“The thing I quote most from it is the power of demographics… But the other part is a kind of confirmation of what I know … that Islamist extremism has an ideology, and it’s expansionist, it’s an aggressive ideology. And the title I took to mean that we Americans will have ultimate responsibility for stopping this expansionism.”
Don’t make the mistake of calling me a racist. Islam is not a race. Furthermore, according to Dr. Peter Hammond’s book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat: “Islam is not a religion or a cult. It is a complete, total 100% system of life. Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social and military components. The religious component is a beard for other components.” Thus questioning the agenda of Islamic leaders and adherents is not racist. While many Arabs are Muslim, not all Muslims are Arabs. According to Wikipedia: “Arab identity is defined independently of religious identity, and pre-dates the rise of Islam, with historically attested Arab Christian kingdoms and Arab Jewish tribes. Today, however, most Arabs are Muslim, with a minority adhering to other faiths, largely Christianity, except in those nations were by Sharia Law the observance of other faiths and construction of Christian or Jewish places of worship is illegal.
Islam is a veritable time bomb, lit by Mohammed. It is is now ticking on the future of Western Civilization. Islam and its mission must be diffused, reformed, if not destroyed before it is too late. Islam in its present form is incompatible with the spirit of Democracy and the independence and free will of man. Suggesting tolerance for Political Islam is like asking a rapist to rape you slowly or a murderer if he would kill you in a gentler manner and not twist that knife in quite so deeply when he stabs you to death. All the more ironic that the most liberal and open minded in our society would seemingly love to bring us back to the middle ages or the modern ages in Muslim Nation States where hanging of gays, stoning women to death and molestation of children are a bit to common place and tacitly endorsed by leaders of their “spiritual” community.
As humanity wrestles with potential shortages of resources, including food, energy and water the Green Movement in western civilization has began to confront the very threat or dilemma of our survival through conservation and promoting Sustainable Living, Going Green, Eco Living and controlled population growth through birth control and family planning. In defiance of the natural order, Islam is on the march, ignoring the existing state of the planet and the realities of faced by civil society for the survival of humanity.
Many leaders in Europe and the United States are waking up to take a second look to evaluate the agenda of this movement, its merits and the cultural divides and dangers to western civilization, posed by an angry culture that is adamantly unwilling to assimilate; while altering societal demographics through abnormally high birth rates (for modern times) among Muslims; in essence overpopulation by design to over burden the system.
Ironic that the culture of intolerance, a movement more befit for the middle ages than modern times, has gained traction and support among the most liberal and open minded elements in our society, despite widespread opposition, those in essence who have the most to lose under the imposition of Sharia Law, the law of Islam. Islam’s apologists are defending the destruction of the United States. These are the same folks who suggest I eat a little less steak, eat organically grown local foods and should I marry, adopt or have a smaller family. I won’t even mention Gay Marriage and equal rights for women.
If this were the Middle Ages and humanity could count on a plague, widespread famine or Crusades to wipe out wide swaths of the population, there would be perhaps less of a concern with religious extremism. Unfortunately, it is the Islamic movement which may in fact bring on the foregoing and usher in a new paradigm of Society on the brink of extinction, if not the brink of a New Dark Ages or a return to Islam’s Golden Age. And then it will be literally every man for him self. For a culture which allows women and children to die first and hanging gays (despite widespread permissive gay sex) and stoning women should our civilization devolve into the Titanic (Post Iceberg) Islamic leadership would have seemingly little to worry about in that scenario. The rest of us will be left aboard a sinking ship as the lifeboats float away full with Imam’s calling for Sharia Law on a cold, dark and lonely planet.
You do not poke me in the eye, call me a bigot and then tell me that you seek interfaith understanding. In the words of Winston Churchill: “The hottest part of hell is reserved for those who, at a time of grave moral crisis, steadfastly maintain their neutrality.”
Thanks Julie for your excellent due diligence. You see when I envisioned Wall Street Rising I was not really hoping that from the rubble of 9/11 we might build a Mega Mosque, I was sort of hoping for Twin Towers. But then again, I might think differently if I were “Half Baked.”
Card 1: The Ground Zero Mosque will be an Interfaith Cultural Center (but it will actually be a shrine to “the one true faith.” We will engage in interfaith dialogues but we have no intention of compromising.)
Card 2: Your First Amendment allows us to do whatever we want, wherever we want (even though we have no intention of adhering to your constitutional principles when they conflict with the higher Sharia Law and we look forward to the future glory of the United Caliphate States of America.)
Card 3: If you oppose us you are a bigot, intolerant of our religious freedom (even though we refuse to dignify your questions and concerns.)
Students of history, at least the history of the last century might recognize the quote mentioned above as being the words of Winston Churchill who uttered them the last disastrous time the cognoscenti under estimated a profound threat to our way of life and lured us down the garden path and over the cliff. In the words of Winston Churchill, who was dismissed and ridiculed for his warnings about the steps necessary to thwart Hitler and the growing communist threat in Russia:
“I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest.”
The man, who never ever raised his voice to support the rebuilding of the Twin Towers, iconic symbols of American achievement, ingenuity and possibility and instead whose vision or lack thereof contributed to The Great Enigmatic Compromise at Ground Zero, has become the most ardent and outspoken supporter of the Ground Zero Mosque. One has to wonder whether this is: (a) the fight of a principled man concerned about protecting First Amendment rights of a disenfranchised minority (b) a calculated strategic political gambit to preserve his standing among liberal elites and a growing fifth column of voters in Urban America who may be less forgiving of a nuanced position when he runs for President in 2012 (c) misguided passion of an elitist hypocrite, pure chutzpah or (d) something else entirely?
Bloomberg’s Folly: Ignoring Public Opinion & The Will of the People
Bloomberg in a radio address last week dismissed and denounced the mosque opponents as “a handful of people who ought to be ashamed of themselves,” This is a curious analysis by our Mayor given that the “handful of people” happen to be 60% of New Yorkers. According to a recent Sienna Institute poll six out of 10 New Yorkers oppose plans to build a mosque near the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks [CNN Poll Update: 68% of American Voters Oppose Ground Zero Mosque.] It is ironic to say the least that the same majority of New Yorkers, actually an even higher percentage, wanted to see the Twin Towers rebuilt. If only Mayor Bloomberg had been as passionate in his support of rebuilding the Twin Towers as he is of the Ground Zero Mosque, the Towers would be open for business and the mosque would have none of its triumphalist appeal. Instead of ignoring and thwarting the legitimate will of the people Mayor Bloomberg and others might be wise to consider the words of President Abraham Lincoln.
“I freely acknowledge myself the servant of the people, according to the bond of service — the United States Constitution; and that, as such, I am responsible to them.”
“Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.”
The Iron Fist in the Velvet Glove: Oil Money Influence & Islamic Concessions
Why would savvy politicians bet against the will of the people? One might surmise that from behind the scenes Oil money states and their political leaders may now be calling the shots in America with an ever increasing level of authority and influence. And why should they not when they have pumped billions if not trillions into our financial infrastructure? America’s dependence on foreign oil and the perceived vulnerability of an empire in decline as a result of the Economic Crisis of 2008, widespread fraud and distrust in the markets, the erosion of our manufacturing base, high unemployment with segments of the population restless, unsettled bordering on revolution, it seems almost a perfect time to extract a dividend in the form of some blood from the open wounds in our society. That blood may be to reform if not remake our culture in some way shape of or form as inducement to continued investment.
Among those reforms may be insistence on a kindler, gentler relationship with the Islamic community worldwide as well as within our own borders, perhaps even granting once unheard of concessions as a sign of a new détente with Islam. Further, one can also surmise from the growing insecurity of the Jewish community in America that Arab Muslim leaders want an equal seat at the table with AIPAC and the Israel Lobby including a right to dictate policy and placing the agenda of Islamists front and center in American life. A perception exists fairly or unfairly that America’s unique alliance with Israel and the Jewish Lobby makes America some how anti-Arab. Reversing that perception in the Arab Muslim world may require some retreat in American nationalistic pride, if not greater submission to elements of an Islamic system.
Viewed in this light, submission to the Ground Zero Mosque without reservation and without investigation of its funding seems to be a de facto acknowledgment that America must change its ways, a quid pro quo if you will; but at what price? Capitalism is the tie that binds us all across geopolitical lines in the civilized world. The House of Saud (Saudi Royals) and American friends in other OPEC nations need to understand, however, that forcing and Islamic culture on America will not necessarily lead to a more stable society as it has in their Middle Eastern Kingdoms. Even though Islam may help stabilize their nations, ultimately its clash with Western values may lead to a revolution in America and destabilization of our Democracy, which ultimately serves no one’s best interests.
The elites in our society refuse to explain this to the people, so instead they latch on to labeling citizens bigots and intolerant of religious freedom for opposing the Mosque, misappropriating the Constitution and misinterpreting the First Amendment to provide cover. Here is the rub: Say what you will about the moral compulsion of any religion, whether Christianity, Judaism or Islam as a check on man’s unbridled free spirit. Islam however, requires submission to “Collectivism”, which is antithetical to individual freedom, the rights of women, gays, minorities and the creative spirit of man.
ISLAMIC MARCH
Islam is on the march across the globe, forcing the leaders in Europe and the United States to wake up and take a second look to evaluate the agenda of this movement, its merits and the cultural divides and dangers to civilization, posed by an angry culture that is adamantly unwilling to assimilate; while altering the demographics and overburdening the system in many countries as a result of very high birth rates among Muslims.
ISLAM IS NOT A RACE: Questioning Islam is not “Racist” or Anti-Arab
Islam is not a “race” and while many Arabs are Muslim, not all Muslims are Arabs. According to Wikipedia: “Arab identity is defined independently of religious identity, and pre-dates the rise of Islam, with historically attested Arab Christian kingdoms and Arab Jewish tribes. Today, however, most Arabs are Muslim, with a minority adhering to other faiths, largely Christianity, except in those nations were by Sharia Law the observance of other faiths and construction of Christian or Jewish places of worship is illegal.
According to Dr. Peter Hammond’s book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat: Islam is not a religion or a cult. It is a complete, total 100% system of life. Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social and military components. The religious component is a beard for other components.
Ground Zero Mosque: Building Bridges of Understanding?
If the Ground Zero Mosque is truly designed to be an inter-faith cultural center to breed understanding between different communities, then perhaps the folks behind the American Society For Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Initiative would have no problem with the installation of the following:
(a) LGBT Wing Honoring LGBT Community Members in Muslim countries who died resisting the spread of Islam or from the imposition of Sharia Law or were simply hanged and killed for being gay;
(b) A Women’s Center: to honor Muslim women who were stoned to death, hanged or inflicted injuries on themselves to escape the cycle of abuse for for merely showing their face or illustrating disrespect for their owners (husbands) in Muslim States;
(c) Wall of Fame for Christians and Jews killed in the name of Islam; and
(d) Mohammed’s Wall: A special wall highlighting all of the Warrior Prophet Mohammed’squotes preaching love, tolerance and respect for non Muslims, women and the gay community and exhibits illustrating all of his “interfaith” life work and building bridges of understanding to non-believers of “the one true faith” (i.e., “infidels”). You could put his Mohammed’s Spear right next to this wall;
(e)Historical Mosque Conquering: A section devoted to the history of Islam’s destruction of Jewish and Christian temples of worship and the installation of Islamic Mosques in strategic locations throughout the world and an a further explanation of why Muslims in Europe are now demanding on joint use of Catholic Churches so that they may in effect expel Catholics from their houses of worship;
(f) Canyon of Islamic Heroes: A Canyon of Heroes in a designated corridors of the cultural center for all the Leaders in the Muslim Community who have condemned the atrocities of 9/11 and have questioned Political Islam’s agenda on the world stage: Women and Children Die First.
In a building of the size planned by the Cordoba Initiative and the American Society For Muslim Advancement, one would think that they could fit all of the above in a 2×2 room or on the back of a stall in the Men’s Room. Also maybe they would have no problem with the building of a Pork Plant or Sausage Shop right next door to the Islamic Interfaith Cultural Center? Or would building that so close to their center be considered intolerant or disrespectful (e.g., sort of like say the building of a Mosque near a War Memorial where Muslims killed Americans in the name of Islam?) Nevertheless, you must forgive me if I do not understand the moral imperative to build a mosque at or near Ground Zero or the World Trade Center.
HEAR ME LOUD & CLEAR: I am not a bigot. I am not intolerant. Liberal Piety won’t silence me. “Tolerance of the intolerant is not a virtue. It is suicide.” A society that stands for everything in the end stands for nothing at all. In a free society there is a danger of thinking that all ideas deserve equal recognition, respect, consideration or standing. Many of the so called “ideas” which serve as the underlying tenets of Islam have already been defeated in the marketplace of ideas. But if you sort through the scrap heap of human history, that is precisely where you will find the collectivist spirit of Islam on top of some broken office chairs once used by the Third Reich.
An interesting question raised by the evident pressure put on the Community Board, Landmarks Preservation Commission, etc. is whether our leaders aren’t in effect violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by trying to establish the mosque?
I can hardly ride a horse and am no Paul Revere, but my friends, it is time to wake up.
So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,—
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.
The founders wrote the Declaration of Independence out of “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind” but our imperial government seems to have little or no respect for its own people. It is operating by fiat and, in the case of the mosque, misappropriating the U.S. Constitution for cover.
But in any case, the Constitution cannot be used to invalidate the founding premise of the document that authorized our country’s existence and thereby the need for a constitution: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
President Obama is a lawyer. He is a graduate of Harvard Law Schoolwho practiced briefly for several years as a full time attorney with Miner, Barnhill & Galland in Chicago. That got me thinking as to what kind of lawyer he was in his practice days. As one who was trained as a Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyer (a multidisciplinary practice) one might think that this was perhaps the perfect time for the Chris London Presidency. But if that were the case they would probably tap Harvey Miller of Weil Gotshal & Manges, the leader of the Business Finance & Restructring Group at WGM which I started with ironically. In that case then my experience relative to his would sort of look much like……President Obama’s on economic matters. I digress
So, I started thinking even more deeply. What kind of lawyer is or was President Obama? What set of skills or perspective does he bring to his view of the world? As a Summer Associate he hooked Michelle, then an Associate at Sidley & Austin–nabbing your mentor slick. As a mentor to some brilliant and charming young Summer Associates, I wish someone had nabbed me. I was not so slick. I was just trying to tread water in the brilliance around me. And Weil Gotshal’s Bankruptcy Department had some great minds.
America hates lawyers but I LOVE em, if only because you can tell a lot about their persona and philosophy by which craft they choose. Did America get a Transactional Lawyer such as an M&A Lawyer, a Venture Capital Lawyer or a Litigator or perhaps even a Trial Lawyer? I know he is not a Real Estate Lawyer. We have those, in the name of Privatization everything is sold off to a foreign entity. He is not a Bankruptcy or Restructuring Lawyer because if he had the skills of Harvey Miller we would be out of this Chapter 11 by now.
Then it hit me. We have a series of legislative victories from Stimulus Act, Health Care and now Financial Reform which have been panned by critics on the left and the right for a variety of reasons, including specifically that the assault on capitalism has not put anybody back to work yet. And what kind of symbolism is there that Jamie Dimon who is as responsible as anyone for saving Wall Street will not be there when the Financial Regulatory Reform bill is signed today? Maybe that is not entirely fair but “Smart money” in America remains on the sidelines not sure where they should place their bets, entrepreneurs frozen in their tracks not sure if this game is even one they want to play as the outcome is far from certain.
It became clear: Obama is a Trial Lawyer selling America on his victories on the court house steps, while engaged in a Motions practice, which inch by inch seems to give his case for rebuilding America some forward momentum. But the rest of us are scratching our heads because yes, he has won some procedural motions allowing him to frame the debate but the case is not yet won, testimony has not yet been heard nor have any jury deliberations been held, resulted in a vote much less a verdict.
If America’s case is still being held back in a Motions Practice in 2012, many may be fooled but ultimately we as a people, all LOSE. In the alternative, American Citizens may file a motion to dismiss or for summary judgment against him.
Note: The author is “currently” a Registered Democrat who voted for and supported President Obama. But in terms of full disclosure, he has voted for members of both parties, including Independents like Mike Bloomberg at the local and national level. He wishes to note that he has no issues with lawyers being President but just believes that maybe in retrospect, if we were going to elect a lawyer to rebuild America, we should have elected a transactional lawyer instead of a litigator.
Admire and adore the Author of the telescopic universe, love and esteem the work, do all in your power to lessen ill, and increase good, but never assume to comprehend.
America is fighting to pull itself out of the heavy toll of the current recession. There is unrest in the heartland and untold pain and suffering in pockets of urban and rural America. We must remember that we are only as great a nation as our weakest links. The most patriotic among us, those willing to preserve and protect the freedom that enables me to write this blog are often those who in the eyes of critics and other outsiders may have the least to gain from the preservation of our way of life, but they do so anyway. And that must never be forgotten, whether they are overseas and even more so, when they come home. In this time of uncertainty, perhaps the greatest uncertainty in a generation, with America’s citizens restless and our leadership facing daunting and profound challenges on so many fronts locally, nationally and internationally, it is my hope that differing factions can come together for the greater good of our nation and ALL its people. For I can safely speak for many of my fellow citizens when I say that it is still the greatest gift in the world to be an American and a New Yorker on this fourth day of July, the date of the Declaration of American Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. With that gift, however, comes a responsibility to be part of the solution to Build America’s Future and not just sit around and point out the problems that exist, for they are plentiful.
On this day, I toast and say thank you to our Founding Fathers, men like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin et al etc. for the American experiment you envisioned. It is still a work in progress and still very much worth fighting for, and my prayers are that at this time of American renewal, the right men and women will step forward and lead us. God bless America.
