You mention that there are Christians who believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God, and there are.

What it has to do with anything other than to confuse those easily confused I can’t say.

But, Charlie, for a friend, I’ll clear it up: Christianity is not a political system. Christianity has a robust tradition of ongoing revelation. Thus, Christianity needs no political reformation, and is theologically reformed, no doubt, every second of every minute by somebody somewhere being seized by the Spirit and speaking in tongues, or having Revealed to them that God does after favor the recruitment of black athletes to formerly white religious schools.

Islam, as you say, is divided into (more than four) several schools. The most prominent hates, despises, and performs remarkable cruelties on the next most prominent school, a bunch of apostates who do not believe that any of the Sunni caliphs were legitimate.

That second school, Shi’a, consoles itself with hatred of the most prominent school for stealing the caliphate 1200 years ago, and comforts itself with the knowledge that the 12th imam, now nearing 900 years of age, is hiding in a cave and will at some date of his choosing emerge to lead victorious Shi’ites into the establishment of a caliphate in the name of Ali, who was bamboozled 1200 years ago out of his rightful spot as Mohammed’s successor. Shi’a is first and foremost concerned with its own victimhood and revenge.

The other schools believe even more bizarre things. But they all believe that the Koran and the Hadith are all there is and all there ever will be.

And that’s why Islam cannot be reformed. The alleged “golden ages” of Islam were periods when the Muslims conquered developed societies and learned their ideas, until the mullahs put a stop to it.

Dinosaurs had a golden age too.

I’m with you on the matter of what do we call the “war”. Its a war on terrorism, the Islamofascist variety is merely the latest and most virulent straing.

Witchita & Tmj

I agree with you guys on the matter of trying to hide out in blue-state, big sky country. In today’s America the best places to blend in and hide out are the large metropolitan areas. That is where the locals have a well developed sense of not paying attention. Those are the areas where an effort is required to get people to have a “block watch” mentality. While the metro areas make it easy to hide in plain sight and move freely without attracting attention, they don’t lend themselves well to establishing jihadi training camps. One might slip off into the blue-state hinterlands to test one’s bomb making skills but if one makes a big noise in the red-state areas somebody is going to arrive to check things out.

richard,

Before signing on with P.J. you need to read his review in today’s Book section of the LA Times (no link available without paying, unfortunately).

Ah, Richard, that’s just silly. Islam has four major traditions (Shi’a, Sunni, Sufi, and Ishmaelian) and has been a center of enlightenment in the world in the past. (Remember that it was Isabella and Ferdinand who threw out the Jews in previously-Moorish Andaluz. They wouldn’t have been there to throw out if Islam hadn’t been tolerant at the time.) And Christianity has its adherents to the “directly received Word of God” theory as well.

Yes, and we haven’t a clue how many there are, let alone the number of those who could easily be recruited.

I read the WaPo article linked by Instapundit about all the arrests in pakistan recently. They said about 100 in the last few days with 18 or so identified as al Qaeda.

My first thought was ‘Wow! We got a lot!’

My second thought was ‘But there’s so many more’.

He converted to Islam aged 20 after a holiday in the disputed Indian province of Kashmir. According to friends, he became alienated from his parents, abandoning the family name,Patel.”

Sunday Times 8th Aug,A very interesting article,sorry won’t lnk.

This is the problem, our free society is being used against us,towns and cities are the places they can disappear.Weapons training is available from the Middle East to the Hindu Kush.

Since 9/11 I’ve made it a point to scope out my favorite venues with a drive by before picking a spot to set up. I found out early on that I’m not alone. On more than one occasion I’ve had ‘friendly visits’ (I have some military-looking weapons) and I’ve made some too – especially when the group was composed of younger folks. We’ve got a whole boatload of back country but what the earthraper motorhead gun nuts don’t cover the mountainbiker/birkenstock brigades cover quite effectively. The most remote communities tend to be the most clannish; nothing happens in their neighborhoods without it becomes public knowledge within days.

What used to be a fun trip to the boondocks has become area patrolling.

Faster, please…

I heard the “hold hands and talk’ comment on the radio. I believe it was taken from one of the recent Kerry whistlestops but I can’t be sure. i imagine it will show in print somewhere soon