Pious Agnostic

Austin Bay has a post on some recently released captured al-Queda documents, which describes their by-laws, mission statement, medical & vacation plans (no kidding!), and a section dedicated to "Imprisonment & torture".

Give it a look.

Pious gratitude to: Power Line

Andrew Bolt:

A Danish newspaper mocks Islam for being violent, and an Islamist newspaper hits back by mocking Jews for being dead. That's a warning.

Pious gratitude to: Tim Blair

Captain Ed criticizes the Administration for their decision to allow a company from the United Arab Emirates to run operations in six US Ports. He notes several instances of UAE involvement in Islamic terror and concludes:

The White House needs to deep-six this deal, or cancel the contracts and re-bid them. Putting our ports in the hands of Arab authoritarians isn't just putting the fox in charge of the henhouse, it's tantamount to cooking him eggs for breakfast every morning and bringing him KFC for supper every night.

Two thoughts about this. The first is a minor one, which is to point out that Captain Ed, though a staunch Bush partisan, is criticizing the President's decision to allow this; see, lefties, we don't all swallow the Kool-aid indiscriminately.

My second thought is sort of a thought experiment; I suspect that many (all?) on the Left side of the blogosphere will criticize this move, but I wish to ask them something:

Imagine an alternate world where Saddam Hussein is still in control of Iraq and the Oil-for-Food embargo has been dropped. An Iraqi controlled company wins a bid to run operations in six US ports.

How confident are you that Saddam had no ties to al Queda? How confident would you be that he wouldn't cooperate with terrorists, given access to US ports?

Man Coughs Up Nail 35 Years After Accident

In 1970, a bizarre gardening accident embedded a small nail deep inside Guy "Bud" Hart's body.

More than 35 years later, the nail made an unexpected return, much to Hart's surprise.

The Placerville man was stunned earlier this month when a coughing fit expelled the inch-long sliver of metal, completing its decades-long trek inside the 84-year-old's body.

Read the rest; kind of scary.

I wonder if anything's migrating around inside of me?

Blogosphere superstar LeShawn Barber is a huge Harry Potter fan.

She has a blog devoted to it, and to other fantasy topics, here.

For me, this makes her somehow more accessible.

Jim Geraghty moves up several steps in my estimation (and he was pretty high on the staircase as he was) with this review of Serenity.

Of course, he does write the nearly unforgivable line:

I'm almost kind of glad that Firefly got canceled after 14 episodes...

That "almost" saves you from a serious Browncoat fatwa, Jim.

If you are at all interested in Legos, (the) Batman or computer animation, then you owe it to yourself to watch this:

Batman: New Times

It was made by the local DAVE School here in Orlando.

You'll be surprised at the voices they got for it.

James has an interesting post examining the Swords of Gladiator.

I fell asleep on my brother's couch watching that movie on pay-per-view. I suspect this explains my general low opinion of this movie. I mean, he runs all the way from Germany to Spain?

Still, an interesting post. Give it a look; screen-captures galore!

The 10 Best Sci-Fi Films That Never Existed

Warning:  Contains profanity.

You Are Rowlf the Dog

Mellow and serious, you enjoy time alone cultivating your talents. You're a cool dog, and you always present a relaxed vibe. A talented pianist, you can play almost anything - especially songs by Beethoven. "My bark is worse than my bite, and my piano playing beats 'em both."

Pious gratitude to: Kermit

You know what I'd really like to see?

New Abu Ghraib abuse photos of Danish cartoonists flushing the Koran down the pooper.

Boy, then the Colonel would really have to watch his back.

How do they know?

It's In The Koran

Muslim institute dares Iranian leader to visit Auschwitz

A Muslim cultural institute in Germany on Monday criticized Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad for disparaging the Holocaust, daring him to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp.

"In this place of horror he can again deny the Holocaust, if he has the courage," a spokesman for the Islam-Archiv-Deutschland Central Institute told the German Catholic press agency KNA.

In recent statements, the hardline Iranian president has dismissed the Nazis' systematic slaughter of mainland Europe's Jews as a "myth" used to justify the creation of Israel and called for the state to be "wiped off the map".

By denying the Holocaust, Ahmadinejad not only denigrated the Jewish victims of the genocide but also the 200,000 Roms and Arabs murdered in the "gypsy camp" of Auschwitz-Birkenau and other camps, the institute spokesman said.

The fact that the president of an Islamic state repeated Nazi anti-Semitism was harmful to the image of Islam and "a disgrace for all the world's Muslims", he added.

I didn't have any trouble at all finding images of Mohammed on Google. Obviously, he is greatly revered in the Muslim world....

An interesting post over at One Hand Clapping:

Muslims keep redefining what is objectionable. They “dumb down” offensiveness. Such as Valentine Cards: A radical Kashmiri Islamic group, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, sent nearly two dozen black-veiled Muslim women to burn Valentine’s Day cards and posters showing couples together in the main city of India’s Kashmir. They women protested that the day imposes Western values on Muslim youth.

He goes on to discuss what St. Valentine's Day is about, the relationship between Man and God as understood in Islam (hint: it ain't great) and concludes:

So Does Saint Valentine’s Day “impose Western values on Muslim youth,” as the two dozen protesting women claimed? Well, I devoutly hope so. Is observing the day really “against Islam’s teachings?” I don’t know and I’m not persuaded that the protester really knows, either. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Either way, I don’t care.

The part in the middle is interesting too, so go read it all.

Penis Fencing!

I know, you don't expect such things here, but I found this quite shocking!

Raw footage of ... violent, hermaphroditic mating rituals.... Their stamina will amaze you! Their virulence will shock you! Who knew?

Pious gratitude to: the Tenser

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.
Voltaire

I do not agree with what you have to say, so I'll firebomb your embassy....
Iranian mob

Update:  Worldwide Moderate Muslim photo gallery!

You scored as Serenity (Firefly). You like to live your own way and don't enjoy when anyone but a friend tries to tell you should do different. Now if only the Reavers would quit trying to skin you.

Serenity (Firefly)		100%
Deep Space Nine (Star Trek)		75%
Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix)		69%
SG-1 (Stargate)		69%
Babylon 5 (Babylon 5)		63%
FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files)		63%
Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda)		50%
Bebop (Cowboy Bebop)		44%
Millennium Falcon (Star Wars)		44%
Moya (Farscape)		31%
Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica)		31%
Enterprise D (Star Trek)		31%

Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics)
created with QuizFarm.com

OK, I may have fudged just a little....

Pious gratitude to: The Anchoress

Heh...always makes me laugh.

Andrew Sullivan:

If Chinese radicals were ransacking Western embassies because of a cartoon, and were backed by the Chinese government, we would be outraged, demanding apologies, severing relations, and so on. But when Muslims do it, backed by Islamist governments, we are supposed to take it on the chin, to "respect" their religious traditions, issue mealy-mouthed statements, etc. In many ways, this is the real offense: treating Muslims as if their violation of global norms, and thralldom to medieval conceptions of politics and religion, were somehow acceptable.

There is nothing insulting or inflamatory about this picture. Don't give me that BS about Islam forbidding anyone from making an image of ol' Mo; we know that isn't true, and it isn't an Islam thing: it's a cultural thing and isn't even universal throughout all of jolly Arab-land.

I like the color and composition, and the wide, wide eyes.

Lucky Matt Mullen!

He sent the following "surly" email to John Hinderaker about President Bush's NSA program:

No dumbshit. We want the president to spy on al queda, BUT we want him to follow the damned law too! Oh, I'm sorry, is that too nuanced for you thick headed fools?

If Hillary Clinton were doing what Bush is doing you guys would be going ape-shit.

Respectlessly, Matt Mullen

Despite the "respectless" tone, John is kind enough to educate Matt as to the law involved, and how it supports the President's case.

We should all be so lucky as to be schooled by one of the Powerline guys.

The Waiter writes about Heaven & Hell, on a wonderful blog devoted to his experiences in the food industry. Thoughtful and enjoyable. Give it a look.

Pious gratitude to: DJR

Moderate Muslims: We are sorry

In the middle of all the mayhem surrounding the Danish cartoons controversy, a group of Arab and Muslim youth have set up this website to express their honest opinion, as a small attempt to show the world that the images shown of Arab and Muslim anger around the world are not representative of the opinions of all Arabs. We whole-heartedly apologize to the people of Denmark, Norway and all the European Union over the actions of a few, and we completely condemn all forms of vandalism and incitement to violence that the Arab and Muslim world have witnessed. We hope that this sad episode will not tarnish the great friendship that our peoples have fostered over decades.

The problem with media representation of such issues tends to be that the media only picks up the loudest voices, ignoring the rational ones that do not generate as much noise. Voices that seek tolerance, dialogue and understanding are always drowned out by the more sensationalist loud calls, giving viewers the impression that these views are representative of all the Arab public’s view. This website is a modest attempt at redressing this wrong. We would appreciate it if you could forward the word to as many of your friends as possible.

We will note that we find the cartoons to be incendiary, insulting and very abrasive. We also take issue with the general stance of the Danish Newspaper Jyllands-Posten, which has a reputation for publishing inflammatory material. Yet, it would be wrong to take away their freedom of expression, regardless of how horrid their material is. We affirm our belief in freedom of expression and people’s right to express whatever opinions they hold. However, at the same time there is a need to realize that freedom of expression is a responsibility that should not be used to gratuitously insult people’s beliefs.

When confronted with such a situation, we deplore the use of violence in all its forms, as well as threats of violence and derogatory and racist remarks being thrown in the opposite direction. We condemn the shameful actions carried out by a few Arabs and Muslims around the world that have tarnished our image, and presented us as intolerant and close-minded bigots.

Victor Davis Hanson wonders if there's been A European Awakening Against Islamic Fascism?

Gunmen kill 6 people in southern Philippines

At least six people were killed on Friday when gunmen opened fire at a Christian home on a mainly Muslim island in the southern Philippines, an army general said.

Brigadier-General Alexander Aleo, an army commander, said the dawn shooting in Patikul town could be part of fresh efforts to foment Christian-Muslim conflict on the island of Jolo ahead of U.S. counter-terorrism drills late this month.

Aleo said three men, two women and an eight-month-old infant were killed in the attack. Six others, three of them children, survived the shooting with minor injuries.

"We don't know the motive for the shooting," Aleo said.

Really? Don't you?

However, one of the victims told soldiers who rushed to the area that the gunmen had asked them whether they were Muslims or Christians before firing their weapons.

Who knew the Brawny Guy was such a sweatheart?

Hilarious make-your-own fantasies about the Brawny paper towel guy.

As Robbo says "Imagine that - a corporation with a real, live sense of humor!"

The inimitable Mark Steyn:

Very few societies are genuinely multicultural. Most are bicultural: On the one hand, there are folks who are black, white, gay, straight, pre-op transsexual, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, worshippers of global-warming doom-mongers, and they rub along as best they can. And on the other hand are folks who do not accept the give-and-take, the rough-and-tumble of a "diverse" "tolerant" society, and, when one gently raises the matter of their intolerance, they threaten to kill you, which makes the question somewhat moot.

Read the rest....

Tim Blair notes that many US media outlets, like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Chicago Tribune, as well as CBS News, refuse to show the dread cartoons of blasphemy (available here), and writes:

They won’t publish cartoons, but they will run anything they can get out of Abu Ghraib. Both sets of images provoke Islamic anger; note how the media behaves when that anger is directed at them.

As any schoolyard bully knows, it's better to pick on the kids who won't fight back...or behead you, or bomb you or stone you.

Paris Hilton's secret diaries have been stolen

Gut check -- do you really think she's literate?

Playing in arthouse theaters everywhere: Brokeback to the Future

Still, it's hard to respect this.

Hmmmm....Hugh Hewitt urges respect:

The cartoons were in bad taste, an unnecessary affront to many of the 1.3 billion Muslims in the world, just as Joel Stein affronted the military, the families and friends of the military, and as Toles did the same to the wounded, and their families, friends and admirers. Of course each of them had the absolute right to publish their screed, and the Dutch (and now Norwegian) governments must reply to demands that these papers be punished with a steely refusal to be dictated to as to their culture of free expression and the protection of the vulgar and the stupid.

But don't cheer the vulgar and the stupid.

I guess he's right; there isn't any particular reason to be unduly provoking, other than the fun of it.

It's counterproductive to our greater goal of civilizing the Islamic world.

Read it all.

Michelle Malkin has the latest on THE "INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ANGER"

When the history of this is written, will they claim that the war started over cartoons?

If the ever-so-elusive moderate Muslims out there ever, ever, want to be heard, they should assert themselves now. Apparently, being made to look like raving, homicidal lunitics hasn't done it. Their co-religionists among the "tiny minority of extremists" of the Religion of Peace and Tolerance are now making them all look ridiculous.

More: 

Thousands Protest 'Offensive' Cartoons in Gaza

"Whoever defames our prophet should be executed," said Ismail Hassan, 37, a tailor who marched through the pouring rain along with hundreds of others in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

A tailor. Not a gunman. Not a terrorist. A tailor.

A Brave Little Tailor

European elite scrambles to defuse furore over caricatures of Muhammad

Europe's political elite were scrambling last night to contain the furore across the Arab world at the publication of caricatures of Muhammad, with leaders stressing that freedom of the press did not mean freedom to cause offence.

Ok, let's think about that for a minute.

I guess when Martin Luther was printing up pamphlets denouncing the abuses of the Church, he should have stopped because he gave offence.

I guess when Patrick Henry was printing up his empassioned speeches against the oppression of the British Crown, he should have just shut up, since his views were offensive to Loyalists.

I guess when Martin Luthor King Jr. was leading marches and denouncing racial injustice in this country, the newspapers shouldn't have covered it since it offended many racists.

Since when has freedom of the press not meant the freedom to cause offence?

Someday, I'm going to have to have a look at that EU Constitution....

I can understand "Vegans", but "Freegans"? James writes:

It seems that there is a new fad going around. These people call themselves "Freegans", and they go dumpster diving to find free food. The idea is that it's a protest against our consumer society. An excerpt from the site spells it out for us...

Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed.

That second sentence is just a laundry list of Leftist feel-good catch phrases, isn't it? If you don't eat garbage you're a bad person! You are greedy, ungenerous, uncooperative, and unconcerned about society! Since freegans are for "freedom", I suppose I'm really just a slave owner because I turn my nose up at garbage and buy fresh food that has been untouched by the gentle caress of a maggot.

The older I get, the more I understand why Cartman from South Park hates hippies.

James? You actually need more reasons to hate hippies?

I don't know why, really, except maybe it's just the calendar: it was four weeks ago yesterday that she passed away.

She lived a long, full life; she had seven children, including me who encumbered her later years; she had grandchildren and great-grandchildren too numerous to count. (For me, that is; I always seem to miss a few, though I don't think she ever did, until the end.)

She lost her husband in 1984, and when that blow had fallen she got her breath back and went on with her life, much to my amazement and wonder and joy. The woman I met then was someone I hadn’t known was there, though I suspect that has more to do with me finally raising my eyes from my own belly-button, than to any real change in herself. The woman I saw was courageous and independent, self sufficient to a degree that still staggers me; funny in her own quiet, dry way.

Marie was born in 1916 on a farm in Cherry County, Nebraska, into a big Catholic family in a French-Canadian community. Her parents were “French on both sides,” which was a matter of pride among her people, but she herself set her sights higher than to marry a local boy and stay in Nebraska. She married a big-city boy from Omaha, a traveling musician who came to her town, and after they married he quit the road to settle down; only to travel for his business much throughout the South and Midwest. From the open plains of Nebraska, they moved to the bright lights of …Louisville, Kentucky, where they had four children in ten years. After a move across the Ohio River into Cincinnati, Ohio, they eventually had three more children.

In 1973, my father retired from business, and he and Mom moved to Florida for their retirement years. When I went away to college in 1980, they wasted no time in beginning their world travels. With all their children finally out of the house, they saw their many years together stretching ahead of them. They’d had their trials and sorrows, certainly, as all will, but the promise of growing old together is one that they cherished.

So it was a horrid, cheating shock when my father grew ill just a few years later.

In 1999, after spending the intervening years living beside the sea, and traveling around the world seeing all the places she dreamed about as a Nebraska farm girl, she had a stroke that robbed her of her independence. Her health steadily declined, until last month when she lay down and quietly left us.

This is a very poor sketch of the woman I am missing today. Champion bridge player, world traveler, generous matriarch of a numerous and contentious brood. Loving mother, lively friend.

And the thing that most aches, I guess, is the sure knowledge that there is much about this quiet, humble woman that I will never learn. At least not in this life.

In this post, John Hinderaker makes the statement:

The networks have boycotted footage of the September 11 attacks, because they fear...that reminders of the destruction wrought by the terrorists' attacks will engender support for the Bush administration.

It saddens me that this sentence can't be reasonably disputed by anyone. That the MSM is profoundly anti-Bush is obvious to any dispassionate observer.

Why do we stand for this? Are people so afraid of political manipulation by the head of state that they'll gladly accept political manipulation by a monolithic media?

It amazes me that there are people who consider the NYT a disinterested source of information.

Yesterday, it was noted (here, and here, for example) that France had entered the Cartoon Jihad on the side of the good guys.

I guess it was really too much to hope that they'd stay frosty.

French editor fired over cartoons

The editor of a French newspaper that printed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad has been sacked.

Jacques Lefranc was dismissed by the owner of France Soir, as his paper became embroiled in a developing row between Muslims and the European press

Update:  Is it fair of me to castigate an entire nation because of the actions of one pusillanimous publisher? No, it's not exactly fair. But you know, I didn't invent the caricature of the cowardly Frenchman, and you'd think that France Soir would do what they could not to reinforce the stereotypes.

Does this mark the end of the gubernatorial ambitions of Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey?

'Impaler' Claims He Did Nothing Wrong

A fringe candidate for governor who played up his satanic side -- and pledged public impalement for terrorists -- wound up behind bars Tuesday thanks to a sharp-eyed sheriff's dispatcher.

Jonathon Sharkey, 41, of Princeton, Minn. was arrested Monday night on two felony counts from Indiana, said Mike Smith, the Mille Lacs County jail administrator. One warrant was for escape, another for stalking against a former girlfriend.

You may remember Mr. Sharkey from my earlier post. Read the story: apparently, he once faked his own death! Minnesota needs someone like him in the Governer's mansion!

2 Arrested In Samurai Sword Assault

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Two men were arrested in Worcester in what police are calling a samurai-sword-wielding assault.

Sebastian Moore and Adam Merkel, both of Worcester, face charges including assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to maim and threatening to commit a crime.

According to police, Moore had been kicked out of the Green Island Pub on Millbury Street Monday afternoon, but returned to the bar, allegedly brandishing the samurai sword. During an ensuing melee, Merkel allegedly threatened a female patron with a knife.

Both men fled, but were arrested where they lived Monday night.

Police suspect that alcohol may have played a role in their conduct.

Update: Instapundit: "[I]f you want your religion not to be mocked, it helps to have a reputation for senseless violence."

Pious gratitude to: lgf