A Magic Man Done It

Understanding Islam

I'm going to attempt to read the Qur'an (or at least expert interpretations of it) in hopes of better understanding Islam. Qur'an means something like to read or recite in Arabic. It has 114 chapters called suras, some are long and some are only a sentence or two long. I'm certain I won't understand the Qur'an just as I find the Old Testament somewhat difficult to understand. So I guess I will be forced to search the Internet for sources that can help me better understand what I read. The translated titles of some of the chapters is somewhat different. For example, the cow; the women; the dinner table; the ant; the spider etc. I'm guessing I won't get through the whole thing (it's about as long as the New Test Testament) and I am certain I won't understand it because even scholars of Islam have difficulty interpreting it.

What do followers of Islam believe? They believe in one God, Angels, Prophets, the Qur'an (they also believe that the Torah and Bible were revealed by God), Judgement day and Heaven and Hell. Leave out the Qur'an and it sounds kind of like Christianity. Followers of Islam, like Christians, also have fallen into cults and sects.

There is way too much false information out there about Islam. Did you know the Qur'an only mentions "suicide" once (4:29)? And that suicide is forbidden. But just as Christians believe that martyrs are rewarded so too do followers of Islam. Much of the misunderstanding of Islam is due to confusing the Hadith, a collection of the traditons and sayings of Muhammad, with the Qur'an.

Timeline Iraq War

Monday March 19 marks four years of war in Iraq. If you need to be reminded about how we got there and what has happened over the last four years go to this timeline at Think Progess.

College Professors are All Liberals

Not Prof. Mike S. Adams, Univ. of North Carolina, Wilmington. Here's Dr. Mike defending Ann Coulter and her "faggot" comment.

But enough about what Ann ought not to do. Here’s what she should do immediately:

1. Start a website called “Global War on Fags” today.

2. Begin writing essays calling for the cleansing and purification of society via the mass murder of homosexuals.

3. Distribute videos on the website showing the actual murders of homosexuals.

4. Circulate instructions on how to bomb gay bath houses in San Francisco.

5. Circulate a “battle dispatch” to give people specific information on America’s most notorious bath houses.

6. Apply for a job at Kent State University.

At first, the cries for Ann Coulter’s imprisonment will be loud. But once Kent State gets wind of the story (and possession of her job application) a happy ending will soon be in sight (not incite). In fact, I predict that Ann will soon be a professor at Kent State University with good retirement benefits, a health plan, and tenure.

Read the whole thing here.

I don't really get the Kent State reference unless Dr. Mike wrote a column about how those dirty hippy demonstrators at Kent State deserved to be killed back in 1970.

Here is the last sentence of the "mission statement" of Dr. Mike's department at UNC-Wilmington:

The department seeks to increase knowledge of human society from a global perspective and to enhance understanding of the various multicultural segments of American Society.

Oops!

I forgot to celebrate my blogging anniversary. Two years on March 10th. Over 800 posts, almost 10,000 visitors. Thanks for reading.

Why Progressives are Angry

Paul Waldman explains it pretty well here.

Happy Pi Day

I almost forgot. Happy Pi day everyone! Go here to see one million digits of Pi.

Broadcasters of Hate

Do you ever read News Hounds? They watch Fox News so you don't have to. It helps you keep up with the daily intolerant rants of the likes of Bill (falafel)O'Reilly and Michelle (intern-them-all) Malkin. These people want to protect our freedoms by getting rid of some of them. They are the people who preach "Old Testament" values. They wouldn't know the 2nd most important commandment (Matt. 22:39 or Mark 12:31 if you like Mark better)if it bit them in the ass.

War in Iraq is Lost

Another awesome article published in Rolling Stone Magazine concering the Iraq War. A panel of experts agree the war is lost.

My favorite quote:

America has been conducting an experiment for the past six years, trying to validate the proposition that it really doesn't make any difference who you elect president. Now we know the result of that experiment [laughs]. If a guy is stupid, it makes a big difference.

Gen. Tony McPeak (Ret.)

Most Americans Are Conservative or Moderate

Only 21% of Americans identify themselves as very liberal or somewhat liberal. But when you look at the issues:

Abortion: overturn Roe v. Wade yes 29% no 62%

Health Care: willing to pay higher taxes so everyone could have health insurance yes 53% no 40%

Global Warming: should government put in emmission restrictions? yes 75% no 21%

Social Security: should government provide decent standard of living for elderly yes 80% no 16%

Guns: in favor or not in favor of stricter gun control laws in favor 60% not in favor 32%

Energy: which party will do a better job handling oil and gas issues? Democrats 52% Republicans 25%

Where exactly are the conservatives?

65% of Americans favor the death penalty and 51% are opposed to same-sex marriage.

No Room At the Inn for Auditors in Iraq

We spend $3,420/sec in Iraq, about $280 million/day. And, the State Department can't afford to put up 3 government auditors in Bagdad for 3 months.

Fit Enough to Fight

Salon reports that the Army is sending troops to fight in Iraq who were classified as "medically unfit" to fight.

Maybe the soldiers that are complaining are just shirking their duty.

Maybe they were medically unfit but now are just fine.

Maybe they are physically or mentally unfit and are in increased danger because of their medical condition.

But I guess we will never know until someone with authority looks into it.

Words escape me. I have no idea how to title this picture. What is happening to our country?

Frozen Four

The "Frozen Four" is being held in Lake Placid next weekend. The St. Lawrence University women beat NH 6-2 last night so once again they will be in the Frozen Four.

Who do I root for though? My Alma Mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison (who barely beat Harvard last night 1-0 in 4OT)) or my daughters soon-to-be Alma Mater, St. Lawrence University (who gave UNH a good shellacking)? St. Lawrence U. has not lost to Harvard in any of three games this season. Unfortunately, Julia will be in Florida with her track team (ECAC champs)over Spring break so there goes the possibility of a father-daughter sporting event.

Underwood Club?

How many hundreds of times have travelers from Saranac Lake and Lake Placid passed through Underwood, NY on their way to Adirondack Northway exit 30? Everyone knows that the Underwood Club is located in Underwood, NY, although google searches sometimes give the address as New Russia, NY. But what is with the Underwood Club? Who are the members of this 115 year old club?

An article in todays Press Republican indicates that the members enjoy cold summer drinks with ice cut from a local pond and stored in an ice house. How cool is that?



Another old club, the Ausable Club at least has a webpage, even if only to advertise for local summer help. Google "Ausable Club" and you get 767 "hits". Google ny "underwood club" -carrie and you get 39 "hits".

Will someone please spill what they know about the Underwood Club?

Did Scooter Libby Lie?

He told the Grand Jury that he first heard that Valerie Plame was a CIA agent from Tim Russert on July 10 or 11th 2003. But here is the list of people that told Libby about Plame:

VP Cheney
Bob Grenier of the CIA
Cathie Martin (Cheney Aid)
Marc Grossman (State Department)

He informed the following people of Plame's status as a CIA agent before July 10th:

Craig Schmall (CIA)
Judith Miller (NYT, on July 8th)
Ari Fleischer (on July 7th)
David Addington (Cheney counsel, July 8th)

Karl Rove lied about outing Plame as well. But he was smart enough to "remember" a day or two before he was going to be indicted. So that leaves the fall guy Libby going down for a bunch of guys who were so tough they decided to get back at Joe Wilson by going after his wife.

And remember these famous words from the "Big Guy" himself (Bush, not Cheney): "If someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration,"...Luckly, for Scooter, in this administration, perjury and obstruction of justice is not considered a crime.

Fair and Balanced

Nevada Democrats have voted not to sponsor this Presidential debate

Social Liberal Rudy G. (at least for now)

Could Rudy G. actually get the Republican nomination for President? Really?

What Defines a Covert Agent?

One of the biggest questions concerning CIA Agent Valerie Plame's "outing" is whether she was a "covert agent". The law only protects the identities of "covert agents" of the USA.

Under the law, the term “covert agent” means—

(A) a present or retired officer or employee of an intelligence agency or a present or retired member of the Armed Forces assigned to duty with an intelligence agency—

(i) whose identity as such an officer, employee, or member is classified information, and

(ii) who is serving outside the United States or has within the last five years served outside the United States; or

(B) a United States citizen whose intelligence relationship to the United States is classified information, and—

(i) who resides and acts outside the United States as an agent of, or informant or source of operational assistance to, an intelligence agency, or

(ii) who is at the time of the disclosure acting as an agent of, or informant to, the foreign counterintelligence or foreign counterterrorism components of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; or

(C) an individual, other than a United States citizen, whose past or present intelligence relationship to the United States is classified information and who is a present or former agent of, or a present or former informant or source of operational assistance to, an intelligence agency.

But Libby wasn't being tried for breaking the above law. He was being tried for perjury and obstruction of justice in the investigation of the leak.

Was an underlying law broken? Valerie Plame was working under non-official cover for the CIA at a fake company that has now been revealed to the world. She traveled outside the USA as part of her job. Agents working under NOC by the way do not carry diplomatic passports and thus work under very dangerous conditions. I think an argument can be made that the law was broken. There may well have been other laws broken as well, it was up to the US Attorney to determine which laws were broken.

One question people should ask themselves. Why, of all the people that appeared before the Grand Jury, was Scooter Libby the ONLY person to lie about outing Plame?

Clearly, Valerie Plame was betrayed by members of her own government. I don't think that fact can be denied.

Mr. Rogers

Does republican apologist Ed Rogers remind anyone else of Enid Strict, the church lady, of Saturday Night Live fame? I think it's mostly the pursed lips and the fact that he has probably never smiled in his entire life.



Dana Carvey (Aka "Enid Strict")