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Jamie Kirchick's fantasies of the grave Muslim threat
Right-wing warmongers invent domestic threats to justify their agenda of wars and expansions of government power.
Glenn Greenwald [2007-09-13]

  • Both religions have blood on their hands.

    True, but I don't think that this is the best strategy to counter the absurdity. My owm personal feeling is that murderous lunatics, idiots, brilliant people and people who simply wish to be left alone are all pretty well evenly distributed throughout the world's population. The trick is to create social structures that allow them all to live together causing the least amount of damage.

    I've always thought that the US Constitution was a good place to start, particularly with its explicit injunction to keep the business of Government and that of Supernatural Beings in separate realms so that neither imposes upon or distorts the other.

    I also think that most religions as practiced are in fact manifestations of tribal tendencies that, like language, we are born with the capacity to develop, complete with particuar stages at which we are susceptible to the cultural transmission that renders us Christians or Muslims or Buddhists or _________(whatever).

    I guess the point I am trying to make, is that we face an uphill battle fighting the prejudice and hatred that motivates these people. But God help us if we don't try.

    -- Paul Dirks
    [Read Paul Dirks's other letters]
    Thursday, September 13, 2007 06:58 AM
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