Old Blue:
“The one issue that we cannot coopt is the religious issue. That requires moderate, progressive Islamic influences to have a consistent and unwavering voice in renouncing Jihad and advocating religious tolerance. We do not control these influences and never can. We must seek their attention to this issue and seek to enlist their willing assistance.”

Actually, it is possible to redefine Jihad for Muslims. Now it means honor, glory, booty, slaves, rapine and guaranteed admission to Paradise for those killed in Jihad and up to 70 of their closest family and friends. What it should mean is humiliation, death, destruction, disaster, and sorrow for those engaging in Jihad and up to 70 of their family and friends. A sense of guilt needs to be built into Muslims. The traditional way to do that is to crush their societies, knock down their holy places, and scatter them to the winds. That’s how the Romans did it to the Jews and their Barrabbases. I’m not tied to that way of doing things. I hope there is a less bloody way. But somehow Jihad must be taken on and totally discredited for now and always. It may take discrediting Muhammad too. If so, we’ll need a lot more cartoons.

I don’t hold out any hope for a moderate Islam to provide a shortcut for this process, however. There will be blood.