I understand the desire to blow off steam, and I recognize and typically appreciate the concept of "peace through superior firepower," but more than anything, glassifying the Middle East isn't even a practical solution, in addition to the ethical challenges inherent to killing millions and millions of innocents over the act of an Osama.

Well, I think it's funny that my liberal friend says Arabs can't appreciate Democracy because they're a bunch of animals, and my far-right pal wants the people we're trying to democratize and every other Muslim on the face of the earth wiped out because of the actions of a few. It's one of those spectrums where the opposite ends meet.

I really think we should institute national service again. Killing people is only one part of the things you learn in the military- a much bigger part is learning how to live within a code and to discipline yourself.

Something underappreciated by the media, when they throw themselves all over a story like Haditha.

Some hours spent practicing the zen of picking lint off a blanket until it's perfect might have a calming effect on some of our more hot-heated brothers.
Especially if they plan on staying home while sending out those who weren't too busy to sign on the dotted line.

Genocide isn't practicle, ethical, probable, or even possible.
Abraham had two sons, and they were both "blessed".
Ishmael was to be exceedingly fruitful and a great nation.
However the bad news is, "He will be a wildman,(like the wild asses in the the desert:untameable) and his hand will be against everyman..."
We are stuck with 'em (:0

Look, I don't want to be in a position to defend Ace, but he has a point. If there are no moderate Muslims that we can co-exist with, if indeed the bulk of the adherents of Islam at least tacitly agree with the platform of subjugation of the infidels, then that is something we need to know. Better to know before another incident, because, depending on the barbarity of the act (Beslan here, anyone?), the politicians who represent us will be under unbearable pressure to do something, and do it now.

Perhaps now would be a good time to have this debate, before we get to knee-jerk time. I would hope that the people who think to represent Islam to the world are looking at our history and how we deal with groups that we feel are a threat to our culture.

Don't misunderstand me: Ace is a good guy and quite funny. Going through grad school I'd sit in the seminars and sort the ideas: Existentialism -- chaff, etc. I read the post and the ideas therein did not meet my standards for a positive and healthy philosophy of life. It's chaff and I'm a wheat kind of gal.
Muslims aren't cannibal invaders from Mars. I have no interest in wiping them off the face of the earth. Let's keep our annihilating down to militant Islamists and let the millions of perfectly reasonable people who are followers of Islam do their thing in peace.

Well, that's kind of the rub, isn't it? We keep assuming that there are millions of peace-loving Muslims. Five years into the Long War, it might be nice if we had some empirical evidence that this assumption were true.

I'm not advocating nuclear genocide either, but the burden of proof really is on Muslims to disavow the behavior of the animals who act in the name of Islam. It is in their best interests to prove that the Religion of Peace is not just an ironical title.

Unfortunatly, the nature of the extremist belief system is such, that anyone (even their own bretheren) that contradicts their view point is "denying the faith" and therefore worthy of death too.
As of yet, the Islamic faith doesn't have one fearless enough to speak otherwise.
Does the Islamic nation have a historical figure, event, hero, or cowboy of their own to inspire independent thinking?
They so need one.

Well, here's one peace-loving Muslim. I'm sure we could scrape up a few more on my blogroll alone.

http://www.mahmood.tv/