Radical Islam, The Beginning..

I was trying to understand the Arab world during Mohammed's time. I know it sounds silly, but the American- "Wild West" is the best description I can come up with. (Though the American Wild West came 1,200 thousand years later!) You had great cities, like Mecca. But in between, there were hundreds of miles of nothing. Just like in the Wild West, robbery was a way of life for some in the old-Arab world. Caravans of merchants would frequently be robbed of their goods. In America, with a government that is "for the people, by the people." We could demand protection, or vote our leaders out of office. Arab's didn't have this luxury. In a land governed by Rulers, Kings, and dictators.. Arabs could not demand anything!
In the desert of Arabia was Mohammad born, according to Muslim historians, on April 20, 571. The name means highly praised. His parents died when he was young. Mohammed grew up to become a type of merchant. He also took part in robbery of goods from 'enemy' tribes. Mohammed was a very intelligent man, he saw the world in a different perspective then many of his contemporaries. Mohammed began to believe that the "Multi-God" religion that Arabs followed no longer served the Arab people. All around him, people were ruled by greed. Mohammed was disgusted by the deterioration of life in Mecca.
Being a traveler, Mohammed met Jewish and Christian people. Christians would often taunt Arab people because they never had a prophet. That God had never spoke directly to Arabs. (That wasn't a very nice thing for Christians to do??) Being an intelligent man, Mohammed did ponder this question.. "Why hadn't God spoke to the Arab people?"
Around the year 609, Mohammed was 40, he had his 'revelations' with God. This was not a peaceful event! Mohammed would shake, sweat and go blank. He once described a revelation this way: "It was like my whole soul was being ripped out of my body!" Mohammed wrote down everything he witnessed. He did not show these revelations to any outsiders. Only trusting his wives and close friends. Around 611, friends of Mohammed believe these revelations must be seen by all. The writings of Muhammad, called the Koran (Qur'an), were so logical, so well written, and so pure.. It is said that anyone who read the Koran became a follower of Islam.
This was the problem.. You had to read it.
Many of the old rulers and kings refused to read the Koran. To suggest a "One-God" religion, similar to the Christians, in the Arab world was unheard of. There were several attempts to assassinate Muhammad. For two years, they tried to starve the followers of Islam by cutting off supplies. But none of this worked. As more people read the Koran, they too, became followers. In the end, the old rulers of the 'Multi-God' religion, either joined Islam, or were cast-out and even killed.
After Mohammed's death, Islam spread across the Arab world and into territories not ever held by Arabs. Changes in belief of the Koran, allowed Arabs to kill a brother. A more Radical Islam was emerging. What lands that did not submit to Islam, were taken over in war. By the year 800, Islam held a great Empire that had more land then The Roman Empire held. Islam had split into three fractions: Sunnism, Shiism and Sufi mysticism. Each having a small different meaning of the Koran.
Almost as quick as The Islamic Empire's rise, it began to fracture. The three fractions, Sunnism, Shiism and Sufi, did not see eye to eye on matters. Plus, increased trade with the outside world caused a further split in the Islamic Empire.
The Islamic Empire basically fell into what you see today. (Aside from some border and kingdom changes.) Except.. Arabs had a new, One God (Allah), religion.
This would be the end of the story.. Except for one small thing…
OILLet me stop for a moment..From what I have read, I can find nothing wrong with Muhammad. I believe he was a decent, intelligent prophet who spoke to God. Mohammed's intent was pure. In any religion, (or country for that matter) a radical group can use a religion or government to conquer. Mohammed believed you should not force anyone to follow Islam. Followers should be willing. He believed Muslims should resect Jews and Christians because they believed in the same God. Christians just had an earlier revelation then the Arabs. First and foremost, Mohammed believed hoarding wealth would not be seen as righteous, before God, if your brothers suffer in poverty.
It is the radicals in Islam that I point out. These folks are not following the true teachings of Mohammed. They are using the religion as a means to conquer and gain wealth. I am not just picking on Islam. Christianity had The Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition. You could pick almost any country in the world and show a time in which radicals used the government to conquer. (I know.. I Know.. Some people will point at President Bush.)
Islam and Oil
If it were not for oil, the Arab world would probably resemble the continent of Africa. Warring states, opposing tribes, and poor people starving. But because of oil, Arab rulers became billionaires. Europe, America, Asia and the world were forced to focus on The Middle East.
Oil is the most traded commodity in the world. Arabs seem to hold the bulk of it.
What is happening in The Middle East is nothing new. It is a tragedy that has been played out many times in this world. It is a clash of the old against the new. Japan saw an encounter between modern Japanese and the old Samurai. In America, we saw the clash between the old- Native American Indian ways and the modern Europeans. Also, during the civil war, we saw the collision of the old south against the modern north.
So there is nothing new about the conflict in The Middle East. What is different? Most of the time we read about this stuff in history books. This is taking place in front of our eyes!
If radical Islamic leaders truly followed the teachings of Mohammed, there would be no war. Radical Islam is using the Koran to over-throw rulers and kings they do not agree with.
With the Hamas victory in Palestine. With a more radical president in Iran. With what Al Qaeda tried to do in Afghanistan and are trying to do in Iraq. You can see, radical Islam is spreading again. (The Koran is a very well written and powerful book. Do not underestimate it!)
The goal of radical Islam is to rebuild the Islamic Empire. (Make no mistake about it. They have said it many times.) They will use oil as their engine and the Koran as a tool.
This will be The Forth World War.It is interesting how little a role America will play in the start of The Forth World War. (We can be slightly egotistical at times and think things "revolve around us".)
This will be discussed in detail in the final editorial of this series.

Written by Biff Babonie

Research material used

Islam.. (A short History).. by Karen Armstrong.

USC- Compendium of Muslim Texts- Quick Link Here!
www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/

Crude Awakenings- (Global Oil Security) by Steve A. Yetiv

"Following editorial's from this series are"

Post 1- Who Created Al-Qaeda?
Post 2- Radical Islam: The beginning.
Post 3- Why Saddam?
Post 4- The Forth World War


Thanks for reading The Angry Republican!

Note: You will find spelling errors and terrible grammar used in these posts. Anything I send to the newspapers has two editors, one checks spelling and punctuation, the other checks content. For this blog, I like the feeling to be 'raw.' For better or worse, there is no editing process.

Osama

New bin Laden tape sends mixed messages

You know, I listened to the bin Laden tape. There were some good songs. But much of it was hard to dance to. I only give it a 64.

(Sorry, lame-ass reference to the old Dick Clark's American Bandstand)

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Al-Jazeera on Thursday broadcast portions of an audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden, saying al-Qaida is making preparations for attacks in the United States but also holding out the possibility of a truce.

Osama bin Laden said:

"We do not mind offering you a long-term truce with fair conditions that we adhere to," he added. "We are a nation that God has forbidden to lie and cheat."

Oh.. So.. Killing thousands of innocent people is OK. Just so you do not lie and cheat while you are doing it.

What's really scary is the effect the new Osama CD is having on some people..
Oh.. NO. I'm hypnotized!!

Read more at: bluefunk

Life is all about showing up - unless you're Paula Abdul.

The controversial American Idol judge, who last season survived allegations of an affair with a former contestant, ditched yesterday's Fox TV critics press tour session with that old Hollywood whopper, "an eye infection."

Aaah Paula.. Something tells me that people were not looking at your eye infection!

To read more.. Click--bluefunk

Hurray for Hollywood

There are three movies out right now that disturbs me. These movies are "Munich", "Brokeback Mountain", and of course "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Brokeback Mountain, I am going to talk about last because I will probably put my foot into my mouth. I will piss people off. So I will put it way at the bottom. Nobody reads that far down.
The other two movies are based on actual events that are "slanted" to some degree. I realize that there are always two sides to every issue. So I had to think back to movies I have liked that other people said were slanted and not actual history.
"Patton".. Staring George C. Scott. I love this movie and have often wished we had someone like Patton in command today. Whenever this movie is on TV, I try and watch it. I believe the combination of Ike and Patton, plus all the brave men who fought, made America heroes in WWII.
I had a great Uncle who served in one division Patton was in command of. This uncle didn't care for Patton. Patton was called: "Old blood and guts." My uncle use to say: "Yea, our blood and his guts." He hated the movie Patton. He said that the strategy that America was using, anyone could have lead Patton's divisions. (Any other general) He said Patton made it MORE dangerous because he didn't want to stop and regroup. Many times, Patton ran himself out of supplies.
I respect my uncle. "He was there, I wasn't." And while he was alive, I would listen to him. But I still love the movie Patton. I think he was a great American General.
The second movie is "JFK" by Oliver Stone. I am predisposed to believing in a conspiracy on JFK's assassination because I just don't think Oswald could have done it by himself. People have said that District Attorney Jim Garrison didn't play that big a role in the investigation of JFK's murder. They say the movie JFK is based mostly on fiction. I do not care.. I like this movie. (For more on the topic of JFK- Click Here.)
So I do understand that there will always be two sides to every movie made about history.
Now.. I move onto today's movies…

First… I have not seen these movies. I will not see them until they land in the "bargain bin" at Billy Bob's movie house. I know it sounds silly.. But it is my way of "sticking it to the man." Since I haven't seen the movies, I cannot debate the content. But I can debate the premise.

George Clooney's- "Good Night, and Good Luck."


I respect Edward R. Murrow as a broadcaster. I have some records of his. A series of 78 speed records from a show he did called "Hear it now." These are collector's items.
The premise: That Senator Joseph McCarthy's hearings on communistic activity in America was un-American. Murrow fought against the brass at CBS to report that these hearings were a witch-hunt.
Here is the problem I have. We knew that the Soviets had spies. (The Soviet rocket program is similar to the US Saturn rockets, just bigger. The "Mig" is similar to some US fighters, just bigger. The Soviet plans for a space shuttle were similar to the US space shuttle, just bigger.)
How do we find spies? Do we lay down and do nothing? Do we wiretap Americans? No.. we can't do that. That is un-American.
So we have open hearings on the subject. The one thing people who do not believe in these hearings have said is that; "It destroyed the career's of people." Let's take Lucille Ball. She popped on the list because she joined the communist party and she married a man whose family fled Cuba. "I can understand why she was on the list." This never destroyed her career. Lucille Ball had no idea why she joined the communist party. In an interview, she said: "We were young and stupid. Many young people in Hollywood joined the communist party. I never went to any meetings or donated any money to them."
Mark my words.. Twenty years from today you will hear that same thing. "I don't know why. Many of us in Hollywood were sympathetic to terrorists. We were young and stupid."
Lucille Ball was not charged with anything. She went on and had a great career. These hearings went on to find some interesting Soviet ties that needed to be investigated. Plus, it shut down some communistic activity in America. Did the McCarthy hearings go to far? Yes. But they were necessary.
(You will hear this twice in this post.) There is a danger in always second guessing what our fathers and grandfathers did. These people lived through the fear of communism in the 1950's. They felt these hearings were necessary. So do I. When you condemn the actions of a past generation, without regard for why they did it, you begin to look weak.. Spineless. Where is your backbone? It is easy for us to say communism never spread that far, so they didn't need to have hearings. But back then, who knew how far communism would go. It was spreading into different countries.

Now..

"Munich"


I realize that Steven Spielberg is trying to say that violence will get you more violence. Terrorist's have families and lives. Maybe we just do not understand these people?
(Here we go again..) Our fathers and grandfathers felt it was important to give the Jewish people their own state. People of the world picked the Holy Land. Why? I am not afraid to say it.. "Because the people in that region might someday blow up the Holy Land because they are mad about something." The state of Israel would be the perfect guardians of The Holy Land. "That land belonged to the Jewish people, long ago." So a group of nations pushed out the residents, (Palestinians) and created The State of Israel. It was a British commander who taught Israel to fight. "He did a great job!" America supplied some weapons.
We cannot continue second-guessing what our past generations did. Sure we can analyze it. Learn from it. But to say it was wrong? What gives us the wisdom to even make that statement?
Taking this land, (America) from Native Americans was not a good thing to do. "Do you want to give your land back to them?" Will you give up your house and move back to where ever your family came from?
So.. In my opinion.. We should respect and back the State of Israel. Therefore, I have no sympathy for Palestinian terrorists. In my opinion Israel has tried to work with them, and the Palestinians turn everything down. Sharon gave the Palestinians the Gaza Strip and it is now a hellhole. "Will Steven Spielberg take his vacation in The Gaza Strip?" I don't think so..


And finally..


"Brokeback Mountain." Featuring Gay cowboys..

I will probably never see this movie. No offence.. (If you're gay, there maybe things you do not want to see..) For me.. Seeing two cowboys kissing in a pup tent is not something I want to see.
First off, (from what I hear) they are not cowboys. They herd sheep. Second, they have women. So they are not gay. They are bi-sexual. Or to use a more progressive term.. "They are experimenting.."
So the movie should be.. "Brokeback Mountain" Featuring Experimenting Sheepherders.
So.. either way you put it.. I do not want to see this movie. But I do not care that Hollywood has made it. It is progression. From Marilyn Monroe's skirt flying up from a street vent, to Sharon Stones beaver shot in Basic Instinct, to lesbian scenes in " Mulholland Drive." So the next step would be Experimenting Sheepherders.
Do I agree with this progression that Hollywood is on? No.. But I know I cannot stop it. As long as people line up to see this, Hollywood will make it.
The only thing I can do, is what my great uncle did to me, many years ago. When I commented on how much I like "Patton." He reminded me that there are two sides to every story.

Link to the original post: angryrepublican

Senators Consider Alito's Record, Judgment

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito said Tuesday he would deal with the issue of abortion with an open mind as a justice, though he defended his 1991 judicial vote saying women seeking abortions must notify their husbands.

What if they do not have husbands??

"No person is above the law, and that means the president and that means the Supreme Court," the judge said.

Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy told Alito that his judicial opinions suggest otherwise.

Let's look at Alito's Record…

*****The Angry Republican News Exclusive******

---Alito pledged in 1990 that he would recuse himself from cases involving the Vanguard companies. Some Alito opponents say his participation in a 2002 Vanguard case raises doubts about his fitness for the Supreme Court. Alito holds six-figure investments with Vanguard.

---In 1992, Alito yelled at a puppy.

---1993, Alito ordered a pizza and only tipped the delivery guy .50 cents. This pizza guy couldn't afford to pay his crack dealer and got a broken fibula.

---Asked repeatedly about whether the Supreme Court should have decided Bush v. Gore, the case that settled the 2000 election, Alito declined to answer, saying he hadn't studied the case.

---In 1990, Alito drank a whole case of beer and strip searched a 10 year old girl.

---When asked if the Pittsburgh Steelers would do better if John Kerry was one of their wide receivers, Alito refused to answer.

Get more news at: bluefunk

Jon Stewart To Host 2006 Academy Awards?

It has been revealed that the search for a host for this year’s Oscar ceremony is over…the host for 2006 will be Jon Stewart from the US spoof news show ‘The Daily Show’.



If this is true, there will be some "Bush Whacking" on that Oscar Show.


Conservatives may want to stay away. (Unless you have a good sense of humor.)

Read more at: bluefunk

Who Created Al Qaeda?

I have been wanting to do a series of posts (editorials) on our current enemies. I believe it is important to understand these people. Plus, I feel many people do not even see an enemy. Maybe they feel the enemy is not that big of a problem. Or it is too big a problem. Or that it isn't "our" problem at all.

People have said that America created Al Qaeda. How can this be?? We are good people!

By the end of this post.. You will know who created Al Qaeda.

President Jimmy Carter was having a hell of a time during his presidency. An oil crisis, which caused Americans to pay high prices for gas and wait in long lines. You could not buy gas two days in a row. Inflation was sky high.

Then.. The fall of 1979 became a nightmare. Iran captured Americans and held them hostage. If that wasn't bad enough The Soviets invaded Afghanistan just one month after Iran took Americans hostages. American TV was focused on the Iran hostage crisis, the pentagon was focused on the Soviets. "To invade Afghanistan in the winter is mad. There is no plain reasoning here," is what many reporters thought. But not the pentagon. The soviets were careful planners and geopolitical thinkers.

If the Soviets were able to take Afghanistan, there would be nothing stopping them from heading west into the heart of the Middle East. This could not be aloud to take place. They would control the oil fields. Which meant money and power.

America was still weak from its war in Vietnam just five years ago. Everyone agreed a head on battle with the soviets was out of the question. People began to believe.. "Let's do to the soviets what they have done to us in the past." Everyone knows the soviets greatly helped out our enemy's in previous wars. It was time for some payback. But America couldn't just openly back Afghanistan. It had to be done covertly.

Jimmy Carter had made some "friends" in the Middle East while he was trying to sure-up an oil supply. Mainly, the House of Saud. Saudi Arabia had much to loose if the soviets were successful. Mainly, their oil fields. A deal was stuck between Jimmy Carter and the House of Saud. Saudi Arabia would provide the funds. America would provide the technology and training.

Before America and Saudi Arabia entered the picture, things looked very bad for the Afgan Freedom Fighters. "You had goat herders and drug growers shooting at soviet tanks with pistols."

Sub-story….

A riff had grown in the Middle East. Young Islamic men began to see the older Islamic leaders as weak. The Kings and dictators were being driven in limousines. Fancy dining. Big shows. Some of these leaders were actually making Hollywood type movies. The young extreme Islamic people began to dislike the elders and believed the elders had lost the way of Mohammed.

When the "mighty bear" invaded Afghanistan. Many of the Middle Eastern Kings and dictators did nothing to stop this. They offered little support. It was the final straw for many of the young Islamic men. Young men poured into Afghanistan. The American CIA and Special Forces trained them.

These young men where very wise. They learned more then the CIA thought. They could take two broken AK-47's, strip them down, and make one functioning weapon. "Most American soldiers can't do that." The Freedom Fighters learned to do this out of necessity. It is what they had to do on the battlefield. They knew the "in and outs" of anti-tank missiles. They learned how Americans fought and how we get intelligence. They learned everything.

The Afgan Freedom Fighters stop the Soviets in their tracks.

President Carter did not win his reelection. President Ronald Reagan believed Carter's covert war in Afghanistan was justified and important. Actually Reagan intensified it by lending more US support. Eventually the Afgan Freedom Fighters held off the Soviets long enough that the Soviet Union retreated. The Freedom Fighters had won.

Something happened on the battlefield of Afghanistan. The young Freedom Fighters began to call themselves Al Qaeda. Since Afghanistan was in ruins, it was easy for Al Qaeda to set up whatever government they choose. America and The House of Saud had no desire in the region. Al Qaeda picked The Taliban to run their new paradise. Be-heading became the punishment for many crimes. Women were beaten and killed for no good reason.

Some Al Qaeda members made an attempt to travel back to their home countries. They began to talk about the great victory Al Qaeda had over "the mighty Bear," how they created a paradise in Afghanistan. "Where a strict interpretation of The Koran was being followed." Many of the home countries didn't want these "Mujahideen" (Holy warriors) in their countries. They were afraid of an uprising. Al Qaeda was rounded up in many countries and escorted to the border. "If you return, you will be killed."

One member of Al Qaeda who was different from most was Osama bin Laden. He had fought in the Afgan war like many of the others, but Osama was rich. When Saudi Arabia kicked Osama out for spreading propaganda, bin Laden stated he would bring down the House of Saud. Osama was made the leader of Al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda, which means "the base", began to seek out new manpower and funds were ever they could. (Which ever country would have them and not kill them.) Yemen, Iran, Sudan and of course Afghanistan to name a few.

Al Qaeda is "The Base." The base of the new Ottoman. A return to the great Islamic Empire. Many people do not realize the Islamic Empire held more land then the Roman Empire. Al Qaeda, (the way they see it) defeated the Russians. They have their own first country. (Afghanistan.) They see America as a country of pilgrims who in less then 200 years, became a great and powerful empire. England, in the 1600's, was still filled with warring tribes. 250 years later, England ruled the world. Al Qaeda can wait. They will do it one country at a time. Al Qeada's membership started to grow.

When the Soviet Union fell shortly after Desert Storm, America took credit for toppling the Russians. After all, America had been locked in a cold war with the soviets for decades. A large-scale chess game. A deadly game. Without America giving the Afgan Freedom Fighters training and weapons, the Soviets would have won. The Soviets fell because their economy could no longer support a massive weapons build up. When the Russians saw American forces in Dessert Storm, they were stunned. The "Patriot Missile" scared the crap out of the soviets. If America perfected "Star Wars," all Russian weapons were useless.

Al Qaeda didn't care for America taking credit for their victory. Radical Islam didn't understand how we could hate the Russians and then send Billions in aid, food and money to the Russians. They didn't understand how President Reagan could trade arms to Iran and then sell arms to Iraq. Mostly, they began to believe America was the problem. Osama witnessed American forces being gunned down by rebels in Mogadishu. Osama watched as Americans ran from the fight during the Clinton Presidency. Osama believed if Al Qaeda could strike America on their own soil, Americans would run away from The Middle East.

Enter the First World Trade Tower Attack- 1993

This was not successful in bringing down the towers. President Clinton treated it like it was a random crime. American activities continued in the Middle East. Al Qeada began planning various attacks at American targets around the world. Embassies in Africa. The USS Cole. Bombs in Saudi Arabia. Then, in 2001. Al Qaeda was successful in killing 3,000 innocent Americans and leveling The World Trade Towers. It is what Osama wanted to do. He did it.

What Osama didn't plan on, America didn't run. In fact.. He pissed us off.

Afghanistan was the first target because it was Al Qaeda's Base. It was the first country in their attempt to reclaim a great Islamic Empire. It is gone now. Why attack Iraq? Because Saddam could have had weapons of mass destruction. Saddam was not following rules set forth by the UN. Saddam's military was firing on our pilots. Our forces were already in the area and they were "pumped up" from devastating Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. And finally, it places Iran in "The Box."

Who Created Al Qaeda?

If you are part of the "Blame America First" crowd, then you will want to blame the US and President Jimmy Carter for training and supplying the Afgan Freedom Fighters.

If you do not blame America for every little thing that happens in this world, then you know..

Radicals created Al Qaeda. The Afgan Freedom Fighters had an opportunity to create a paradise in Afghanistan. No one would have bothered with them. Instead, they created a hellhole where be-headings were treated like a sporting event. They do not use the teachings of Mohammed. They use a perverted version of The Koran that was changed after Mohammed's death. This change in The Koran allows brother to kill brother, something Mohammed forbid. Al Qaeda tried to spread fear into other countries and their own brothers didn't want them in the homelands and would jail them on site.

There are Americans who do not believe the war in Iraq is important. Al Qaeda believes Iraq is important. If Al Qaeda can defeat the "paper eagle" in Iraq, the way they defeated "the mighty bear" in Afghanistan. In their minds, they will have defeated the world's only two super powers.

Nothing will stand in their way after that. Not even China.

Written by Biff Babonie.
Research material used…
American Soldier.. By General Tommy Franks
America's Secret War.. By George Friedman
Sell Out (Corruption of the CIA).. By James Adams
Islam.. (A short History).. by Karen Armstrong.

Following editorial's from this series are"
Post 2- Radical Islam: The beginning.
Post 3- Why Saddam?
Post 4- The Forth World War

Read more at: angryrepublican