And now for a little Islamic End Times prophesy: While Christians wait for the Rapture and the Second Coming and the Jews wait for the Messiah our Islamic neighbors wait for the Mahdi.  The Mahdi is the Islamic version of a savior who will become like a worldwide Pope for Islam and be a descendant of Muhammad.  Just when the earth enters some period of unrivaled chaos the Mahdi, who is also a sort of super general and political quiz kid will come and make war and concur all the unbelievers.  Then he will establish peace and justice for everyone and will usher in a time of plenty and be loved by all.  But first he has some infidel butt to kick and he needs to settle the score with the Jews in the last battle against the Jews.  Once everyone else is wiped out or converted then it’s one big peaceful Islamic world and everyone will love the Mahdi.

        Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, our little friend in the Members Only Jacket, who’s so intent on obtaining nuclear weapons, is said to be a true believer in the Mahdi to the point where he’s looking around at any and every way to create the necessary planetary chaos that will give rise to the Mahdi’s return. And who is his chief ally in this quest?  Who is giving him nuclear assistance and weapons systems to deter the best the US and Israel have to offer?  Who is warning the US and Israel about setting the world on fire if Israel attacks Iran? Monaco?  No.  Russia.

            Our Russian friends seem bent on affirming that Ahmadinejad wants to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and the west just misunderstands him and so is being unfair in denying Iran this peaceful energy technology. Why is Russia doing this?  What do they hope to accomplish by either allowing Iran to have nuclear weapons or by forcing Israel to attack and destroy the Iranian nuclear sites?  Does Vladimir Putin not realize just how crazy Ahmadinejad and his Fundamentalist Islamic buddies truly are?  What is it that has so captured the Russian leader’s attention that it would arm an obvious crazy like our friend Mahmoud? 

            OIL.

            If recent events have taught us anything, it’s that the entire world, as we know it, runs on oil, and that whoever controls the oil and its distribution controls the world.  Cut off the oil from the western democracies and the capitalists of America and the socialists of Europe would see their economies collapse overnight.  What does Iran and the Arab Middle East have that Russia could covet to this degree?  What has Russia looking agog at the Middle East?  If the Russians, who have considerable, amounts of oil themselves, were to control access to Middle East oil the Russians could squeeze the world economies at will and essentially have the wealth to maintain the stature it believes it should have. Oil is wealth beyond imagination as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States have demonstrated.  Oil is power to control the western democracies because it’s their very life blood and oil is the opium of the new emerging nations especially China and India. Emerging nations must have oil to realize their dreams of development and modernity.  Oil is the key to unmatched power, influence and wealth. 

 Why do the Russian think it’s so in their interest to support the hapless Ahmadinejad to the point of giving the guy time and assistance to develop nuclear weapons?  If Mahmoud is successful he would destroy Israel and the thus the west’s best friend in the region.  If the Middle East catches fire the demand for Russian oil goes through the roof and Russia comes out the big winner. If the region maintains its craziness with Iran and Israel glaring at each other than the price of oil remains high and again Russia wins. Everybody wants oil and conflict in the Middle East keeps the prices high, the supply uncertain and keeps the money flowing into Russia.  Who cares enough to share this vital technology with Muslims?  Russia.  Who is on the side of the Muslims who have all that oil?  Russia.  Who helps them defy the US and Israel, the big and little Satan respectively? Russia.  If you’re a crazy Arab then you must think those Russians are just wonderful!   Makes you want to cooperate with oil rich Russia just to put the screws to the West again!  Why shouldn’t they pay through the nose for Middle East Oil?

            So Ahmadinejad needs chaos in the world to advance the coming of the Mahadi and the existence of the Jewish State has long proved a convenient excuse to keep the hatred at a fever pitch.  They are assisted in this quest for chaos by their good friends the Russians who worship only money and power and who would doubtless shoot the Mahadi if they saw him. The West is in the position of having to attack or have Israel attack Iran because the only thing worse then attacking Iran right now would be a Nuclear Iran terrorizing the region with atomic weapons.  The emerging nations of the world led by China keep a weather eye pealed and fixed on the Middle East lest their dreams of development and modern standards of living go up in smoke.  Chaos serves Iran, Islam and the Russians and everyone is looking for a way to control it and protect their national interests except for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: He just wants his Mahdi.

When George W. Bush visited Indonesia last year, thousands of us marched down the streets, with banners saying things like "Bush's feet are stained with blood. Don't let him on our innocent land and force our government to kick the President of USA out of our country."

These people, we suspect, were the same people who had protested many times before -- and who would protest again in the future -- against US international policies and any bad news from Palestine (or 'good news' from Israel) regarding the conflict between the two countries. These people, claimed themselves anti-Americans. They burn the so-called star spangled banner, threw rocks and rotten eggs at the American embassy building ...while wearing Levi Jeans and keeping a Motorola in their pockets! These kinds of people are usually not so anti-American and harmless on normal days. They love McDonald's fried chicken. Only a few of them were true anti-Americans. And I can say is that an anti-American here is also a fundamentalist Muslim.

Anti-Americanism in Indonesia is almost always about Islam and non-Islam. That's why whenever their brothers in the Middle East suffer from Israel and/or USA actions, they get angry, and they gather people to walk the length of all roads to express their resentment. It's a good thing for them that most of Indonesian people would come with these Muslims (or any Muslim at all), for free lunch.

We Indonesians, actually, are not quite familiar with anti-Americanism. We're never even anti to anything at all! We're too lazy to think, to busy with our basic daily needs like getting something to eat, some place to stay, and some clothes to wear. We don't have time for anti-Americanism. So if we joined the parade and burned American flags, we did it for free lunch.

In fact, in normal life, we respect Americans. I know many of us would rather live in the US than in Indonesia, if given the choice. What we commonly have in mind about Americans is that Americans are rich and generous, and that they're nice and fun people to get along with. Thanks to Hollywood.

Moreover, there are many people who kept their head up high simply because they had an American friend. They talked about their American friend all the time, and tried to think and live like Americans do.

Me, I'm with most Indonesian people -- not an anti-American at all. Only I'm luckier than my neighbors here. I don't have to burn flags for lunch.

Okay, happy 4th of July! I'll see you again next time.

If you are European or Canadian and aren’t Anti-American (see definition), can you have friends that are Anti-American and visa versa? Can you speak about any positive feelings about the US publicly in your country? How about Australians? Or New Zealanders? I’d be most curious.

A gentleman named, Chris, who lives in Germany was kind enough to not only answer my questions, but also gave me a lot of his personal experiences (as a German citizen) about his country and his people. He replies after reading my blog post:

And for the questions you ask:

Yes, I am able to express positive feelings on the US, I am able to write it to you and on YouTube and I have never been shot or insulted for this ;) I don*t believe all Americans are of the same opinion (would be hard work to reach this in such a big and multicultural country) And to do it in short.... Americans and europeans are not that different as some would claim.

I made it clear to him that that I knew he'd never get shot at for his opinions. He understood and gave me a thorough answer.

I decided to have a new try, to answer your question, when I woke up this morning and thought about it... it would have been really easy for me, to simply reply: "hmmm? Oh yes sure, sure - can do that, whenever I want to..." but then I decided to simply - try it :) I got a discussion going with the people in my class (many of them are not of my opinion in some things, so I thought, it would be the best place to start this ^^) and our history teacher... nice thing - this is surely not representative, but I think at least the evidence, that I can do it.

I asked this... "Isn*t it ridiculous, how many people here in europe judge the american citizens, without even having talked to one of them? Surely not everything the US is doing is great, but this rather is concerning the american politics and not the USA at a whole! I think the USA is a great nation!".... And we discussed about that - some were of my opinion, some were more cirtical on the US - some simply didn*t care or participate... and our teacher participated, too - even if this was completly terminating his plan for the lesson ^^.... We even discussed this while we had brake and so any teacher was arround to concern about an anti-american answer... but... the people were taking this serious and really thought about it - not one attacked or even insulted me for being of this opinion. Thanks for the idea ^^, this was interesting ^^

This was very interesting for me to read. I see diversity in thought. Not the "just following the crowd" mentality going on there at all. Could it be because it's a college community? I don't know. But how refreshing is that? A stark contrast from what you can find here.

It appears that Canadian grade schools have a reputation for teaching their students to compare themselves to the United States. We know America is no angel, but I've heard no evidence of Canadians ever being taught anything the states did RIGHT. As you can see from my sidebar and previous postings, their knowledge of past wars are frighteningly distorted (the Anti-American Canadians, that is). I've heard many Canadians say that America's role in WWII was, if anything, minimal and at maximum, self-serving. All I hear, basically, is "Shame on you for Hiroshima and Nagasaki!!". If you hear this once, you think... well, that person's just clueless. If you hear it twice, you think ... "Well, I ran into another bad egg"... If you hear it time after time after time, it makes you wonder, "What are Canadians learning about the US in their school system - especially when they're in grade school at that young and vulnerable age?". They are also led to believe that they successfully burned down the White House in the War of 1812 - when technically the credit is reserved for the British. (Aren't Canadians about "peace-keeping", anyway?) While there may have been Canadians among the troops, the main Gold Star goes to Britain. So, I wonder. But when you read articles like this, it makes you wonder EVEN MORE. Perhaps, maybe a Canadian can give me some clarification on this?

To be fair, I've seen Americans online announce publicly that the US (and the US exclusively) was responsible for defeating Nazism in WWII. I feel embarrassed when I hear these things. I wonder where they get this from, but suspect that it was taught to them by their parents. The fact of the matter IS - is that ANY COUNTRY not part of the Axis of Evil in WWII WON the war and liberated the Germans! It was a TEAM effort.

So, with that said, young people are brainwashed from their own homes. Sadly.

Let's hear what Chris learned about WWII in Germany.

What am I taught at school....

WW2 and the NAZI-regime were the biggest mistakes in german history. The victory of the allies and the reconstruction of the european nations and their lasting peace were possible through the participation, help and engagement of the USA. Without the participation of the US after WW2, france and other european nations would have ripped germany appart. (The french for example wanted to make us a agrar-nation (farm land)... in other words... a third world nation - so we could never attack them again. By reminding me, that we attacked their country in both world wars I can understand this position.)

The USA are the ones who taught germany how to run and start a democracy. The USA are the nation, who prevented germany from being overrun by the russian communism.

We are educated to LOVE the USA for their work here. And actually - many germans emigrated to the USA - In the past - starting with the colonialisation of America - to avoid the several german dictatorships and wars, or simply because they liked what they heared about the USA and wanted to live there.

Nowadays - because the USA in our eyes is a great nation and is a big economic power..... and maybe simply because many of our relatives already live over there :) Just by the way... Every time I see an american on tv, who has an german first or second name I have to smile - sometimes simply because of the spelling of this name (american style) ;)

Chris also criticized some things about America as well, and could not have put it in a more constructive way.

I have a couple of friends in America and so am more in touch with what is on vogue in the US, than many people here... The US have a BIG problem - which is not actually, that you attacked iraq, but that you (dangerous word---I don*t really mean you as a person, or the citizens of the USA) put a really scary picture of the US in the world.

To be honest - simply the way mr.bush tends to explain his intentions is frightening me... I hear about a "crusade" against the "evil" of a worldwide war on terror... of an axis of evil, which is not clearly defined, so that I don*t know which nation is next (Iran or Syria I guess).

I hear and see, that the USA attacks nations without respecting international law - using torture and mercanaries as an instrument for the modern war - I hear and see on YouTube, how patriots are grunting at everyone, that they could "f*** the whole world - and every nation in it" and so on and on and on.

I*m scared and frightened (as many europeans), that all this will result in additional international instabilities, or another worldwar. So much for the european perspective... they can*t do anything about it and they are frightened of big, powerfull USA raging arround all over the world - and this creates anger and maybe even hate...

The Europeans can*t really support the US and they can*t really judge their actions, for they are threatened by the islamic fundamentalists, too - our own extremists (extreme left or right) over here use this situation for their own benefit, by giving simple answers to the big questions (USA is evil - fullstop) So don*t feel too offended by them, for they are only a minority and in an adition - maniacs (I mean it - I know the Neonazis over here - And you know your maniacs over there.)

I*m not going to write about the unbelievable things islamic fundamentalists are doing to their and our people (here and in their originate countries), because I think we both are well informed about this, through media. And I don*t think, that I really have to point out, that every human being should be terrified by this and though I am not going to try to justify it, nor do I think, that it could ever be justified by anyone.

The big question for me is... what do I want to think about all this?

- The USA has been attacked -

Fact for me! I don*t believe WTC was an inside job! And even if it was - this would denounce the US-gouvernment to consist of total barbarians, but would NEVER justify the islamic terror on the other hand - which IN FACT is existing

- and as every nation, responsible for the safety of it*s citizens, the USA has to react.

So the "war on terror" is not to evade and - from my point of view - justified. The way this war is fought is odd, and as every war dirty - and as every crusade it*s about profit, too. International right is violenced, Iraq is more likely to be an chaotic Anarchy, than a Democracy after this and the target of a clean and reasonable war was failed once again - for there will never be a war to ensure peace and war will never be clean.

This is very fair, balanced, and constructive criticism of the US. Notice how up above he stated very positive things about America, but also was able to talk about his disappointment without insulting Americans. Also notice how he *included* other crimes (re: his own folk and Islamic Fundamentalists) not associated with the US. He's not part of the "blame America first" committee. He doesn't blame ME for all of his problems. He *doesn't* have a black and white view of the complex world that we live in. This is the kind of criticism that I can handle because it sees me as a human being and is intelligent enough to differentiate American people from the government. A lot of people are ignorant about the US and assume that the people have the control and power to moderate the actions of our government - when, in fact, we don't have that power. Yes, we ARE a democracy. But we only have so much control. We have the same amount of control Canadian and British citizens have or those from other developed nations. I don't know where people get the idea that I can just go to the White House and throw Bush out and re-write foreign policy. Sadly, some people expect Americans to do this. I said this before, and I'll say it again. We have an electoral voting system here that I find to be a bit unfair. (Bush did *not* win the 2000 election, by the way). The popular vote doesn't assume the next president. The electoral vote decides. I disagree with this. And even for those that DID vote for Bush... who would have known in advance about the Iraq War? Don't get me wrong, though. We have many Iraqi War supporters here. While I disagree with them, I don't judge them.

Chris is obviously educated in a sophisticated kind of way and knows how to communicate his feelings intelligently, thoroughly and reasonably.

It is becoming increasingly VERY popular on Youtube to create, "Why People Hate America" videos. Just put those terms in the search engine over at Youtube, and you'll find so many videos like these, that you'll be overwhelmed. I received 1,230 results.

This is my point of view: If you see something as ALL GOOD or ALL BAD, you're not thinking. There's (aside from the obvious evils) good and bad in EVERYTHING. Too many people who critique the US neglect to mention anything positive, and just as importantly, neglect to mention the evils that exist elsewhere in the world. Some radicals go as far as sympathizing with the terrorists. But there's something else that's not mentioned in a lot of foreigners' criticisms of America. Can you guess? In this article, there's a tiny hint:

Britain’s opinion of the United States has sunk to an all-time low, according to a YouGov poll that revealed only 12pc of Britons trusted America to act wisely on the world stage.

The Daily Telegraph defended the superpower in a Leader article, "To Hate America is to Hate Mankind" arguing that to dislike such a diverse country is misanthropic as well as ungrateful, given America's benign intervention in various European conflicts.

Do you think it is hypocritical of Britain to demonise the United States, while supporting its foreign policy and copying its social trends? Or does the UK have a legitimate case for backing away from the 'special relationship'?

Have recent controversies such as the war in Iraq and the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo bay affected your feelings about America?

Yes..... they forget to mention that their own countries (i.e. Canada and Britain) are doing the same things. It's also interesting to note that these two countries are the MOST vocal in their hatred of the US... on the internet, that is. A lot of people like to say things like, "... and YOU ALWAYS DRAG US INTO FIGHTING YOUR STUPID WARS...." Who's dragging who? America is *NOT* responsible for your leader's decision to send their troops to Afghanistan OR Iraq. Nobody has a gun to anyone's head. Remember how YOU blame us for voting in Bush? It would be nice if the Anti-American Canadians and British could own up to some of the responsibility instead of using that tired "victim card".

You can take a look at the comment section of that article too. It's very interesting. You'll see both balanced and unbalanced views there. There are 286 comments posted. The majority of the comments are obviously posted by British people. But I cannot help but to share one view from an American that's after my own heart (which are comments # 8 and 9).

As an American, please allow me to begin by asserting that our nation has had its strengths and its weaknesses, its successes and its failures, and its justices and injustices throughout history and continuing into the present. Although I sense much patriotism for my homeland, I recognize our need for humility to understand that our country is not above questioning or reproach but is rather under the same standards as all other nations of the world. I would simply like to ask those who view our country from afar to maintain a balanced perspective and realize too that there exists good and bad in America, both in terms of its domestic society and politics as well as in its relations with other nations.

Whilst there may be growing anti-Americanism in the United Kingdom I do not believe such sentiment to be reciprocated on our side of the Atlantic. I viewed a recent survey that indicated most Americans view England positively, and never have I seen the flag of your country (or any other foreign land, for that matter) burned in the streets of our cities. Clearly we as American citizens have not meant to be your enemies.

This is exactly how I feel.

Speaking of "copying America's trends", Cappl spoke about this going on in Germany too.

We germans are listening to your music, eat your food (ok most of the time your _fastfood_, but hey we really like it anyway), watch hollywood films, many dress american style (I dislike HipHop, but it may show this the best.), we are learning your language - as it*s the world language... and watch thousands of documentaries about your - history, culture, problems - and so on and on and on... And by the way - we are using many english words even while we speak german! Want to see some examples?

"Das ist so verdammt cool!"
"OK, das hab ich verstanden."
"Verdammter Bug! Immer, wenn ich das Game starte, flieg ich raus und lande auf meinem Desktop!"
!!! hey we guys like you !!!
ok - most of us like you...

This is not specific to Germany, either. In fact, the majority of those who moan, groan, and spit at the USA and it's people are 'secretly' devouring our popular culture. Here is just one of the numerous examples that was mentioned in the article and in the video, "How European Media Damages America":

"Anti-Americanism is hypocrisy at its finest," he added. "You can spend your evening catching the latest episode of "24" and then complain about Guantanamo the next morning."

I'm going to continue this topic with a Part II, but I'd like to finish this with one fine quote:

“There is a big difference between being anti-American and being critical of the United States….critiques are appropriate and necessary, provided that they rest on facts and address real abuses, real errors and real excesses–without deliberately losing sight of America’s wise decisions, beneficient interventions and salutary policies. But critiques of this kind–balanced, fair and well-rounded–are hard to find, except in America herself…” — Jean-Francois Revel

Hat Tip: Christopher

Islamic Fundamentalists.

Christian Fundamentalists.

Is there a difference? Is it fair for the media to bunch together everyone who utilizes the "Fundamentalist" title? Scott Bidstrup, author of a hypertext essay called "Why the 'Fundamentalist' Approach to Religion Must Be Wrong," says that:

"A fundamentalist religion is a religion, any religion, that when confronted with a conflict between love, compassion and caring, and conformity to doctrine, will almost invariably choose the latter regardless of the effect it has on its followers or on the society of which it is a part."

It is a sad reality that many people hold to this hyper-dogmatic definition of Fundamentalism. Unfortunately few people turn to the originators of the word for an appropriate definition. The term was coined to describe a group of Christians who separated from theological liberals of the early 1900's. Since then the movement has expanded and the word has taken on definitions not originally intended.

Dictionary.com says that Fundamentalism is 1.  A movement in American Protestantism that arose in the early part of the 20th century in reaction to modernism and that stresses the infallibility of the Bible not only in matters of faith and morals but also as a literal historical record, holding as essential to Christian faith belief in such doctrines as the creation of the world, the virgin birth, physical resurrection, atonement by the sacrificial death of Christ, and the Second Coming. 2. The beliefs held by those in this movement, & 3. Strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles.

If someone is speaking about a group or individual that is not a Christian Fundamentalist then the third definition is an acceptable derivation of the original intent: "Strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles." To squeeze and manipulate this definition and employ unnecessary extrapalations, as Mr. Bidstrup did, does nothing more than show an a priori bias against the belief system of the chosen "Fundamentalist." Also, to group together various organizations/belief systems who use the term "Fundamentalist" is not a wise idea. I don't agree with Muslim Fundamentalists. Therefore I will not group myself with them, and I'm not oging to redefine the word.

As a Fundamentalist, myself, I believe that the doctrines of love and holiness are equally important. Mr. Bidstrup doesn't realize that both can exist in perfect union. God is perfectly loving, and yet perfectly just. He loves everyone and wants them to spend eternity with Him, but if a man chooses to rebel against God, God's perfect holiness demands punishment for sin. In the exact same way, Christian Fundamentalists strive to adhere to the express commands of the Bible. But if a Fundamentalist truly wants to glorify God she will always be loving, even toward people who are unsaved or living in sin. God commands us to love just as He commands us to be holy.

This short article does not even begin to deal with which fundamentals Fundamentalists hold to. But I hope it serves to present a more accurate picture of the word fundamentalist and explains that just because different groups utilize the title does not mean that they can be grouped together or attributed the same beliefs.

The Saudis play a two faced game, wanting their cake and eat it too.
1.Desire for U.S. technology, consumer goods and assured hegemony in their region
2.Walking a fine line to save face in the OPEC community and with their Islamic brethren.

Since the Saudi Cash Laundering deal clinched a continuous supply of oil for the U.S. (no more shortages as in the '70's) and was extraordinarily lucrative for the powers that be and Halliburton et al, wouldn't these powers that be go to any length to placate and mollify the Saudis and cater to any whim or caprice to keep the deal in place?

A SCENARIO:

THE SAUDIS SAY:
As you well know, we must fund and support fundamental Jihadists to maintain status in the Moslem World. However, in today's political climate and with the common perception that we are in bed with the Capitalist Satan, lip service to conservative religious values is not enough.
We need you to SANCTION an event we would enact on U.S. SOVEREIGN SOIL that would result in MINIMAL COLLATERAL DAMAGE to you, but would MAXIMIZE PR VALUES FOR US. This is a small favor to ask an esteemed business partner in order to insure our mutual favorable future relations.
The event would categorically state that the Saudis are NOT WIMPING OUT.
We would be able to reply to our critics and react in the same manner as Papa Bush's creative implementation of the MONROE DOCTRINE in the public flogging of Norieaga and the invasion of Panama or the chastisement of Saddam in the Gulf War. He truly sent a message to the world.

THE REPLY:
We will do our utmost to accommodate you in this matter.
We have a couple of obsolete office buildings in Manhattan that will fit the bill perfectly for a son et lumiere show. We can insure these buildings to the hilt in order to hedge our losses and may be able to put a spin on the spectacle that will also work to our advantage. To assure success and augment the total impact, we could possibly stage an ancillary concurrent side show at the Capitol . If there is any negative fallout we can tighten the screws and contain it. As the old saying goes,

"A nation of sheep, ruled by wolves can't talk Baaaak."

To avoid any unfortunate consequences from a possible backlash, we strongly advise flying the Bin Laden family out of the country on our nickel, prior to the event. As we helped our colleague in arms, Osama, in the Chechen conflict, we always take care of family first. What are friends for? Always great doing business with you.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

The Peshawar shopkeeper, 35, put up posters and went door to door for Islamic fundamentalists who promised to bring honest, competent and pious government to Pakistan's backward North West Frontier province.

Never again. Aslam has abandoned the clerics after watching what happened when they grabbed power here five years ago.

"They promised to give us justice," Aslam says. "They gave us nothing." He'll vote in parliamentary elections today for the non-religious Awami National Party (ANP).

Read the rest:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-02-17-pakistan_N.htm?csp=34

Today, the woman concerned has been 'pardoned' by King Abdullah.

Saudis are used to the public beheadings of murderers and amputations of the hands of pickpockets, but the Qatif girl's ordeal embarrassed the country at a time Riyadh is negotiating major international business deals and emerging as a potential broker in Middle East peace talks. The government said it would review the case, an indication that the king may want to overrule Islamic fundamentalists.

King Abdullah is widely regarded as a modernizer in a royal family balanced between those favouring change and others who insist on maintaining a strict Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. Satellite TV and the Internet have created a more open media and the king has supported local elections, even if they offer only token democracy. But liberals and human rights activists complain that hard-liners remain in control of the courts, Interior Ministry and other government agencies.

"Don't expect big changes and sudden successes, but reform has taken root," said Mishary A. Alnuaim, the vice dean of law and political science at King Saud University. "Modernizing religion is still slow. ... You still find a lot of messages of intolerance... Much of this is about the real or imagined invasion of Western culture. ... The religious hard-liners want to produce the argument that the Muslim world is still being victimized by Western influence and political power."

Reforming the judiciary is one of the most sensitive political challenges facing the king. The Saudis have parallel legal systems -- one of civil regulations, and the other a more prominent Sharia system based on strict adherence to the Koran. Criminal cases, including the rape of the Qatif girl, are presided over by religiously conservative judges who hold that holy texts are not bound by civil or man-made laws.

Despite discussion of merging the two systems, the religious judges hold tremendous sway; they represent a form of Islam that has kept the royal family in power for generations. They are also regarded by many Saudis as the only check and balance on the monarchy.

Yet their decisions draw frequent condemnation from international humanitarian groups and from Saudi activists for disregarding the rights of women, who are forbidden to drive or vote, and face restrictions on employment, dress and place in the family.

Some Saudi writers and commentators, in a rare outburst of harsh criticism, said the sentence, which is under government review, has embarrassed the nation.

"It is a tale that is more reminiscent of the cruel callous punishments meted out to women in medieval times. And yet sadly it is a case that is making headlines in the 21st century," Lubna Hussain wrote in an op-ed piece in the Saudi-based Arab News. "The judges looked into their crystal ball and saw that she had 'the intention of doing something bad' and this, therefore, constituted a very good reason for her to be gang raped. Always the woman's fault, but of course!"

Although the decision to 'pardon' the woman is to be welcomed, some issues of concern still remain.

First, although the punishment has been avoided, there is no clear sense that the innocence of the victim has been proclaimed, in fact the verdicts have been upheld in some quarters. The justice ministry had defended the woman's punishment, branding her an adulteress who "provoked the attack" because she was "indecently dressed". The Saudi justice minister, Abdullah bin Muhammed al-Sheikh, told Al Jazirah newspaper that the decision was based on concern for Qatif girl's welfare."The king always looks into alleviating the suffering of the citizens when he becomes sure that these verdicts will leave psychological effects on the convicted people, though he is convinced and sure that the verdicts were fair," he said. It feels like a pragmatic fudge.

Secondly, the attackers were not convicted of rape, but of kidnapping, this, according to Human Rights Watch, because the prosecutors could not prove rape. Apparently the prosecutors ignored the evidence provided by a mobile phone video taken by the men during the assault.

14 years ago, I contracted with the Eritrean Liberation Army to help build their TV station, ERITV in Asmara, the capital of the newly independent nation of Eritrea.

Eritrea had fought a 30 years long war with Ethiopia to wrest independence, and upon winning it, set out to build a national TV network.

This might have seemed a strange first task for a new nation in which pretty much no one had enough to eat, let along TV sets or even electricity.

Never-the-less, I was soon off to Asmara, where we encountered a massive transmitter atop the highest mountain, powered by a generator and hooked to a VHS machine for output. It was an interesting job.

After a few days, I started to wonder why they were doing this, so I asked the man in charge. The bills were all being paid by the USIA, (which he told me I could also read as CIA) and that the interest of the CIA was not so much TV Eritrea, but rather the fact that the signal we were sending out dropped over nearly half of Saudi Arabia - in particular, Mecca and Medina. And what was USIA providing EriTV with to broadcast with their enormous transmitter? Baywatch, among other things, which apparenly was very very popular in the Islamic Kingdom.

About 6 months ago, Jeff Jarvis convinced me to get on Facebook.

Everyone is doing this, he said.

Little did I know.

But it was true. It turned out to be a great tool for making contacts. I got lots of new 'friends' from the founder of AOL to the publisher of The Washington Post. It was all pretty cool. How far and how deep did this new network go? Who could I find?

A few days ago, I typed in the name al-Sudari. This is the ruling family in Saudi Arabia, the direct descendants of King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, the country he named after himself. Well, lo and behold, there are lots of members of the Saudi Royal Family on facebook! Lots of princes.. and princesses. Go do it yourself. Now, if you start to follow the links and check out 'friends' of 'friends' it starts to present a fascinating look into the ruling family of the Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There are more than 100,000 'friends' in the 'Saudi Arabia' group alone. And there are lots of other ones.

The first thing you will notice is, it is not very Islamic.

There are lots of scantily clad girls in the family and their friends. Some bare bottoms. Some bare breasts. There are shots of fast cars and guys with shades and bottles of scotch. In fact, the deeper you go, the less it looks like The Islamic Kingdom and the more it looks like Beverly Hills 90210... on steroids.

Now, I am no CIA analyst, but I think there is something here worth paying attention to.

Something very strange is going on in The Kingdom.

My guess is that there are not too many CIA operatives on Facebook, or who even know what it is.

A little more than a year ago, we met Bill and Hillary (yes, them) at a fundraiser dinner (don't ask). Given the chance, we took at shot.

"The videos on your website suck" we told Hillary.

She showed an immediate interest. (I am always looking for business).

"You should be on Youtube" we said.

"What?"

"Youtube"

She looked at her media director.

"You???? Youtube?" she asked.

I wrote it down.

"Check it out. You should be on it".

The CIA on Facebook?

Naaah...... probably not.

But if you want to fight 'Islamic fundamentalists', this is probably a better place to start.

Try this: call your local BBC radio station - or the BBC in London if you can find a telephone number for them, as a publicly funded organization - and so keen on the Web - they are remarkably shy about listing their phone numbers on their website or anywhere else - and ask them what programmes they are putting on over Christmas for your boys and girls serving abroad. I will be happy to read the replies you get so keep me informed.

Whether the threat is to one British National or a thousand, the response to such threats should be swift and unambiguos. So Mr Brown how about doing the job you are paid to do: protecting the people of Great Britain when threatened?

What makes this affair so sickening is the fact that Britain pumps money into the rotten fruit that calls itself Sudan in an effort to help its people to survive with dignity in the hope that one day they will be able to support themselves. However, that day seems a long way off as they appear to be far from evolved to the stage where any aid or investment is worth the bother.

 If only more people were prepared to voice their true beliefs without fear of the thought police maybe Islamic countries would cease from treating the countries of the west with such contempt. There is nothing that concentrates the mind of the savages of these countries like the thought of reduced aid.  If the hand they constantly hold out were to be left empty how long would these despicable regimes survive? Discuss.

The Price of Freedom: if the Dutch government abandons Ayaan Hirsi Ali, America should welcome her. 

    Does Great Britain get pissy and plot revenge on the fourth of July?

    Do liberal females support islamic radicals because Burkha's look so comfortable?

    I know its not commonly known, but freedom of speech goes hand in hand with the freedom to STFU.

    Do personal attacks bother you?  When someone attacks my person I generally go clip my toenails. 

    Have you ever been in a bar, half drunk and thought "there is no one in this whole place that I'm going to sleep with tonight?"  

    me neither

    when your phone rings do you find yourself sneaking up on it hoping the call isn't from you know who?

    when you get in your car do you feel sexier, or does that just happen to bald fat middleaged men driving vettes?

    How mad would you be if you found out that vegetables being healthy was just a government disinformation    campaign designed to help out farmers?

    Have you ever been talking to someone, and out of the blue you think "i've finally found my soulmate?

    Have you ever been right?   again, me either

     If it wasn't for my children I would likely be rich, incredibly adventurous, and very unhappy.

     there are exactly 7,436,519 reasons why men and women should not live in the same house.  Yet they still persist in this insanity.

     they keep making gadgets that will make my life easier.  All I want is something that will bend over for me.  that I could use.  Nope, its not a feature on the Iphone so I will never own one.

     If being poor isn't fun why are so many people poor?

     to my liberal fan base:  If George Bush is so stupid, how did he beat Al Gore and John Kerry?  I mean, if they're the best and the brightest the liberals have to offer, how did a dumbie get the job meant for them?

      If you ever have a few minutes to kill, and your ignorant about what the fight against islamic fundamentalism is all about...type the words "sharia law" in your browser window.  No, don't bother.  you're funner when you don't know what the hell you are talking about.

      I have ribs marinating, rum and tequila cooling, and my neighbors expecting our attendance at the usual 4th of july get together.  

    Thank god i have rum and tequila cooling.  Inebriation is the only thing that makes neighbors tolerable.

     My son just woke up.  Had I ever slept past noon my father would have...well...it's why I call him father, and not dad.

    Happy fourth of july.  May the freedom we cherish be recognized as something others fought and died for. 

yuck.  I apologize to those of you she named.  I can do no more than that.  I'll not honor the rest of it with any comment, but i did steal my stuff back

what these people aren’t.

Ron Paul…he isn’t a libertarian.  i could go into all the reasons why, but then you wouldn’t go to http://vote-smart.org and make up your own mind.

Ann Coulter…stupid.  She has found a niche that made her rich, and all she had to do was be nasty.  I can be nasty.  Of course I don’t have that horse-faced inbred look.

Mike Moore…a journalist.  but his new documentary sicko has enough truth in it to make it worth the view, just like all his documentaries.  Now its true I wouldn’t put him out if he was burning, but he still manages to catch my attention.

Sean Hannity…a pragmatist.  Given a chance to appeal to the decent sensibilities of intelligent people, Sean would pass and continue to preach to the choir with his nitwit vitriolic warmongering.  Face it Sean, if it wasn’t for my boy Alan (god what a geek) Colmes you’d be just another pasty faced Irish conservative talking on the radio.

George Bush…a bad guy.  You can hate him all you want.  You can think he’s stupid.  But do you really down in your heart after watching the guy think that he has ill intent?  I can see where he might be a little to easily led by the people he trusts, but I think ol George is as decent a man as has ever been president.  Remember Jimmy Carter? he was a decent guy.  shitty president.  Just like George.

Paris Hilton…she just isn’t.  Her 30 to 50 million future inheritance is real.  The cameras that chase her around are real.  The idiots that make her the star of their daily quest for titillation are real.  Turn off the camera’s though and Paris disappears…completely.

Hillary Clinton…a liberal.  Hillary Clinton is a politician par excellance.  She would bang every ungulate from here to poughkeepsie if the bestiality vote would get her made president.  Remember Bill? Stone cold liberal till he got elected.  Then he became moderate Bill pushing through the Republican agenda like no conservative president ever has.  Hillary is cut from the same cloth.  Its why they hate each other.

Al Sharpton…a man of god.   A man of god would work to bring people together under the lord.  Al Sharpton is s your typical for us by us black preacher.  Tawanda Brawley leaps to mind.  For those of you to young to remember her, she is why Al Sharpton stayed out of the Duke lacrosse team rape case.

Martha Stewart: dumb or weak.  This woman is as popular as she ever was with the middle class.  This after an insider trading scandal that made her look like a have greedily succumbing to the temptation to take advantage of her position in life.  Normally this would have her burned in effigy, instead, she’s who all the little Rachel Ray’s wanna be when they grow up.

Wolf Blitzer….a Wolf.  This boy is as sheep as it gets…. CNN has a ring in his nose and a finger up his a..   you know what I’m talking about.  This guy couldn’t spell cat if you spotted him the “c” and the “t” without some exec at CNN coaching him first

that’s what they aren’t… I couldn’t begin to guess what they are.

Talents

    About the only difference between today and every other weekday is that for some unknown reason I did a 180 on the way to the bathroom upon rising.  This confused the hell out of mollie the mooch.  Not really knowing what to do the poor pooch did what she does when she’s confused and sat down.  Roscoe, perpetually bringing up the rear in our little love caravan failed to notice my abrupt change of direction, and failed to yield.  This created the hilarious for me, disconcerting for mollie, and intolerable for roscoe result of Mollie sitting on Roscoe’s head.  I can’t really tell you in words, but seeing a cockerpoodle with a rabbit thrashing around in its butt is a vision that every day should start with.

    On to talents.  Do you have one? Wanna share?  I do.  Have one.  I’m sharing because I didn’t feel like playing poker, and its to hot to do anything that is not incredibly sedentary.   My talent is I’m a prick.  I can annoy a person in 15 seconds or less, piss em off in under a minute, and have them in a spittle flying apopleptic rage in well under 10.

     This doesn’t pay well as talents go.  I mean, its not getting loot like a Vincent Van Gogh original, but he was dead before the cashola started to flow.  Its not drawing pay like a fortune 500 executive either, but it has good bennies.   People are always incredibly fun to watch.  They will do the damnedest things if they think no one is looking.    Mad though, upset, annoyed; then they are at their finest.

    There is really no joy in life like watching a normally calm, sane human being completely losing their cool over a few words.  I don’t do anything else.  It’s not really all that iunteractive a sport.  Just speak and watch the games begin.  The reason I’m good at it is really quite simple.  It’s easy. 

   People lack self control.  They are so used to having things go the way that they want; when faced with anything out of the ordinary they become first defensive, then offensive, and then downright assinine.  i love it.  Its better than sex with a monkey.

    There are several gambits to the game.  Its not chess mind you, but maybe conversationally instigative checkers.  My favorite is to be over nice.  I’m not sure why this one works so well, but if their is one thing folks can’t stand its someone being nice to them.  I mean real nice.  I mean ass kissing, brown nosing, sycophantically nice.  This probably only works for me because it makes people wonder whats coming.  I’m so rarely nice to anyone outside of my household that it gives people the creeps when I am.

    Another one is to agree with everything someone says, and repeat it like its wisdom from the almighty.  This one performs well at work.  Unless you work with a closet insecurity freak that acts like an egomaniac.  They love this. 

    One I used just yesterday is maybe the easiest to get the opportunity to use.  Find some pompous windbag that’s obviously overly fond of him/herself, and just make observations about their character.  Nothing extreme mind.  Just point out how insecure they seem.  That sort of thing.  I had The vindictive bastard.wordpress.com so mad i know it took a bottle of windex to clean his screen.  Tormenting the obnoxious is fun.  Tormenting the semi-literate obnoxious is what makes life worth living.

   My book how to torment others is available for the low low price of $14.95 at all your better bookstores. 

Sunday is for random thoughts

1.  I’m pretty sure the reason alcoholism is a rampant sickness in our society is because it makes human interaction almost tolerable.

2.   Albania likes us.   That being the case it makes it real easy to wonder what the hell is wrong with the rest of Europe.  My vote is jealousy.  Na na na na boo boo.  You don’t like us because you want to be us.  You want to shower more than once a week.  You want to brush your teeth.   You want to have leaders that aren’t deviants, retards, and criminals.  Well, so do we on that last one.

3.  Congress has the effrontery to tell me that I need a 700 odd mile fence on my  over 1500 mile southern border.   Ok, so build a fence to keep your dog in.   Leave several gaps in it.  does it work?  How can you not chuckle?

4.  Gun control is the one issue I think I can have an impact on so pay attention.  Get a good sight picture.  Breathe in….release the breath and squeeze (don’t pull) the trigger.  I have now done my part on one of the great issues facing our society.  Use it in good health.

5.   My dog is fat, fluffy, and lazy.  She makes me get up at odd hours to take her out to relieve herself.  She barks incessantly when i’m not home which makes the neighbors complain.   She follows me literally everywhere.  you can’t divorce your dog, but I did get rid of a wife that behaved almost exactly the same way.

6.   To all you sullen Ron Paul fans that come, read, and leave pissed off because I think he looks like Henry Gibson, or has the people skills of Elmer Fudd.  Get over it.  I’m just being a jilted fan.  His stance on imperialism is right on, but he is not as so many of you like to say….a libertarian.  Go to vote-smart. org, and read up on your diminutive dynamo.  The man is at least 7 turnips shy of a truckload.

7.  Breakfast is by far the most important meal of the day.  Today I had a cuba libre’ and some cheese popcorn.  I feel like a million bucks.  Well, like 32 bucks and some change, but thats progress.

8.   Nascar has a rain delay for the second week in a row.  Ted does not like nascar.  Ted does not like anything.  Ted is a spoiled rotten omnipotent brat, and should be excoriated in all the newspapers of the land.  Its good to be irreverant on Sunday.  Its a day of rest, and their is nothing more restful than twisting the tail of the created by man creator.

9.  Love is a four letter word that is defined   “someone else doing things exactly the way you want them to.”

I can live without it.

10.    If the French have finally realized that socialism is an invalid theory, and they have judging by the conservative landslide in their parliamentary elections, does that mean we can now put that baby to bed in Europe?  Or is the dumbest, laziest, dirtiest nation in Europe just trying to keep up with the brits?  Hard to say.  If they all start riding around naked on their bicycles we’ll have our answer.

11.   Ferrets attack more people than grizzly bears.   I know this is true because I saw it on a mountain dew commercial.

12.  My dentist wants 4 digits to work on my teeth.  Thats not so bad.  I just won’t buy gas this week.

13.    Its over.  For the 39th time in 3 days its over.  I haven’t figured out what it is yet, but I’m not defecating what looks like thick lemonade anymore, so i think its a good thing.

14.  You have just wasted 10 minutes of your day if you read all of this.   Thats assuming that if you’re reading this you have to sound out the long words, and read while moving your lips.  You should maybe do something else now.

15.   Remember….you can’t change anything.  You have no power.  Control is only an illusion, and your life is slowly spiralling into the fiery pits of hell.  Chaos will rule supreme in your existence, and life will never be as good for you as it was yesterday.  That being said, you still as a species are amusing as hell.  Please continue.

according to spellcheck I didn’t mispell anything.  Find a deep hole and pray.  Armageddon is upon us.

suck your thumb

     I try to be moderate in my viewpoints.  I also try to curtail my opinion when I disagree with something someone else does or says.  I almost never comment on other writers, because….well….a lot of them are idiots, and you don’t make any friends calling people idiot.

     Michelle Malkin….you are an idiot.  You may be cute, but you’re still an idiot.   I read one of this wenches articles today, and I came away with this utterly amazed feeling.  Not at the depth of her persuasive ability.  Not at her obvious astuteness.  i was amazed that the Washington Times actually paid this overeducated elitist to write this swill.

     Seems Michelle is a little worried that all the allah lovers are teaching their kids to kill whitey, and were teaching ours to be wussies.  Its quite true.  Thats almost exactly whats happening.  In middle America.  In the public schools of our suburbs, maybe.  The muslims do teach their children about Jihad from the time they pull em off the camels teat.  They’ve been doing it for generations.  War in the middle east is like saturday cartoons here.  They keep getting worse, and they never end.

     I guess where my problem comes in is in wondering what we should do.  Help me out Michelle.  Shall we have M-16 training in kindergarten?  Should all our politicians rattle the sabre?  Can you see Ron Paul threatening anyone? “Be vewwwy vewwy quiet….wewe hunting muswims…..hehehehehehehehe.”  

      I don’t think I want my children trained to hate anyone.  I’ll grant our schools suck.  I’d go so far as to say the government wastes almost every tax dollar they sink into the public schools.  I live in the inner city though.  All I can say is I’d pit my streetwise scumbags against the ayatollahs assholes any old day.  The kids in my neighborhood don’t lack for balls, and the kids in Michelle’s neighborhood aren’t going to fight our wars anyway. 

    So do me a favor you wafer thin sorority sister nitwit.  Move your column to the society page, or talk some sense.  

http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/mmalkin.htm   michelle’s blithering idiocy in print.

 ok, I don’t try….so what.
 

Faith, Love, and the Art of Politics

    Like Baskin Robbins, politics has a flavor of the day.  In the republican party, or rather for a fringe element of them its Ron Paul.  For the Democrats, it changes like I change socks.    For all concerned, the flavor is faith, and how sweet it is to broadcast your beliefs on all the cable network news shows.  I was watching tonight; (and I confess to ignoring most of it), the three top candidates from the democrats discussing their faith on CNN’s faith forum.

    Here I should point out that I have a lackadaisical attitude toward faith.  I have faith, but I limit it to those things that are almost certain to happen whether I believe they will or not.  Like the sun coming up, my children asking for $150.00 shoes, or me hurling if I chase my tequila with a vicodin.   Its not a spiritual thing with me.  I do pray though.  I like to think of it as chatting with Ted.  It usually goes something like this.

Me: Uh, lord?

God:  I told you to call me Ted.

Me:  Yeah, but it feels a little wierd.

God:  I’m god, your wierdness isn’t my problem.

Me: true.

God: so what’s up?

Me: The usual.  I’m confused about you really.

God:  Do tell?

Me:   Well, what is it you do?

God:  I’m omnipotent.

Me:  Do tell?

God:  I can do anything.

Me:  Really?  Like cure aids?  end famine? stop wars?

God:  I could do all those on a slow Tuesday.

Me: really?!?!  Then why don’t you?

God:  I gave man free will.  If you folks want it fixed…. fix it.

Me:  (thinks)  ok, so what do you do?

God:  I’m omnipotent.

Me:  But what does that entail?

God:  I created the universe in 6 days.  Then took a day off.

Me: Then what?

God:  (thinks)  I had immaculate conception with Mary, then 33 years later I gave my only begotten son that man would be saved.

Me: from what?  Saved from what?

God:  Nobody ever asked that before…I’ll ruminate on it.

Me:  Then what?

God:  Then nothing.  I’m waiting.

Me:  For what?

God:  For man to love his fellow man, for the rich to care for the poor, for the church to care for the unsaved, for all mankind to love one another.

Me:   You got hopes.

God:  Nope.  I have a hammock, a never ending six pack, and you to pick on.

Me: sounds like a good gig.

God: Works for me.

Me: no kiddin.  So just one more question?

God: shoot?

Me:  What do you think of the candidates for the 2008 election?

God:  I think I need a beer.

Me: Oh, me too.  Thanks a bunch Ted.  Can you hold my coat?

My Republican roots run deep!  Born in the “Age of Reagan”, to a Republican family, the values of small government and strong fiscal values were instilled at an early age. In hindsight, I was Republican when it wasn’t chic. Many of the memories from my youth consist of collected vignettes from the campaign trail, traveling with my family, stumping for Republican candidates on all levels. Locally, I watched as my parents introduced conservative policies in their roles on the local school boards and city council. Throughout the process, I had the opportunity to meet with several accomplished politicians that now serve in the highest offices in the land.

Perhaps my most vivid memory comes from the 1988 Texas State Republican Convention in Houston. Then Vice President, George H. W. Bush, was involved in a surprisingly tough primary with religious television mogul, Pat Robertson.  From a child’s perspective, Robertson seemed like an ideal president, a “good Christian man” promoting “good Christian values.” However, my parents warned me of his divisive nature and of the dangers of mixing fundamentalism with politics.

Indeed, Robertson’s delegates would return from the state convention defeated but not swayed. They returned to the county conventions, introducing several regressive social policies that bordered on violating the “establishment clause” of our great Constitution. While my parents and friends first dismissed this group as a “radical fringe minority”, we sat and watched as they slowly gained more and more influence over our grand old party, starting locally and gradually expanding to the state and national stage.

Energized by the Republican Revolution of 1994, they set their eyes on the 1996 Presidential election, but turned out to be the not ready for prime-time players. In 2000, George W. Bush confessed that he was a “born again” Christian and I joined 50,456,168 other Americans in choosing him as our new leader. However, it didn’t take long for disappointment to set in with me.

The social conservatives immediately unveiled their agenda, “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Like the Scottish king who uttered those words, these people were blinded by power and inevitably leading their nation down the path of destruction.  Karl Rove played the part of the Satan’s svengali, Lady Macbeth, encouraging the masses to join the President in a new Crusade of the Middle East, this time for conversion to the cause of American imperialism and not the cause of Christ.

 Let me be the first to say, September 11 revealed the face of evil to be Islamic fundamentalists and justified a strong military response. Obviously, Afghanistan served as the logical starting point, but it was the post-Afghanistan response that bewildered me. Desert Storm crippled Sadam Hussein and Iraq; they existed as another Cuba, a controlled threat. Meanwhile, extremists gained more and more control in places like Iran and Somalia. It stands to reason that our military resources would have been better served in these two countries than in the virtually impotent country of Iraq. After problems in Afghanistan, Iran and Somalia were thoroughly dealt with, we could then turn our attention to Iraq, but I digress.

Locally, the social conservatives gained a strong grip on the government. The fight shifted from Republican v. Democrat to Republican v. Republican. I watched the social conservatives drag one of the greatest statesmen in Texas’ history, Bill Ratliff, through the mud, eventually forcing him out of the political arena. By the 2002 midterms, I found myself distancing from the party I loved.

I began looking into alternative candidates, specifically attending rallies hosted by the local chapter of the Green Party. The Greens sugarcoated version of socialism proved to be too extreme for my taste, so I committed the ultimate act of heresy and voted Democrat. To say the least, the 2002 election left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Immediately, I began to set my eyes on 2004. Initially, I fell in love with Howard Dean, then John Kerry, but after hearing Barak Obama’s speech at the DNC, I knew we had the wrong man. Obama was the only Democrat capable of beating Bush, but he was running for Senate and not President. Regardless, I devoted the next few months to working on the Kerry campaign, investing time, money and energy. On Election Day, I was the first one at the polls and proudly cast my vote for a straight Democratic ticket.  That night, as the results came in, I collapsed on my bed, overcome by sorrow; first the social conservatives hijacked my party and now my country.

My frustration continued to grow as I learned the Democratic Party did not represent me either. 

In the end, I am a disgruntled Republican. I’ve found that there are millions of Republican like myself across our great nation, Republicans who admire men like Ronald Reagan, Rudy Giuliani, Bill Ratliff and John McCain, Republicans who value strong fiscal policies, a strong military, a strong public education system and strong policies preventing illegal immigration, Republicans who value their faith and a small government that does not concern itself with legislating morality. 

Change begins at home and our homes are our Republican primaries. It’s imperative that we find more true Republicans to run in the 2008 primaries. We must end the reign of men like Sam Brownback and Rick Santorum and elect more men like John McCain. In order to do this, we must become and remain vocal. We must express our frustration with the current platform of the party and demand a return to the basics of conservative politics. Our government has grown, not shrunk under the leadership of the current Republicans. Spending has increased and deficits have soared. These are not the values of my Republican Party.