Yep, it gets even more depressing.
ALLAWI ON ELECTIONS: He says he’d prefer them sooner than January. Shouldn’t this be a bigger story if it’s true?
THE FANATICS WE FACE: The more recent outbreak of Islamist mass murder and mayhem should stir us to remember the real enemy. Here’s a posting from a website allegedly celebrating the latest murders in Saudi Arabia. Cited in a terrific column by Aussie Andrew Bolt, it purports to be written by one Fawwaz bin Muhammad al-Nashami, a Jihadist who escaped. Its details comprt with what we know happened. Listen to him:
Al-Nashami says he and his “brothers” shot their way into an oil company compound, where, as police confirm, they killed a British worker and tied his body to their car. He says they drove on until “the infidel’s clothing was torn to shreds and he was naked in the street … and everyone watched the infidel being dragged, praise and gratitude be to Allah.” The terrorists then stormed a second compound, and found an “American infidel”.
“I shot him in the head, and his head exploded. We entered another office and found one infidel from South Africa, and our brother Hussein slit his throat. We asked Allah to accept (these pious acts) from us, and from him.” The terrorists then killed guards at a third compound, where al-Nashami says they found Johansson: “Brother Nimr cut off his head and put it at the gate, so that it would be seen by all …” They caught other workers and checked their religion.
“We found Filipino Christians. We cut their throats and dedicated them to our brothers the Mujahideen in the Philippines. We found Hindu engineers and we cut their throats, too, Allah be praised … We utilised the time for (teaching) the Koran to the Muslims who remained.”
Please don’t tell me that this is not religiously-inspired terrorism. And these people, according to the 9/11 Commisssion, remain “extremely interested in conducting chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attacks.” We are absolutely right to hold Western governments to account for failures, abuses and incompetence. But the government is not the enemy. Neither is John Kerry. And the enemy is still out there.
BUSH ON AIDS: He spoke movingly and powerfully yesterday. History will credit him for caring about this issue far more than his predecessor, Bill Clinton. Maybe because it was my eleventh anniversary of finding out I got HIV but I was moved by his words. Except, of course, for his usual exception in his compassionate conservatism: gay men. The president managed to give an entire speech and – again – never mentioned one of the biggest groups in the country affected by it. Amazing. How do his speech-writers do it? To a black audience, he had a chance to help them confront the homophobia that has crippled the black community’s ability to confront the epidemic. But, of course, Bush didn’t. Imagine what James Dobson would say. He also said the following:
The second part of a domestic strategy to fight AIDS is prevention. I think it’s really important for us to focus on prevention. We can learn from the experiences of other countries when it comes to a good program to prevent the spread of AIDS, like the nation of Uganda. They’ve started what they call the A-B-C approach to prevention of this deadly disease. That stands for: Abstain, be faithful in marriage, and, when appropriate, use condoms. That’s what A-B-C stands for. And it’s working. I like to call it a practical, balanced and moral message.
And yet, in one of the populations most at risk from this disease, Bush opposes any measures that would encourage marriage. In fact, he is waging a war to ban such marriages, and erase any incentives for gay men to stick together. Is Bush aware of this lacuna? If marriage cannot be a strategy for prevention among gays, then what is his prevention policy? He has none, because in order to have one, he would have to acknowledge that gay people exist – and that he is their president too. That he cannot and will not do. It’s too depressing for words.
QUOTE FOR THE DAY I: “I have not yet read Mr. Clinton’s book, but you can bet that my Judicial Watch attorneys will. I have learned that Bill Clinton has repeated his lies about me, and I am sickened by his continued disregard for the truth. Bill Clinton pretends to be contrite, but he continues to bear false witness against his neighbor. He is a national disgrace.” – Gennifer Flowers, Bill Clinton’s former long-term mistress.
QUOTE FOR THE DAY II: “‘Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of their women’ … Wait a minute, that’s Conan. I stepped out of character here for a second.” – Arnold on his governing philosophy, in the New York Times. The very fact that he has set up a smoking tent in the grounds of the California legislature (smoking is banned inside) is yet another reason to love the guy. And no, he won’t be stumping for Bush.
ROMNEY AND WELD: They’re a contrast of two kinds of Republican governors – one is a Mormon dedicated to keeping gay couples marginalized; the other is a libertarian WASP who actually officiates at a wedding for his old roommate. I know which party I support.
The Dish 