Fatwah me... PLEASE!

I'm linking to Michelle Malkin's post, here, and the Mohammed Image Archive post, here. It would be brave except I won't get into any troubles with Muslims for this because nobody reads this site. So I guess I have answered that age old question:

Does a Fatwah apply if a Christian links to Mohammed cartoons and nobody reads it?

Nope.

JACOB and the DMT

huh... thinking I'll have the Jordanian ask Jacob if he's ever had a mystical experience. Jacob will answer affirmatively and talk about my waterfall experience, and the Jordanian will then tell him that while THAT was true because it wasn't drug induced DMT will feel just as true though it is false.

The narrator, who is after all omnisicient, will then tell the readers the Jordanian is saying that just 'cause he wants to use Jacob's Christianity as a lever. He doesn't believe, and in fact thinks humans are computers etc.
remember?

CLOWN revisions...

1st, put the epilogue back in, then add the idea that maybe he'll end up being a muse. And isn't it funny, since he could never be a great poet, or even a famous poet, if whatever jerkoff he's the muse of gets famous off of his story? Wouldn't that be something?

2nd, think about doing some editing. CLOWN ain't perfect, and culling the weakest parts might make it MUCH better than it is.

American Digest Curmudgeons

Here is the post. Basically it says my generation is a bunch of pussies. It wouldn't allow my comments, below, because of "questionable content." (Wtf?) So I'm posting them here.


You're correct about Stein, but wrong to generalize from him about the generation he's from.

"A generation finely tuned to irony and nothingness and tone deaf to duty and soul."

Lol. You are awfully hard on the generation fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan right now- made up ENTIRELY of volunteers- and by all accounts fighting bravely and well. Yeah yeah, you used qualifiers, but you still chose the word "generation."

"No, it is only to say that this new voice that we hear throughout the land from so many of the young betokens a weaker and less certain brand of citizen than we have been used to in our history."
When you hear this voice from people younger than Stein, college-age and lower, it is a symptom of humility and recognition that with age comes wisdom- and it is partly a response to, and a rejection of, the boomer generation. The one that was so sure it was right about everything, and was
dead wrong about so much.

Respect for elders is a virtue, not a sign of weakness. Neither is bluster certainty.

Caught The Adventures of Ford Fairline last night.

It is better than people think. Sure, the plot sucked, but some of the dialogue is fantastic. This bit stars Al Bundy as Lt. Amos:

Lt. Amos: See, that's the difference between a great investigator like me, and a piece of spam like you.
Ford Fairlane: Spam? You're a piece of spam. That's what I think of you.
Lt. Amos: No, I call you a piece of spam, 'cos that's what you are.
Ford Fairlane: Spam.

hehehe. Then there's the scene with the hot rich lady who explains that because she's rich-

Colleen Sutton: Nothing disgusts me. At the age of eleven I walked in on my father and the Shetland pony. Does that excite you?
Ford Fairlane: I don't know, I never met your father.

hehehe.

There's a bunch of that shit... Andrew Dice Clay was ahead of his time. Old School, Wedding Crashers, Anchor Man etc., they all combine Clay's irreverence with a little more self-deprecation and a lot more charm. But what Clay was really missing- all the characters in those movies are punished for their Diceitosity, much as Clay was in real life, so you've got a nice little morality play. You can enjoy the irreverence because it is avenged.

All popular literature, as I've said a thousand times to my other-self, the one who rides dragons in that land you see through the magic mirror when you ditch school to read novels, (NOT the one where you ditch school to have a one-man orgy involving shoplifted KY Jelly and Victoria's Secret catalogs pulled from the neighbors trash) involve a morality tale that REINFORCES and okays current morality.

Yeah, even the ones you think are doing the opposite, are actually doing the same. For instance, you like freak boy from American Beauty NOT because he fools his dad, but because he fools his dad out of love. Sorry, but that's right. Get over it. You are all middle-class fugs. It is a good thing. Orgies really are overrated, take it from one who knows.

A review of The New World:

White people suck.


(No, I didn't see it. Not gonna. Well, on DVD I probably will.)


Prognostication about The New World:

Critics will talk about how daring and brave and new this movie is, and how it is just about impossible to get funding for this kind of movie- just like it is for movies like Syriana, Munich, Brokeback Mountain etc. After all, you'd never see three such movies out at the same time, and you know the critics are just going to crucify these directors for daring to address these subjects the way they do.

wtf is happening to Dean of Dean's World???

He's awfully pissy...

Here's his original post.

I wrote:

"Christians and Muslims because the Islamic faith represents a fundamental challenge to Christians: they claim to worship the same God, but they reject certain tenets that are implicit to the Christian faith."

They do NOT claim to worship the same god. Muslims specifically and categorically deny that Jesus is divine. Christianity is built upon the idea that Jesus IS divine. I don't blame you for not getting this as many Christians don't get it... but to claim a religion that does not worship Christ worships the same God as CHRISTians is ridiculous.

And Christians worry more about Muslism than Hindus and Shintoists and Buddhists not because Muslims are a more direct affront THEOLOGICALLY, or offer more of a threat to their worldview, or any other such nonsense... It is because of 9/11 and all the other terrorist attacks directed by Muslims against Christians. In short, Christians worry about Muslims more because Muslims kill Christians more than those other groups do.

Or do you remember Christians worrying a lot about Muslims before 9/11?

I hate to belabor you with the obvious, but this- "I think this tension may be permanent between Christians and Muslims because the Islamic faith represents a fundamental challenge to Christians" is kind of ridiculous... This implies that Christians are aggresively attacking Muslims, as opposed to reacting to attacks, and as opposed to Muslims aggressively attacking Christians. Next you'll tell me the Crusades were about Christians trying to take ancient Muslim land...

While we're at it, what exactly causes the permanent tension between Muslims and Jews in the ME? Do Muslims offer some specific ideological threat to them? How about the tension between Muslims and Hindus in India? Muslims and Buddhists in Thailand? Muslims and the Animists in Africa?

These poor Muslims, so put upon by all these aggressive religions!!! So why focus on Christians?


His reply:

Harkonnenmutt: If christians don't worship the same God as muslims, then they don't worship the same God as the jews either. Sorry, but you can't have it both ways--the jews also specifically deny that Christ was the messiah or was the Son of God. Indeed, they view the belief that God could have a human son as quite heretical. So, what you're claiming here is that you worship a different God than either the muslims OR the jews. Are you sure you want to take that stance?

Muslims worship the God of Abraham. They explicitely claim that, and that their faith is a direct outgrowth of what you call the Old Testament, and that their God is the same God as Yahveh/Jehovah. They even claim that Jesus was a prophet beloved of God.

You're also very conveniently ignoring--or maybe just don't know about--all the cases of christians committing mass murder of muslims, which has happened many times in history, the most recent being in the Rwanda genocide.

Oh, and muslims have integrated quite well into India and any number of other pluralist democracies. That's just a fact--as much as many of your fellow Christians would like to deny that fact, it's still a fact.

Essentially, Harkonnen, what you are is an ignorant Christian bigot. I don't blame you for being hoodwinked by bigoted and ill-informed members of your faith, but seriously? You need to educate yourself. Badly.

My reply:

This shouldn't be necessary, but since you've made it so... for the record, I think Islam and Christianity ARE compatible. For the record, I think Islam and secular free societies ARE compatible. For the record, I think the VAST majority of Muslims want to live in free societies and are victims of a tiny minority of fanatical douches who want Shari'a. For the record, the Muslim (Palestinian, btw) family I did business with for years reminded me of the nice Mormon families I grew up around more than anything else... and while I know that's just one family they are the template I use when I think of Muslims... and my Jewish wife has no problem with Muslims either... WAIT! WAIT! I'm a bigoted Christian- I couldn't have a Jewish wife or know Muslims, much less those evil Palestinian ones! those are the worst!!!

"Harkonnenmutt: If christians don't worship the same God as muslims, then they don't worship the same God as the jews either. Sorry, but you can't have it both ways--the jews also specifically deny that Christ was the messiah or was the Son of God. Indeed, they view the belief that God could have a human son as quite heretical. So, what you're claiming here is that you worship a different God than either the muslims OR the jews. Are you sure you want to take that stance?"

Yeah, I have no problem with that, since it is true. Christians think Jews have got it wrong, and vice versa. I'm well aware that all three are Abrahamic religions and that Muslims think Christ was a prophet. That's irrevelant. It is like saying Rugby is the same as Football because they are similar. The fact is there are fundamental differences between the Christian God and the Muslim God and the Jewish God which mean they CAN'T be the same God.

"You're also very conveniently ignoring--or maybe just don't know about--all the cases of christians committing mass murder of muslims, which has happened many times in history, the most recent being in the Rwanda genocide."
I'm not ignoring anything... It is irrevelant to the discussion. I'm not saying Muslims suck and Christians rock or anything like that... I'm pointing out the OBVIOUS- Christians got hot and bothered with Muslims because of 9/11, and Muslims have tension with LOTS of religions- which you have not bothered to refute.

Instead you call me an "ignorant Christian bigot" to avoid having to face the OBVIOUS. I understand the tactic, since what I said is irrefutable, but do you even understand why you've chosen to use that tactic?

Again, do you remember Christians being all worked up about Muslims pre 9/11? Do you think the increase in Christians worrying possibly has anything to do with that? Again, why do you single out Christians when Muslims have similar issues with Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Animists, etc? It sounds to me like you are bigoted against Christians. I've gone on this site for quite a while, so I'm aware that some Christians have said a bunch of stupid crap on this site... that doesn't excuse you're assuming that anyone who disagrees with you does so because they are a bigoted Christian. If my arguments are false, and if I'm as ignorant as you say, you should easily be able to prove them false. Go to it.

Now, for the record, I think Islam and Christianity ARE compatible. For the record, I think Islam and secular free societies ARE compatible. For the record, I think the VAST majority of Muslims want to live in free societies and are victims of a tiny minority of fanatical douches who want Shari'a. For the record, the Muslim (Palestinian, btw) family I did business with for years reminded me of the nice Mormon families I grew up around more than anything else... and while I know that's just one family they are the template I use when I think of Muslims... and my Jewish wife has no problem with Muslims either... WAIT! WAIT! I'm a bigoted Christian- I couldn't have a Jewish wife or know Muslims, much less those evil Palestinian ones! those are the worst!!!

"You need to educate yourself. Badly."
Actually, you need to stop closing your mind to alternative viewpoints by crying bigot whenever you read something that doesn't jibe with your personal beliefs... You throw those words ignorant and racist around pretty freely, don't you?

Pats fans SUCK!!!

No, you weren't robbed. The Oakland Raiders were robbed. You weren't. You were beat. You were the lesser team. The refs didn't cost you this game, they GAVE YOU THAT GAME, you know, the one that started your so called dynasty. You whining bitches.

Oh, and what happened to your sickening excuses- "There was still time in that game. It wasn't like time ran out, there was still football to be played." How come that doens't appy to you miserable shitbags when you had THE ENTIRE GAME TO BE PLAYED? You are bitching aboutt a call IN THE FIRST FUGGIN' HALF!!! Asshats.

Oh, and btw, your miserable organization fell back-asswards into getting Joe Montana. No, that's not the genius of Bill Bellicek, you friggin' 'tards, it is the luck of Kramer, that won you 3 Super Bowls. Just look at what happened when Joe Montana's spirit decided he'd rather use Ben Roethlisburger for a host...

I'll admit you picked up Rodney Harrison when we passed, okay. But that's it. Other than that you guys suck.

Post of the day from the Jawa Report-

is about Islam-
This is one of the sites that borders on Islamophobia... read with that in mind. The post is here.
Here's the money:

I have a very simple way to determine if the form of Islam is acceptable to me: does it reject Sharia. That is it.

As a political observe I have no theological interest whatsoever in Islam and could care less if Muhammed was a prophet or not or about Islam's stance on Trinitarian doctrine. I really don't care. What I do care about is whether or not a Muslim believes that law and government ought to be strictly secular in orientation or not.

Even liberal Muslims who believe in the establishment of Sharia carry with them a dangerous and anti-libertarian philosophy. Imagine, for instance, a liberal Sharia court which gives a man a fine for blasphemy. A moderate Sharia court might give the man a light jail sentence. The extremist Wahhabi court might sentence the man to a long sentence or even to death.

In all three cases a form of religious fascism exists. Whether or not we choose to call these varying religious forms moderate or not is really inconsequential. One may be worse than the other, but all three are bad.

The fascism of Franco's Spain was surely more moderate than the fascism of Nazi Germany, but I still would not have wanted to endure it.

As long as Islam embraces Sharia, I will reject Islam as a fascist ideology. Any form of Islam that rejects it is okay in my book.

Tomorrow's Plan:

I'll start making the editing changes I made on the plane to the computer tomorrow. Get this chit going...

It's very strange at work lately...

Not only are people not buying- they're weird. They keep saying they can't afford what I sell before they know the prices. Then when I tell them the prices they say they can't afford them. Then they ask to try the products out anyways. Then they say they can't afford them.

If you know you can't afford them why are you coming in here? Why are you asking me the prices? Why are you asking to try them after I've told you price and you've told me you can't afford them? Why are you walking in here with all your shields up, as if I am trying to hustle you, when I'm just sitting here? Why do you have that fucked disgusted look on your face when you're on vacation? Why do you get defensive when I ask you if you want help? Why do you get offended if I greet you and then leave you alone? Why are you in a mall shopping when you've no intention of buying? Why do you go on vacation in Hawaii when you don't like the beach? Don't you have malls at home? Why are you here on a gorgeous day? Why do you ask me how business is? Why do you say "Different..."? Why do you tell me stories about similar products you own?

Why do I have this fucking job I hate? So I can write while I'm at work? Then why aren't I writing?

Hrm... I'll just say it... Poor people suck ass. Well, no, they don't suck ass... but the ones that do the above suck ass, poor or not.

WISEGUY-

I've got the HD and the special HD-only channels you don't. HA!

And I've watched the entire run of WISEGUY over the last few months. This is the best show ever. EVER... Characters regularly go crazy on this show. People fall in love just because the sex is that good. Implacable enemies love each other BECAUSE they are enemies.

Everybody remember the Sonny Steelgrave saga and The Toes Knows saga- but Wiseguy continued on, brilliant as ever, after those storylines.

In fact, for me, the highlight of the show was the last storyline, in which Vinny infiltrates a town run by a crazy billionaire who watches an old movie too much. To get the guy sane XXX (I can't say who because it would be a spoiler) brings the billionaire INTO the movie and then changes the end of the movie. Crazy. Wonderful.

Television can depend on heavy-duty suspension of disbelief a LOT more than it does. I mean you're invested. You dig it. You LOVE the characters. You're willing to forgive a lot, as long as it doesn't become i-your-face insulting. As long as the actors don't start playing tongue in cheekily etc. And Ken Wahl never did. Ahhhh WISEGUY. You aren't missed because your memory is still with me.

Post of the day from Wretchard

long time since I did a post of the day. It is here.

Excerpt:

That he should be the subject of a police investigation simply for asserting the undesirability of homosexuality shows that in the pantheon of political correctness some gods must bow down to others. It is similar to the scissors-paper-stone game in that one object trumps another, but unlike the oriental game the inequalities are not circular: Muslim beats Jew, Gay beats Muslim but Jew does not beat Gay. In modern, liberal Europe, the relationship between politically correct objects is strictly transitive: Gay > Muslim > Jew > any class of "nonvictim" human beings. The mystery is: how did it get this way?

The rest of the post asks how things got that way. What's the dynamic? He posits Shelly's "unelected legislators" made it so. But how do they get elected? He doesn't know. I responded in his comments:

Fantastic post. The left's unelected legislators get "elected" by taking over enshrined institutions that were formerly apolitical or bipartisan. Nobel commitees, the NYTimes, environmental groups, big 3 news shows, etc.

The right's unelected legislators, like YOU Wretchard, get "elected" by presenting ideas that ring true, and make people want to share them with others.

The enshrined institutions are much more easily targeted by those who wish to subvert them to effect change. More open or newer system that distribute information, like the blogosphere, require different skills.

You have the skills. Even as I wrote the above I was wishing I was reading what YOU wrote about it because I knew you'd write, and actually THINK, what I was thinking better than I would. Lol!

It is kind of funny that you didn't seem to realize you are one of the unelected legislators. Were you really unaware of it?

That's a bit Salieri to his Mozart I guess... sans the envy of course.




Mostly.

I did work on JACOB during the vacation. Another fix.

Mostly on the plane. I did a lot of editing. (get ready to read the worst sentence I've ever written- never mind I couldn't help myself I change it) The writings that are NOT those which should never have been written, yet are those I labeled "the suck" aren't all bad- rather they are but in an easily fixable kind of bad- cutting mostly.

So good.

Also, I TOLD the story to Uncle Dan and he digged it. More important, I DIGGED IT. This means that- with the changes in place, it is mostly fixed. WHOOOO-HOOOO!!!

What this means is- for the first time since I can remember, I think this can be a good book. Holy crap...


ANOTHER FIX to JACOB:
Okay but I realized there's something else. I wrote a suicide scene in college and always liked it so I threw it into JACOB but it doesn't work because Jacob really shouldn't want to kill himself at that point because Jenny told him he didn't kill his mom. But I can have her tell him the thing about her father betraying him and NOT the part about the mom...

Then Jenny can redeem herself by getting Gene and bringing him to Hawaii to see Jacob. Have Jacob NOT go back to the mainland- have him go back to the hotel. Then Jenny brings Gene and tells Jacob that Jacob's mother is still alive. In a single conversation he gets his father and his birth-mother back. He didn't kill his mom etc.

"Four and one sixth. Four point one six six."

Just overheard that. Two fat tourists talking about Hawaii's sales tax- trying to figure out whether or not they got ripped off by the general store where they bought souvenirs... chocolate covered macadamia nuts.

She's wearing skin-tight fatty-material pants. I don't know what that material is made of- 80% cotton 20% lycra??? it is a pale tan color, if that makes sense- the color her skin would be if it wasn't mottled red. She walks like a penguin. Her legs spread wide apart as they pass each other so her inner thighs don't rash up... I suppose it lessons the chance of the material catching on fire, too. She just finished her diet Coke.

Back from vacation.

Went to California to visit the wife's auntie. Flew into Sacramento, drove to Stockton for the visit, went on to Springs Valley, then Pioneer, Kirkwood, back to Pioneer, over to Berkeley, and back to Sacramento.

Visited Auntie Molly, Auntie Sandi and Uncle Dan, Cheryl and Duncan, the Mayberries.

Stockton was kind of cool. OLD downtown, lots of trains. Tons of orchards just outside the city. Kind of weird to drive through orchard after orchard after orchard. Springs Valley was like that, too, except where it turned hilly. Then the trees were replaced by cows.

Pioneer and Jackson are beautiful old towns along Highway 88, which follows an old stagecoach trail. You still see the old stagecoach stations along the road.

Kirkwood is a ski resort. Didn't ski because it was raining buckets, and no effing way am I going skiing in the rain. That's what I call freezin' dicks cold. And I don't like that kind of cold.

Berkeley was disappointing. Dirty. Not cool and bohemian like it was when I was a kid. The suck.

The highlight of the trip was the Raider game we went to. NICE! even though we lost. But that's a post of its own.