Comments by al-rawandi

Comment #198506 by al-rawandi on June 24, 2008 at 7:01 am

Tera Bat,

Once again I am going to have to explain Israeli politics and Judaism to you, I might start charging for the service.

The religious Jews never tried to return to Israel because they believe god will do it for them. Most of the Ultra Orthodox Jews think the State of Israel is an abomination.

This is ridiculous. The Neturei Karta believe Israel is an abomination, and these are few in number (very few, only about a dozen or so show up to protest Israel in the US, and maybe 100 inside Israel).

Some other Haredi groups opposed to Zionims:

Edah HaChereidis

And subsidiary groups:

-Satmar
-Dushinky

There is no uinified Haredi voice on Israel. And many live in Israel. Some refuse to vote, some refuse to accept money from the govt., some serve in the military, some actively protest, some don't.

And don't forget 1/3 of Israelis consider the Haredis the most hated group in Israel.

It is really interesting how you say these Haredis refuse to return to Israel, yet there are a whole lot of Haredis in Israel. That math doesn't work.

2352. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198504 by al-rawandi on June 24, 2008 at 6:52 am

Fanusi,

What about the genocide in East Timor?

Ooooh not a good approach. You do realize that this wasn't an issue of "Islam". First of all Catholic Indonesian soldiers participated, and Kissinger and Ford expressly approved the invasion, and as you well know Suharto didn't do this for religious reasons. Just like the 1 million people who died during Suharto's purges of Communists, once again supported by the United States. And where did Indonesia get the weapons? That's right, the US.

So while I agree that there is an overall campaign of violence by Muslims, there is no way you can blame East Timor on that wave.

2353. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198503 by al-rawandi on June 24, 2008 at 6:48 am

Tera Bat,

So Vin says Jews are always at fault, you say never. What invaluable contributions.

Pay attention al. I was responding to advotecus.

You dishonest toad, just put "Advocatus" in place of Vin, and stick it in your pipe and smoke it. The point was that you accuse people of whitewashing, but you are the queen whitewasher.

Pot-Kettle.

2354. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198502 by al-rawandi on June 24, 2008 at 6:46 am

Tera Bat,

A few facts you may not be aware of.

You possess no facts regarding Israel or the Middle East that I am not already aware of. But let's play anyway.

During the first gulf war when the scuds were falling on us, the US asked us not to do anything and just take it. We did it and you have no idea how hard it was, but, we did it anyways. Shamir was very heavily critisized. Our men are not used to sitting around and doing nothing while bombs are falling on their women and children. The tension in the country was palpable. But there were no riots, no attacks, no terror.

How many Israelis were killed in these attacks?

Why didn't America want Israel involved? BECAUSE IT WOULD SPREAD THE CONFLICT. You really have zero clue about how shit works, I mean absolutely Zero. If Israel had attacked Iraq it would have had to use Jordanian airspace and possibly that of other countries. Syria may have been drawn in, we don't know. The United States saved Israeli lives by insisting on inaction.

And I didn't even get a thank you for the fucking money I send to your country, it can be in writing here, you don't have to send me a card. In anticipation I will say "You're welcome for the billions and billions of dollars".

The US gives plenty of money to the Palestinians too

Next to none in comparison, a few tens of millions, and only to the PA which recognizes Israel's right to exist. So don't fucking pull your dishonest comparisons... as soon as I start getting more sympathetic to Israel, I have a conversation with an Israeli. No good deed goes unpunished.

The Yishuv fought in WWII. They volunteered to the British Army and the "Jewish Brigade" was formed and was sent to north Africa to fight the Italians. The Arabs supported the Germans.

Something I might not know? Ha, you are an idiot. There is nothing you are going to tell me about Israeli history I don't already know. I am well aware of the Jewish brigades, and their reconstitution to hunt down Nazis after the war. I am also well aware that some Arab nations supported the Germans. You are going to have to do better than 1st year Middle Eastern history to surprise me.

I have dual citizenship. My parents, brothers, nieces and nephews, most of my aunts uncles and cousins all have dual citizenship. Israel has never underminded the US. You cant say the same about the Muslims, including Palestinians.

Jonathan Pollard, look him up. US Naval officer caught spying for Israel. This was known at the upper levels of the Israeli government, and approved. He was tried and convicted of treason. Personally I think he should have been hung, but I wasn't on the jury.

The Mossad warned the CIA before 9/11 that a big attack on the USA was in the works. We were as horrified as the USA when it happened.

Really? What Israeli politician was it that said "Now the US knows how we feel". Such compassion for the Goyim, I am touched, as touched as a filthy goy can be, anyhow.

2355. Blind Faiths

Comment #198494 by al-rawandi on June 24, 2008 at 6:26 am

advocatus,

Well I think his exposure of the Israeli nuclear program was really just stating the obvious, but it was brave anyhow. But as a point of law, he violated Israeli law, and for that he is imprisoned, and I don't see a problem with that. I don't like the fact that he became a Christian, which seems a bit strange, and of course annoying.

It looks like you have caught Tera Bat trying to monopolize suffering. Wasn't it Jews who tried to keep the Armenian exhibit OUT of the Museum of Tolerance? You would think after 2,000 years of terrible suffering they would have developed a little more compassion. But I notice, whenever suffering gets tied in with money, things get a little unusual.

As for people being thrown off their land, this has happened numerous times since the Jews were evicted from Palestine. The funny thing is most people move on and attempt to deal with the new situation. However Jews maintained a RELIGIOUS link to the land for 2,000 years, and then so-called "atheists" like Tera Bat pretend like this is some kind of secular Jewish goal.

The Israelis always complain; "Palestinians have been refugees for 50 years, when will they give it up." My response is "Jews claimed refugee status for 2,000 years, so the Arabs have about 1,950 years to go."

2356. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198484 by al-rawandi on June 24, 2008 at 6:02 am

Tera,

As usual only the Jews are at fault.

So Vin says Jews are always at fault, you say never. What invaluable contributions.

2357. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198481 by al-rawandi on June 24, 2008 at 5:52 am

Tera Bat,

So you want us to do the dirty work for you while you stab us in the back?

Who is you? You better not be talking about Americans. If you were speaking about America keep reading....

How fucking dare you say something that fucking stupid. $5 billion every year my country sends in tax money paid by our citizens, so you can keep your fucking Bantustans. Close to $10 billion every year in total aid. Military deals, technology deals, intelligence sharing,... All this after Israel has exploited our relationship to spy on us (Jonathan Pollard), Israel has attacked a US Navy ship and strafed survivors floating in the water (USS Liberty).

I hope you were not speaking about the United States.

As for Israel attacking Iran. I wouldn't push that idea too hard, Iran is not a pushover. These people invented chess, they are not stupid. Don't let dinnerjacket fool you, Iran is strong enough to make your life in Israel fucking miserable. The Shahab 3 can reach Israel, Iran won't spare anyone if they are attacked.

2358. Teen's death blamed on faith healing

Comment #198308 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 2:36 pm

huzonfirst,

Outrages like this make a strong case for vigilante justice. Whenever governments become ineffective the people eventually take the law into their own hands out of sheer necessity (the fact that these groups easily turn into criminal gangs themselves does not negate the initial need for them).

A mass necktie party for every "adult" member of this death cult would certainly get people's attention, possibly even to the point of doing something about this crap! Meanwhile, of course, Oprah will be "praying for their souls..."

They are already killing each other, so why do we want to step in and waste the bullets? There will always be a doltish section of society... in the words of Judge Smails "The world needs ditch diggers too".

2359. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #198244 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 12:37 pm

You tell them tp, Krishna be praised

Krishna?

Hey, you leave me the hell alone at the airport from now on. Just take your bell and drum parades somewhere else.

2360. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198207 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 11:24 am

Barry,

I am aware of various concepts that avoid having the "reinvent the wheel" each time, such as Ijma and Qiyas. In fact, I refered to those on my "Paternity testing and Islam" page. In view of what you say, I wonder if they are primarily Sunni rather than Shi'a concepts?

Logical syllogism (Qiyas) is employed universally, as it is defined somewhat loosely. But as a fact, Shi'a students at Qom study Aristotelian logic (Ar. Mantiq, Pers. Mantig) as the first level of study, in preparation for use in reasoning such things.

Ijma' has largely been a Sunni phenomenon. But the question of Ijma'a becomes difficult when some apply it to the pious forebearers (Ahl al-salaf al-Salih). But Shi'a would reject this, as they reject the whole legitimacy of the first three Caliphs.

Something I think you should mention, as it would be a service to the readers, is the result of the mihna:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihna

The Wiki page is an acceptable reference point. But the long and the short of the mihna was that Sunni rationalists lost out to Sunni literalists. The Shi'a are still perplexed as to how this could possibly happen, mostly because they view 'Aql as superior to naql (see below). But the Asharis defeated the Mu'atazila (how this happened I don't know). Thus literalism and tradition has remained the dominating factor in Sunni Islam.

For instance, the Shi'a place heavy emphasis on 'Aql (intellect) while Sunnis prefer Naql (literalism, or 'adherence to revelation'). This is the manifest difference between the two, and explains why Sunnis are constantly struggling to make their faith comprehensible. The Shi'a had a similar debate between Akhbaris and Usulis, but the Akhbaris won out, along with the "intellect".

So my new shtick is that we must really be sure to demarcate between Sunni and Shi'a, as there are very important differences, and policy and thought should reflect this.

2361. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198193 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 10:46 am

Fanusi,

I assume you are referring to my comment about Ijtihad. I was just pointing out the fact that Barry was presenting a general critique of Islam, and I was helping point out where he could be more specific and more accurate.

To be fair to "spiritual" Islam, I would have to say the greater portion of the Muslims I know are really only spiritual and not many seek the implementation of a state. I assume this may be very different in other parts of the US and in Europe.

2362. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198191 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 10:38 am

elephant,

That's a good definition. Islamism should be prosecuted as treason... perhaps.

2363. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198182 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 10:19 am

Phil,

Fine by me, I am not one of the squeamish liberals, soiled with moral relativism, so I am happy to help others.

But we encounter another problem, how do we get people to wake the hell up and pay attention to what is going on. I don't know how it is in England, do people ignore the problem?

2364. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198175 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 10:04 am

Phil,

Very well.

But I am afraid that the sophistry from Muslims will continue. There will be no intellectual victory anytime soon, meaning Muslims won't ever concede any point, ever.

2365. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198155 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 9:35 am

Phil,

Here is the problem with "Islamism"... Define it!

No one has advanced a definition, no one knows what it means, and everyone seems scared of it. It makes one look bad when one names a boogeyman, but then cannot define or describe it.

2366. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198133 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 9:10 am

Barry,

I am reading your page now. There are several errors.

The first: "No central authority"

-You are lumping Sunni Islam with Shi'a. The Shi'a have a concept known as Taqlid (imitation, or reliance on past tradition). This is a system where the individual believer must choose a Marja' to be his Marja'a i-taqlid. The Zakat is paid to this Marja'a along with the Shi'a specific tax known as the Khums. The Marja'a must be a recognized scholar (like Khomeini, Khatami, Khamanei, Sistani, Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, etc...). Most of these people will have studied Islam and other topics in Qom, Iran. In this sense there is a degree of centralization in Shi'a Islam. However this is also region specific, namely Lebanese Muslims will have a slightly different system. The Shi'a centers of learning (where power is centralized) are Qom and Najaf.

2) "Mediaeval Arabic Script":

- The Arabic language has no seperate script for this period, and it has remained in similar form for most of its short life. The only difference one sees is that much of the Qur'an was written without the small vowels that reside above and below the script. This is problematic as they change meaning (for instance placing a verb in the passive voice). Thus all the i'rab (vowelling) is added later and was subject to the interpretation of context of the person placing these vowels in the text.

3) "Reform Movements":

- Your assumption here is that "reform" means toward a more western understanding of the world. Wahhabism, Deobandism, Salafism, and other "fundamentalist" movements, all came as "reforms" of the faith.

4) "Islam requires Interpretation":

- A difficult concept, in that Ijtihad (interpretation) is a term used differently all over. For instance Sunnis who follow one of the four main schools of Jurisprudence (Shafi'i, Hanafi, Maliki, Hanbali) consider the "door of Ijtihad" to be closed, thus shut by the founders of the school. They rely on manuals of law written by the eponyms of these schools. Wahhabis say that Ijtihad is to be performed by every believer, and Taqlid (reliance on past opinion) is unacceptable. While Shi'a allow the Marja' i-Taqlid to perform Ijtihad and pass on interpretations to their followers.

Just some thoughts.

2367. Award-winning comedian George Carlin dies

Comment #198103 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 8:01 am

Why couldn't Dane Cook die instead?

2368. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198091 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 7:32 am

Steve,

Most journalists don't have the specialized knowledge to deal with esoteric topics. It isn't a conspiracy, it is intellectual limitation.

"Never attribute to malice what you can account for with stupidity."

2369. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198089 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 7:29 am

Fanusi (and others should read this),

How many newspapers acknowledge the extent of the problem? Which ones are willing to mention words like 'taqqiya' or 'hudna', all of which are essential to understanding Islamic tactics? Where is the outrage over the stuff found in the documentary 'undercover Mosque'?

Hudna is an important term and brings us to an important point.... linguistics. There is a great deal of difference between Arabic and other languages. Hudna means peace or ceasefire, in Arabic (as in Islamic Law) this is only contingent on the Muslims rearming. Thus such a ceasefire is only acceptable to Muslims as long as they are regaining strength, once this occurs they are no longer bound by the treaty.

So you may ask, what is another term? Peace? Not much better as the term "peace" in Arabic (Salaam) is derived from the tri-literal root that denotes "submission", and this same root gives us Islam, meaning submission. Thus peace is something arrived at when one side "submits" not when a mutual agreement is reached. In Arabic (and Arabs think in Arabic) the language is limited in these concepts. Not that Arabs can't grasp them, but rather that their language doesn't have terms to denote these ideas.

The language of the Qur'an is often lost in translation... and I agree with Muslims when they say it must be read in Arabic. To get the true nastiness one must read it in Arabic, because the translations are often fluffed with niceties nowhere to be found in the original.

And you will never find this discussed in the media in any country, even the "racist" United States. And the left in Europe haven't even figured out what all this means, let alone sought to do anything about it. The threat is evolving, the solutions are not... this is a problem.

2370. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198080 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 7:02 am

Fanusi,

I remember this guy who converted, but I cannot remember his name. He was able to remain an anti-semite, no doubt a selling point in the recruitment process.

There is a good point, that fascists and Islamists have a great deal in common.

2371. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198070 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 6:43 am

Phil,

That is a good thought, but ultimately useless.

It isn't about hanging racists out to dry, it is about showing these societal vandals (Islamists) that all speech is protected. Their stupid child molesting prophet's words are protected, as is the criticism of this person. You don't need to prove your tolerance bona fides to those who would not blink in having you flogged or beheaded, it is about showing them that in this country we don't bend our values to suit 7th century ideologies, and if you don't like it, here is your plane ticket.

You must prosecute those that violate civil rights, for instance, a racist who firebombs a mosque, or a home. However, what we are talking about here is speech. Speech should always be protected, even racist speech. Once racist speech is no longer protected, you get the litigious outpouring that is being seen in Canada and Europe.

For instance, I had to deal with a flood of responses when I defended THE RIGHT of the Dutch cartoonists to express themselves... The theme of the vituperations was "these are just like cartoons about Jews in the 1930'2 and 1940's." This is manifestly ridiculous, but you can see what would happen if they made the case that it is somehow racist. And you can thank the left, once again, for aiding and abetting fascists. They are aiding the Muslim fascists by allowing them to suppress legitimate criticisms (and even illegitimate critism should be protected) of them. And they are aiding the future rise of anti-immigrant fascism, which will arise once people grow weary of unintegrated minority groups instituting shariah patrols on European streets.

Steve,

I don't mean to be rude, but the left is unable to come up with solutions to a very real problem. All speech must be protected, saving that which calls people to violence.

2372. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198063 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 6:26 am

Steve,

I second fanusi here, if we don't deal with the problem, it will empower fascists later on.

2373. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198060 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 6:09 am

Steve,

How do tell them apart? I get called a racist all the time by Muslims, despite the fact that I inform them that Islam is not a race.

If we let Muslims have a say in this, they will simply use "racist" to brand all critics, because we have seen that they will descend to any level of dishonesty to defend the perverse faith. So is it better to tolerate a faith that would have you beheaded, or tolerate a few racists who (by total accident) happen to be criticizing this perverse faith, even if for the wrong reasons?

2374. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #198053 by al-rawandi on June 23, 2008 at 5:48 am

Fanusi,

A problem with your plan. The Harbis and others practicing this form of taqiyya would simply pretend to be apostates in order to gain swift access to western countries. You would be creating a pipeline for the most hardcore Islamists (potentially).

2375. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196867 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 2:12 pm

Sciros,

Citibank may be an attractive play, but many of these financial groups have a lot of derivatives on the books that are not properly marked to market, as it were. There is plenty more to shake out. I am still bearish on financials until I see it all shake out. You can get them cheaper than they are now, if you are interested in that.

2376. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196864 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 2:09 pm

TeraBat,

You had your chance, I said I liked Jewish girls, especially Israeli girls. And then I said I wanted to visit Israel. But I get nothing, nothing. I am running out of Bar Mitzvah's I need a new source....

Anyhow, seriously I am excited to visit Israel and I have some questions about travel, namely, stamp in the passport... do I have to get it, can it be on a seperate sheet of paper. This is because some of the Arab "states" (read: tin pot dictatorships) don't like Israeli stamps, and I would like to travel around the Arab world some more as well.

2377. It Doesn't Take an Einstein

Comment #196863 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 2:05 pm

Tera Bat,

Hammas and the Islamic Jihad are responsible for the stranglehold on the Palestinians for the past 14 years. There was no way we would continue to let them butcher us and do nothing.

Okay, some of the stuff you say is okay, makes some sense. And then there is blatant Israeli propaganda.

When was the first suicide bombing? You should remember. Now this post dates the First Intifada. The Palestinians had uprisings before suicide bombings were introduced. And how did Israel respond???? Against demonstrators they opened fire using live rounds, and in one famous video brought a Palestinian man (hand cuffed) up a hill side and broke both his arms with a small boulder.

Israel was imprisoning people without trial, and without recourse to courts, and subjecting them to torture... this is no different than the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. *EDIT* Except Gilad Shalit has not been tortured, nor has any foreign captive of Hamas or Hezbollah.

As for the precious Oslo process... who fucked this up???? Remember Baruch Goldstein, a radical Jew who walked into the Tomb of the Patriarchs and murdered a group of Palestinians (29 in total). The Israelis were doing nothing to stop this kind of behavior, allowing Meir Kahane to remain in the Knesset and the like.

And what about settlements, they expanded during the period. Funny way to commit to peace... stealing more land simultaneously. The Oslo process was about putting Arafat in charge of the PA and pushing him around.

But I will even accept that the Oslo process was based on good faith. But let's see how Israel interpreted good faith? A radical Jew shot and killed Yitzhak Rabin. These people are as bad as Hamas.

It is funny that during every "peace" process, Israel expands settlements. I sat and listened as Ehud Barak himself belched forth such lies at Berkeley when he spoke. Settlements have expanded the most under the so called "peaceniks".

I will agree that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas and Hezbollah, there is no argument from me there. But don't pretend Israel isn't establishing "facts on the ground" to make a settlement that is in their favor.

2378. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196852 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 1:47 pm

Tez,

Oakland is tough in parts. I live in a really nice part, right by the Yuppie area. I can walk to a Starbucks in 5 mins. so I am safe. But you are never far from danger as the E. Oakland crowd will move about in their thuggery, thus the shotgun next to my bed.

I wonder what is worse, East Oakland or S. Detroit?

2379. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196847 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 1:37 pm

decius,

that urine has wound-healing and anti-allergy properties (topical application), and that one should drink one's own morning urine

I dated a girl who.... oh never mind. I can imagine that would ruin your evening. And I would have punched my friend for introducing me to such morons. No friend at all.

2380. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196844 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 1:33 pm

Tez,

I live not too far from those cranes. About 5 minutes. But I am glad I have those 5 minutes between us, it isn't such a nice place down in W. Oakland. I work about a 10 minute walk from the Embarcadero.

2381. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196837 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 1:24 pm

mordacious1,

Half of my friends say I'm a flaming liberal, the other half a right wing Nazi...I see myself as socially liberal and fiscally conservative. I'm a triangle, and there are only square and round holes.

Tell me about it. I once put my religion on facebook as "Escaped Nazi". I get a solid mix of criticism. That will happen when you call assholes, assholes. Because they are all over the spectrum, any critique of them puts you in the other camp in their minds.

My dad rocked the pony tail back in the day, and my uncle still rocks one and rides a Harley, so I don't hate the hair. Just the attitude of some hippies. Like a guy I know who lectures me on how economics should be while he is 32 and still working on his PhD on his parents' money.

2382. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196830 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 1:21 pm

Epinephrine,

Take your Birkenstocks and shove it up.... oh never mind.

Reminds me of Dave Chappelle, and his description of crossing the Bay Bridge from San Fran to Oakland.

SF guy: "Byyeee, come back in April we're having a sale on Birkenstocks."

Oakland: "Welcome to Oakland... bitch."

2383. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196826 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 1:19 pm

decius,

I went to Berkeley, I have been exposed to an especially malodorous brand of hippie. So I subscribe to the Eric Cartman school of hippie identification.

"Hippies all what to change the world, but all they do is smoke weed and smell bad."

advocatus,

No companies.... hmmm ready to go back to subsitence farming are we? Then what will we do, we will all have to live on an organic farm.

2384. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196825 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 1:16 pm

Sciros,

No I think that profit margins in dollar amounts haven't even gone up very much.

2385. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196813 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 1:05 pm

Epinephrine,

Woh woh woh. I am nooooo conservative, not even close. These are stupid definitions, but many people label themselves as "conservative" or "liberal". The problem is that a lot of really bright people are forced to ally themselves with conservatives, because the liberals (in the US) are just too wimpy. So there are a lot of atheists that vote republican simply because it is the lesser of two evils.

I will say it again, I am going to vote for Obama.

How about this, I limit my critique to sandal wearing, deodorant-less, granola munchers.

2386. It Doesn't Take an Einstein

Comment #196809 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 1:01 pm

Tez,

I am wrestling Bar Rafaeli, and that is SETTLED... sans clothing.

esuther,

Illan Pappe and Bet Selem, are the terms you are looking for. Illan Pappe teaches at Haifa, he has long been a liberal commentator on the Israeli scene. Another good person is Benny Morris, although slightly more hawkish, he is a fantastic historian.

Also Uri Avnery has long been a prominent Israeli dissident. He actually had is paper (I cannot remember the name now) closed down by the Shin Bet in the 50's.

2387. It Doesn't Take an Einstein

Comment #196792 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 12:45 pm

esuther,

What about Tera Bat's solutions? The settlements seem to be a kick ass solution, they are working really well. I think maybe letting rabid dogs loose in the West Bank is the next step.

2388. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196789 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 12:43 pm

Fanusi,

I have said a million times, we should get unhooked from oil.

But this "Bush started a war to drive up the price of oil" is the latest in a long slough of liberal bull shit. He started the war to beat the fuck out of a country that was a weak target and try to build a democracy in a region without them, and decided to throw the VP's company a few no-bid contracts. I doubt very seriously he did all this to drive the price of oil UP.

That is the thing about liberals, one crack pot story goes tits up (we went to STEAL their oil) then they come up with a new conspiracy theory (we went to drive oil prices UP).

I wonder if liberals have a Winston Smith in the Ministry of Truth constantly going through old articles to adjust the conspiracy theory of the week?

2389. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196786 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 12:39 pm

TeraBat,

So who are these people? You said cronies of bush... I say who? The cronieism is with Haliburton and KBR which are close to CHENEY.

It would be the land owners in Texas, so you have to show some line of filiation there, you simply cannot post it and expect us to believe it.

2390. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196771 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 12:28 pm

Tera Bat,

That would be two birds with one stone. Instead we wated all that money on a stupid war that only helped Bush's cronies. Who got all the development projects in Iraq? And if oil is $137.00 a barrel then all of Bush's oil friends in Texas (and Bush) are getting $137.00 a barrel too.

For fuck's sake, no one in Texas is getting $137 per barrel.

How many times do I have to explain basic economics to the people here.

Saudi Arabi pumps a barrel of oil out of the ground, it's market value is $137, it is sold to Exxon for $137 then Exxon refines this and sells it. There is a margin involved.

The oil companies profit is the delta between price of oil and market price of refined gas, less production costs. This has remained a constant margin for many many many years.

By your retarded logic if oil price double, Exxon's profits would double, and the price of the stock would have doubled. I own Exxon stock, and let me tell you they are not making money hand over fist. So do just a little research before you post things. This is getting annoying.

2391. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196725 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 11:31 am

Doctor Dee,

See you fucked up. The oil companies have to buy the oil at the market price. The only thing that matters is the profit margin.

That is the difference between market price and retail price. That spread right there, how much has it changed since Clinton?

Basic economics, the increase in price only helps the supplier of the oil, and that isn't the US or US oil companies. One would think that the tinfoil hat leftists (credit to FK) would have stumbled across this while out leafleting college campuses, but I guess not.

2392. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196712 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 11:12 am

Fanusi,

tinfoil-hat leftists

And here I was thinking you were a humorless android.

But yes many of these sandle wearing granola eaters have abandoned ship. But maybe things are just busy at the organic farm.

2393. Lawsuit filed over 'I Believe' plates in S.C.

Comment #196707 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 11:00 am

I am officially finished with the south.

All you atheists move north.

Bunch of fucking inbred ass clowns.

2394. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196691 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 10:42 am

Fanusi,

I know the verses. They will be serving you wine in the hereafter, and how else they serve you is up to you. Have to balance your time between virgins and young boys.

2395. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196686 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 10:35 am

FF, mordacious1,

I was at the MESA conference in 05, as it was in SF, and I listened to a talk by Hugh Kennedy who wrote a book called "In the Court of the Caliph". It was about Court activities in the Abbassid period. One of the things he pointed out was the prevelance of catamites. And he said "Once they grew facial hair, they had to be found other employment."

Another little tid bit is that Islam promises young boys in the hereafter as well, not just virgin girls.

When I was first learning Arabic I hung out at a Cafe owned by a Palestinian friend, we would sit around smoking Hookah and they would make fun of my Arabic. There was an Iraqi guy there, one day he didn't show up and the rest of the men proceeded to tell me how he told them stories about having anal sex with young boys back in Iraq, and that this was really common in some parts of the Middle East.

Strange isn't it. They kill homosexuals, but screw young boys. Just remember men, it is the ADULT males you cannot have sex with.

2396. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196669 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 10:14 am

Vin and FF,

http://www.nationalpost.com/most_popular/story.html?id=592211

Afghan police rape young boys. Nice touch... must be the fault of the west... somehow.... Vin please tell us how I, as a white man, am at fault for Afghans butt fucking 10 year old boys, please.

2397. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196660 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 10:03 am

All,

I was joking about the guilt. Why should I feel guilty about something that happened 300 years ago which I didn't do?

I was trying to get BlueButterfly's goat. Colonial sob stories are exactly that, it is sad but, "What the fuck do you want me to do?"

2398. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196659 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 9:58 am

FF,

Ward Churchill said the people who died in 9-11 were "Little Eichmanns".

Churchill claims he was a paratrooper in Vietnam, however the Army records show he never trained as such and was only trained as a projectionist and a truck driver.

He has also lied about his "Indian" descent. He has been outed as a liar by his own repeatedly inconsistent statements (1/16 Cherokee, 3/16 Cherokee, 1/16 Creek, 3/16 Creek etc...). His genealogy was researched and published and there was not one Indian ancestor.

*EDIT*

Four counts of falsifying information. Two counts of fabricating information. Two counts of plagarism. Then fired.

The guy is a fraud and an idiot.

2399. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196654 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 9:47 am

No one answered me.

I am American, but my family came long after all this "genocide" business. But half my family is from New Zealand. I want to know should I feel guilty about Native Americans, Maoris, or both?

2400. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #196632 by al-rawandi on June 20, 2008 at 9:02 am

FF,

Uh.... Americans did send the Injuns some Small Pox infested blankets once upon a time, did they not?