Achieving Balance?, or just Weigh Out On A Limb?

Submitted by orange yonason (United States), Feb 5, 2006 at 04:04

BS"D

When trying to weigh the possible future behavior of an extreme segment of a population in an extreme circumstance, one should temper one's calculations by looking at the behavior of less extreme elements in less extreme circumstances.

e.g., We can see from the reaction of "moderate" Muslims worldwide to the recent Danish cartoon kerfuffle that violence seems to be a natural response to anything they find offensive. If some simple cartoons set the "moderates" off, how are we to believe the much more radical and violent Islamic elements can be passified over issues they feel ever so much strongly about?

Jordan is allegedly "moderate" and yet 2 newspaper editors have already been arrested there for the offense of printing the news, G-d help them.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4680948.stm
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/12099.html (earlier article when it was just one. So, are more arrests to follow?)

So, no I don't think looking for a way to achieve peace is at all sensible under the circumstances. In fact, the whole approach is wrong, dominated as it is by the manipulative, devious and uncompromising Islamist point of view. And the further we go in pursuing this dead end, the worse we'll be burned in the end.

In a related observation, I am not inspired with confidence in our government's ability to deal with crises when I see them siding with the lunatics in order to appear fair and balanced, or whatever they think they are doing:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/03/AR2006020301577.html

But, sadly to say, I'm not really surprised by them, either.

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