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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
maureenodonnell: "It's dark here now and the rain is pouring down, even though it's the summer solstice. Those with a spirit of equanimity just shrug and say "It's good for the grass". Others more easily exasperated, such as myself, are wondering about all this talk of climate change."
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Federal Report: Warming = More Harmful Climate Extremes
By Andrew C. Revkin, New York Times
June 19, 2008, 2:27 pm
The first thorough federal review of research on how global warming may affect extreme climate events in North America forecasts more drenching rains, parching droughts (especially in the Southwest), intense heat waves and stronger hurricanes if long-lived greenhouse gases continue building in the atmosphere...
The report, Weather and Climate Extremes in a Changing Climate, is online at climatescience.gov. The biggest impacts of global warming will be from the shifts in the frequency and duration of extreme events, not the slow rise in the average temperature, it concluded.
Plenty of changes driven partly by the growing human climate influence are already apparent, the report said:
For example, in recent decades most of North America has been experiencing more unusually hot days and nights, fewer unusually cold days and nights, and fewer frost days. Heavy downpours have become more frequent and intense.
http://tinyurl.com/4gf9t3
...if Barack Obama would forcefully challenge the assumptions behind the Muslim "smear". In other words, so what if he were a Muslim? So what if he did want to swear on the Koran rather than the Bible? There is no religious test for our public officials. Plenty of Muslims are also patriotic members and qualify as natural-born citizens.
Bernbart said that "The bigotry against Muslims is similar to the bigotry against Catholics and Jews in earlier decades. This bigotry is always driven by the same people... Rightest Christians. THIS IS NOT A CHRISTIAN NATION AND NEVER HAS BEEN! It IS A DEMOCRACY"
He's right that virtually every minority religion and ethnic group in our country has faced such prejudice when they came to America.
Before John Kennedy, it was thought that no Catholic could ever be president. I doubt that a Jewish candidate will be elected in my lifetime.
The Muslims are only the latest target, with all of them being judged by the actions of a relative few.
And while as a member of a minority, I've heard prejudiced remarks all my life, I refuse to believe that the people who said them speak for the majority of members of their religion or race.
Those who truly practice what they preach, including evangelical Christians, don't judge people by what country their ancestors came from or where they attend religious services.
One can question Sen. Barack Obama's stance on issues and his policies but to oppose him because his father was an African and a Muslim is truly un-American.
The internet is a blessing and a curse. Unfortuantely anyone can say anything and not be sued. I use the internet for information and research - not the opinions of angry, unqualified posters.
Obama is is a lot of things but he is NOT a Muslim. To get the straight story on the real Obama read David Brooks NYT column on "The Two Obamas." Brilliant! And it may cause a few million voters to think.
Karolyn, I posted a comment about "The Two Obamas" column when I read Salon's "The 527 Monster Hiding under Obama's Bed" article. It was an excellent column that I haven't heard much comment on.
Standard prefacing: From an American perspective Obama is or is not whatever he wants to claim. That is usually respected. The discussion is about the Islamic/muslim perspective.
publicola:That statement is a lie. Obama DID NOT go to a "koranic school," -- "according to his book" (which I have read, evidently unlike you) or otherwise.
My mistake. He did not go to a koranic school. He went to a regular school. If I recall correctly, it was even a catholic school. Now, Indonesia being an Islamic country, the school teaches koranic classes but only to students registered as muslims. In these classes, Obama learned to recite the adhan (shahada plus) in excellent Arabic as the Times reporter heard him. So as a student, he was declared muslim somewhere. "Obama was never a muslim" is incorrect. It should read, at least, "Obama was declared a muslim for a brief period of time while he studied in Indonesia".
publicola nacazo: "So there are Islamic jusrists that would consider "If you divorce a Christian woman and ignore your child from her to the point that the child grows up to be a Christian", the child is still a muslim."Yes. And your point here is what, exactly?
The point is that an obscure ancient Islamic jurist is being quoted and we did not hear a quote from major Islamic jurists of the present. What's the opinion of Saudi Arabia's mufti? How about Ali Sistani in Iraq? The great mufti of Egypt? They all would declare Obama a muslim but maybe I'm wrong. Can you get their Islamic opinions which are respected in the muslim world?
publicolanacazo: "Ibn-Qasim's opinion not withstanding, I would hate to be a Hawaiian with a muslim father in Saudi Arabia claiming "I'm not a muslim, I'm a christian". Good luck with that one if you don't have the protection of the Secret Service"And again your point here is what, exactly?
You are aware that Obama has Secret Service protection, and that if elected he'll have Secret Service protection for the rest of his life, right?
The point may be a personal one. Knowing the sufferings of muslim apostates in the muslim world, I regret that Obama is squandering what would be a perfect occasion to come in their defense. He doesn't have to worry if he's an apostate. He's a Harvard-educated milionaire with protection from the Secret Service. Apostates don't have those luxuries in their own countries. Even if he were just working in Saudi Arabia and he were just a regular person having a muslim father, he would be prevented from declaring himself a christian, budhist, atheist or whatever.
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
219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
Salon headlines in your mailbox
