A Very Near Miss - Page 4

Sandy G · #31 12-29-2009, 10:55 AM

Western values & culture have raised the std of living of the world almost universally everywhere they've been applied. Look at the tremendous strides that have been made in extending Man's life-Virtually ALL of them have come from the scientific methods that were pioneered here in the West. Capitalism-and division of labor- has freed millions from lives of drudgery & toil-You DON'T have to raise & depend on yrself to grow yr own food anymore, make yr own clothes, etc, unless you really WANT to. Even our erstwhile enemies like Germany & Japan-I maintain that it was about the best thing that could have ever happened to them, to have lost WW2 to us, as both countries are wealthy & influential beyond anything Hitler & Tojo could have ever dreamed. China has made almost unbelievable strides in the 30 years THEY'VE been opened up, too. But the Muslim world is still more or less stuck in 950 AD-And yeah, that's gotta chafe. They ARE inferior to us-And its their own fault. I went to school w/a few Saudi nationals-Good guys, every bit as intelligent as any of us. But they'll stay bassackwards until they decide that "The West" is NOT evil, & really poses no threat to them, unless they decide to keep poking it in its collective eye, w/suicide bombers & other idiot fanatics.

BlueStreak · #32 12-29-2009, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HatchetJack

I pledge allegiance to the flag of Walmart and to the communists for which
it stands, one nation divided with cheap goods and no jobs for all.

Don't ever leave us Jack.

You are hilarious.

Dave

merrylander · #33 12-29-2009, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boreas

Rob, it strikes me that your former mother-in-law was guilty of something many others of us are guilty of today when it comes to Muslims. Just as she did with the English, we tend to condemn the entire Muslim world for the actions of a few radicals.

John

You are missing the point, it is not the muslims who follow the Koran, they are relatively peaceful people, The ones who adhere to Sharia and Wahabism are fanatics and are dangerous. I don't hate them but I am not blind to their aims either.

merrylander · #34 12-29-2009, 12:48 PM

Sandy old friend I just saw some shining examples of the bountiful food western culture provides, we had to throw out a lemon, several strawberries and some mushrooms, all bought at the supermarket day before yesterday. If you don't eat the stuff while standing in line at the checkout it goes bad.

Boreas · #35 12-29-2009, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by merrylander

You are missing the point, it is not the muslims who follow the Koran, they are relatively peaceful people, The ones who adhere to Sharia and Wahabism are fanatics and are dangerous. I don't hate them but I am not blind to their aims either.

Perhaps I am but I had help.

When you referred to our war on Islam I took it to mean that you see this as a struggle (jihad?) between two competing ideologies and that all Islam as a whole is the enemy.

As to Sharia'a, Wahabis and Shiites, I believe you've got things a bit muddled. Sharia'a is simply "God's Law" for Muslims, just like the Torah is for the Jews and, just as with the Jews, there are radical interpretations of Sharia'a that fall outside the mainstream. Some Muslims subscribe to these radical interpretations whether Shiite or Sunni. Wahhabism is such a radical sect within the Sunni branch of Islam, not the Shiite.

The reestablishment of the Caliphate is something about which there is no agreement and very little support among Muslims. Since the collapse of the last Caliphate in the 1920s nationalism has reemerged where it previously existed and has been spawned in those countries, like Jordan, which have emerged since. If, which is doubtful, Muslims were ever to agree on whether the Caliphate should be more or less secular or clerical in nature they would still have to convince Muslims (and their fellow citizens who are not Muslim) to allow their various national identities to be subjugated to a pan-Islamic Caliphate.

Ain't happening IMO.

John