“I have argued with him on almost every subject in the world, and we have always been on opposite sides, without affectation or animosity…. It is necessary to disagree with him as much as I do, in order to admire him as I do; and I am proud of him as a foe even more than as a friend.” – G.K. Chesterton on his relationship with George Bernard Shaw, from Chesterton’s autobiography.
ONE DEM GETS IT: Peter Beinart makes a strong case for the Democrats to make hay about the federal munificence to corporate tax-evaders.
THE ENEMY’S TACTICS:Here’s a useful summary of Saddam’s police methods. This is what anti-war “progressives” want to protect from outside interference.
A BRITISH VIEW: “Sport is the arena in which men parade the virtues that are the essence of masculinity: courage, athleticism, strength, endurance, will, magnanimity in victory, dignity in defeat. Many women find that fantastically sexy, which is why you’ll rarely see a sports star with an ugly girlfriend. And many men find it sexy, too, which is why they stick pictures of their heroes all over their bedroom walls.That’s what’s so crazy about all the gay sportsmen rumours. For I don’t care how straight you are, how many women you shag or how many kids you’ve produced. When it comes to loving sport, we’re all a bunch of poofs.” – this, a defense of Al Gore’s “fifth column” remark, and an attack on Al Gore’s ‘fifth column” remark, all on the Letters Page.
THE ENEMY’S ENEMY: This transcript is worth reading. It’s an interview with a Bangladeshi writer, Taslima Nasrin, who lives under the threat of death because of her criticisms of Islam. She fears for her life each day. And she specifically disputes the idea that there are several Islams, most of which are peaceful:
TN: … [I]t is written in the Koran that if you are not Muslim, or if you are you know disbeliever, then you should be killed. Islam divides the world in two parts: Dar al-Harb and Dar al-Islam. Dar al-Harb means land of infidels and Dar al-Islam means land of Islam. So it’s the Muslim’s duty to make, to kill all the infidels or make them convert and to make all the land Dar al-Islam, means land of Islam.
ES: What about the idea of tolerance?
TN: There is no tolerance. There is no tolerance in Islam because, you know if it is, if a law say, because a law says that disbelievers would go to hell if you are a Muslim but you reject Islam and if you deny Allah or Prophet Mohammad, then you should be killed. You know fundamentalists issued fatwa against me. Many people, the so-called liberal Muslims, say that: no, it’s not real Islam, Islam is for peace, Islam doesn’t allow any fatwa. Actually, it is not true. The fundamentalists are following, are practicing Islam correctly.
And the key point is that Nasrin, like Salman Rushdie, isn’t safe even in the West. The brutality isn’t only “over there.” It’s here.
QUOTATION MARK WATCH: Have you begun to notice how some commentators (mainly on the left but also on the paleo-right) have begun to put the term “war on terrorism” in quote marks? I wonder what part of the phrase they don’t buy. That we are fighting terrorism? Or that we are at war? Here’s a recent example. It’s in the opening paragraph. Send me other egregious ones as well, would you?
CLARIFICATION: In my post yesterday about Islam versus gays, some people were confused when I posited the notion of a fundamentalist Christian group possibly calling for the execution of gays. Obviously, I was referring to what happened with extremist Muslims in Australia. But the post was a little confusing, and I’m sorry for that. But if you think fundamentalist Christians would never say or believe such a thing, you’re wrong. Check this story out. Of course, these people are fringe types. But they exist – and are particularly influential in the “ex-gay” movement. But in some ways, I respect their hideous consistency. One of the things that befuddles me about some Christian fundamentalists is why they don’t call for public executions of homosexuals. They say they believe in the Bible literally. And Leviticus clearly calls for the death penalty for sodomy. So why do they refuse to follow the Bible? Or are they cafeteria fundamentalists?
The Dish 