Double-edged retraction: Barry and I had a little discussion about yesterday’s weird thing about Rick Mathes, and while the incident apparently happened, not everyone agrees on the details. I am thus giving you the full list of links on the incident which came up in our discussion. Not all of them are reliable.
- “Did Islam Grow By Killing Non-Believers?” is in complete denial that contemporary Islam is violent in any way, shape, or form.
- Allah or Jesus? - Netlore Archive notes the dispute on what really happened and, though noting that Islam means different things to different people, does not want to get involved in that debate.
- Allah or Jesus notes the dispute on what really happened and that Islam is not a monolithic religion.
- Philosophy & Religion: If you are of an Islamic belief, please respond... (others... feel free to listen) is largely apologetic and in denial.
- Urban Legends Reference Pages: Politics (Allah or Jesus?)
The main reason I posted the story in the first place is because of its plausibility: Islam is the religion most used on the planet to preach and perform violence. Though there are non-Muslim terrorists, they tend to be very localized (e.g., Basque separatists); only Muslim terrorism has become a planet-wide threat. (See the news every day and listen to what Muslims around the planet actually say if you do not believe me.) Whether or not Mathes’s interpretation of the incident corresponds well with reality has little bearing on this. The only question is whether or not I should be more careful doing my homework.
In today’s weird news, Iran is hard at work trying to get a hefty bribe out of the European Union to stop work on nuclear weapons. Needless to say, Iran is not likely to keep such an agreement anyway—they are already in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which they did sign—and the most likely outcome will be that Israel will have to bomb them, just as they did Iraq.
Not quite as bad, TrekUnited.com is collecting donations to fund another season of Star Trek: Enterprise. On a brighter note, J. Michael Straczynski (creator of Babylon 5) wants a chance to do Star Trek himself.
Finally, for today’s weird news, I am pleased to announce David Dingman-Grover, the boy who dubbed his tumor “Frank”, is now cancer-free.
Today’s weird thing is the bizarre case of some Colorado teens fined for giving cookies to a neighbor. Fortunately for them, they have received donations towards their legal defense.
Enjoy/be scared.
Aaron
No comments:
Post a Comment