Today in the Oregonian we received an an anti-muslim propaganda DVD called "Obsession: Radical Islam's War with the West." It was the first I'd heard about it...but now I see it's all over the internet. the newspaper defended itself by claiming that it doesn't discriminate amongst advertisers.
Apparently Mayor Tom Potter and a collection of community members appealed to the Oregonian not to distribute it, but the newspaper ignored their pleas.
An organization called The Clarion Group, a right-wing, pro-McCain private nonprofit, is responsible for distributing the DVD to newspapers in SWING STATES.
Last Friday, after the DVD was distributed throughout Ohio, gas was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, where 300 people were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service. The gas was sprayed into a nursery for babies and children (their mothers were in the service). Coincidence? I think not. Now I'm terrified of Muslim fundamentalists as much as the next American, and I believe that we must protect ourselves from the terrorist threat. However, how are 300 babies and children terrorists threats? I suspect that this incident might have attracted greater attention had it been in a synagogue.
This brings to mind the argument between Obama and McCain about engaging in talks with Iran. I fail to see why being hateful and antagonistic toward a country like Iran is going to help us OR Israel at all. McCain acts as if Obama is an imbecile when he suggests that diplomacy should not be disregarded entirely. Where has our hawkish arrogance gotten us in the past, with North Korea, Iraq, Cuba, and Iran?
This video is another example of that hatred and arrogance. I'm not suggesting that we sit down and negotiate with terrorists over "tea"...but the first step toward brokering peace is to discuss our differences. Not being willing to do this exposes the U.S. to greater vulnerability and hatred by the rest of the world.
Apparently Mayor Tom Potter and a collection of community members appealed to the Oregonian not to distribute it, but the newspaper ignored their pleas.
An organization called The Clarion Group, a right-wing, pro-McCain private nonprofit, is responsible for distributing the DVD to newspapers in SWING STATES.
Last Friday, after the DVD was distributed throughout Ohio, gas was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, where 300 people were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service. The gas was sprayed into a nursery for babies and children (their mothers were in the service). Coincidence? I think not. Now I'm terrified of Muslim fundamentalists as much as the next American, and I believe that we must protect ourselves from the terrorist threat. However, how are 300 babies and children terrorists threats? I suspect that this incident might have attracted greater attention had it been in a synagogue.
This brings to mind the argument between Obama and McCain about engaging in talks with Iran. I fail to see why being hateful and antagonistic toward a country like Iran is going to help us OR Israel at all. McCain acts as if Obama is an imbecile when he suggests that diplomacy should not be disregarded entirely. Where has our hawkish arrogance gotten us in the past, with North Korea, Iraq, Cuba, and Iran?
This video is another example of that hatred and arrogance. I'm not suggesting that we sit down and negotiate with terrorists over "tea"...but the first step toward brokering peace is to discuss our differences. Not being willing to do this exposes the U.S. to greater vulnerability and hatred by the rest of the world.
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