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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
A. Reader
Published Letters: 26 Editor's Choice: 3
I fully support Salon's decision to publish these photographs, but cannot help but wonder why you publish these images, which are far more incendiary in nature when you cower before Muslim public opinion over the issue of the Danish cartoons.
Publish both. Do a story on how images can shape international affairs and include the truly disturbing cartoons published in the Middle Eastern press if you can. Nothing destroys mold and other fungus like sunlight, but we need to expose all of it, not merely that which embarasses GWB.
When you publish the photos you get angry letters from people who can't accept that their country or culture can do wrong. When you publish cartoons, you get death threats:
http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8FQU3580.html
Cowards. It is easy to be brave when you know your opponent has a modicum of civilization (a small modicum in the case of our current Idiot-in-Chief, but still more than the Imams.) When you are really threatened, just run and hide and claim you are being "sensitive." So much for the spirit of the Freedom Riders and Joe Hill. Without the Freedom to Offend, Freedom of Speech is a meaningless phrase.
I keep hearing how the new judging isn't allowing for a person's performance skills to shine, only their athleticism. Hello? This is the Olympics, not the Tony Awards people. Marlon Brando was a fine performer, but I don't think he could have won the men's downhill, no matter how elegant his performance.
And yes, I have exactly the same opinion of "sports" like diving, gymnastics, and (shudder) syncronized swimning. All of them require tremendous athleticism and dedication, but because the winners are determined wholly through subjective judging they seem to be questionable as "sports."
The point about porn work is that it's considered immoral.
As is abortion by many. Would you also not want your daughter to have one? Or are your morals the only ones that count?
When I was asked what the major factor would be if I did not renew, I said the mindless tabloid media stories. Not just Paris, but all of the other celeb crap. Delete it and use the server space for something more useful.
I can't believe that argument is being trotted out here, as it is precisely one of the arguments used against the concept of abortion and even birth control. Don't go there, you might not like where it leads. (Hint: South Dakota)
Gingrich gets nothing but spite from me. The average citizen is quite another story.
But the average citizen can feel your spite and it destroys your credibility. At some point there needs to be reconciliation rather than recrimination. Otherwise, I fear U.S. society is bound for the same kinds of infighting we see today in Iraq. At some point the hatred becomes too deep to let go of, and it is passed from generation to generation.
And saying "well they did it first," isn't an excuse: it's the problem.
When it comes time to confront the "elephant in the room" of Israel's political influence in the United States, Salon bravely rushed to the front.
When it is time to confront the "elephant in the room" of the fact that Islamic fundamentalists can't even take a satirical cartoon about their religion, the cowardly editors refuse to print them.
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that doing the former might get you called an anti-semite, while the latter might get you a fatwa? I am begining to question my subscription.
Just like Gore, Warner was not in the Senate or the House when the force authorization resolution was passed. He may not be a strong anti-war candidate, but he does not have that particular albatross around his neck.
To point out that Clinton won an election or two by playing toward the center? How'd the avowed leftist that was the darling of the Kossacks do running for Duke Cunningham's old seat? Close doesn't count folks.
The strategy of Republican success is not open to the Democrats. Their radical "base" is smaller to begin with and furthermore is so ridden with special interests, purity tests, and lack of discipline as to be utterly unreliable. The center is where the Dems will win, or as is more likely, lose, the next election.
They destroyed half of Eurasia without even blinking, and they were buddhists.
It appears that Ghengis was essentially areligious, unless the priests could guarantee his physical immortality as he neared old age. Before that, he essentially had no faith in anything other than himself. If anything he shows more respect toward Taoists than Buddhists, but even tolerated Islam if the Islamists did not revolt against him.
From Wikipedia:
Spirituality
Genghis Khan towards the later part of his life became interested in the ancient Buddhist and Tao religions. The Taoist monk Ch'ang Ch'un, who rejected invitations from Sung and Jin leaders, traveled more than 5000 kilometers to meet Genghis Khan close to the Afghanistan border. The first question Genghis Khan asked him was if the monk had some secret medicine that could make him immortal. The monk's negative answer disheartened Genghis Khan, and he rapidly lost interest in the monk. He also passed a decree exempting all followers of Taoist religion from paying any taxes. This made the Taoist religion very powerful at the expense of Buddhists. Genghis Khan was by and large tolerant of the multiple religions he encountered during the conquests as long as the people were obedient. However, all of his campaigns caused wanton and deliberate destruction of places of worship.[10] Religious groups were persecuted only if they resisted or opposed his empire.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
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