Sunday, September 12, 2010

The 9/11 Anniversary - Let's Be Thankful For What Didn't Happen


The 9/11 Anniversary has come and gone; thankfully, 
without any further violence to anyone.

Despite the "threat" of a misguided Florida pastor to 
burn copies of the Qu'ran, and the threat of total street
violence from the "Arab Street", the solemn day of 
remembrance came and went in what was, for the 
most part, a decent respect for the events and casualties of
that day nine tears ago.

It's as if both sides peered over the edge into the abyss
and said, "No Thanks". And that's actually a tribute to
the good sense of people of good will on both sides.

To be sure, there was a well-attended demonstration
at the site of the proposed Muslim "cultural center"
in Lower Manhattan, featuring anti-Islamic activist 
Pamela Geller and freedom-fighter and free speech 
activist Geert Wilders from the Netherlands. And there was 
also a small "counter-demonstration" by the usual coterie of
leftist nuts and peace activists. 

But both groups managed to do something right, which 
was to keep the Elected Politicians firmly at arm's length -
something which I am convinced helped keep both 
demonstrations peaceful.

And the Qu'ran-burning pastor in Florida? He called 
off his event after fellow clergy from both Christianity
and Islam gently reminded him that in Islam,
burning of the Bible is haram - forbidden - because
the Old Testament tells the story of the many 
prophets as revered in Islam as they are in Christianity.

And what both sides need to do now is to step back
and explore ways in which both communities might
better coexist with one another. 

Here in America, that's  not yet a large problem.
Muslim immigrants here tend to be either well-educated,
relatively secular professionals or hard-working taxi
drivers, shopkeepers, small business men of all kinds.
On balance, they are a net plus to society, even allowing
for the occasionally deranged lunatic like Ft. Hood's
Maj. Hassan.

The same, however, cannot be said of Europe. There,
unlimited immigration of millions of poor, uneducated, 
unassimilable Muslims has led to all sorts of problems -
problems which Europe's cowardly "politically 
correct" leaders have been both unable and unwilling
to take seriously. And we have the same problem here,
only worse.

Just substitute "Mexicans" and "America's cowardly
"politically correct" leaders " and you'll know what I'm 
talking about.

And if Europe's and America's leaders won't handle 
the problem, it will be handled for them - by Nationalistic 
peoples pushed beyond both anger and reason.

And trust me, no one is going to like that outcome.