Can there be, yet, any doubt that most of the blame for the current problems between the U.S. and the Middle East can be laid squarely at the feet of religious extremists - Christian and Islamic alike?

If environmentalists were responsible for an infinitesimal fraction of the violence religious fanatics create, every member of the Sierra Club would be in a Day-Glo jumpsuit by now...

I really don't see a lot of difference between the writings of today's mainstream pundits (like Malkin, Hannity, etc.) and what was typically written and said about black people prior to 1960 or so.

"Muslim" has become the new "n****r".

UPDATE!: Witness says woman in scarf was seen near Wal-Mart the day before, looking nervous! Test run?

My wife wears a scarf to protect herself from bright sun (she has Lupus). When she lived in Brazoria County, TX (Tom Delay country!) every trip through the Wal-Mart parking lot was an opportunity to be accosted by people telling her that "You're free now! You don't have to wear that scarf!"

She finally bought a scarf emblazoned with "I love Jesus." Didn't help.

She also wears a crucifix and usually a rosary (she's a hospital chaplain).

The anti-Islam bigots are SCARY.

I saw an AP article about the study first thing this morning and it generally emphasized the positive aspects of the report. It didn't shy away from some of the troubling numbers, but it certainly presented the study's findings as good news. I concur.

Then I visited Malkin's site and saw her noise about it. It occurred to me that for Malkin and her followers (Malkinites?) the glass is always half empty. There is literally NOTHING that report could have said that they wouldn't have been able to twist into the latest Muslim outrage of the day.

For a group of folks (the monarchists, that is) desperately concerned with appearances that are "manly," and given to turns of phrase such as "smoke 'em out" and "bring 'em on," and the like, they sure do exude a lotta fear.

No kings,

Robert

The Pew stats you posted on torture virtually do not vary from group to group. All people believe in torture equally, according to that poll. Thus proving Catholicism correct: original sin exists.

It's worth noting that the moment the Oklahoma City bombing happened, fingers all over America were pointing at Islamic fundamentalists and decrying this terroristic attack. Then it came out that the suspects were white, male Americans. Oops!

After that, it stopped being described as terrorism.

Oh, by the way, forgot to include you folks, sorry. Still getting used to the whole "being spied on" bit.

Just wanted to say "howdy" to the NSA agents assigned to monitor Salon and Glenn. Hope you folks are o.k. Don't forget to look up from the computer screen every couple of hours to focus on something far away (across the room, say) to help relieve eye strain. I'm convinced my own need for glasses in recent years is partially attributable to too much time spent staring at a comp screen (genetics is the other part; thanks, Dad!)

Take it easy.

No kings,

Rober

Glenn:

Thanks for the link on the 35,000 estimate -- we lowballed an estimate of 8,500 back in 2005. For those interested, here are some other posts on secret prisons from Corrente:

But we really have been all over this one since at least 2005, so may I suggest in addition to the Wilkerson link one or more of the following:

Two short summary (the best, I think -- this is the story some journalist should pursue. They start out the same -- repeat, repeat -- but end up differently.

http://www.correntewire.com/the_bush_gulag_where_are_the_bodies

http://www.correntewire.com/the_bush_gulag_where_are_the_bodies_press_wont_ask

Long summary (I wrote the short when this got no hits):

http://www.correntewire.com/the_arithmetic_were_thousands_from_bushs_gulags_disappeared

And the arithmetic posts:

http://www.correntewire.com/14_000_in_bush_gulags_not_just_100s_at_gitmo

http://www.correntewire.com/how_many_prisoners_are_in_bushs_european_gulag

http://www.correntewire.com/how_many_inmates_are_being_held_in_the_bush_gulag_at_stare_kiejkuty_poland

Here is the nut graf from the "Where are the bodies" post. It would be really nice if a journalist could follow up and get some answers:

Let's do some arithmetic on how many prisoners Bush is holding in his gulags.

1. We know that there are thousands of prisoners (estimates range from 7,000 to 35,000).

2. Gitmo holds only 500.

3. So, where are the missing thousands? The only alternatives I can think of:

1. They've been released

2. They're still in jail

3. They've been disappeared.

Barring divine intervention, the bodies of the missing thousands occupy time and space in this world. Where are they?

Which door would you choose? (a), released? (b), still in jail? Or (c), disappeared?

Then, of course, there's a the longstanding authoritarian confusion between imprisonment, torture, and sex (cf The Passion), but investigation of the dank recesses of the conservative psyche is a topic for another day. But for anyone who wants to get started:

http://www.correntewire.com/shays_r_pro_torture_says_abu_ghraib_just_a_sex_ring

...no offense, I love your work..but you act so surprised.

Rulers have used the ignorant religion of their subjects to control those subjects for millenia. There is absolutely nothing new here whatever.

I think maybe we had a chance, once, briefly, in the 1960s and early 70s, to become a truly secular nation. We blew it. Now, our leaders routinely manipulate the ignorant beliefs of the ruled for their own benefit. No different from Renaissance Popes, medieval French kings, and Michelle Malkin, who is about as contemptible a human being as walks the earth these days..with a few notable exceptions, of course.

From our vantage, it is quite amazing, this race to the bottom among politicians and pundits, to see who is the more contemptibly loutish, the most eager to trample on our Constitution.