Prayers for Manchester

It's almost as good as my "Spastic Diarrhea" thread :beguiled: Seriously though, what do you expect to happen on an essentially unmoderated forum - especially in the "Anything Goes" sub-forum? I started an automotive forum myself which is roughly 5 times bigger than VFRWorld in terms of members and posts and I personally couldn't imagine having it run like this because certain members would turn nearly every thread into a flame war. I was lucky to find some great moderators who volunteer their spare time to enforce some basic rules and keep the place running smoothly so everyone can enjoy it. In this forum, I've learned to adapt to an environment in which shit storms are apparently viewed as a good thing :glee:

 

John451, VFRIRL,

Chomsky is essentially correct; without Western colonialism, and without much of the Middle East having been the battleground for cold and hot proxywars between the West and the USSR, there is no question the area would be much different today. The large-scale, intentional suppression of the basic institutions of modern society in the ME that significantly moderated religion's power in Western countries over the last 200 years, which in turn caused secularization and democratization, has been devastating, and is 100% responsible for current ME conditions. Very few ME states have all the arms of state power necessary for a well-functioning, modern, democratic, society: Uniform K-12 education; strong legal systems; social safety nets; access to healthcare; low corruption. This wide-spread dysfunction is a direct result of us--the West--propping up dictators with billions of petrodollars, and assassinating liberal/progressive ME leaders when necessary (See Mosaddegh).

Your example of Islam in colonial India doesn't really work, due to the same factors noted above: This Islam was fomented under a repressive colonial regime that de-emphasized all the elements of secularization noted above. It was radical.

When Europeans were running around millennia ago in furs without underwear and smelling of shit in cold castles, relentlessly stuck in pithy battles with one another, the ME was the world's cultural and scientific center--and for a long time. Yes, a tiny minority of Muslims practice the 675 AD version of the religion; but, a casual read of the Koran shows it as a rather beautiful religion, and certainly no more an instigator of violence than Christianity, which still holds the title for most violence committed in its name of all religions, by far.

Unfortunately, nonsense as spouted by Greg et al needs to be paid attention to, as it is responsible for Trump in office; Greg's position is entirely uninformed, and I doubt he has much diversity among his friends (if any), that has ever had conversations with Middle Easterners, read any literature on political economy or world religions, or traveled the globe much, though a majority of Americans are equally guilty of the same sins. But, he does learn: He no longer engages in open misogyny by posting lewd photos of women here after this was pointed out to him. So, here's to hoping.

 

The only time I get to see his inane commentary is when somebody quotes him. I have him on ignore in an attempt cut down on the overwhelming amount of ignorance that I'm already bombarded with in daily life.

 

I have no issue with "normal muslims" either - I work with them all the time and socialize with them on occasion. I enjoy some of their food and culture as well. In fact I recently went to a very nice dinner at the Morrocan pavilion at EPCOT - complete with a beautiful belly dancer :glee: That's why I'm being such a nice guy and providing a civilized warning period in my Wheel of Fortune plan :witless: If I hated muslims generally there would be no warning period at all in my plan. I want the "normal muslims" to live and see their city wiped out from a distance so that they will be incentivized to take the necessary steps to wipe out the "abnormal muslims" themselves when they start talking about their plans to suicide-bomb our cities.

The conversation would go something like this:
Abnormal muslim: Hey, can you guys help me buy a suicide bomb vest?
Normal muslim: What are you talking about? What are you planning?
Abnormal muslim: Blowing up a concert hall in America/Europe of course!
Normal muslim: Are you fucking crazy? If you do that they will nuke one of our cities at random with only a 1 day warning!
Abnormal muslim: It's okay - we'll all be martyrs!
Normal muslim: Come closer so I can shoot your crazy ass in the head! :glee:

Problem solved.

 

I respectfully ask that everybody refrain from quoting this guy.

 

Does this post officially make you a cheese wiz?

 

Perhaps you should ask those Muslims you work and socialize with, what they think of your proposal?
Remember to be earnest and sincere at all times as you describe it.

 

Not sure what you mean by "colonial", the muslim Mughals ruled India from 16th Century until mid 19th Century prior to the British Raj.

 

Indeed!

 

The World's First Hot Cheese Gun!

 

I already have actually. I would ask you to do the same - have them read it exactly as written (with the warning period included) and I think you will find that if they are "normal muslims" they won't be nearly as put off by it as you are :beguiled:
The "Chicago Way" has some similarities to the islamic "eye for an eye" concept. Once it was clear there was a warning period which would minimize the number of dead women and children, they were not nearly as offended by my plan as some of you guys. The guys I talked to are lawyers of Egyptian and Lebanese descent so I'm guessing they are smarter than the average member here - no offense :glee:

 

I think this sums it up.

 

Pointing to Mughal Islamic practices 3-400 years ago to impeach modern Islam doesn't really seem relevant; the atrocities committed in the name of Christianity during that time are equally heinous.

Rather, the question seems to be what caused Islamic radicalization in Central-Western Asia (Paki- & Afghanistan), and you have to look at the effects of colonialism upon indigenous political/religious practices to find your answers, as they were the last oppressive powers in those areas before self-rule. 1800-on was the period in which Western societies gathered all the fruits of democratization, secularization, industrialization (somewhat bitter fruit), all of which were denied ME and Central Asian ex-colonies until very recently. This has caused Islam to be an outdated weapon for tens of millions of desperately poor ME citizens, who turn to anachronistically interpreted word from the Koran for relief, as their governments do not, and never have, provided basic necessities. The Arab Spring was 100-125 years late.

 

Awesome. If we waged wars with these things, the primary casualties would uniforms busting at the seams and a few heart attacks.

 

Cheese welding for the win!!!!!

 

A favored production method during AMF's ownership of Harley and through the '90s.

 

I could have spent the rest of my life not knowing about that.

 

So GG, your warning period, only the good muslims will leave and the bad guys stay put and get blown to kingdom come?

 

Anybody know a good lawyer in Orlando?

 

Oh, and GG will personally secure the safety of the good Muslims who don't get the message or are too poor or infirm to get out. Because the bad Muslims will all remain to die in the cities and won't relocate to MANCHESTER, for example, to recruit more terrorists and continue their Jihad. And there won't be ANY new terrorist recruits because America nuked a Muslim city. Because GG says so.