"Approaching the Gates of Vienna"

Simply stunning at times in both clarity and depth one of my most favourite sites has been "The Gates of Vienna". Whether it be their knowledge of history and how it relates to today's events or simply the way that they both present it. I have found both Baron and Dymphna nothing more than visionary virtuosos.

If you have not already, I urge you to read Appeasement Reprised Part One and Part Two.

Well Done!

CONTINUE READING

"The Tenesmus of the Titans" - True Texas Bomoh Stories

The other day I ran across this story and thought I might contribute a few bomoh stories from my experiences here starting with "The Tenesmus of the Titans".

About five or six years back I was making a trip up to Teluk Anson, Perak which is now known as Teluk Intan. Perak is a beautiful state with a rich colonial history, if you ever get a chance, you need to make the trip up there and try to visit some of the remaining historical sites before they are gone.

It is about a two hour drive from Kuala Lumpur and so I called up ahead as I was on the highway and was told that Abang Din had arrived the day before and was very sick. Abang Din is a police officer in Kuala Lumpur and was up there for the weekend visiting relatives and had taken ill. I would find out just how ill he was once I arrived.

When I arrived, Abang Din was sprawled out on the sofa moaning in great pain while his wife and sister-in-law massaged his stomach and legs while giving him small sips of "blessed water" from a plastic one liter Coke bottle while a "bomoh" who had sold them the water for RM50 stood over them reciting verses from the Koran.

When I asked what was wrong, I was informed that Abang Din had not had a bowel movement in four days. Abang Din continued to moan in pain while his wife and sister-in-law were sobbing and frantically massaging his legs and stomach under the careful guidance of the bomoh.

Wanting to help I tried to inquire if it might have been something he ate or his diet and suggested that he go and see a doctor. Abang Din's wife told me that this had nothing to do with his diet. This was caused by the black magic of an evil bomoh from the "enemies" of Abang Din, those whom he had arrested in the past and those colleagues of his who were jealous that he had recently received a promotion at work. It became apparent to me that my attempts at convincing the others there that Abang Din needed to see a doctor were nothing more than an exercise in futility. I then thought of another idea.

Sparking great interest, I told the story of the ancient North American Indians in Texas and the Southwest United States and how for thousands of years they had their own medicine men who used natural remedies from the earth to counter the effects of black magic spells similar to the one that Abang Din suffered from. I told them that there was a "special powder" that I might be able to obtain that would relieve Abang Din from his terrible suffering. As they discussed this amongst themselves, Abang Din's wife asked me if this "special powder" was halal or not. I assured her that it was completely halal. Once receiving their confirmation and thanks, I set out in search of the magical powder.

By this time it was getting a bit late and it took me quite a while before I found a pharmacy that was still open. I went in and picked up a bottle of Metamucil and then headed back to the house.

By the time I got back the group was becoming impatient as Abang Din unable to relieve himself continued to groan in excruciating pain. They had finally managed to reach by telephone a much more powerful bomoh in Malacca who had agreed to stay up that night and see them once they arrived. It was about a four hour drive to Malacca and when I arrived back to the house they were already preparing to load Abang Din into the car for the road trip. I rushed in the house and told them that I had managed to obtain the powder and would prepare it for him to try if they would kindly wait another ten minutes or so. They agreed to give it a chance and I immediately went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and prepare it. In my rush I had accidently poured almost the entire contents of the bottle into the glass of water, as there was only a little left, I went ahead and poured the rest of the bottle into the glass and stirred it up.

The group helped Abang Din to sit up and I gave him the glass to drink. I told him he had to finish it all. Both Abang Din and his wife thanked me as he moaned and slowly drank the entire contents of the glass. By now it was almost 10:30pm and they needed to get on the road for the trip to Malacca so that they could arrive by 3am. I stood in the driveway and waved goodbye as the car sped off into the distance.

They never made it to Malacca by 3am. I would hear the next day that they never actually arrived until almost nine the next morning after having to stop every few minutes along the way so that Abang Din could relieve himself. Abang Din continued to relieve himself for the entire trip until there was nothing more inside of him to relieve. And when there was nothing more to relieve, Abang Din relieved himself again and again and again.

Luckily, the services of the Malacca bomoh were never required.

CONTINUE READING

It's not the Koran Stupid. It's You!

As I was reading through the "DoD News Briefing on Koran Mishandling Allegations" I couldn't help but think that I must have fallen through some dimensional portal into a parallel universe like on Fox's television series Sliders where we now find ourselves living in an alternate reality called "PC World".

To call our sober and measured response to this entirely fabricated drama insane would be nothing more than an understatement - there are simply no words to describe the madness. It's like the inmates have completely taken over the asylum and now lubricated the slippery slope with Astro-Glide.

Perhaps you have never heard of fanatical Muslims going on a murderous rampage whenever a Koran is "disrespected" by Muslims themselves. There is a reason for it, it has nothing to do really with desecration or disrespect because in reality it's not really about the Koran itself, it is about you the infidel.

To Muslims, the infidel is unclean, a sub-human worthy of nothing but contempt.

Perhaps this is a harsh analogy to use, but kindly hear me out. To a racist white person, having your daughter raped by a black man becomes a much greater offense than her having been raped by a white man. Needless to say, it would be unimaginable that as a civilized society we would make any attempt to empathize with the man and pander to his hatred. So why do we do it at Guantanamo?

It is a society ruled by political correctness rather than common sense that would even consider to continue to make available the source of the inspiration that fostered such hatred in the first place. If our honest intention by detaining these individuals is to rehabilitate and deprogram them then simple logic would seem to dictate that we first remove the source of the inspiration that fostered their hatred in the first place.

There really is a common sense solution to all of this. Forget the "Koran Handling Procedures" and the "culturally acceptable meals" and just simply remove the Korans from Guantanamo and issue to each prisoner a copy of the bible. Perhaps then we might stand a real chance of dousing the flames of hatred.

CONTINUE READING

Colonel Schmuck

"The international community has provided the Palestinians with a great deal of money over the years, only to see it frittered away through fraud and waste. But with new leadership now in Ramallah, and the chance for peace high, we can afford to risk a little more when so much is at stake." ~ Bill Frist

"Gad Sir, Lord NeedsagoodFristing is right. It's only fair that we should give the Palestinians another chance this time. After all, they promised to give up terrorism this time you know."

Will the emasculation of our foreign policy never end?

CONTINUE READING

America's Endless Orgy of Political Correctness

"Mr. Chairman, before I begin my actual testimony, I want to speak directly to Nazis in America and throughout the world. Disrespect for the book "Mein Kampf" is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, tolerated by the United States. We honor the sacred books of all the world's great ideologies and religions. Disrespect for the book "Mein Kampf" is abhorrent to us all."

"Mr. Chairman, before I begin my actual testimony, I want to speak directly to Communists in America and throughout the world. Disrespect for the book "Das Kapital" is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, tolerated by the United States. We honor the sacred books of all the world's great ideologies and religions. Disrespect for the book "Das Kapital" is abhorrent to us all."

"Mr. Chairman, before I begin my actual testimony, I want to speak directly to Communist Chinese in America and throughout the world. Disrespect for Chairman Mao's Little Red Book is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, tolerated by the United States. We honor the sacred books of all the world's great ideologies and religions. Disrespect for Chairman Mao's Little Red Book is abhorrent to us all."

"Mr. Chairman, before I begin my actual testimony, I want to speak directly to Kanamits in America and throughout the universe. Disrespect for the sacred book "How to Serve Man" is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, tolerated by the United States. We honor the sacred books of all the universe's great ideologies and religions. Disrespect for the sacred book "How to Serve Man" is abhorrent to us all."

CONTINUE READING

Calm Before the Storm

It has been a while since I have had this feeling, but a series of events seem to already be in play. It is not that there is nothing to report, but that there is too much to report. It seems almost pointless to make any attempt at an analysis of a situation that is rapidly changing. Lets see how the next 24 hours play out.

As promised we will be on site and give a first hand report of the planned protests to be held tomorrow.

UPDATE:

Not even worthy of a new posting today's "Mother of all Protests" was for the most part a no show as it was raining here in Kuala Lumpur.

CONTINUE READING

Deeper and Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole

All of the stories and essays posted here are from my personal experience. Reproducing them to the written word simply requires me to sit down and transfer them from memory and onto my computer screen. Time consuming? Yes but not anything that Im not able to handle.

On occasion I will post something from the current or breaking news that I deem to be relevant to the interest of you my readers here. A good example of this was the earthquake and tsunami which drove my little sitemeter into the stratosphere.

When I report on any current happenings or specific events within the region, it is the truth that becomes paramount. I will not, nor will I ever report on something that it not true. I might not always present a conclusion and have been accused by some of leading my readers hanging. There are a few reasons why I do this and some of them I would prefer not to mention, but I tend to see what I do as allowing you to come to your own conclusions based on the facts as they are presented.

My little sitemeter might suffer, my hits decline and my new hoped for ad revenue suffer if I don't produce the "goods" on a daily basis, but deep in my heart I feel it is imperative that I get the facts straight before I simply publish something. I trust that those of you reading this will understand. If you empathize with the situation you are always welcome to contribute. I might not have a "tip jar", but there are various other methods email me for details.

A recent posting at Jihadwatch sparked my interest. A plethora of the usual ad hominum replies followed on the thread with some of them bordering on simply being ortund and containing little or no real substance or usable information. I then set out to uncover the real story.

The story has taken me from Kuala Lumpur to Klang and up towards the Southern Thailand border to Kuala Kangsar and Kota Bharu and now finally into Narathiwat and Yala.

Jupo di Kelate, Nati cito lagi malee nati.

.

CONTINUE READING

Indonesian Rally Being Held Now in Front of US Embassy

Various terrorist and Muslim hardline groups are now in front of the US embassy Jakarta with their rally that started this morning at around 9am.

The calls have been out for several days now: Attend!!

"Muslims United Action to condemn insulting Al Quran and Muslims by America"

**12:30 PM Sunday - Updates will continue today as the situation develops.**

**6:09 PM Sunday - Bleh... what an anticlimax. Im going to go take a nap.**

Update 9:50 PM Sunday evening.

Reports late this evening are stating that the crowd numbered up to 7,000 - Allow me to be the first to say that it was no where near 7,000 at most maybe 2,000 plus an almost equal number of police officers. Most of the protesters were wandering off to go eat and drink before noon because of the heat. No violence just a bunch of the typical anti-american rhetoric and a US flag burned partially that took several attempts to get lighted.

But in the end sensationalist headlines sell more papers. Just like the one that is being accused of igniting these protests in the first place. What the paper fails to tell you is that the protesters were all brought in on buses to protest. The question that should be on everyone's mind is "Who paid for all this?" You might be shocked to find out the answer. I hope to have more details within the next day or so. But lets just say for now that almost all the money for the tsunami victims never made it to the intended victims. Outraged? You should be.

In January I wrote three essays concerning the endless flow of aid money being thrown at Indonesia entitled "Live and Let Die" "Rebuilding Dar Al Islam" and "Why Stop at 350 Million?" strongly suggesting that we would be making a terrible mistake and would end up living to regret it. Well... Where is all that good will towards America now?

A much bigger regional protest is being planned for the 27th of May and I'll be sure to fill you in on all the details as they happen.

.

CONTINUE READING

Pepsi Packed with Pig Parts?

Muslims throughout the Islamic world are now being advised not to consume Pepsi Cola because it contains the parts of pigs used it it's production ~

/begin my translation ~

Al-Irsyad – the Islamic Agency for Research in Egypt has now recommended that Muslims are not to consume Pepsi Cola because it is being suspected of containing material that has been made from the intestines of pigs.

Dr. Mustofa Asyak'ah an agency member has asked for the other members of the agency to gather to discuss this problem, so that the Muslim community can receive clarity as to whether the product is haram (forbidden) or not, according to the daily Egyptian Al-Arabiyah.

Dr. Mustofa explained that the manufacturer of the drink has included a special material made from the intestines of pigs in the process of the drink's production.

"Because of this we are trying to break down of the materials used so that we might get some clarification on the issue" he said.

/end my translation

Mmm Pork Flavoured Pepsi

CONTINUE READING

Dr. Rice and the Sin of Subjugation

"The Basic Law provides that the Islamic holy book the Koran and the Sunna (tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad are the country's Constitution."

U.S. State Department - Saudi Arabia, 25 February 2004

This is not merely a book, nor simply an instrument of the faith for those of the Islamic faith that we as Americans have been asked to hold in high regard, but the Constitution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Not only Saudi Arabia, the country of Afghanistan prior to their fall and several other countries even now including Iran's laws are based partially or fully according the Quran.

It is very difficult for many Americans and Westerners to fully comprehend that the precepts of the Quran were intended to be a sufficient code of law for all Muslims throughout the world. To Muslims the Quran is a sacred object held up in reverence, a code of laws not inspired by God as the Bible and the Talmud are, but in essence, they are believed by Muslims to be the very word of God. It therefore should go without saying that to all Muslims, the government, civilized society and the congregation of the faithful are all coextensive.

The very word "Islam" itself means "submission" and not peace. It should be therfore become painfully obvious that freedom and liberty, that very creed for which all Americans live by are in actuality the antagonist of Islam.

The disgraceful and treasonous comments by Dr. Condoleeza Rice now being shamefully displayed on State Department websites worlwide are indicative of just how sick and amoral our society has become that we would pander to resurgent militant Islam in the hopes of somehow propitiating our perpetually offended adversaries. Have we become so blinded by the fog of "political correctness" that as a nation that we have failed to recognize that the very concepts of multiculturalism and diversity are in actuality nothing more than a pernicious form of relativism that culminates ironically into a new form of intolerance. An intolerance to both freedom and democracy. We have seen this before in our history Dr. Rice, in 1939 it was know as fascism.

That eternal aphorism spoken by Franklin Delano Roosevelt rings just as true today as it did back then. "No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it. There can be no appeasement with ruthlessness. There can be no reasoning with an incendiary bomb."

We are Americans Dr. Rice. We are a free people and don't you ever forget that.

"Thou know'st, great son,
The end of war's uncertain, but this certain,
That, if thou conquer Rome, the benefit
Which thou shalt thereby reap is such a name,
Whose repetition will be dogg'd with curses;
Whose chronicle thus writ: 'The man was noble,
But with his last attempt he wiped it out;
Destroy'd his country, and his name remains
To the ensuing age abhorr'd.' Speak to me, son:
Thou hast affected the fine strains of honour,
To imitate the graces of the gods;
To tear with thunder the wide cheeks o' the air,
And yet to charge thy sulphur with a bolt
That should but rive an oak."

Coriolanus - Act 5 Scene 3 - William Shakespeare

CONTINUE READING

Friday Night Open Thread

Actually early Saturday morning over here.

Im planning on making some changes to the site and so here is your chance to say what you would like to see more of or how you think "An American Expat in Southeast Asia" can be better.

New template and a new look, new features (tell me what you would like to see added) and more posts and essays and maybe a move off of Blogger. Don't be shy tell me what you would like added. Its time to go big time. :-)

I'd like to thank all of you personally who have been regulars to the site and who have added your comments and contributions. It truly makes all of what I do worthwhile.

I've also received quite a lot of hate mail recently for some of the subjects that I have posted on. Im not discouraged. I truly believe in my heart that what I have to say needs to be heard.

This is also your unique opportunity to show your love to help support the new look. I've added a column on the right hand side that will be on the side for advertisments. If you feel you don't want to see this and would prefer it not to be on the site then kindly let me know.

Once again thank you.

The blogging in earnestness continues later today but in the meantime, take some time and read through some of the things you might have missed.

.

CONTINUE READING

Desecration of Freedom

"Mr. Chairman, before I begin my actual testimony, I want to speak directly to Muslims in America and throughout the world. Disrespect for the Holy Koran is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, tolerated by the United States. We honor the sacred books of all the world's great religions. Disrespect for the Holy Koran is abhorrent to us all."

~ Condoleeza Rice 12 May 2005

Im not sure what troubles me more deeply, that this preceeding statement is an attempt to deprive us our God given right to freedom in exchange for peace and security or that this statement was directed at our adversaries during a time of war in response to the intimidation and violence perpetrated by them over the alleged desecration of a book.

With a heavy heart, Im hauntingly reminded of the following quote by the late Ronald Reagan when we once before found ourselves face to face with fascism and totalitarianism on the march. I can't help but think that Ronald Reagan would be rolling over in his grave to see what is happening today.

"You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream -- the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order -- or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. Plutarch warned, "The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits.""

~ Ronald Reagan - Address to the nation, 27 October 1964

Our forefathers and our brave soldiers now are fighting and sacrificing their lives for our freedom and liberty, not for diversity, respect, tolerance or "politcal correctness".

As a free man, I cannot and will not be called upon to respect a book that calls for my death or enslavement. A book that is not only used an instrument of faith, but a book that is the Constitution and law of a fascist country that prohibits liberty and freedom. Whether it be Lenin's Book of Marx or Chairman Mao's Little Red Book, we must be prepared to fight fascism in all of it's forms. Including that fascism now that is deceptively cloaked in a facade of religion.

This is not the first time that we have faced Islamic fascism and it won't be the last. In the past we have had the courage and the resolve to stand firm in our beliefs and not allow ourselves to be intimidated or threatened. In the days ahead we must find that courage once again to stand firm. One of the most sacred principles of the United States is the fundamental right to freedom of expression. It is what we fight for Dr. Rice.

"They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right. Winston Churchill said that "the destiny of man is not measured by material computation. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits -- not animals." And he said, "There is something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.""

~ Ronald Reagan - Address to the nation, 27 October 1964

CONTINUE READING

Paging Dr. Rice!

Please address the "deep indignation" and the indignity suffered in silence by 2.1 billion Christians worldwide.

And while you are at it Dr. Rice, ask yourself this simple question.

"Are we a nation ruled by law or a nation ruled by the mob?"

CONTINUE READING

The Wrath of Khan

Under normal circumstances, one would think that a sincere apology would suffice in a situation where the religious sensitivities of of another group of individuals were offended. But these are not normal circumstances and as such, the apology of both Newsweek and the United States government is not sufficient, nor has it been accepted.

It is also not normal that a country such as Saudi Arabia, the world's poster child for religious intolerance would have the audacity to issue such a ridiculous statement demanding that a complete investigation be carried out, that the perpetrators be punished and then instruct us to deter any such actions from taking place in the future.

Instead of reminding the Saudi's that we are a free sovereign country and that they can go and pound sand, Dr. Condoleeza Rice chose to issue the following profound statement of regret and concern and promised that "appropriate action" would be taken against those found guilty, with complete disregard for our own nation's Constitution.

Im sorry to inform you of this Dr. Rice, but when it comes to the point where we have a country like Saudi Arabia lecturing us on "religious tolerance" then its high time we pulled our pants back up and kindly excused ourselves from this orgy of political correctness that we seem to have found ourselves hopelessly entangled in.

If you are not feeling both duped and taken advantage of at this point then you should. While half the country was foaming at the mouth and having a go at Newsweek magazine, things were going ahead according to plan in Pakistan.

About now is also the time when we should be coming to the realization that much bigger issues are in play here and that this "being offended" schitck over the "alleged" desecration of the Quran was in actuality nothing more than a ruse.

The riots didn't just ignite, they didn't just happen. They were organized in advance, a well orchestrated series of events with students going from town to town instigating other students to join in the fracas that ended up leading to several deaths and injuries. Pakistan's madrassas are being financed by Saudi Arabia.

The ongoing riots are being now organized by Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal a terrorist organization with strong links to both Saudi Arabia and Al Qaeda. MMA as they are otherwise known is arranging for a large regional and worldwide rally on 27 May 2005 in an organized attempt to destabilize the government of both Pakistan and the region. MMA is being financed by none other than, you guessed it Saudi Arabia.

Why the Saudi interest? Pakistan has something that the Saudi's desperately want and the MMA is prepared to give it to them.

The reformations and the plans for modernization have all but failed. There are shouts now not only from the streets, but from the courtyard itself. Musharraf now finds himself a prisoner in a golden cage holding Aladdin's Lamp ever closer to his chest.

Its less than five minutes to Midnite now in Tehran and the clock is ticking.

CONTINUE READING

A Flush From The Past

Not unlike the frenzied mob of Afghanistan, the blogosphere has erupted in much the same way with many bloggers demanding the blood of Newsweek with their chants of "Newsweek lied and people died".

Im not sure what is worse. That many of these bloggers have unwittingly allowed themselves to become collaborating tools of Islamic fundamentalists or that the the dangerously intoxicating prospect of delivering a finishing blow to Newsweek magazine has caused them to lose track of the bigger forces at play here?

In any event, here is the original toilet flushing story - the one that resulted in no deaths. Next time lets hope that the blogosphere has the courage and wisdom to lay blame with the actually instigators of the riots rather than with our press.

From The Washington Post - 26 March 2003:

"KABUL, Afghanistan, March 25 -- Afghan men freed today after spending months in legal limbo as U.S. prisoners in the war on terrorism said they were generally well-fed and given medical care, but housed in cramped cells and sometimes shackled, hit and humiliated.

After a chaotic day in which it was uncertain when, or if, all the prisoners would be released from Afghan custody, 18 men wearing new American sneakers and carrying brightly colored gym bags walked out of a run-down police compound here late today. Some hugged jubilantly, while others left feeling bitter and vengeful.

The men, the largest single group of Afghans to be released after months of detainment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, gave varying accounts of how American forces treated them during interrogation and detainment. Some displayed medical records showing extensive care by American military doctors, while others complained that American soldiers insulted Islam by sitting on the Koran or dumping their sacred text into a toilet to taunt them..."

So there you have it folks. The same story published in March of 2003 and yet there was no riots and killing over it. Fast forward now to May of 2005 and the same story suddenly becomes the cause of deaths.

Is Newsweek responsible for the deaths or shall we blame the instigators and the rioters themselves who are using this crisis to manipulate not only public opinion but their own political agenda?

Hopefully an analysis and update of the entire drama as it continues to unfold later today.

CONTINUE READING

Words Don't Kill People, People Kill People

"We are from God and to God we shall return." (Quranic verse). I am informing all brave Muslims of the world that the author of The Satanic Verses, a text written, edited, and published against Islam, the Prophet of Islam, and the Koran, along with all the editors and publishers aware of its contents, are condemned to death. I call on all valiant Muslims wherever they may be in the world to kill them without delay, so that no one will dare insult the sacred beliefs of Muslims henceforth. And whoever is killed in this cause will be a martyr, God Willing. Meanwhile if someone has access to the author of the book but is incapable of carrying out the execution, he should inform the people so that [Rushdie] is punished for his actions ~ Rouhollah al-Mousavi al-Khomeini."

On 14 February 1989 the preceeding fatwa was issued against Salman Rushdie. His crime was that he had insulted the Prophet of Islam and the Quran in his novel entitled "The Satanic Verses". Prior to the fatwa being issued, not many outside of literary circles had even heard of Salman Rushdie or his novel "The Satanic Verses". Surely not the Iranians or the rest of the Muslims living throughout the world.

By 1997 Salman Rushdie would find that much of Europe and the civilized world had not only abandoned him, but had sacrificed his freedom and safety in a futile and pathetic attempt to appease his would be Islamic judges and executioners. On 14 February 1997 , Salam Rushdie wrote a letter to London's 'The Guardian' newspaper excoriating the EU for it's impotence and in it both deploring and pleading with England and the EU to stand firm and intervene in this matter of the highest urgency. In retrospect, Mr. Salman Rushdie's words would offer a veiled glimpse at the coming future of European and Western civilization. A civilization that would one day willingly subjugate itself to dhimmitude. in the name of diversity and "religious tolerance".

In 1999 a United Nation report stated that "...there has been an escalation of death fatwas emanating from Iran, and elsewhere, against individuals and entire groups...[sic]" , many people would be killed and many would die and yet nothing would be done. While much of the world has forgotten, Salman Rushdie today still lives his life in fear. On 12 February 2005 of this year Iran officially stated that the fatwa against Salman Rushdie did only remain valid, but that it was irrevocable.

Like many others, I had not heard of the small paragraph in the Newsweek article until on Friday the 6th of May when Pakistani cricket legend and now politician Imran Khan decided to preserve a copy of the magazine and call a news conference to show copies of the offensive paragraph to everyone and let others know not only how offended he was by it, but how all Muslims should be offended by it as well. Taking the cue from Mr. Imran Khan and finding themselves now equally offended, both Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya urgently bought their own copies of the magazine so they could immediately broadcast to the illiterate Muslims throughout the world this offensive paragraph.

Again the sabre rattles and sharp fangs of militant Islam become exposed as the "muslim street" goes into a rabid bloodlusting frenzy brought on and incited not by Newsweek, but by Imran Khan and the Muslim media. This is not the first time we have seen this and it won't be the last. The "muslim street" has learned over the years that their rage and violence gives birth to concessions and rewards from an ever compliant America and Europe who will willingly sacrifice their own convictions, freedom and treasure in an attempt to temper the flames of Islamic rage.

And so, like good dhimmis, and in the name of diversity and "religious tolerance" once again we are called upon to sacrifice and thust another of our own into the volcano of Islamic rage hoping once more that we can appease and quell the insatiable hunger of our perpetually offended Islamic overlords. When will we come to the painful yet bitter realization that our mere existence is offensive to these people?

Regardless of whether the reports were true or false, to accuse Newsweek for the deaths of people would be synonymous with blaming J. D. Salinger for the death of John Lennon and yet Mark Whitaker of Newsweek magazine now finds himself on the defensive being accused of sparking global riots. The blogosphere has been even more unforgiving with Michelle Malkin now leading the charge and having the audacity to accuse Newsweek and their editors of having blood on their hands. Somewhere in Pakistan and the Middle East the real perpetrators of the incitement are laughing as the stupid kaffirs once again eat their own.

To blatantly imply or suggest that a nation of short-fused, uneducated Muslim reprobates living in mud huts and eating Fear Factor food could be whipped into a rabid killing frenzy all due to a paragraph written in English in Newsweek magazine is beyond reprehensible. It is indicative nothing more than that of a brainwashed Western civilization suffering from Stockholm's Syndrome and finally coming to terms with it's unwitted dhimmitude.

CONTINUE READING

Does Osama Bin Laden Speak for all Muslims?

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." - Sun Tzu

I became friends with Mr. Ali Sina of Faith Freedom over the internet shortly after 9/11 when we both were discussing how we did not share Dr. Daniel Pipe's views on Islam. Later both myself and Mr. Sina exchanged letters with Dr. Pipes and his assertion that 'moderate' Muslims can bring about a kinder, more tolerant version of Islam like Christianity has done. Both Mr. Sina and myself agreed that there is no such thing as a "moderate muslim" and to imply that there is or that there can be a more moderate and tolerant version of Islam is misleading.

I received a two word response from Dr. Pipes "You're wrong". The entire episode left me a bit bitter I suppose. After 9/11 it seems that everyone became an expert in Islam. Close to twenty years living in a Muslim country and studying Islam and I was wrong. I stopped writing about the subject shortly after that.

My explanation at that time to Dr. Pipes was that in Islam this was not possible and the reasons are as follows:

Unlike The Bible in Christianity, the entire Quran in Islam (every word) is believed to be the direct word of God and therefore leaves no room for interpretation unlike much of The Bible. To change Islam would be like Christians changing the Ten Commandments. It simply can't be done because as we all know, this IS the word of God. "Thou shall not Murder" is quite simple to understand and leaves little room for interpretation. If you do kill someone does it mean you are a "moderate Christian"? Surely not, it means you are a sinner.

The word 'Islam' does not mean 'peace', but rather SUBMISSION which is extreemly important for Westerners to understand. Submission to the will of Allah and therefore a Muslim has no right to question and/or attempt to question and/or interpret the Quran. He must submit. If you understand this absolute, then you can understand that there is and can be no such thing as a 'moderate muslim' - there are only 'good muslims' and 'bad muslims' ie. sinners - the bad ones are the ones who don't submit to the will of Allah.

Many Westerners to this day speak of the deafening silence of the Muslim countries and Muslims worldwide - and ask why the Muslims worldwide don't speak out against the extremism in their midst, all the while, never completely understanding that 'extremism' is Islam does not exist but rather 'fundamentalism' does. The strict and literal adherence to the Quran (the word of God), and once again, the key word is ' submission'.

When Muslims and Muslim countries are pressured either by the Western media or Western governments to speak out against so-called "extremism", they find themselves only able to make benign statements such as "killing of innocents is wrong", "killing innocent women and children is wrong" or we are saddened to see so many innocent people die. They face an internal struggle to speak out against someone who is doing their best to follow the Quran (the word of God) as it was written.

Ask yourself, would you call a Christian who follows the Ten Commandments and does not stray an 'extremist' or would you call him a "good Christian"?

One of the main things that emboldens the Muslims worldwide and what is fueling their violent resurgence now is what they see as the decadence and accelerated decline of Western civilization the death throes of Christianity and the rise of moral relativism and secularism in the West.

Homosexual rights and gay marriage in my opinion have really been one of the breaking points in the last several years from where I sit. How does a good Christian and a conservative explain that their fellow Christians in America approve of gay marriage and that some Christians could even elect a homosexual as their bishop? Needless to say it boggles the mind. There is no explanation.

A few years back an American multinational company which has a factory here in Malaysia came out with a company head office endorsed circular promoting a "coming out day" for closeted homosexuals within the company worldwide and mandatory "tolerance training" for the 'bigots' (ie. those employees who are repulsed by homosexual behaviour and find it sinful). Needless to say, that went over like a lead balloon here.

The world view of Islam divides the world between the "House of God" and the "House of Darkness". When Muslims call America "The Great Satan" they are not simply trying to insult the West, they truly believe that the West is evil.

CONTINUE READING

Submission of the Infidels

"Disrespect for the Holy Koran is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, tolerated by the United States" ~ Condoleezza Rice

Fearing the rattle of the sabre of militant Islam and the "deep indignation" of the Saudi Arabian government. These shameful and spineless words were spoken like a true dhimmi in a futile attempt to sooth and appease the supposed indignity of our adversaries. They will have no such effect, they will only act to embolden our adversaries and those seeking the internal destruction of our nation.

While our nation continues down the destructive path of assiduous secularization and the relentless unabated demonization of Christianity, these words will be interpreted and seen by the Muslim world as our nation's acquiescence to the superiority of Islam. That our government would place Islam in such high regard and elevate it upon of pedestal of reverence while we give government grants to individuals so that they may desecrate the Christian faith only strenghens the hand of militant Islam.

How will our nation's government choose to address the indignity suffered by millions of Christians throughout the Muslim world? Christians who have been persecuted and had their bibles shredded in Saudi Arabia. How will our nation's government address the "deep indignation" of millions of Americans who see the government of Saudi Arabia's arrogant demands that disciplinary action be taken in this alleged event as nothing more than a foreign power meddling in the internal affairs of our nation?

The Quran is not simply seen as the holy book of Islam by Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world, it is the Constitution of the country of Saudi Arabia. A Constitution that does not provide legal protection for freedom of religion. Our continuous failure to see Islam for what it truly is, a "way of life", a political ideology that is enshrined and cloaked in nothing more than a facade of religion will only lead to our own peril in the years ahead.

Saudi Arabia's ire was not raised so much by what they saw as blasphemous to their religious beliefs, but also as something blasphemous and disrepectful to their "way of life" and to their own country's Constitution. Condoleeza Rice's remarks not only lend credence to the Islamic faith, but act to legitimize the Constitution of Saudi Arabia.

Had Adolph Hitler declared himself a prophet or a living deity and Mein Kampf the holy book of the religion of Nazism would we find ourselves equally helpless to confront the inherent evil of the political ideology encompassed by it?

Have we become so desirous of somehow breaching the cultural chasm that divides the Muslim world and the Western world that we would sacrifice our own convictions and ardent beliefs on the altar of political correctness? Or have we as a nation become so drunk on our amoral concepts of diversity and multiculturism that we have become oblivious to the inherent antagonism of Freedom and Islam?

CONTINUE READING

Diamonds are Forever

The smell of rokok kretek was thick in the air as we stepped into the lobby of the Dusit Mangga Dua Hotel in Jakarta that morning. I sat down with Dr. Z. on the sofas on the far right side of the lobby in the corner as we waited for his contact and the others to arrive in from Bogor. The waitress came over to take our orders. Dr. Z had a coffee and for me, kopi o tampa gula (black coffee without sugar) You could always order kurang manis (less sweet) if you wanted, but it really makes no difference. Unless you are interested in dropping dead from diabetic shock, you'll know better than to order a regular coffee in Indonesia. They like their coffee very sweet with an inch of condensed milk in the bottom of the cup. It would be a half hour still before Dr. Z's contacts arrived in from Bogor.

After a few cups of coffee and some cigarettes, Dr. Z's contact, a Chinese Indonesian, Mr. Wong from Bandung arrived in with two of his Indonesian associates from Bogor. We all shook hands and sat down. Mr. Wong apologized for being late as he had to stop by Citibank on the way over and as usual, the traffic was bad. Mr. Wong then proceeded to make a telephone call and a Chinese man who had been sitting in the lobby at a table nearby suddenly got up and walked over. "This is Mr. Ling from Hong Kong". Once again we all stood to shake hands and then sat back down again.

Mr. Wong then asked one of this bodyguards for a black satchel they were holding and took out an envelope containing US100 dollar notes explaining that he had to change rupiah at the bank and wanted to make sure the rupiah notes were good. Mr. Ling then took out an envelope and opened it up and took out three diamonds that were individually sealed in little plastic squares. Dr. Z, Mr. Wong and one of the Indonesians picked up the diamonds to look at them with everyone nodding their heads in approval. Mr. Wong then handed the envelope containing US10,000 to Dr. Z and the satchel to the Indonesians. Mr. Ling then handed the rest of the envelope to containing diamonds to Mr. Wong. The Indonesians then stood up, shook everyone's hands and then left with two bodyguards. The deal was completed. By now it was lunchtime and Mr. Wong then suggested that since the Indonesians were now gone we could go for lunch and have a few beers.

To circumvent efforts to cut off their financing, groups such as Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah have now resorted to the trade of diamonds and other commodities to finance their operations. I would find out later from Dr. Z that the envelope from Mr. Ling contained over half a million dollars in diamonds. That is quite a large amount of money to fit is small brown envelope and easy to transfer and trade.

I am of the opinion, that our efforts to cut off financing to terrorist related organizations and their supporters is nothing more than an exercise in futility. Terrorists and their supporters have learned and will continue to learn how to adapt to each and every reactive approach that we take. Thinking that we can control the flow of money, and now commodities worldwide is like sticking our finger in the dike hoping to stop the flood. In the long run, we end up hurting ourselves and those attepting to do legitimate business more than we affect the terrorists.

Not only is a completely different non-financial approach needed, but our efforts in this new unexploited area need to be proactive rather than reactive. There is a better way and if you ask me, it begins with a nice hot bowl of chile con carne. ;-)

CONTINUE READING

Al Qaeda Tours and Travel

If you have ever been to Southeast Asia you will notice that you are never far away from a money changer. They are everywhere, sometimes even two or three being located within a few meters of each other. There is one thing however that all the money changers in Singapore have in common, they are all Muslim. Rarely will you ever run across a Chinese money changer and there is a reason why. The majority of the money changers don't just simply change money, they also perform a remittance service known as hawala sending money around the globe but without ever actually transferring any money. Besides the changing money and hawala, there are a few others involved in something much more insidious, involving not the movement or transfer of money, but rather the movement of people.

Off Serangoon Road in Singapore away from the city center, there is a money changer who has a sideline business arranging for workers from the Indian sub-continent to be sent to America. In recent months, the business has been quite brisk and for the most part on any given Sunday you can pass through the area and notice several men hanging around waiting for their opportunity to go.

Throughout South and Southeast Asia the money changer has a network of agents located in countries in the region such as Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. These agents work for the most part, not as money changer themselves, but as money lenders and employment agents recruiting for jobs in America.

The offer is not only lucrative, but seductive as well. The Afghan or Pakistani goes to the agent and can receive a "loan" to pass to his family, a set of new clothes and be advanced airline tickets for Singapore where he will meet the money changer or his agent. In the past the Singapore agents would typically apply for visas directly from the United States embassy on behalf of their "worker" who would be travelling to the United States for a previously agreed upon reason that might include looking at equipment or meeting with distributors of textiles etc. Since 2001 the agents have found this method to be more difficult as there are now more stringent controls on the approval of visas. Having said that, much of the logistics have now shifted to Central and South America with the workers being flown there via the Middle East.

In support of militant Islam and groups such as Al Qaeda, these agents and money changers have now in recent years expanded their operations into Central and South America where they work together to their counterparts in Mexico who will assist in getting the workers across the border and into the United States. Once across the border and into the United States the workers will be met by yet another group who will then take charge of the workers and deliver them to their respective jobs.

By the time the Afghan or Pakistani finds himself in America, he will have been "advanced" and charged anywhere from US30,000-US50,000 for their transport, food, and sundry expenses. He and the others with him will be provided with housing and a job with the expenses for housing and his "advance" being deducted from his paycheck each month. Any remainder can be remitted (for a fee) through the agents and sent back to his family overseas.

While many in America tend to see this precarious situation as a human rights violation, they need to be fully aware that these illegal immigrants are not victims. They have consciously elected to become indentured servants and have given their full faith and fealty to their agents and handlers. Whatever "work" that they may be required to do whether it be legal or illegal will be done and done without question. As difficult as it may be for many to accept, the threat we face is real. An army in the service of militant Islam is flooding across our nation's land borders completely unimpeded.

The solution to the problem is simple and the onus lies with no one except ourselves. Close the borders and close them now. Our nation's national security depends upon it.

CONTINUE READING

Indonesia - Capitulation or Sacrifice for Security

In recent days the media in the United States and throughout the Western world has been abuzz with new emerging details regarding the capture of Abu Faraj al-Libbi who is believed to be Al Qaeda's third in command after Osama Bin Laden. Or is he really? Little attention and focus however is being given to the fact that many Al Qaeda members and their supporters together with the growing ranks of Jemaah Islamiyah are now finding renewed sanctuary in Indonesia and an unlikely financial supporter.

Abu Bakar Ba'asyir the head of Jemaah Islamiyah a close ally of Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden and the defacto coordinator of Al Qaeda's operations in Southeast Asia who recently received a 30 month sentence for his involvment as part of an "evil conspiracy" in the 2002 Bali bombing which killed 202 people received little attention from the Western media in comparism. Why?

Back on 3 March 2005 CNN reported that Abu Bakar Ba'asyir would recieved a jail term of 30 months for his involvement in the bombing. What they didn't cover or tell you then were the details of the case and what led to such a lenient sentence including captured members of Jemaah Islamiyah retracting statements and the testimony of an American citizen.

And what you are not hearing now is that a deal is in the works with the lawyers of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir that might actually see him released before the end of this year.

In CNN's report, they stated that "the cleric says he is innocent and denounces the allegations as a plot by Washington to silence his campaign for Islamic law." - What they chose to omit or ignore was that the star defense witness for Abu Bakar Ba'asyir was an American citizen by the name of Fred Burks who had been working as a translator for the State Department and had attended a meeting together with the CIA and the NSA at the residence of Indonesia's president Megawati Sukarnoputri.

On 18th January 2005, we covered the story here entitled "The Crusade of Fred Burks" as a followup to our first reports starting from the 14th of January.

On the 25th of January we reported here that "Since Burks' testimony, public opinion has been shifting in favour of the defense rather than the prosecution as it was before. Our continued silence on the matter and our failure to discredit Burks only plays into Ba'asyir's hands. If the Indonesian government had a hard time to arrest Ba'asyir before because of public opinion, the prosecution will find they have a much harder time now to convict him."

The prosecution did have a hard time convicting Abu Baka Ba'asyir and the 30 month sentence was in actuality given simply to placate both Australia and the United States.

Times couldn't be better now for Jemaah Islamiyah and Al Qaeda in Southeast Asia, not only have they been emboldened by the lenient sentence given to Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, but have now found an unlikely supporter - China.

CONTINUE READING

Nightmares of the Texan Turophile


"The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese."

G. K. Chesterton
English Author and Mystery Novelist (1874-1936)

It has now been a week since I have last spoken with Mr. Johnathan Atwood of Kraft Foods Asia Pacific and I am now beginning to fear for the worse. Perhaps it was the thick noticeable New York accent of Mr. Atwood together with the north's long standing rivalry and disdain for the south that has me now dreadfully imagining him as the Al Yeganeh of processed cheese.

I have my money ready, I've requested my cheese, but it will be a cold day in hell before I move to the extreme left.

Perhaps we can meet in the middle.

CONTINUE READING

Atlas Shrugs and Atlantis Beckons - Part 2

A few years later I would find myself working near the Houston Intercontinental airport in the freight business. I had started out working in the warehouse driving the forklift and worked my way up through the ranks and into the office hammering out airway bills. A few short years later I would find myself working in sales for the company and with that, the opportunity for travel. One evening having just arrived back from a trip to Caracas, Venezuela my boss walked into my cubicle and threw an envelope on my desk. I was now off to Singapore for two weeks.

As the plane approached Singapore, I slid over next to the window and peered out. An small island of green surrounded by turquoise waters which turned a deep azure farther from the coast. Here it was, the base of our operations in Asia Pacific and the springboard into the oil fields of Indonesia and Southeast Asia. I would spend the next few weeks meeting with our customers and assisting them in sorting out their logistical requirements from Houston.

Henry one of our company's agents met me at the airport. I took my bags from the carousel and as I stepped outside into the thick hot humid air, Henry stepped forward and shook my hand "Welcome to Singapore". As we sped down the highway to town Henry told me that we had a very tight schedule. We would go by my hotel to check in and leave my bags and then off to Jurong to meet a customer.

Past the crates and pallets of oilfield equipment Henry and myself walked through the yard back to the office where I was to meet Joe. As we walked into the offices I heard a man with a Texan accent yell out "You got my Pace Picante sauce there boy?". Joe stepped forward wearing blue jeans and cowboy boots and invited us back to his office. As we sat down, Miss Ling would come in and offer to bring us coffee. We would end up staying the rest of the afternoon sorting out the logistical problems and later that night I would join Joe for dinner at the Raffles Hotel.

Joe and a few other Texans had for the most part taken over the run down Raffles Hotel which at the time was falling apart. The rooms were dirt cheap and Joe and a few others were living there as long term guests. Back at the hotel, Joe called one the old Hainanese cooks in who once served the British military during the colonial days, and asked him to prepare us two chicken-fried steaks for dinner.

The expatriate community at that time was very small, almost everyone knew each other and most were either from Louisiana or Texas. I got the chance to meet many of Joe's friends, a group of highly intelligent people, "thinkers" who had, in the words of Joe, "taken the bull by the horns". Many people who had chosen to control their own destinies. For a moment I had almost forgotten where I was at, I felt as if I had stepped back in time, the times of our forefathers and ancestors in America and Texas. I had not only discovered a small piece of Texas here on the other side of the world, but something else, something that in recent years in America has been in short supply. The group of people I met had that pioneering spirit, the romance of which I would come to find both alluring and seductive. The night before I left, we got together for beers and shots of duty-free Cuervo Gold, Joe played the guitar while his friend Miss Linda an Englishwoman sang Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee". I bid my farewells that night promising to return.

The sky was overcast as the plane approached Houston and I found myself back home and yet feeling that I had left something behind. It was a part of myself that I had left behind, a part of my soul. As I got settled back into my work in Houston, I felt myself surrounded by "the mob" and overcome with feelings of both animosity and isolation. I felt it difficult to understand the mentality of many people around me, people with no spirit who had sacrificed their freedom for a sense of security. I didn't see them as being free anymore, I saw them as nothing more than indentured servants.

Before my eyes I was seeing a nation of people that once took pride in innovation and invention becoming a nation of cannibalism and consumption. A nation with a growing population of self-loathing people that were consuming themselves to death and being overun with personal injury lawyers and race-baiting hucksters salivating at the prospect of capitalizing on another's misfortune. Self proclaimed saviours who in actuality do nothing more than enslave their own misguided followers.

The lifeblood of the nation and the engine of commerce was beginning to slow as it started to become hopelessly entangled up in a neverending "rainbow of diversity" woven by lawyers and politicians all with special interests in mind. The legal departments of many once great companies were becoming in many cases equal to in size to their production and sales departments. Is it any wonder that the spirit inside many good people would begin to slowly flicker out?

Several months would pass before my boss would walk back in and tell me I was needed once again in Singapore. This time I would be required to stay a bit longer to help sort out some problems.

When I arrived back, times were booming, there was a lot of work to do. Up at 7am for breakfast and then on the road until 9pm or 10pm at night. It would be a few days before I could meet up with Joe who had now moved out of the Raffles Hotel and into a nice house. I called Joe up on Friday afternoon and let him know I was free to meet up. He invited me over to the new house for dinner and drinks.

After work, I managed to grab a taxi and head on over to Joe's place. Miss Linda and few of their friends were over as well. Over dinner the talk was about business and such, one of Joe's friends had recently set up his own company in Singapore to help service the oil field industry and needed Joe's help in securing a project in Indonesia. Miss Linda was talking to another friend who was planning to move to Shanghai and set up a small factory manufacturing low priced cosmetics. As I listened to the conversations, I became once again facinated by this worldly closely knit group of highly intelligent like-minded people each with an unbridled entrepreneurial spirit and passion for what they did. These were people who had the pioneering spirit and had chosen to "take the bull by the horns".

Everything had become clear. I wasted to no time in going back home, quitting my job, selling everything I could and moving on over.

Since then my feelings of anger and animosity have since faded away. Now guided by a sense of morality and the fulfillment in knowing that not only do I exist, but that I am not alone.

Atlantis beckons. Come and join us.

CONTINUE READING

Tex-Mex in Southeast Asia

I've had a lot of people ask me recently how the locals take to western food. Here is a chance for you to ask them yourself.

A Malaysian here Calvin Ng of Maobi refered to a post here and offered a nice review of Chilis Restaurant here in Kuala Lumpur. Check it out.

CONTINUE READING

Atlas Shrugs and Atlantis Beckons - Part 1

The Seventies were ending and the Eighties were just beginning, I had found myself working after school and on the weekends at the neighborhood grocery store to make myself some pocket money. My family was not poor by any means, but we were not rich either, we had a house, clothes to wear and food to eat and that was pretty much it. It was the extras that we missed.

Sundays after Church us kids would go out in the woods and pick dewberries so Grandma could bake a pie. Sundays were the highlight of the week, a big family dinner served at around 4pm of fried chicken, steak or roast beef and afterwards drinking coffee, eating pie and playing Scrabble with Grandma. This particular Autumn Sunday was busy down at the store though, I wouldn't have time to sit down with the family and eat dinner, and so after quickly eating a slice of pie and drinking a cup of coffee I rushed outside, got on my bike and headed the eight blocks down to the grocery store. The sky was turning dark and the wind was blowing, I prayed I would make it to the store before the rain started.

When I arrived at the store, my boss came to me and told me that one of the cashiers had not shown up for work and asked me if I knew how to operate the cash register and make change. I nodded my head. It was an old cash machine, nothing computerized like they have now days. I took the keys and the cash tray and took my place behind the cash machine. While Im counting out the money Im only thinking how much I will lose today because Im not going to get tips by taking the groceries out to the customer's cars. I noticed a few colored pieces of paper and asked one of the other cashiers what it was. One of the cashiers told me they were food stamps and to treat them just like money except that the change given in real money can only be less than a dollar and the food stamps can only be used for food items, no beer or cigarettes and such. So I got to work operating the cash register.

I enjoyed the change of pace I suppose. It was raining outside by now and so in a way Im glad I had the opportunity to stay inside and keep warm. After a few hours a young nicely dressed coloured man came up greeted me and emptied his basket on to the belt. Typical groceries I suppose, but not the kind of food I was used to eating at home, lots of expensive cookies, ice cream, nice steaks and such and a big bag of dog food. Before I totaled the bill the man asked me for a pack of Kool cigarettes and I handed him a pack and gave him the total. He opened his wallet and flashed a few hundred dollar bills at me and then took out a small booklet of food stamps to pay. As he started to hand the food stamps to me, I paused and politely told the man that he could not use the food stamps to pay for the dog food and cigarettes. He got violent.

Here I am doing my job and getting screamed at by a customer. What did I do wrong? Why is he yelling at me? By this time the manager had noticed the trouble and was headed over. I told the man again that Im sorry but I just simply can't take the food stamps for the dog food and cigarettes. The man threw the cigarettes back at me, left for the back of the store and returned with a big armful of steaks, threw them on the belt and said "Fine then, tonight my dogs are going to have to eat steak!". I looked over at my boss and he nodded his head.

My shift was over now. I took off the apron counted the money and turned in the tray and key. I reached in my pocket, found a quarter and a dime and walked outside. The rain was ending, but it was still drizzling a bit. I bought myself a Coke and waited outside before heading back home. As I was drinking my Coke, I wondered what Filet Mignon tasted like, how was the taste different from round steak that we got to eat at home sometimes on Sunday.

I rode my bike home and walked in the front door. My mother and father were watching Carter on television and as usual, he was giving nothing but excuses for his impotence in the hostage crisis. My mother asked me how was work and told me that my dinner was in the refrigerator. I opened the refrigerator, my mother had saved me a big plate of chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes with cream gravy and green beans. My mother then walked into the kitchen kissed me on the forehead and offered to heat up my dinner for me. As I sat down with a glass of iced tea my mother joked that tomorrow we would have to eat Kraft macaroni and cheese.

Although I was hungry that evening, I found it difficult to eat. A feeling of angst and frustration had suddenly overwhelmed me, something that had been building up just seemed to want to break free. I felt angry, but I didn't know who or what I was angry at.

In time it would all become clear.


to be continued...

CONTINUE READING

The Sophistry of "Tolerance"

"If you never say what you mean, you never mean what you say."

It's both bemusing and sad at times to watch how in recent years moral relativists and secular humanists have completely taken over not only our society, but our dictionaries as well and relentlessly used their nunchakus of "diversity" and "tolerance" to beat a moral and unsuspecting society into submission.

For the obvious reasons, standing up and facing our opponents head on is nothing more than an exercise in futilty at this point. We'll only get thunked again on the head with the nunchakus. Only by skillfully disarming our adversaries first can we prevail and fight to regain the dignity of our society. And so, on to tolerance.

There seems to be a misconception on our part that by being tolerant we are assuming a neutral posture towards another individual's behaviour or convictions where no one party imposes their beliefs or their concept of morality on the other one. The problem is, that being tolerant is not a position of neutrality but rather one of imposition. If you think about it, we need never tolerate someone that we agree with, but only someone that we disagree with. The onus therefore lies on us to stand down from our own convictions and accept those of our adversary. That doesn't seem very tolerant now does it?

One can never be tolerant of an individual's persona, only of their behaviour. We can however be both courteous and respectful of the individual and still feel free to disagree with them without fear of reprisal.

Im courteous and respectful towards homosexuals if by chance I happen to meet one but Im not ever tolerant of their behaviour and neither should I be implored of nor forced by society to be tolerant of homosexual behaviour. Neither should you.

It's time that we all stood up and said enough. Tolerance ends now.

Salvation begins where tolerance ends.

CONTINUE READING