Islam is Lethal Even to Muslims

The Sunnis and the Shiites continue to bomb each others' mosques in Iraq. Hundreds were killed yesterdary as the Religion of Peace continues to add to its long death toll. Islam is deadly to everyone, including the Muslims who live under it.

I have supported the war in Iraq from the beginning, under the assumption that a democratic Iraq in the heart of the Middle East would eventually lead to modernity throughout the whole region. I am now beginning to think I was naive. Pluralistic, tolerant democracy cannot exist in the Middle East along side Islam. The two are mutually exclusive. The only way our war in Iraq could work is if we destroyed Islam along with Saddam's rule. That, of course, would mean greater opposition than we now face there and much greater casualties. Without the destruction of Islam, however, the effort is doomed to fail. It would be sort of like trying to civilize cannibals without insisting on a change in their diets.

The conclusion is undebatable: Islam is irredeemably violent and intolerant and imcompatible with either democracy or peace. There is no environment in which it will become so. The only solution to Muslim violence is to isolate the Islamic world, contain them, and eschew any and all contact with them, economic or otherwise, as far as that is possible. Until we achieve energy self-sufficiency, that cannot happen.

Achieving energy self-sufficiency should then take on a high priority for the West, surpassing even the Manhattan project as a matter of urgency.

Is the West Awakening to the Islamic Threat?

There are signs that the world is slowly awakening to the Islamic threat and the true nature of Islam, i.e. a terrorist, totalitarian ideology built on hatred and intolerance. The awakening is happening even in France, which I had all but written off. Massive crowds turned out over the weekend to protest the recent kidnapping and torture-murder of a young Jewish man, Ilan Halimi. Everyone seems to know the source of the violence: Islam. People worldwide are becoming fed up with Islam and its violent tendencies and are resolving to do something about it.

A lot of people are thinking the following:
1. Halt or greatly reduce Muslim immigration into the West. Muslims are not loyal to any country, but only to Islam.
2. Identify and deport those preaching hate and violence.
3. Remove tax benefits to Islam from being a religion. Islam is not merely a religion, but is a hostile political ideology that actively seeks to undermine democracy and other religions through violence.
4. Become energy independent ASAP. Drill Alaska until it looks like a giant piece of Swiss cheese; barbeque the damn caribou if you have to, just get it done. Build more oil refineries in the US, build more nuclear power plants, allow offshore drilling anywhere there is oil. Find ways to harvest the oil from the oilshale under Colorado. Use more coal for heating homes. Encourage, even fund research into new energy technologies, like hydrogen fuel cell cars.
5. Isolate the Islamic world to where they cannot harm us. In hindsight, the Iraq war may be a mistake: you cannot turn a Muslim country into a tolerant, pluralistic democracy. You may be able to turn them into an intolerant democracy that still hates our guts and wishes to do us harm. In any case, Iraq no longer appears worth the money and the blood.
6. Improve our intelligence capabilities and increase our effectiveness at spying on those enemies who want to do us harm, both foreign and domestic.
7. Aim our missile defense systems on every Muslim capital, as well as Mecca and Medina. Make it clear that any further attacks on the West or Israel may result in our nuking the sources and foundations of the evil religion that fostered them. Don’t worry about angering the “moderate Muslims.” They are never going to love us anyway.

Islam Undressed

Vernon Richards has a free ebook on Islam at his website, "Islam Undressed" (click on the Title above). I browsed through it and plan to read it in depth. I recommend this ebook and website for those wanting to get up to speed on the Islamic threat.

Check it out.

A Response to my Big Brother

When I started this blog about ten days ago, my older brother told me I was wasting my time. What did I intend to prove? This world is already lost and in its last days, so (he thinks) you should focus on Christ and your own salvation. He believes that demons will attempt to divert your attention away from salvation with worldly distractions that are not important. And (he thinks) my cause of opposing Islam is a good example of such a distraction.

I totally disagree. Those who will not oppose evil have a selfish and useless faith, in my opinion. To achieve salvation, both physical and spiritual, seeking God is not enough. We must also, when necessary, confront the Devil. As Brigitte Gabriel points out (see post of Feb 20, 2006), "tolerating evil is a crime." There is no greater evil in the world today than Islam. We must oppose it or surrender the world to its evil, where there will be no Christians, no Jews, no Hindus, no Buddhists, except as dhimmi slaves.

Now big brother, if you are reading this, click on the link to the title above and it will take you to another blog called "Victims of Allah." But be forewarned: it is not for the squeamish. There are recent photos of victims murdered by Islam. There is Theo Van Gogh lying dead on a street in Amsterdam with a knife pinning a Muslim's message of hate to his chest. There are several small, innocent children lying dead, spattered in their own blood, who were murdered by Muslims in India in 2002. There is a picture of a young, dead Russian boy who was murdered at his school by Chechnyan Jihadists. There is a photo of Indian officials removing charred bodies from a fire-bombed train. But perhaps the most disturbing photo is that of one of three Indonesian Christian schoolgirls who were beheaded by Muslims while walking home from school. She is lying on a slab, her head at her side.

It is a powerful Satanic force that turns human beings into monsters who perpetrate such acts.

Islam is so vile, dark and evil, that I consider it a grave sin NOT to actively fight against it, and I pledge to fight it with everything I've got for as long as I live. No apologies, no regrets. Who will join me?

Hope Muhammad Likes Cigars

I just bought William Muir's 1861 treatise on "The Life of Mahomet." Though written 145 years ago, the book is considered to be a fair and scholarly look at Muhammed and the religion he invented. It should be interesting and informative. I will begin reading it while sitting in the backyard, smoking a good cigar and drinking a spot of tea.

Lawrence Auster of "View From the Right" blog told me Muir's book is fair as it also tells about Islam's "good attributes." Well, I'm sure Hitler's Germany had its good points too - didn't it make the trains run on time? In any case, I will keep an open mind.

Great Blogs and the Blue Scarf Revolution

The best blog I have seen on the question of Islam is the Infidel Bloggers Alliance. There is a link to their blog in the links section to the right. They have a gang of good writers from around the world and keep their blog up to date with breaking new about Islam. There probably is no better blog on the subject.

Another, No Dhimmitude, is also a good blog from Canada. There is a group of people there creating something called the Blue Revolution, which is also occurring in France, to oppose socialism and Islam. It's really great to know that there are good and brave people in both those countries who are waking up and fighting to keep their countries free. When they meet to discuss strategies against Islam, they show up at the appointed restaurant wearing blue scarves to identify themselves. Blue, it's the opposite of red. I dig it.

Dag, the owner of No Dhimmitude, writes of our French counterparts at www.france-echos.com. If you can't read French you may have trouble, but Dag has translated some of their posts at No Dhimmitude. God bless our Canadians and French brothers in this fight.

I took this cartoon off france-echos. Those French folks sure have the right idea! The caption read, in French, "Islam is NOT the law of France!" Je suis d'accord, mes amis!

That's Just So Rude!

In the Mood to Groove: Playing Bass Guitar

I started this blog so I could rant about Islam, which is my biggest pet peeve. I don't know why I let a little thing like that bother me - millions murdered in centuries past, new ones targeted, including me. But that's not my only interest by any means.

However, I love to play rock and country music in a band. I have a really cool red bass guitar with a fast neck and a great amp, and I feel the need to groove. There is nothing more satisfying to the soul then to play music you love with other musicians. A few weeks ago we were practicing and playing that old trucking song, "Six Days on the Road," and the chords just came to me smoothy and naturally as my hands worked that bass, the chords resonating and harmonizing seamlessly with that of the guitar.

Playin' bass - there ain't nothin' like it.

Toonophobia

Cox and Forkum ran this great cartoon today. Check out their webpage by clicking on the title link above.

















Also check out this cartoon of Mohammed that was run in the student newspaper of University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The Muslim students immediately went nuts. Hat tip: Little Green Footballs. The cartoon isn't insulting to Mohammed, but that doesn't matter. Muslims can never pass up a chance to become outraged, even though they are not outraged at the constant terrorism and murders committed in the name of their dubious religion.

Dubai Ports: Islamophobia? Guilty as Charged!

I'm a Republican and I voted for Bush twice, and his father before him, twice. However, Bush is not my idea of a strong conservative. He would not be my first choice for President. Bush is a nice guy, but is politically inept. He often shoots himself in the foot, as he did with the asinine Harriet Myers nomination to the Supreme Court. Now he's done it again, allowing the United Emirates, an Arabic Muslim nation with many ties to terrorism, to manage U.S. seaports. Knowing how our seaports operate, in detail, would be good information for those who wish to do us harm.

What a complete ASS!

I will be so glad when we have a REPUBLICAN president again, instead of the strange hybrid represented by George W. Bush.

As for the Dubai officials who are now screaming "Islamophobia" at those of us who oppose the Dubai ports contract, I say, "Guilty as charged!" What else would you expect from the targets of this terrorist ideology?

Because They Hate Us

Frontpagemag.com has a great article today by an Arabic Christian, Brigitte Gabriel. To read the entire article, click on the link in the title above.

By Brigitte Gabriel
Under the banner of Islam "la, ilaha illa allah, muhammad rasoulu allah," (None is god except Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) they murdered Jewish children in Israel, massacred Christians in Lebanon, killed Copts in Egypt, Assyrians in Syria, Hindus in India, and expelled almost 900,000 Jews from Muslim lands. We Middle Eastern infidels paid the price then. Now infidels worldwide are paying the price for indifference and shortsightedness.

Tolerating evil is a crime. Appeasing murderers doesn't buy protection. It earns one disrespect and loathing in the enemy's eyes. Yet apathy is the weapon by which the West is committing suicide. Political correctness forms the shackles around our ankles, by which Islamists are leading us to our demise.

America and the West are doomed to failure in this war unless they stand up and identify the real enemy: Islam. You hear about Wahabbi and Salafi Islam as the only extreme form of Islam. All the other Muslims, supposedly, are wonderful moderates. Closer to the truth are the pictures of the irrational eruption of violence in reaction to the cartoons of Mohammed printed by a Danish newspaper. From burning embassies, to calls to butcher those who mock Islam, to warnings that the West be prepared for another holocaust, those pictures have given us a glimpse into the real face of the enemy. News pictures and video of these events represent a canvas of hate decorated by different nationalities who share one common ideology of hate, bigotry and intolerance derived from one source: authentic Islam. An Islam that is awakening from centuries of slumber to re-ignite its wrath against the infidel and dominate the world. An Islam which has declared "Intifada" on the West.

A Cult Created by a Psychopath

"Islam is a cult created by a psychopath. It cannot be reformed. It must be eradicated.

"Islam must be eradicated not because the Quran says Earth is flat or the shooting stars are missiles that Allah fires at the Jinns [demons] who climb the heaven to eavesdrop on the conversation of the exalted assembly. These stupid tales could even amuse us.

"Islam must go because it teaches hate, it orders the killing of non-Muslims, it denigrates women and it violates human rights. Islam must go not because it is false but because it is destructive, because it is dangerous, a threat to the peace and security of humankind.

"With the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in Islamic countries, Islam has become a serious and a real threat to the survival of our civilization. "

by Ali Sina, Faithfreedom.org

Follow the link in the title to read Mr. Sina's entire narrative.

Some Background on the "Prophet" Muhammad

Muhammad claimed he was visited by the Angel Gabriel while meditating in a cave during Ramadan (yes, the Arabic holiday predates Islam). Gabriel gave him a holy text and told him to read it, but Mo protested that he couldn't. Mo was but an illiterate camel driver and couldn't read or write a word. In any case, Gabriel informed him that he was now Allah's right-hand man. Mo thought he had been visited by a demon (first impressions are often accurate) and thought of killing himeself. Instead, he ran home to his first wife, a lady 15 years older than he, and hid himself in her blankets.

Mrs. Mo convinced her husband that the visitation was truly from an angel and she became his first convert. Craig Winn of "Prophet of Doom" believes she was just an opportunist, who saw this as a chance to make some money.

At first the "Prophet" was greeted with hilarious laughter from his fellow Arabs, who considered him a nutcase. Eventually, however, Mo had attracted a small group of followers, proving that no matter how nutty your movement is or how specious the premise on which it is based, fellow nutjobs will be impressed and go along. Joseph Smith started the Mormon religion with a similar ruse (his angel's name was Moroni, perhaps in honor of the folks who would believe this nonsense).

There have always been false prophets, like Joe Smith, Sun Myung Moon, Mary Baker Eddy and many more. Mo was onto something.

Mo didn't pretend to have supernatural powers. He couldn't work miracles, couldn't heal the sick or raise the dead, and did not possess the gift of prophecy. Well he did say that God would judge the world 500 years after his death, and that was 900 years ago. Whoops.

No one else saw the Angel Gabriel. At least Joseph Smith could get a few co-conspirators to say they saw Moroni, which just goes to show you that American false prophets are better counterfeits. And Mormons, despite the questionable authenticity of their revelation, are nice folks who generally live in peace with their fellow man.

Muhammed didn't reveal any great spiritual truths, did not advance man's concept of the Divine. He did not fulfill any biblical prophecies. He didn't give sermons on the mount, with poetic expressions of God's love for man, as did Jesus. His whole gig consisted of expressing hatred at those who were less than impressed by the revelation of his prophethood. Then he started having them killed, and robbing caravans to fund his new religion.

Allah, Mo's invented God (the name was taken from one of the pagan stone idols in the Kaaba), had a passionate mission. That mission was centered around giving Mo all the booty (both treasure-wise and babes-wise) that he wanted. It also included giving him the right to murder anyone who pissed him off, like poets who satirized him in verse, or Muslims who decided to cancel their membership in the cult.

Mo claimed that the Jewish and Christian scriptures foretold his coming, and that Moses and Jesus were in fact prophets of Islam as well. But the Jews and the Christians, being the rascals they are, amended the Torah and the Bible to delete all the references to Muhammad. It's a common theme among False Prophets (I think it's part of their Bylaws) that the holy scriptures have been tampered with to deny them their legitimacy as holy men.

Craig Winn points out that ancient copies of the Torah and the Bible have been found, in the thousands, that prove these texts existed centuries before Mo made the scene and were in fact, unchanged. They were the same hundreds of years before Muhammad and they are the same today. In order to pull off this big scam of deleting Mo from the scriptures, the wily Jews and their buddies the Christians would have had to replace thousands of texts throughout the world, including those not yet discovered (like the Dead Sea Scrolls).

So we see that Muhammad was a big fat LIAR. Never mind that his life was a testament to evil, or that he was a vain, selfish and cruel man completely devoid of compassion for his fellow man. Never mind that his whole life was a striking contradiction of the holy scriptures that he pretends foretold his coming.

If Muhammad was a prophet, then God effectively changed his mind about everything. "Do good to please God" became "Do Evil to please God." Murder, robbery and rape used to be bad, but now they were good. God must have made a few thousand typos in the original holy texts, and sent an illiterate bedouin to correct them. Yeah, right.

In subsequent articles we will discuss the unintelligible rant known as the Koran, or the Qur'an for the Politically Correct. When you see how bad it is as history or even literature, you will understand why Muslims are so sensitive about it. If they had any confidence in the authenticity of their religion, their prophet or their holy book, they wouldn't become lunatics when these things are honestly criticized.

Islam's Hatred For Women

Frontpagemag.com has a disturbing article on the practice of female circumcision in the Islamic world, called "Islam's Hatred of the Clitoris." Follow the link from the title to read it.

It has been said that Islam is the most misogynistic culture in human history and I have no doubt of it. (Mysogeny is the hatred of women.) Making women wear hijabs or burqas, where the entire body and even the face is covered, seems barbarian to me. It's as if women were lepers or possessed of some dreadful, highly contagious disease. Or perhaps they are like the Hydra, where one glimpse will turn the observer into stone.

Even Muhammad said that women were property of men and that most of the inhabitants of Hell will be women. In Islam, women are not allowed to drive. They are not allowed to travel outside of the home unless accompanied by a man. When a parent dies, daughters get only one-half a share in the inheritance that the sons do. And, of course, husbands are allowed and even encouraged to beat their women. Muhammad advised Muslim men to hang their scourge (whip) on the wall where their wives could see it.

Women are often raped in the Islamic world, then put to death for having sex outside of marriage, while the rapist goes free. When it's a woman's word against a man's, the woman's word is not to be believed.

All that is bad stuff, for sure. But genital mutilation in young girls is undoubtedly one of the most barbaric practices in a very sick culture. Read the article.

Zipperfish's Hilarious Video Cartoon on Islam

This is one cartoon you will find hilarious, unless of course, you are a Muslim.

http://www.zipperfish.net/free/yaafm12.php/

Check it out.

Bill Clinton Speaks Out on Islamofascism

Bill Clinton recently stated that he "deeply respects" Islam. Yeah, sure. He must have heard they allow harems.

The Mohammed Image Archive

A guy named Zombie has created a large repository of images of Mohammed, including the original Danish cartoons, at the above link.

The image archive includes images from centuries past to modern images, both serious and satirical. It also includes many more satirical cartoons of Mohammed, like the one illustrated here.

It seems that by acting like howling horse's asses, all Muslims have done is to multiply many times over the number of Mohammed cartoons in circulation. Have a look and pass the link along to friends.

My Entry for Iran's Holocaust Cartoons

The President of Iran is hosting a cartoon contest for "holocaust cartoons" as his response t0 the Danish cartoons about Muhammad. This is my submission.

Hope President Screwball likes it!

Support Denmark

Feel free to copy this icon to post to your blogs and websites.

Americans Favor Israelis Over Palestinians 4:1

I found this interesting tidbit on Powerlineblog.com, the most popular blog in the USA (according to Time Magazine).

Powerline says that a new Gallup Poll poll shows that "Americans favor the Israelis by nearly four to one, and the margin is even greater among people who follow the news closely. And, of course, it's wider among Republicans than Democrats and independents. A generation of United Nations propaganda, pseudo moral equivalence and biased news coverage has had remarkably little impact."

Check out the stats in the graph below.

Mohammed, the Bloody Prophet of Islam

Muslims in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are like most Muslims, in that they love the Prophet Mohammed and believe that he was the most virtuous, kind and wise man who ever lived. Where they get this impression I do not know, but it does not square with their own sacred texts; not just the Koran, but also the Sunnah and the Hadith, particularly the latter.

The Hadith is considered to be second only to the Koran as authoritative. It is a description of the life of Mohmmed and details all his trials and triumphs in his journey from illiterate camel driver to prophet to warlord. Along the way, he was extremely cruel, selfish and murderous, and exhibited virtually none of the virtues Westerners hold dear: generosity, compassion, charity, love and forgiveness. Indeed, Mo was unforgiving of those who doubted his authenticity as a prophet. He reguarly had those assassinated who dared to criticize him or satirize him with poetry, the medium of the day. He had one Arabic woman poet killed while she was nursing her baby; her Mohammed-appointed assassin brought her severed head to Mohammed and dropped it at his feet. Other poets and critics were tracked down and killed in similar fashion. Then it was poets, today it's cartoonists; with Islam, nothing much has changed from the 7th Century.

Mo started out on his prophetable life of crime by attacking his own people, robbing caravans in the desert and kidnapping members thereof, to hold for ransom. Being a multiculturalist, he soon looked for other sources of victims.

Mo attacked Jewish settlements merely to steal their land, houses and goods. In one case he took over a Jewish settlement that had been there for centuries, sending all of the Jews into the desert to survive as they might. In a more egregious case, he put all the Jewish men to death, about 800 of them, beheaded two at a time while Mohammed watched. Only boys too young to have pubic hair were spared. After the slaughter, Mohammed and his men engaged in a mass rape of the widows and daughters, taking as sex slaves those they wished, and selling the rest with the children into slavery. Such love, compassion and charity. It makes you want to run right down to your nearest Mosque and sign up, doesn't it?

In another attack on a Jewish settlement, Mohammed asked a Jewish man where any valuables might be hidden, and the man showed him an abandoned mine where there was some. Just to be sure the Jew had revealed all, Mo had him tortured by placing burning sticks upon his chest. Satisfied the man had told all he knew, Mo then had one of his henchman behead the man. Mohammed then spent the night raping the man's widow in his tent. Allah must have been so proud.

In another incident, one of the captives of a raid was an old woman. Since she had no market value as a slave, Mohammed ordered her to be killed. One of his captains then tied each of her legs to a different camel and she was split in two. The reason for this atrocity is not explained, but it appears to have been strictly for the entertainment of the Muslim warriors.

Mohammed was a very evil man, an odious and vile human being. There was nothing about him to either admire or respect. He is the author of Jihad, the unending war against the non-Muslim world which all Muslims are obligated to pursue. Muslims are often liars and terrorists, but they are merely emulating their prophet. They are being true to their religion, not hijacking it, as apologists of Islam like to claim.

If Mohammed was Allah's messenger, what was Allah's message to mankind? Two words, but since this is a family site, we'll let you use your imagination.

Why did Mohammed call himself a prophet? Did he really believe it? Maybe yes and probably no, but the ruse was his path to power and riches. While Mo stayed home servicing his growing harem, his army would go out and find some caravan, village or farm to attack and plunder. Mohammed got one-fifth of the take, plus taxes from all his followers. Obviously, the robbers doing the work and taking the chances might find the arrangement unfair or inconvenient if Mo was just another barbarian. However, it's a different story if he were a messenger of God, able to provide heaven and 72 virgins to anyone killed in battle. So the purpose of Mo's big scam should be obvious.

Mo's followers believed his promise of a big Bordello in the sky, and this made them fearless and relentless fighters. If they won in battle they got to keep a lot of stolen loot. If they died in battle it was rivers of milk and honey and a huge harem to provide nonstop entertainment.

This same mindset is seen today in Islamic suicide bombers, who believe that the detonator button on their explosive vest is really a key to the celestial boudoir. For them it isn't murder or suicide, it's party time. Unfortunately for the world, Mo's scam is still working 14 centuries later, even though he's no longer around to collect loot or sex slaves.

If you are interested in learning more about the life of this pirate, read "Prophet of Doom," a book that is available free online. It's not for the squeamish. Follow the link on this page.

Democrats Sink to New Low at King Funeral

by Jack Dallas

Just when you thought the Democrats could not get any more despicable, they do that very thing, they outdo themselves in fact. Like Sailors on leave, like convicts escaped from jail, like teenage boys away from home for the first time, Democrats seem to have no control over their own actions. Like watching patients in a mental institution, watching Democrats perform their “Circus of Absurdity” is an exercise in pity, sadness, humor, derision and ridicule.

On hand for the funeral of Coretta Scott King were President Bush and Bill Clinton, Gerald ford and Jimmy Carter. The “Reverend” Jerry Lowery:

The outspoken Rev. Joseph Lowery, co-founder of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, ripped into President Bush during his short speech, ostensibly about the wife of Martin Luther King Jr."She extended Martin's message against poverty, racism and war. She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar. We know now that there were no weapons of mass destruction over there," Lowery said. "But Coretta knew, and we know," Lowery continued, "That there are weapons of misdirection right down here," he said, nodding his head toward the row of presidents past and present. "For war, billions more, but no more for the poor!".

I make no case against Lowery’s statement. Whether I agree or disagree with him is irrelevant. My angst is generated by his decision to make the statement at the funeral of Coretta King. President Bush was there to honor the woman. To politicize the event and to seize the opportunity to embarrass the President of the United States, is beyond bad taste, it is egregious and despicable.

Also speaking today was former President Jimmy Carter, without question the most incompetent man to inhabit the White House in our memory if not in the history of the country. Carter went beyond the Pale of heinous behavior.

Former President Jimmy Carter later swung at Bush as well, not once but twice. As he talked about the Kings, he said: "It was difficult for them then personally with the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated as they became the target of secret government wiretaps." The crowd cheered as Bush, under fire for a secret wiretapping program he ordered after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, again smiled weakly.

It is quite clear that the Democrats simply have no concept of proper decorum. It is clear that they will stop at nothing, including smearing the memory of a dead American icon, in order to further their nefarious agenda. Democrats apparently have no sense of common decency, no sense of fair play, no use for common courtesy and respect, and it seems as well that they have no respect for themselves.

They continue to make fools of themselves in full view of the American public. Democrats have no souls. It is a regrettable fact of life that Democrats cannot be treated with the respect due reasonable people.

The Grave of a Young Sailor Stirs Thoughts and Emotions

Last Sunday, just before the Super Bowl, I took a walk over to the cemetery near my house in a small town in California. Some member of “Findagrave.com” (of which I am also a member) had requested that someone in my area find some of her relatives’ graves and take photos. It was a nice day for a walk, as the sky was completely blue and cloud-free and the weather was warm.

Upon arriving at the gate of the cemetery, I saw that it was not the right cemetery. Since I was already there, I went in and looked around.

The cemetery was quiet and had graves going back more than a hundred years. I found a couple of sections that were all military. They had stand-up headstones, rounded at the top, typical military style stones. There were soldiers and sailors buried close together from World War II, the Korean War and Viet Nam. Some of the headstones bore the serviceman’s picture, in uniform. I always feel humbled standing before the graves of soldiers or sailors even though most of these died of old age, not on the battlefield. I am humbled by their service, by their willingness to go in harm’s way so some stranger like me can go through his life in relative safety and peace as a free man. Each and every one of these men has a story if only I knew them. I read their names and whispered to each of them, “God bless you brother!”

I envy them, because they had the opportunity to serve their country, to wear its uniform, to do something very meaningful with at least a portion of their lives. They earned the right to have future generations stand before their graves in reverence and respect.

In another cluster of military graves, I found that of a young U.S. Navy sailor who died in 1969 at the age of 23 years of age, probably in Viet Nam. His picture looked out from his tombstone. He had dark hair and was wearing his Navy blues. I was born two years before he was. The feeling of poignancy was very strong as I stood over his grave in the deserted cemetery. How is it that I am looking down on his grave rather than the other way around? How can it possibly be fair? When they snapped that picture of him, no doubt he never thought it would mark his grave. What would he have thought had he known he would soon die and be buried in this grassy, quiet spot? Never to marry, have children or grow old.

I thanked him for his sacrifice and prayed for him before walking away towards home. He was a human being. He counted. People loved him. He had hopes and dreams. How can his book simply be closed for good, put away on the dusty shelf of eternity, never to be read again? For whatever it’s worth to him, I gave witness to these truths and questions. I spoke my feelings to God that this young man counted for something, that he mattered, that he should not be forgotten by Heaven. It wasn’t much, but it was all I could do for him. Hope someone up there heard me.

Infidel-bloggers-alliance: Cartoon Contest on Mohammed

The bloggers at infidel-bloggers-alliance are having a cartoon contest for depictions of Mohammed. Now drawing Mohammed could get you killed because murder is one of the main pillars of that religious faith. Check them out at http://ibloga.blogspot.com/2006/02/infidel-bloggers-alliance-mohammed_04.html.

Cartoonists are asked to draw a non-incendiary picture of the prophet Mohammed, just doing everyday things like taking a walk, having a beer, watching the Super Bowl, etc. I drew one of Mo on a surfboard. Mo-Daddy ain't no Ho-Daddy. Anyway, my entry is below.

Stogie