than simply not bringing it up at all.

There's of course an argument to be made that anyone who believes in ancient superstition -- especially to the point of violently defending it -- doesn't deserve to be treated as reasonable. I've actually made that argument many times, so I won't bother retreading a well-worn path. But my point is this: Imagine for a moment the FBI hauling in six black guys as part of the bust of an interstate car-theft ring, then standing up there during the resulting news conference and saying, "By the way, these arrests shouldn't reflect on African-Americans as a whole; I mean, they're not all car thieves," or taking down a drug-running operation along the U.S./Mexico border and saying, "We want to make clear that we really love Taco Bell and think George Lopez is a funny guy who by the way doesn't do drugs." Logically, if you're going to add disclaimers every time you indict an American Muslim on terrorism charges you can easily take that kind of absurd and pointless political correctness one, two or three steps further until the feds spend more time apologizing than they do arresting people.

I get why the President of the United States feels the need to occasionally remind everyone that we're not "at war with Islam"; in addition to that being the truth, he's addressing the world, not simply the people two counties over. But at some point we -- meaning those of us who happen not to be followers of Islam -- have to stop coddling the sensitivities of Muslims as a default position and truly do what we now only claim to do: treat them the same as everybody else. You know -- no different than any of the millions of other people in this country who believe similarly ludicrous fairy tales about the universe and how it came to be.

But if we feel like we can't do that, then what we're not willing to say about Islam and about ourselves, in fact, speaks volumes.

Clayton Bigsby for President

Meet Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza and current Tea Party darling running for the Republican presidential nomination.

Just watch this, and if your head doesn't fucking explode go back and watch it again -- only this time whenever he mentions Muslims, substitute the word "blacks" in your mind.

Seriously, where do they get these assholes?

They're Digging in the Wrong Place

I had read this somewhere before, and wasn't the least bit surprised by it, but today ThinkProgress has run down the numbers which reveal that there have been more non-Muslim terrorism cases investigated since 9/11 than cases involving Muslims.

It's worth taking a look at and it casts a very nice little pall over the true rationale behind Peter King's Capitol Hill dog-and-pony show.

Bottom line: King's doing it because he's shit-pants terrified of those brown people and their weird god and so are his constituents, so why not cynically exploit that fear?

ThinkProgress: Almost Twice as Many Plots Since 9/11 from Non-Muslims/3.10.11

By the way, you know why you'd be inclined to believe that twitchy Muslims are the bigger threat when it comes to terrorism? It's a matter of perception. The math breaks down like this:

Brown, vaguely Arabic Muslim guy tries to kill innocent people to make a political statement = Terrorist

White, Christian guy tries to kill innocent people to make a political statement = Mentally unbalanced lone wolf

Let's Talk About Sects

I'll once again make this quick.

Peter King is a shameless, reactionary turd -- the kind of unapolgetically bigoted loudmouth that could only have crawled out of a pool of cultural and intellectual quicksand as impressive as Long Island.

That being said, his assertion that the potential radicalization of Muslim Americans is an issue worth looking into isn't entirely without merit. Like any insular group, Muslims in this country have been reluctant to self-examine when it comes to potential dangers within their own ranks. I can't say I don't understand the reasoning behind this, but it doesn't exactly let community leaders off the hook when the time comes to speak up against those who would radicalize otherwise decent, peaceful people and those who seem to willingly fall into the trap of radicalization. It wasn't wrong to ask, say, after the arrest of would-be Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, "Are Muslim imams doing everything in their power, without hedging, to root out and prevent potentially dangerous anti-Western fundamentalism within their mosques -- even if that means nothing more than consistently driving home the message of peace and tolerance?" Of course not every Muslim is a terrorist -- far from it, and only the most ignorant and xenophobic would believe otherwise -- but there's no denying that the battle to stop the breeding of potential Muslim terrorists on home soil or the assimilation of outsiders with destructive agendas within our borders begins with the Islamic community itself. More than anyone, it knows what to look for among its own populace.

So, no, in theory the decision to hold hearings examining Islamic radicalization isn't half as chilling as it sounds; it's a conversation worth having, one that's typically been prevented by placing our desire not to offend over a willingness to confront reality.

The problem, as I already alluded to, is with who took it upon himself to order the hearings -- which begin tomorrow. While it's true that we sometimes concern ourselves too much with the need for political correctness -- occasionally at our own peril -- Muslims in this country really do have reason to feel that they're at best regarded with suspicion and at worst the target of outright hostility. In other words, if you dare to broach a subject as sensitive as the potential danger posed by those who subscribe to a fundamentalist version of their one specific religion, you'd better damn well be someone who owns an entire armoire full of kid gloves. And I think it's safe to say that a tactless buffoon with a well-documented history of stoking Islamophobic paranoia -- a guy who perpetuates the worst kind of ugly American stereotype and whose rise to power coincided with his vocal support of the IRA -- isn't who you want at the helm of this particular ship, not considering the level of skill required to avoid the considerable mines in the water.

Peter King isn't the kind of two-dimensional thinker who can appreciate that there's a legitimate argument to be made that by even singling out the Muslim religion for official scrutiny, we run the risk of violating everything we stand for as Americans -- or that there's hypocrisy in not confronting, say, Christian leaders and demanding the same level of accountability for the fringe elements within their ranks, given that most homegrown anti-government terrorists here in America are die-hard Jesus freaks. These are the sorts of subtleties and ethical paradoxes that will almost certainly whiz overtop of the Buttafuocoian pompadour that frames King's cartoonishly hang-dog face. And the result will be that more harm is done by this tragically inevitable dog-and-pony show than good.

Once again, this is a conversation that needs to happen. I just don't think Peter King -- to say nothing of his conspicuously clear personal agenda -- should be the one starting and dominating it.

Moonbats

The stupid. It burns.

Gawker: Does This Google Veterans Day Logo Look Muslim To You?/11.11.10

Quote of the Day

"There are a lot of liberals who need to be retired this year, but there are few I can think of more deserving than Keith Ellison. Ellison is one of the most radical members of congress. He has a ZERO rating from the American Conservative Union. He is the only Muslim member of congress."

-- Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation, which is the third largest tea bagger organization in the country, on Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota

Please, for the love of all that's holy, send these ignorant, spiteful dicks back under their rocks where they belong on November 2nd.

Oh, and of course, this idiot is wrong -- Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana is also a Muslim. These assholes can't even get their hate straight.

Assistant To the Quote of the Day

"Campbell's now making Muslim approved soups. Mmmmm Mmmmm not good. No more campbells for me."

-- Tea Party Nation, via Twitter, reacting to an announcement by the Campbell's soup company that it will begin carrying a line of 15 halal-certified soups

Today it's red lentil with vegetable -- tomorrow, Sharia law and burqas! And what's with that Campbell's French onion soup, anyway? Shouldn't it be Freedom onion?!

This crap would be hilarious if it weren't so depressing.

Pastor Manipulator

Surprise.

And by surprise I mean, not the least bit surprising.

TPM: Florida Church Cancels Koran Burning/9.9.10

Word is Pastor Jones now plans to travel to New York City to meet with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf about the latter's non-existent plan to move the officially covered-to-death "Ground Zero Mosque."

Look, just stay put, Terry -- you silly little megalomaniac. The hijacking is over, your fifteen minutes are up, and you now get to go back to being just another redneck dumbshit from Central Florida nobody gives a crap about.

Quote of the Day

"We know this is not just the decision of a church. It is the decision of the president and the entire United States."

-- 18-year-old Abdul Shakoor, who took part in a protest in Kabul over the weekend in response to the Dove World Outreach Church's plan to burn copies of the Koran on September 11th

General David Petraeus warns that moving ahead with this giant Bonfire of the Inanities will potentially put the lives of American troops at risk overseas, seeing as how most people in staunchly Muslim countries don't take too kindly to their holy book being barbecued. The idea that something done by a bunch of dumb-ass rednecks in Gainesville, Florida can resonate around the globe is just shocking in and of itself. But make no mistake, this is exactly what the psychotic, hyper-Christian Muslim-bashers are hoping to accomplish: some kind of holy war pitting Blue-Eyed NASCAR Jesus against that false-prophet, Muhammed. And people wonder why I despise faith-based religion across the board. Substitute two groups of people shrieking at each other over whether Zeus can beat up Apollo and you start to realize how bloody fucking ridiculous the entire thing is.

The first thing I thought of, however, when reading the above quote was a piece that ran recently on 60 Minutes which detailed something called "The Narrative" -- basically the story that many in Islamic countries have come to hold tightly to which states that there is an organized effort in the West to destroy Islam and anyone who tells you differently isn't to be trusted. Gosh, people who refuse to allow their iron-clad beliefs about and preconceptions of others to be shaken by logic, reason and facts. Why does that sound so familiar these days?

Sunday Sacrilege

Ladies and gentlemen meet "Dr." Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Church in Central Florida (of course) and author of the New York Times bestseller 666 weeks running, Islam Is of the Devil. Terry and his flock have been in the news quite a bit lately thanks to their highly publicized plan to burn a pile of Korans next Saturday, on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

While Terry's strictly a tomato can when placed against heavyweight psychopaths like Fred Phelps, he's got a certain flair for the theatrical and he exudes the kind of confidence that can only come from believing that the world's going to end in a few years and you'll be one of the few sitting next to Jesus laughing at the undeserving as they fry on the Earth below. He holds court like your crotchety and half-senile grandfather, the one who inevitably hijacks every family gathering by forcing you to sit quietly at the kitchen table while he regales you with stories of killing slopes in Korea, the good old days when a white man had his own bathroom, and his singular understanding of why them Jews and Palesteens can't get along.

Oh, and there's that ridiculous moustache.



Here's Terry wearing a t-shirt that puts the final touch on his 70s-cop-show-baddie image and indiscriminately throwing around the word "nigger" to make some kind of point about something-or-other. He gets a few other people to say it -- including at least one girl who's actually kind of cute (call me, sweetie, I'll give you a second coming) -- then turns it over to Pastor Wayne Sapp, who appears to be sitting in front of a weather chromakey wall at a local TV station.

Headline of the Week

CBS News: Obama a Muslim: How Silly Can We Become?/8.25.10

Mosquing Tape

Okay, anybody got the over-under on how long before this is revealed to be a big joke by Trey and Matt?

My favorite thing about the bumper-sticker sloganeering hyper-patriots out in NASCAR Land is that they're always quick to appropriate and defend the sacred memory of 9/11 and its legacy in New York City when A) they weren't actually there and therefore weren't directly affected by it (losing loved ones, smelling death 24/7, living with overwhelming paranoia, etc.) and B) they generally think the city is full of godless liberal elitists and probably deserves to be sunk into the sea anyway.

We've got to stop the mosque?

You don't have anything to do with it since the only decisive action you took in the wake of 9/11 was to stop eating fucking French Fries.

Quote of the Day

"Does (Abraham) Foxman believe that bigotry is OK if people think they're victims? Does the anguish of Palestinians, then, entitle them to be anti-Semitic?"

-- Newsweek columnist and CNN host Fareed Zakaria, in his explanation of why he's choosing to return the Hubert Humphrey award given to him by the Anti-Defamation League five years ago in response to the group's opposition to a proposed Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero

Ground Control

So Abraham Foxman, the director of the Anti-Defamation League, was on CNN this morning defending his group's decision to stand against plans to put a mosque and Muslim community center near Ground Zero.

Foxman's argument? That while they may be within their rights to build in that specific area, the Muslim-Americans behind the project should reconsider in the name of sensitivity and healing, and as a gesture of reconciliation. In other words, just because they can do it doesn't necessarily mean they should.

He's absolutely right. I mean, that would be like, oh I don't know, insisting on building settlements in bitterly disputed territories like Gaza and the West Bank, no matter how much it pisses everyone off.

Quote of the Day

"The most powerful statement by the organizers of the planned Sept. 11th bonfire would be to call it off in the name and love of Jesus Christ."

-- Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, on the plan by a Florida church to burn copies of the Koran this coming September 11th as a statement against the supposed evil of Islam

No, the most powerful statement would be to call this obscenely ridiculous spectacle off in the name of logic and reason. Wouldn't that be nice for a change?

Oh, and I rest my case that Florida truly is the engorged penis of the United States.