(From God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens)
". . . This raises gigantic objections to the argument from "design," whether we choose to call that design "intelligent" or not. Clearly, the human species is designed to experiment with sex. No less clearly, this fact is well-known to the priesthoods. When Dr. Samuel Johnson had completed the first real dictionary of the English language, he was visited by a delegation of respectable old ladies who wished to congratulate him for not including any indecent words. His response - which was that he was interested to see that the ladies had been looking them up - contains almost all that needs to be said on this point. Orthodox Jews conduct congress by means of a hole in the sheet, and subject their women to ritual baths to cleanse the stain of menstruation. Muslims subject adulterers to public lashings with a whip. Christians used to lick their lips while examining women for signs of witchcraft. I need not go on in this vein: any reader of this book will know of a vivid example, or will simply guess my meaning. . . "
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. . . and think [Note to Mitt and friends, you may continue talking amongst yourselves]
(from NBCNews.com by Jim Maceda, an NBC News foreign correspondent based in London and
currently on assignment in Cairo. He has covered the Middle East since
the 1970s.)
". . . This paroxysm of protest – and violence – had begun in Cairo. But what, really, began there?
Much of the mainstream media has played it as a spontaneous reaction to a disgusting film clip which denigrated Muslims and happened to be made and promoted in the USA.
But New York Times editorialist Ross Douthat argued it had nothing to do with a "genuine popular backlash," but everything to do with old-style power politics. For Jim Clifton, chairman of the pollster Gallup, it wasn't about religion or politics, but rather the desperate expression of young Arab males, deeply humiliated because they couldn't find jobs.
'Political manipulation'
Egyptian analysts seem to be more in agreement: Many protesters outside the U.S. Embassy were genuinely offended by the film. But the real driving force behind the protest – in Cairo and Benghazi – were radical Islamist groups who know how to exploit rage for political gain.
Actors and the assistant director of the film "Innocence of Muslims" told NBC News that the original spoken lines in the screenplay were dubbed over without their knowledge. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
"There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered," said Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian journalist. "For instance, why after two months of being on YouTube did this film suddenly explode on the anniversary of 9/11? That is political manipulation and manufactured outrage that the right wing is all too happy to use.''
Egypt issues arrest warrants for Terry Jones, Coptic Christians over anti-Islam video
By "right-wing" Eltahawy means ultra conservatives – often called Salafists – who practice a strict, puritanical form of Islam and make up the fastest-growing Islamic political and social movement in the world. On the night of the Cairo embassy attacks, the Salafists saw an opportunity to flex their muscles.
"A lot of people went to the U.S. Embassy not just because of the film, and after the film died down, it wasn't about the film anymore," Eltahawy explained. "They went because of anti-U.S. sentiment, because they know in this region how easy it is to fan the flames of anger.". . . "
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Thirteen people have died in the recent clashes between Muslims and Christians in Egypt. THIRTEEN!
After exhibiting a remarkable solidarity in their quest to depose what they viewed as a corrupt, dictatorial leader in favor of a more democratic government, they have now digressed to squabbling amongst themselves along religious lines. This population that inspired the world with their peaceful (mostly) demonstration for their basic human rights now shows the world an immature, tribal, self-defeating side that no one would have dreamed of two weeks ago.
Is there something in the atmosphere, the drinking water or the gummy bears in that part of the world that forces people to live in a constant state of turmoil?
Which country will take the lead and become an example to the region and the rest of the world, of what people can do when united for a just cause, without losing sight of the humanity of each and everyone of the members of the group and the humanity of entire population of the country???!!!!
