Fast Eddy,
While I yield to no one in my ability as a former English major to parse and criticize GWB's communication skills, it is difficult not to wince at the Afghani ulema's statement you quoted, "The U.N. and the OIC deliberate over the utterances of America's president who has said that this war will be a crusade. This news has hurt the feelings of Muslims . . ."
Now, putting aside the common American usage of the word "crusade," as simply a campaign, and which has common usages such as "crusade against cancer" "crusade against crime," any fool would know that a west Texas boy learned his vocabulary usage from the comic books and "the caped crusader" AKA Superman. But this common American usage, slipshod in these circumstances though it might be (harmless foul, in sports, or "play on" in soccer) has caused "hurt feelings."
Just compare that with Osama's "fatwah" issued in 1998:
'On that basis, and in compliance with God's order, we issue the following fatwa to all Muslims
The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies--civilians and military--is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of Almighty God, "and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together," and "fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in God." '
ict.org.il
You know, without some real combat style activity on the part of our Islamic friends against these terrorists, it sounds to me an awful lot like a death threat against me and my family and 270 million of my closest friends. By any Muslim. I saw clips of Muslim students packing up and going home because they didn't feel safe in America.
I'm pretty close to having hurt feelings myself.
We now return to the regular broadcasting of this station . . .
Kb |
