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- The fracas in the Middle East can only be described as insane. I think the Israelis and Hezbollah have lost their doggone minds. Can’t they be airlifted to some remote desert and left there to sort out their issues without involving innocent civilians? And that mentality of “we won’t stop because they started is” is juvenile to the extreme. Really. 400+ dead? For what?!!!
- The United Nations as usual is proving to be a well oiled talking machine. As people are dying left right and center, I have no doubt they are in meetings and deliberations deciding on the semantics of what is happening in the Middle East. I mean, did they ever resolve whether what was happening in Darfur was genocide or not? Meetings, workshops, sessions, etc will be held for weeks and weeks. Cakes will be eaten and coffee will be drunk. Resolutions and statements will be passed. One of them I feel sure will read as follows:
The United Nations strongly condemns the
unfortunate goings on in the Middle East.
Personally, “we condemn…” has always struck me as being a quintessentially bullshit statement of absolutely no value whatsoever. I mean, what changes before and after it is made?
Lethargy, after all, has always been the UN’s strong point. And the African Union is learning fast. They’re still meeting over Darfur x years later (where x is a large number). I have a lengthy post on this unbelievably bureaucratic shadow boxing entity that I hope to get round to posting soon.
Just you wait. They will shed crocodile tears as they did after Kosovo, Rwanda and are doing now over Darfur. Words like “never again” will come from gentlemen and ladies whose faces will be twisted in real agony.
- Watching the Kibaki government shamelessly make use of state resources to boost their preferred candidates to the skies just goes to illustrate that the more things change the more they stay the same
- Women, as usual, were the losers in these elections. I for one think the fewer Maina Kamandas and Fred Gumos we have and the more Wangari Mathais and Charity Ngilus we have the more effective that bumbling house that is parliament will be
AOB
Good parents who love their children will NOT buy anything from here
You – You rock. Totally.
HOT SITE OF THE WEEK
SOBERING SITE OF THE WEEK
Numero uno!Now to read and give my pearls of wisdom,wit or sarcasm!:D
I agree with you… civilian casualty has gone way out of hand and the UN should buy a piece of desert somewhere and make it a wartime playground.
Tho’ on the other hand, i see where Israel is coming from. Though it’ll cost them some, they probably want to malizana with the biff of Hezbollah for once and for all. Given that its already cost some lives, Israel may the loss of life worth the heart ache by wiping out Hezbollah kabisa; to prevent future skirmishes.
I wrote “The Terror Era” on this particular issue. Have a read
I respect Kivuitu for his straight and hard hitting remarks. You can only talk down at the President when you have a tenure more permanent than His.
They should be put in a large arena with blunt weapons (no guns) so that they can sort each other out.
As for the U.N, it is like that big dog your farmer neighbour used to have that would do nothing but bark with it’s harsh creaking voice while you climbed the mango trees harvesting, carried away maize and even milked his cows in the dead of night.Or like a geriatric watchman who tells thieves not to steal and goes to hide when they get to breaking in.The U.N is all talk no action! But who knows all that condemnation by the U.N may make both parties reconsider their actions?
As for the Kibaki government, why repair the roads when you can use state helicopters to campaign.After all they must remind the citizens that they are come from heaven like manna and deserve the people’s praise.After all where would the common man be without his M.P?
Fre Gum is still around?Haven’t heard a sound bite from him in a long time!He was always good for a quote that would make you wonder what script he was reading from.Remember when he said that street kids all deserve to be whipped and sent home?Or when he told Utalii students on strike that they may be saying no (about going back to class) now but he would make them say yes?And to think that I am registered to vote in his constituency.
Nothing like the threat of a pee and poo toy to get stubborn kids back in check over Christmas!
What amazed me about the elections were the seemingly low number of votes (Nakuru Town excepted) needed in order to win. I could be reading it wrong (I’m fairly new to Kenyan politics, especially elections, only having been here for 8 months) but according to today’s Nation, the new MP for Saku only got 5,795 votes… Does Saku have a small population, or do people in the North tend not to register to vote (the Nation said Saku’s voting population was 17,050)…
Indeed, if voter participation would be increased, change would most likely be easier to effect. Just witness the last US presidential elections when both parties went all out to mobilize the youth (Dems) and rural populations (Reps) and the turnouts reported. What are some of the ways of doing this in Kenya, where state controlled media is what most citizens have access to? Cell phones? Mass text message campaign educating folks on their voting rights and responsibilities?
As for the Middle East, aich, WWIII looks like it will be a desert warfare type thing. I agree with you on just dumping all involved into a closed room or open desert and have them duke it out there, leaving the “nyasi” in peace. These ndovus are just beyond words.
how do you say F@ck Nark Kenya in a language that they will understand?? we need to teach these old guards a lesson i wish kenyans would vote out ALL and i mean ALL of the current leadership & elect a completely new breed of people to lead us.
im really upset for people using state resources to campaign for their people the worst thing is that there is nothing we can do about it well for now. really annoying
Talking of genocide, i always try to apply that to the Middle East question. It seems to me that killing of Jews is genocide- or let us see, they have their own private term- Holocaust- but the serial killing of Palestinian children is… (insert answer for me)
I think the civilians dying in Lebanon are collateral damage I mean war is war, what matters to me is who is the active aggressor. And that is: The Nation of Israel.
But then others will disagree… and i have digressed anyway
egm: using bulk sms to explain and encourage voting (in and of itself, not for any particular party) might not be such a bad idea. It isn’t cheap though, as can be seen here:
http://www.aql.com/site/prices.php (there are other companies, I just happened to come across this one)
Maybe Soros’s foundation (Open Society) would be willing to fund such a move with support from the major cell phone operators. Of course, it could start an unfortunate “vote for me” sms spam precedent….
Yaiz. Well, I think the Hezbollah are trying to show the Arab world that Israel can be dealt with. Can be attacked. They can be killed. And that hope among the Arabs will (they hope) win more (and active) Islamo-Arab (he! he!) allies and finally Palestine can become a nation. So they hope. Israel, when cornered, fights.
Err… Prof. Maathai, yes. Ngilu?
Chrenyan… interesting point but my money is on Israel…
They have no oil but BRAINS… check out the Nobel Prizes (many, many Jews)… Now I am NOT equating Jews with Israel but Israel is a Jewish state.
The Israelis had started a farm in Kibwezi, did wonders with the land, then handed it to Univ of Nbi. Today it is a wasteland!
Many high-tech firms have research labs in Israel to tap into the brainpower. Most arab countries rely on imported food. If not for the oil, they would be poorer than sub-saharan Africa (imagine..)!
You want a RADICAL solution to the problem? Give the Israelis 1 month without external interference, condemnation, etc & they will take care of the problem once & for all…. Just shut your eyes…
Israel will “grow” encompass most of the Mid-East & oil will a-plenty….
Why am I pro-Israel? Well, the bombings at the Norfolk, Paradise & Nairobi were carried out by Muslim Terrorists… The aid came from the West & Israel. Remember the sniffer dogs sent by Israel. Heck, they even helped during the Nyamakima building collapse.
Did any of the “Muslim or Arab” nations condemn the bombings? Did they send any assistance?
Once Pee & poo start an adult line, do you want a shirt or something? :-) What are we ’saying’ to our children.. but again people enjoy the weirdest things.. (more research needed)
The UN can condemn things as much as they want, considering what a ‘big voice’ they have, they could do sooo much more. What will it take you wonder for some action? follow through? more deaths I guess… if Somalia & Darfur escalate this, will they meet again to shed crocodile tears????
Voting at home, no comment :-(
Have a fab week.
I concur with that “put in some remote desert to sort themselves” some things just dont make sense. Am still trying to fathom what is really gooing on so until i do letme reserve my comments lest i say something OFF
As for Maina Kamanda, gumo et al…….nuff said!
@ VituVingiSana. Personally, I’m on Israel’s side. One has only to read of the 6-day war to realise that in fact these Arabs are slow to learn.
Yes, they have a rockets, and they are using them, but the way they are fighting, I read one analysis that said all they have to do is fight to a stalemate (not lose) and the rest of the Arab world will say “Hey! We can do it!”
If I was to have my way, I’m just like you! Give Israel the leeway, count to 3, and the Beqa’a (sp) Valley becomes the Beqa’a Plains. Plus I believe (CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENT ALERT), God is on Israel’s side.
M – I agree peace is what most want including yours truly!
Regarding the Muslim statement. It is NOT the faith (Islam) that is an issue but the interpretation. When atrocities are committed in the name of “God” by Muslim terrorists, where is the outrage by fellow Muslims of these “individuals who happen to be Muslim”?
Why do they justify acts of terrorism by claiming “oppression”?
Another example is SLAVERY which is allowed/justified under Islam – oh, it is whitewashed as only Non-Muslims can be made slaves & are treated as FAMILY. My EFFING arse. Apparently even Mohammed kept slaves.
http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/slavery.htm
I don’t think Jesus or Buddha or Krishna had slaves!
Yikes! And then read Exodus 21,which is pretty much a guideline for treatment of slaves. Including (shock!) sex slaves.
Look at the Hindu society and its caste system. Tsk tsk.
My point? There are no saints. When casting stones we must necessarily be wary
Ever heard of reparations/apologies from tippu tip’s descendants?
Omanis were among the major slave traders. Any apologies forthcoming?
It is this LACK of condemnation that galls me! The “Western” countries are blamed for issues that most of their citizens have no control over! Often, not even the specific country but “Western” countries!
As a Kenyan, it was the LACK of support from the “Muslim” nations after “individuals of the Muslim faith” blew up & killed 250+ KENYANS to make a statement to the USA. Most of the aid/assistance came from the Western countries. Even though it was the US embassy, the USA was not required to provide assistance BUT they did.
Did the Yemenis (the terrorists it seemed were of Yemeni origin/citizens) do the same? What of the Saudis? Iraqis, Palestinians, Iranians, Pakistan or a myriad of other Muslim states?
Israel was a friend in time of need. They provided manpower, logistics & equipment. Are you aware of any MUSLIM country that provided condolences or cash or other assistance?
Of course, there was the Paradise Hotel bombings! What a hit for tourism, jobs & livelihoods! These are POOR Kenyans with no “oil” income sitting on their sun-baked arses.
Apparently of the 125 or so (ongoing or recent) shooting wars, MOST involve Muslims on at least one side…
I can’t verify the number but does someone have a verifiable source?
Israel-Hizbollah
Israel-Palestine
India-Pakistan (various incl Kargil)
Shiite-Sunni (Iraq)
USA-Shiite (Iraq)
Russia-Chechens
Darfurians-Janjaweed (Sudan)
N.Sudan vs S.Sudan (Arab/Muslim vs Black/Animist characterisation. I hope the current peace holds!)
Clan vs Clan (Somalia) – 5 shooting wars right here between the factions & clans!
Bali (Attacks on Hindus & tourists by Muslims terrorists)
USA-Muhajedeen (Afghanistan)
USA-Osama, et al
M – Ahhh… Sometimes I think you say the same things I do when my stubby fingers can’t type anymore… wouldn’t mind Jessica’s boots do the walking…. umm, sorry about the diversion…
This is NOT an anti-Muslim rant. I have good friends who are (moderate) Muslims i.e. live & let live. That is OK but don’t condemn me if I not of the “book”….
BTW, apparently Atheists, Animists, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Shinto are considered “infidels” coz they are not of the “book” i.e. Jews or Christians, therefore fit to be made slaves!
When the taliban destroyed the ancient pre-Islamic Buddhist statues in Afhanistan, it broke my heart. Most Muslim country (save a weak protest by Egypt) raised their voices.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhas_of_Bamiyan
At least the Egyptians realised that the radicals could blow up the pyramids & Luxor temples to Ra the Sun-god.
BUT how many conflicts can you name that do not have any one side being Muslim?
There are such conflicts but they are substantially fewer…. Not many come to mind…
Tamils vs Sinhalese (Sri Lanka – no religious motive but cultural/land)
Native Indians vs Hispanics (Mexico – Chiapas conflict though it has died down)
Can’t think of another off the bat! Can you?
Israel-Hezbollah
Israel-Palestine
India-Pakistan (various incl Kargil)
Shiite-Sunni (Iraq)
USA-Shiite (Iraq) [On numbers alone the US is largely Christian]
Russia-Chechens [Russia is about 60% Russian Orthodox]
Darfurians-Janjaweed (Sudan)
N.Sudan vs S.Sudan (Arab/Muslim vs Black/Animist characterisation. I hope the current peace holds!) [Southern Sudan is largely Christian]
Bali (Attacks on Hindus & tourists by Muslims terrorists)
USA-Muhajedeen (Afghanistan)
USA-Osama, et al
And then to add some of my own examples of Christians presently very happy to live by the sword
Joseph Kony – Uganda
Alice Lakwena – Uganda
Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma bombing)
IRA – Everyone
Basque Separatists- The Spanish People
Irish Catholics – Irish Protestants
Orthodox Serbs – Catholic Croats
Oh — and in Sri Lanka the Hindi Tamil Tigers are at the throats of the Buddhist Sinhalese
My argument is that most MODERATE Muslims will NOT condemn the atrocities carried out in the name of Islam! Silence becomes a form of assent.
Buddhism & Jainism espouse peace. They do not advocate violence.
Judaism & Islam might not overtly support violence but when “Yahweh” or “Allah” allow for conquering armies, etc that is worrisome!
Hinduism is complex in that Rama, Shiva & Krishna (3 of the “major” Gods) were/are warriors! At the same time Ganesha & Brahma (2 “important” Gods) are peacemakers!
The e-mail I received that used this argument was interesting! The question remains why does almost every society that Islam comes into touch with lead to conflict?
BTW, the Christians did their bit in years past – the colonial wars, WW1, WW2, the Crusades BUT they don’t matter as much coz I live in the PRESENT… I was born after most of the “Christian/Hindu/Buddhist/Shinto” wars of the past.
Hinduism is complicated i.e. Hindus are not homogeneous. My take is that various different religions are bunched together & called Hindus. The British probably found this easier to deal with than have multiple religions in their territories!
There is no One God or One Messenger or One Son of God or One Prophet…. The caste system is thought to have been introduced by the invading Aryans back in the day.
In any event the caste system is being disbanded & India has outlawed it for many years. Slavery was legal in Saudi Arabia till 1962 whereas M. Gandhi fought for the “lower castes” in the 1940s.
There are few/nominal Muslims in S.America otherwise we would have a war there as well!
I left out numerous civil wars since these may have Muslims on both sides but are NOT religious wars:
Morocco vs Sahrawi (Western Sahara)
Algerian Civil War
The “Oil” raids (Nigeria)
P.S. I use Wikipedia quite a lot so you should be able to corroborate the info above (of course, you need to “trust” Wiki)…
M – anyway… my original point was BOTH SIDES ARE BEING IDIOTIC and have more to gain through peace than war.
It is all an F*****G waste of good money. materials & manpower!
If Israel’s neighbours were to ask for agricultural know-how I bet the Mid-East would be able to feed themselves! Look at Dubai (cosmopolitan & moderate) vs Yemen.
Aden was famous as a trading post for many years whereas Dubai was an unknown.
Let the Israelis have what they have. Give the Palestinians cash & know-how. Let them build up Gaza. Lebanon should kick out the Hizbollah like they did the Syrians…
BTW, the Kibwezi story was in either the Nation or Standard. Check out this website http://www.mfa.gov.il
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/021299/Features/XX1.html
The Bad: They handed it to U0N (Kenyans)in phases starting in 1995. The farm had sales of Shs 1M per month… 2006 -sales are close to 0/naught/zero/sufuri…
The Ugly: The farm is in ruins! A UoN offiicial admitted that as the “big” ate so did the “small” thus a total collapse!
The Good: Many of the area’s residents “learnt” the techniques & applied them to their farms. At least the entrepreneurial spirit in Kenyans is alive & kicking!
M,I agree with you. In any war, innocent civilians bear the brunt of the atrocities commited by the warring factions,armies or whatever term may be convenient.
The current Israeli/Hezbollah war is as senseless as they can ever be.may be you are right, may be they should just be airlifted to some desert where they can sort out their differences.if only they could keep civilians out of this madness, then they could as well go ahead and blow each others asses to hell and back for all i care.
The UN as usual has continued from where it left off (Rwanda,Kosovo, Darfur…) and is proving with no reasonable doubt that its just a toothless bulldog.How much more innocent blood will have to be shed before the “we strongly codemn…” crap is turned into actions.
A war is not won (as clearly depicted by what currently happening in Iraq and Afghanistan).peace is not written on papers or stone tablets, it is written in the hearts of men.
And on the local front. if what we saw from the Govt in the recently concluded by-elections is anything to go by, then i have cause to be very worried indeed.the use of public resources for campaigns is totally unacceptable.and if that is not enough – they now want to trim the powers of the ECK just because its not dancing to their tune.i shudder to think what is going to happen in 2007.
other than the innocent victims, the saddest thing is that it looks like conflicts are going to continue getting worse. i honestly don’t know what kind of world our children’s children will be living in.
narc? nark? kibaki? odm?
kenyan politics sometimes just becomes so painful, that one tries to forget those characters. i know that it’s very sad of me as a kenyan – but the things one sometimes reads in the news… but however bad it gets, i still end up going to standard / nation / bbc africa to check the news.
I see m has added rather elegant counterpoints whilst I was writing this post, however I feel compelled to throw in a word or two about some of the statements above…
VituVingiSana: This is NOT an anti-Muslim rant. I have good friends who are (moderate) Muslims i.e. live & let live. That is OK but don’t condemn me if I not of the “book”….
Whenever I see a comment like this prefacing a long post, said post usually goes on to directly contradict the assertion. This universal internet law does not appear to have been violated here today. The dig at moderate Muslims is a particularly nice touch.
VituVingiSana: BUT how many conflicts can you name that do not have any one side being Muslim?
VituVingiSana BTW, the Christians did their bit in years past – the colonial wars, WW1, WW2, the Crusades BUT they don’t matter as much coz I live in the PRESENT… I was born after most of the “Christian/Hindu/Buddhist/Shinto” wars of the past.
This is an interesting rhetorical view point; every X is caused by Y, except for most of the stuff in the past, which was caused by Z. Since I wasn’t about when Z were causing all the trouble, it doesn’t count. Its all Y’s fault.
With this crafty piece of logic, you have managed to dismiss the colonial wars, two world wars, various US “foreign policy” excursions and a good few civil wars, not to mention thousands of years of history before that.
You are wilfully ignoring the past in order to support your views about about something that is happening right now. I’d venture that this is not necessarily the best way to go about garnering support for your views, no matter how many wikipedia entries you list to back you up.
whenever I hear people talk about how bad /violent/terror-driven islam is I cant help but wonder what selective memories we have.
Let me highlight only two cases. The mess in Ireland. No muslims involed there, sorry, but alot of blood spilt and lives lost over religion… Christianity which preaches that peace does not come through the sword.
Second case is the whole Iraq war… who were the aggressors? Didn’t Bush say God sent him? How many ‘Christian ” preachers actually condoned the war as the Right thing to do( forgetting that the Bible says ‘ our fighht is not against flesh and blood”) ?
Is it any wonder that the reaction of the battle weary Britons differed so significantly to that of the religios Americans ?
For as long as the veto power remains in the hands of some states dont expect the UN to do anything more than talk. It was not even able to condemn the killing of its own people!
Not likely to end soon (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/world/middleeast/28arabs.html?ei=5065&en=ae60808165865632&ex=1154664000&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print)
HA HA HA HA…. first of all let me ask this.. who the hell is in charge to the Narc-K website?!?!
dude needs to get his a*** sucked!! he and the rattling snake!! he he.. dude skin looks like that of a rattle snake.. ha ha ha ha .. wow!!
Correct me if i am wrong but i know i heard that the UAE was building islands to represent every country in the world somewhere in the waters, i suggest, the Israeli and Hezbollah be taken to their man made Island and let them settle their differences without involving the civillian population.
But on the same token, all this started with Hezbollah digging a tunnel and into Israel and killing two Israeli soldiers and taking one hostage.. i think Israel needs to step up its game.. and stop letting Hezbollah kick they candy behinds.. its just no fair..
And the UN, i could have not used a better statment to refer to them “well oiled talking machine”, that whole organization needs to be dissolved!! it does not make sense and it has lost its purpose!!
VituVingi: It is not the fault of the glass that it was there when somebody tipped it over and it smashed to pieces.
Same case: Its not our (or anybody’s for that matter) fault if we were born after Christian Crusaders, Slave trade, WWI, WWII, et al.
Point is: War and the illusion of conquest is as old as the earth, and casualties were (and will continue to be) many. Its just a pity that we take sides (depending) to justify its necessity. There is a reason for these atrocities:
1. Ethnic cleansing (or so described in “flowery” language)
2. Religious fundamentalism (The kind that saw the crusaders, JIHAD, the Missionaries etc).
3. Testing and trading of weapons. (have You ever asked yourself how SomaliLand got so many guns, yet got no food?)
4. Resource arbitration (that has all of Iraq’s oil going to the States, all diamonds in Congo to France/belgium, janjuweed chasing away the ‘black’ muslims in Darfur)
All in all, we should never forget that WAR is like LOVE; You win some , you lose some.
WHile we pontificate on the virtues that the UN should be enforcing, milions of innocent lives are lost and millions of dollars are clinking in the various banks;
Go figere.
Oddly, I am encouraged by the counterpoints & arguments that counter my arguments…. (felt good writing that)….
BUT since the American Embassy bombings in Nairobi, I have become increasingly pro-Israel or pro-western… “The Tipping Point”
OK, the Americans assisted post-bombings coz it was moral & ethical PLUS they were looking for clues… BUT the Brits & Israelis had no need to do so…. Offering condolences would have looked good but they offered REAL support.
I ask again… did any of the Muslim States offer/send Kenyan victims any assistance?
Alwaleed Bin Talal (Saudi Billionaire who owns a good chunk of Fairmont which recently bought the Mt. Kenya Safari Club, Norfolk & Aberdares) gave MILLIONS of US$ (though rejected by the City of NY on political grounds) to NYC after Sep 11 2001 to partially DIFFUSE “Muslim guilt” but nothing to Kenya?
Israel sent rescuers to Nyamakima… That was amazing considering there was no “reason” for them to be there! These was STUPID Kenyans at their worst… Poor design, greed & corruption… Nothing to do with Israel!
We have deliberately keep Israel at bay due to politics – not to upset Muslim Kenyans many of whom criticise Israel but not Osama who was supposedly behind the Embassy bombings- & what has that gotten us?
We have so much to learn from a country that grows among the world’s best oranges (Jaffa) in a desert, is a major diamond cutting center, high-tech mecca (did you know that the original ICQ – precursor to IM – was an Israeli invention), superior medical treatments, etc
M – The Buddhists never destroyed any mosques so what was the point of the Taliban enraging the Buddhists by destroying PRE-ISLAMIC Buddha statues? But all hell will break lose if the Buddhists destroy a mosque! You should see the pics of the stautes… Amazing, what they did all those years ago without the “modern” equipment!
Furthermore, if you want to go back in history… Hinduism is endemic to the Indian sub-continent. The Muslims were the aggressors i.e. they came invading from the west… the Hindus never went invading Arabia. If you use the “land” logic than the Muslims are the invaders but Gandhi opposed their “removal” from Hindu India in the late 1940s.
BTW, kudos to the Gandhi. He was a toughie under that small stature. He stood up against powerful forces to protect the minorities incl the Muslims & “untouchables”. He paid for it with his life coz his killer was a radical pro-Hindu fundamentalist.
I wish Kenya had had a Gandhi. Kenyatta certainly wasn’t it…
We need a Israeli & Palestinian & Iraqi & American & World… Gandhi!
Martin Luther King & Nelson Mandela took lessons from Gandhian philosophy & they have done wonders for “peace”.
S.Africa was a powder keg with the Afrikaners, Xhosa & Zulu. Some S.Africans call Mandela a “sell-out” but he was wise & far-sighted. His “retirement” after the transition was the first in my living years for an African president. Nyerere left “peacefully” but after many years of misrule & he did unintentionally ruin TZ’s economy.
MLK started the Rights Movement on an irreversible path. His speeches are amazing to listen to. He does NOT denigrate the “others” right while he fights for his peoples’ rights. It is sad that he was killed to be replaced by charlatans like Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton.
Malcolm X is another leader who converted to Islam under the very non-Islamic “Fruit of Islam” but then saw the “real” Islam & changed to forgo violence & preached a brotherhood of ALL Men. Of course, he was killed too for his peaceful beliefs.
Gotta stop before I mellow completely!
The Israelis and Hezbollah *are* fighting in a remote desert. And hey, it’s not their fault some civiliians are getting in the way. Hell, it’s not like they’re even laying claim to fighting for their people’s rights/freedom/dignity. They’re fighting an I-Got-You-Last game of tag.
As for MLK, he may have fought for some people’s right, but the bloke was a horrible mysogynist!
Onward.
@M “…whether you call your God Allah, Yahweh, God, Ngai, Nyasaye etc…”
This smacks of creating God in our own image (what we think He is), when God is a Being on His own. He needs no help from us in order to be. God is not a man’s (or woman’s) personal property. God is simply, God. My thoughts on who He is or whether He exists do not change who He is or whether or not He exists one bit. One of the names used to describe Him in the early Old Testament was Elohim (Self-Existent One). God does not need the help of feeble human arguments to survive, or make us understand Him.
I can assure you that Muslims exclusively believe in their rightness. If we and them are right, why are we what we are? Let’s be nothing, then! Or anything! Being all-inclusive is lying to ourselves, and will get us nowhere. If we believed in the right-ness of Christianity as much as Muslims do in the right-ness of Islam… Muslims profess: “There is one God, his name is Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.” If I put my arm around a Muslim and tell him “You know what? Your God is mine and my God is yours.” He will correct me politely or laugh in my face. Whichever way, he knows I’m wrong. I don’t (yet). There is a fundamental error in thinking that “All roads lead to Rome” applies to religion. They don’t. I’d thought about blogging on this, methinks I will.
Let me ask: is a Muslim a sinner?
I don’t think Islam has the concept of “Original Sin”… this is a Christian concept since if you are a sinner when you were born then you have to “accept” Jesus Christ as your “Saviour”…
Judaism & Islam have similar beliefs & prophets until they come to Jesus. JC is a “prophet” according to Islam whereas Judaism DOESN’T acknowledge JC.
Moreover Judaism & Christianity believe Abraham had only one wife (Sarah) thus Hagar’s kids were “illegitimate”….
Hmmm… so Abraham “conveniently” gets God’s OK to shag Hagar to have kids?
Couldn’t God just will Sarah a few kids? Or was it Abe’s lusty loins?
Me thinks the Islamic version is better/truer i.e. Hagar was Abe’s wife #2 (not unheard of in those days)…
So Judaism treats Hagar’s kids/descendants with contempt aka “bastards” coz she was just a maid.
That’s why I rather take a clean slate today… coz the history is mostly to learn from but not repeat!
While we have been writing about the war in far-off Israel & Lebanon… a Kenyan policeman was killed by a bomb from a Ugandan Army training “exercise” http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=78297
The police encampment is 10 kms inland from the border! I find this rather worrisome considering the War Games are very close to Kenya’s border! Were Kenyan positions targetted in the War Games?
Correct me if am wrong,but in the 1998 US Embassy bombings,i remember some terrorist group saying there are “no innocent bystanders” in their quest to teach the infidels a lesson.now that the shoe is on the other foot (in Lebanon),all of a sudden civilian casualties are too much to bear!if you live by the sword………
It sometimes amazes me how much respect so many of us from the 3rd world have for the UN considering how little they have done for us in the grand scheme of things, especially when our interests conflict with those of the Western powers of US and Europe.