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THE DIOGENES REPORT UNDERSTANDING THE AMERICAN MOSQUE Political pundits like to repeat that old glib saying: ‘people vote their pocketbooks.’ While it sounds good, it is not true. People vote their prejudices. This latter statement can help explain the dynamics of the American mosque. Past generations of immigrants came to America to escape religious prejudice, social injustice and their positions as underclasses in their countries of origin. The, generally, fairer treatment they and their children received in the United States fostered a strong emotional attachment to this country. Their prejudices in favor of their new homeland created strong feelings of loyalty and far outweighed any attachment they may have had to the lands of their birth. The majority of Muslims who came to this country did not leave their homeland because of religious prejudice or social pressures. Many, in fact, were members of the middle class, many were educated. Most were completely satisfied with the religious traditions and social mores of Islamic societies. They were not escaping their homelands. They came here solely for economic reasons. Not that there is anything wrong with this, except that it does not engender a strong emotional connection with this country. That’s why they can sit in their mosques and listen to the diatribes of their imams against the United States Government and American society. For the most-part, they were pre-conditioned for these kind of sermons in their native countries. It is impossible to imagine that members of churches or synagogues accepting similar hate America sermons from priests, ministers or rabbis. In the mosques, the small number of “moderate” Muslims are reduced to fearful silence or are pushed by peer pressure into the terrorist support camp whether as part of the terrorist infrastructure or as contributors to gun-and-explosives-buying charities. We must recognize that the Muslim migration to America is different than just about any other that has come to this nation. The values of most of these immigrants are the same as those of the countries they left—which are, for the most-part, anti-American, anti-western culture, and anti-democratic. With the rise of aggressive Islam worldwide, as evidenced by the rising tide of terrorism, America’s Islamic communities are a clear and present danger to the United States.
WINDMILLS TILTING AGAINST US OR IS IT JUST THE OIL COMPANIES? I was reminded the other day by a leading reviewer of scientific and technological developments that the war against terrorism must be fought in arenas far removed from the battlefield. The battle he addressed was the drive to make the United States energy self-sufficient so that we can break our deathly embrace with Saudi Arabia and the other Arab oil producers. My science advisor friend recounted an interesting energy story. The first thing that Jimmy Carter did when he moved into the White House was to install solar heating panels. The first thing his successor, Ronald Reagan did when moving into the same house was to remove the solar panels. Was it on the orders of his oil company or his gas company? I don’t think it was his coal company. The current resident of the White House has not been friendly toward wind power since he came to Washington although he did not stand in its way when he was governor of Texas. A different set of advisors? By the way, the world’s leading technological nation is far behind many others in taking advantage of wind power. Denmark, for example, gets 35% of its electricity from wind power. America’s largest supplier of wind power equipment, General Electric, is only the fifteenth largest supplier in the world. Can you think of any other category of products in which GE ranks as low as fifteenth? Instead of “rebuilding” Iraq or investing billions in the space program, let’s expand America’s wind power program--tremendously—and rev up our hydrogen energy research. But keep the oil companies away from these programs. These are things that are worth e-mailing your representatives and senators about.
ACROSS MY RADAR SCREEN I detect some progress at The New York Times In this period of admitting our sins and repenting, The NYT’s “corrections” section seems to be growing every day. I don’t know whether this comes from a religious epiphany or the recent journalistic trauma that the Times experienced. Let us hope that this admission of sins incorporates the paper’s editorial page, as well as its so-called news coverage. Saving George W. Bush’s Asrse In ‘04 The President has added insult to injury by asking the American people to cough up $87 billion for rebuilding Iraq. It must make sense to George that all the Iraqis must have jobs before we try to have full employment in the good old U.S. of A. The injury, of course, is our continuing casualties while we try to bring democracy and civilization to a land that never knew the meaning of democracy and forgot the meaning of civilization some 4,000 years ago. If the prez persists in asking for these big bucks, I think that the American voters will make the one term presidency a Bush tradition. But the following e-mail that I received can get Bush the funds he seeks, without hitting the American taxpayers, and save his ass in the upcoming presidential election. There are probably thousands of situations like the one described in my e-mail. All Bush has to do is get the CIA to track them down, grab the money, and use it for “rebuilding.” Go to it George. I love to be a public spirited citizen.
Dear Sir, My name is Hassan Mohammed from Iraq. My cousin was a top officer in the former Government of Saddam Hussein. Before the beginning of the war in Iraq my cousin gave me $16,000,000.00 (Sixteen Million United States Dollars) to keep for him. I managed to move the box containing the money out of Iraq via Syria through diplomatic immunity to a Security company in Spain and the box is been deposited as family treasure/telegraphic materials. Now that the war is over I want to move the money to your country for safety reasons. Be rest assured that this transaction is risk free as no person is aware of this money. My cousin has mandated me to compensate you with 25% of the total sum, if you can assist me in this regard. Expecting your urgent reply via hassanmohammed03@yahoo.com or contact the manager operations of the Pacific security company at Madrid Spain, Attn: Mr. Juan Garcia on +34 620 038 455, Email Address: pacificsecurities@netscape.net
Yours faithfully,
NAMES Although this name doesn’t seem to fit, it is highly strange that it is part of the following situation: an attack by a previously docile deer in a small zoo near Atlantic City left zoo officials trying to determine the cause of the attack on a zoo keeper. They theorized that the cause was the start of the rutting season (an annually recurrent state of sexual excitement in the male deer).In this unusual example of role reversal, the zoo keeper, Vicky Rutter, should have been the attacker.
HEADLINE AND COMMENTS
Barbie Deemed A Threat To Morality By Saudis
Unaccounted WMD May Be Paperwork Glitch
Galileo Heads For Its Demise On Jupiter
Israel Set To Act To Expel Arafat, Cabinet Decides
Bin Laden Is Seen With Aide On Tape
Foreign Views Of U.S. Darken Since Sept. 11
Saudis Promising Action On Terror
Poll: Americans More Suspicious Of Islam
Robot Is Being Tested As A Doctor-Patient Liaison
Israel Ready To Expel Arafat As ‘Obstacle’ To Peace
Al Jazeera Under Fire, Keeps Getting Scoops
Universal To Cut Prices Of Its CD’s
Clinton: Support For Israel Must Never Waiver
Hard Times Are Plaguing Flight Schools In Florida
Cherokee Tribe Tries To Save A Dying Language Bush Links Pollution Measure To His Efforts To Create Jobs
Police Move Tip-A-Cop Event To New Eatery
State May Raise Age For Teen Offenders
Pentagon Says It Will Review Policy On Selecting Chaplains
NOT HEADLINES, BUT WORTHY OF COMMENT
According to Italy’s prime minister, Silvio Burlusconi: “Mussolini never killed anyone, Mussolini sent people away on vacation, in internment.”
Powell warns Israel against Arafat assassination.
It dawned on Marina Xydous that the insurance plan she signed up for was a hoax when she had to climb through a window to get into the company’s office.
Dwindling resources and political battles have hobbled the Fire Department of New York’s two-year battle to prepare for future terrorist attacks. “For some things, there’s just not money available,” Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scopetta said.
Vice President Simon Muzenda of Zimbabwe who died in September was one of the least educated politicians in the ruling elite. He was frequently the target of ridicule over his humble origins and often clumsy politicking. Campaigning for parliament in 2000, Muzenda told supporters that his ZANU PF party was so popular that “if we put a baboon as a candidate, people will vote for it.”
QUOTES I LIKE
They whisper at the FCC: ‘It’s a wise commissioner who knows his father.’
Vet. I’m afraid your cat isn’t going to make it.
We’re #1 in the #2 Business
Ignorance of the law does not prevent the losing lawyer from collecting his bill.
It is hardly progress for a cannibal to use a knife and fork. Under current law it is a crime for a private citizen to lie to a public official, but not for the government to lie to the people.
I love New York. But part of love is criticism.
Mother: Guess what, junior wants to learn to play the bagpipes!
We Germans will never produce another Goethe but we may produce another Caesar.
…let this country (Israel) survive, even if it means that we must be oppressors. Is there an alternative? We are under siege….I am sure there have been grievous excesses, and this must be criticized and ended, but it’s a big step from there to attacking the occupation as such, and anyone doing so must show that there is a non-self-destructive alternative. Jewish theology must recognize empowerment. All we want is a little justice.
Victims of the victims? I consider that characterization to be sick with vengeance.
Comments welcome. e-mail to: elscomm@earthlink.net
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