“One Pope fought tyranny with words of morality. Another Pope fights tyranny with words of reason” And The Cold Wars

The end of the Cold War brought a kind of euphoric, if somewhat undefined expectation that the future held untold promise. The liberation of Eastern Europe was the second time in a century that freedom was to prevail and the bondage and persecution of millions was lifted. We believed that our better selves would somehow find and develop a new kind of universal brotherhood. We wanted so badly for those relieved from the tyranny to create with us, a new frontier of possibilities.

In the same way that the space program served as the genesis for so many new technologies, we wanted the defense technology industries and the entire military industrial complex to reinvent themselves into a mighty mechanism that focused on the betterment of mankind. The fight for miracle cures and miracle drugs were worthy endeavors for scientists from the east and west, finally working together.

Just beyond the horizon was the miracle of real economic growth, so long denied to so many, by 5 year plans and State run inefficiencies and the denial and subjugation of the human desire to excel and achieve. Those Eastern Europeans, deprived by corrupt and inefficient economies had equal economic on equal, if somewhat more rocky, playing fields.After the Cold War, we believed we could better handle the conflicts that we would inevitably face. We were wrong- and we should have seen it coming.

For decades, we focused on liberating entire populations from the iron grip of Communism. It was inevitable that once that was accomplished, we would focus out attention on that other great oppressor, cruel and corrupt Arab regimes. It wasn't about Islam- it never was. The relations between ourselves and other free societies, with Malaysia and Indonesia, for example, proved that.

As in the former Soviet Union and Communist bloc, the Arab world is well aware of their dysfunctional leaders and their failed governments. Unlike their equally oppressed victims of Communism, these cruel and corrupt regimes have one weapon at their disposal the Communists did not- religion. This is a very important distinction.

The liberation of Eastern Europe meant that generations of people that had no real connection to any kind of religion were now a part of our secular society. Of course in western societies, tolerance and respect for religious affiliations and beliefs are a part of our cultural mosaic. The newly liberated Eastern Europeans were different. They were not bad people of course- they just came from a place where all religious affiliations were frowned upon. Theirs was a society that made deliberate religious affiliation a barrier to social acceptance. Out of necessity, whatever religious convictions they may have had, Eastern Europeans removed religion from their exterior lives. To this day (and to their credit, we believe), there are Eastern Europeans that are completely mystified as to what bearing the religious convictions- or lack of religious convictions- of a candidate for public office, has in determining a candidate's ability to serve in office.

Liberating the Arab world from tyranny is not the same as liberating Eastern Europe from Communism. In the same way that two very ill patients with similar symptoms may need very different courses of treatment, there is no 'one size fits all', when it comes to bringing freedom to oppressed peoples.

It is interesting to note that in fact, Pope Benedict is ahead of the curve on this one. Taking a lesson from his predecessor, John Paul II, he is fighting tyranny and oppression on a different front. Whereas the gentle man from Krakow fought the secularists with the ferocity of a lion, this pontiff is fighting on a different front. Benedict is confronting the evil of irrational faith by insisting that faith is not borne of irrationality, but rather, by rational and reasoned thought.

The Polish Pope that saw and lived through evil from the side of the victim, was to enable his successor, the German Pope that saw and lived through evil from the side of the perpetrator. Together and in concert, these two men, so close, were to come to understand the real and all encompassing nature of evil. Each in their own way- and because of each other- were uniquely equipped to address and fight the forces that oppress so many that are created in His image.

One Pope fought tyranny by with words of morality. Another Pope fights tyranny with words of reason.

Shrinkwrapped too, makes note of the Pope's efforts. In Reason and Rationality he makes a very nuanced observation:

Few Westerners doubt that the passions of our Islamist enemies are fueled by primitive emotions of envy and rage, derivatives of unreason. Yet the exaltation of reason by Western intellectuals, along with their fanciful belief that the primacy of their reasoning abilities render them free of irrationality, has brought us into great danger.

With a few words, Shrinkwrapped unravels much of the cause of our confusion as we combine two debates- how best to fight the war on terror and on how best to liberate oppressed peoples. These two realities of our time are not related- and these two realities will inevitably conflict with each other. They are two completely separate endavors. Our adversaries want us to confuse and combine the two, because they understand that in doing so, 'two ends will be fighting the middle.'

Our efforts in fighting the war on terror and this new 'cold war.' to liberate the million under the Iron Sandals, will include both moral and religious components. They have to.

In A Tale Of Two Realities, Dr Sanity gently corrects Francis Fukuyama's assertion that history is 'evolutionary' and cannot be stopped. She clearly sees the perils we face:

He did not forsee that the enemies of freedom, as a last-ditch, desperate measure to prevent the "endpoint" from establishing any equilibrium in the world, would resort to the complete abandonment of reason and reality altogether. And, in retrospect, it appears that from a rational and realistic perspective, there was no other course open to them except for complete historical capitulation. In order to stay alive, the enemies of human freedom--in all their various incarnations--had to abandon reason, truth, and reality because they simply could not make their case with those particular human tools.

Western nations have an important lesson to learn. Liberating oppressed peoples is not formulaic- there are no templates or blueprints- and our adversaries this time around have learned their 'lessons,' from our victories and from the defeat of our adversaries.

We liberated much of a continent that had religion excised from it's soul, as cruel and souless regimes degraded millions. That effort took 72 years and was by no means a simple matter. The evolution of that outcome was neither direct or clear.

Eventually, we will prevail and free the millions enslaved by cruel and souless tyrants that oppress by redefining a religion, to serve their ends. That end result too, will not come easily or come about as the result of a plan, based on our previous experiences. In fact, Fausta notes the tactics that have been successful in resisting the efforts of those who would defend fredom. She notes in The Article That May Cost A Man His Life And That Of His Family,

As I posted yesterday, Robert Rebeker, a French 52-yr old philosophy professor, wrote an op-ed article in Le Figaro stating that Islam is violent, and denounced the violence in the Koran.

After receiving several death threats in the mail, Prof. Rebeker and his family have had to go into hiding. The police are taking the threats very seriously and are keeping watch of his now vacant home.

Read Fausta's post here.

The fight to free oppressed peoples is never easy. We must be prepared to keep our resolve in the fight against tyranny, for as long as it takes- not so much for our own sake, but for the sake of those that deserve freedom.

The war against radical Islam and the wars to liberate people from oppression, are much colder than the cold wars previously fought. The Anchoress has a few thoughts on the matter and they are a worthy read. We will address her thought in another post.

A TALE OF TWO REALITIES

Just the other day I had a not too pleasant discussion with a friend about the state of the world today. Eventually, the exchange degenerated (as it is wont to do in Ann Arbor) on his part into the usual Bush bashing and the expression of his passionate belief that the only problem facing this country was the inherent fascism of the Bush Administration and the imminent implementation of a Christian theocracy in the US. He has been saying this for approximately 6 years now.

"Spare me the hysterics," I responded wearily as I have done many times before in similar situations.

"You know, Pat, you've really changed in a profound way," he said sadly. "Ever since 9/11 there has been no reasoning with you. I just can't talk to you anymore."

For about the millionth time since that day in 2001, it struck me forcibly that one of the more subtle consequences of that terrible event was the creation of two separate realities in which people could live. On The Sanity Squad's most recent podcast, Gagdad Bob mentioned something profound about 9/11 when he suggested that the events of that day didn't just change the course of the future, they changed the perception of the past.

It was the end of history, it was the beginning of history.... Didn't we -- all of us --want to believe that the end of the Cold War was, in Francis Fukayama's words, "the end of history"? That all the trials and tribulations; fears and anxieties of that post-world war time were finally over; and that the nuclear clock had stopped for good and that mankind was saved from himself?

For a few short years, many of us held tightly to that interpretation. But 9/11 made some of us realize that it was, in fact, the beginning of a new, ever-so-much-more frightening and dangerous time. A beginning where not only did the nuclear sword still hang poised above humanity's head, but where reason, logic, and reality itself were now simply theatrical constructs, and could no longer be used to solve disagreements or deal with problems.

Fukayama argued that history is directional and has an evolutionary endpoint; and that endpoint, and the culmination of those forces driving history, inevitably leads to a capitalist, liberal democracy. But Fukayama made one simple mistake.

He did not forsee that the enemies of freedom, as a last-ditch, desperate measure to prevent the "endpoint" from establishing any equilibrium in the world, would resort to the complete abandonment of reason and reality altogether. And, in retrospect, it appears that from a rational and realistic perspective, there was no other course open to them except for complete historical capitulation. In order to stay alive, the enemies of human freedom--in all their various incarnations--had to abandon reason, truth, and reality because they simply could not make their case with those particular human tools.

For me, the profound and most unsettling impact of 9/11 was that I could now understand the previous decade in a context that had been rather obscured and hazy prior to that date; and that the implications of my new historical perspective were breathtakingly horrifying: the technologies of the modern world--both the good and the bad-- were now accessible to and would be used by 21st century savages whose only goals were death, destruction and enslavement.

History did indeed branch off into two parallel threads on that day. One half of the population of this country (and perhaps the world) have been living in one; and I am among the number existing in the other.

But, I have no doubt that it will come to pass that at most, only one of those two threads will ultimately be understood to actually represent objective reality. Another event of critical,and perhaps catastrophic, significance to humanity will eventually transpire that will clarify--one way or the other--which thread, if either, is true.

Though I do not think that my friend's take on current events has any validity whatsoever, I sincerely hope that my own is also incorrect; or that I am simply overreacting to the events of that day. Because my greatest fear is what might have to happen to finally wake people up.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all doing direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

** UPDATED** “When Will You Be Finished, Michaelangelo?”

In what has to be bad news for the MSM and the hard left, three newsworthy items converge. Bill Clinton's contrived and crafted phony outrage, ongoing radical Muslim rage at the Pope and the next chapter in the saga of dysfunctional Arab regimes, all contribute in a way that highlights the MSM Emperor's wardrobe.

Firstly, the radical Islamists are still acting up and 'demanding' an apology from the Pope Benedict XVI, for remarks he made inviting Islam to dialogue. Either by design or ignorance, radical Islamists either deliberately misinterpreted the Pope's remarks or were unable to understand them (though it is difficult to underfstand exactly how anyone can misinterpret the Pope's remark that

"…only by recognizing the “rationality of faith'’ do people “become capable of that genuine dialogue of cultures and religions so urgently needed today.'’

In any event, there is an ongoing effort by some Muslims to keep the trumped up 'issue' alive.

In today's Toronto Star, there is an article, Benedict Should Come Clean, in which a group of Canadian Muslims.

Pope Benedict XVI has still not apologized for equating Islam with violence in a speech and now seems to be using the ensuing controversy to forge an allegiance with conservative Muslims, Canada's largest Arab organization says.

"He should come clean," Khaled Mouammar, president of the Canadian Arab Federation, said yesterday after meeting with the Toronto Star editorial board.

His strong reaction stood in sharp contrast to those of Muslim envoys to the Vatican who met Benedict yesterday to discuss fallout from a speech the Pope gave Sept. 12.

The Star article did not indicate Mr. Mouammar's response to the Pope's remarks concerning the lack of religious tolerance in the Islamic world. That is more than a bit troubling. If religious tolerance is unacceptable in much of the Islamic world, why would we believe that religious tolerance would be accepted in the west? Indeed, Canada had to fend off demands that the legal system accept that Sharia Law be adopted as an 'alternative' legal system in certain instances. That was opposed by many, including Muslim women, in what was an ugly and often bitter public exchanges, with charges, counter charges and even threats of violence.

As long as there are those who willingly support the regimes of the repressive and dysfunctional regimes of so much of the Islamic world, against the free nations and democracies, we can rightly assume that those dysfunctional, bigoted and hateful ideologies also serve as acceptable ideologies of those in the west that support those regimes. If they were not acceptable ideologies, no one would support the regimes and leaders that espouse them.

The media and the left, so intent on fanning the flames of religious intolerance that might denigrate and undermine the Judeo-Christian foundation of democratic and free states, conveniently neglect to mention the political agenda and deliberate misrepresenation of many of the Pope's critics.

This week, Bill Clinton went down in flames- nobly, of course. The MSM and the left are all a twitter, because Bill Clinton, beautifully and articulately lied his pants off. It didn't matter that Mr Clinton wasn't telling the truth- the proud moment was achieved because he lied with polish, poise and earnestness. The MSM and left are so proud!

Rather than be ashamed of a former President of the United States boldly lying on national television, much of the MSM and the left believe they can finally touch themselves in public, for a change. It matters little to them that a former president has annointed himself with credibility equal to that of Robert Mugabe, Hugo Chavez and Bashar Assad. Clinton lied, with panache and style and so, he's a hero to many.

Of course, Mr Clinton is a very smart man. Mr Clinton knew his record would be examined and he also knew that record would not bear him out- and it is precisely because of that, he felt compelled to lie.

Mr Clinton will not leave the legacy he so desperately wants to leave. His image will not be chiseled onto Mount Rushmore, awarded that lofty status by a national groundswell of love and admiration.

In lieu of that, Mr Clinton has chosen to be victim- the perfect victim. He wants to be seen as hounded by the right and Fox News, and denied his destiny by the evil of his persecutors. It doesn't matter that he lied, to the nation, a Grand Jury, or Chris Wallace. Mr Clinton meant well, and that is enough. We do not need an honest president- we just need one who means well, defined as anyone that adopts an agenda of the left and articulates any disagreement as persecution.

The MSM and left are perfectly happy with those arrangements.

Finally, Australian Prime Minister John Howard noted in a speech, a few simple realities:

"There must be unconditional acceptance throughout the entire Arab world, without exception, of Israel's right to exist in peace and security behind recognised borders," he said.

"The entire Arab world – including Syria, Hizbollah and Hamas and in addition Iran – must give up forever the idea that the Israelis can be driven into the sea."

In another example of the left and the MSM have redefined reality, Mr Howard says the obvious- and that becomes front page news.

What is particularly amusing is the context in which the Arab world rejection of Israel is presented- as if diplomatic recognition of Israel was being witheld as a kind of 'punishment.'

Israel does not need diplomatic recognition by some of the world's most backward and repressive regimes in the world. Israel does not need to maintain relations with nations that have cultivated a society that embraces hate, bigotry and racism. Israel does not need relations with regimes that can offer her nothing.

On the other hand, Israel maintains relations with most of the nations of the civiized world- and even 'quiet' relations with nations that for one reason or another, cannot publicly acknowledge those relations.

Those nations that maintain ties with Israel, have benefitted from those strong economic, cultural and world class educational ties. Most nations in the Arab world can best be described as economic, cultural and educational failures. They are third world backwaters.

It is not Israel that has suffered from lack of diplomatic relations with the Arab world.

When Michaelangelo was commissioned to paint the painting the celing of theSistine Chapel in 1508, Pope Julius II had no idea the job would take 4 years. Nor did anyone know that Michaelangelo would need 30 years to paint the entire Sistine Chapel. For a very long time, Pope and their successors would ask, 'When will you be finished, Michaelangelo?" His response was something to the effect of 'I am Michaleangelo. It will be done when I am finished.'

The MSM and the left are asking when the right will be done 'persecuting' them and rejecting their tired worn out and rejected ideologies. The MSM and the left it seems, refuse to abandon an environment where deceit and repression are cultivated.

In fact, it is the right that are modern day Michaelangelo's, filled with creativity, ideas and beliefs that empower the individual and his potential. Like great art, ideas too, mirror reflections of the truth.

Americans and those who celebrate freedom and democracy, will not back down until the deceit stops- no matter how long that takes.

**UPDATE**

The Anchoress proves once more that quiet truth outdoes bluster every time. She clearly exposes the obsessions of left and MSM. As far as they are concerned,

...Clinton is not the right president to prove a “liar.” The press wants desperately to bring down a president, but Clinton is not the one. And so, facts-schmacts, the only facts that matter are the ones the master can pull out of thin air.

And if that doesn’t demonstrate, more than anything, that we are living in an age of diabolical disorientation, where up is down (the excellent economic news is bad) and right is wrong (men who served with John Kerry know nothing about him) and truths are lies, (US policy from 1998 on was regime change in Iraq, but only until we did it) I don’t know what can.

I feel no great thrill here to see Clinton in a purple rage, nor to see how brilliantly some parts of the blogosphere responded, because in the end our limited audience will always been trumped by the vast and attention-span-challenged audience of the MSM, who click on, absorb a thirty second “Clinton good, others bad” sound bite and click out.

The Anchoress is clear and concise, qualities abhored by many on the left and the media, because those qualities are rooted and clear and not easily subject to obfuscation. That is more than a bit ironic- after all, it is journalists that are supposedly dedicated to telling us the truth.

**UPDATED** Bill Clinton Pointing Fingers And Other Lie Detectors

Every time Bill Clinton leans forward and points his finger, he lies.

When he leaned forward, looked into the camera and said, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," he was lying. As it turns out, Monica, not Bill, was telling the truth.

He leaned forward and vehemently denied having an affair with Gennifer Flowers, too. Later, in a deposition, he admitted to the affair.

Now, Mr Clinton was a very good liar- Bob Kerrey (former governor of Nebraska) said so himself.

"Clinton's an unusually good liar. Unusually good. Do you realize that?"

Of course, behavior patterns rarely change. In Mr Clinton's case, with his long and distinguished career of deceit (political, personal and every other iteration). leaning forward and pointing his finger (deliberate behaviors meant toemphasize sincerity and believability) are the kind of body language that are dead give aways to even the most mediocre and ill informed students of psychology. That's right- you would be aware of that truth even if you graduated at the bottom of the night school at Addis Ababa Technical Community College.

In the case of Mr Clinton, the best lie detectors are his sincerity and self proclaimed victim status. Here are a few examples. On June 8, 1996, Bill Clinton publicly- and painfully said, said,

I have vivid and painful memories of black churches being burned in my own state when I was a child."

There is no record of a Black church burning in Arkansas when Bill Clinton was a child.

On February 21, 1996, Bill Clinton, with the greatest sincerity said,

"Since I was a little boy, I've heard about the Iowa caucuses. That's why I would really like to do well in them."

In fact, the Iowa caucuses began in 1972, when Mr Clinton was in Oxford.

The list is long, but there is no point in repeating what everyone already knows.

Bill Clinton was not responsible for 9/11, any more than was George Bush. We noted Mr Clinton's remarks in We Went To War Because Bill Clinton Told The Truth that

So we will pursue a long-term strategy to contain Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction and work toward the day when Iraq has a government worthy of its people.

First, we must be prepared to use force again if Saddam takes threatening actions, such as trying to reconstitute his weapons of mass destruction or their delivery systems, threatening his neighbors, challenging allied aircraft over Iraq or moving against his own Kurdish citizens...

The hard fact is that so long as Saddam remains in power, he threatens the well-being of his people, the peace of his region, the security of the world.

Here's the deal. The war on terror isn't about Bill Clinton or how wonderful he thinks he is. The war on terror isn't about Fox News, or how much he would like to make Fox News an issue. Mr Clinton did some smart things in fighting terror and he did some stupid things in fighting terror- and nothing he says can change that reality.

He had 8 years to fight terror and he did the best he could, given the circumstances. As he noted in the interview, Mr Bush was in office 8 months. The additional 8 months prior to 9/11 could not have prevented that from happening.

The war on terror is about facing the truth about our adversaries and those who would threaten us. Mr Clinton ought to be making every effort to be telling the truth when it comes to the security of our nation.

Bill Clinton doesn't have much of a track record when it comes to telling the truth.

**UPDATE**

Oh my.

"The final policy paper on national security that President Clinton submitted to Congress — 45,000 words long — makes no mention of al Qaeda and refers to Osama bin Laden by name just four times. The scarce references to bin Laden and his terror network undercut claims by former White House terrorism analyst Richard A. Clarke that the Clinton administration considered al Qaeda an "urgent" threat, while President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, "ignored" it. The Clinton document, titled "A National Security Strategy for a Global Age," is dated December 2000 and is the final official assessment of national security policy and strategy by the Clinton team. The document is publicly available, though no U.S. media outlets have examined it in the context of Mr. Clarke's testimony and new book."

More reality. The Anchoress puts on a 3 pointer clinic:

One of the quotes I had missed before reading the transcript of Bill Clinton’s spontaneous (or maybe not so spontaneous ) rage-fest this weekend was the former president saying “now, I have never criticized President Bush…”Which is just too funny, because he has done it before both foreign and domestic audiences - in fact it was his criticisms of Bush just about a year ago...

This is very troubling stuff to consider. Very sad, troubling stuff. When a void needs to be filled with love, but it cannot be because love is confusing, or threatening, or simply not in the plans, then the void will be filled with something else.

I wonder if in Clinton’s profound need to be loved, either by “his public” or his “Bush parents” he is not approaching a place that is very self-destructive. Hate and love are separated by a thin line, and the thin line is often made up of equal parts self-loathing and doubt.

There is just so much more... Read it all.

HERE'S THE DEAL, BILL

Two brilliant posts today from my fellow Sanity Squad members. The first from ShrinkWrapped, who discusses Bill Clinton's "missed opportunity":

At a time of National testing, ex-Presidents are ideally suited for re-injecting civility into our national discourse. While they certainly want their parties to do well, they also have the luxury of no longer running for any office; as such, they can easily take a position of Elder Statesman, learned advisor.

Bill Clinton could have gone on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace and taken a Statesmanlike, above the fray, position. Clinton, for reasons best known to him, though in no way a surprise, chose a different tack, and clearly missed an excellent opportunity.

Imagine the reaction if he had said that he had, in fact, not done enough to stop bin Laden; that all of us in government at the time underestimated the dangers and did not feel the country was yet able to muster the necessary will to confront the growing menace. He would now be lauded as a great ex-President, using his tremendous political skills, intellectual abilities, and position to elevate our political discourse and rescue the Democratic party from the grips of BDS.

Personally, after observing the man as a President for 8 years and an ex-President for 6, it is difficult for me to imagine Clinton as capable of adult or mature behavior--particularly when his narcissism is involved. But in my business it is always hoped that maturity and adulthood will triumph over petulance and adolescent behavior.

ShrinkWrapped asks,

Does he completely fail to understand? 9/11 was never about Bill Clinton; the war on terror is not about Bill Clinton and his legacy. We are facing a global challenge from totalitarian Islam; Clinton is a foot note.

Siggy, also makes the necessary connection and gets it exactly right:

Here’s the deal. The war on terror isn’t about Bill Clinton or how wonderful he thinks he is. The war on terror isn’t about Fox News, or how much he would like to make Fox News an issue. Mr Clinton did some smart things in fighting terror and he did some stupid things in fighting terror- and nothing he says can change that reality.

He had 8 years to fight terror and he did the best he could, given the circumstances. As he noted in the interview, Mr Bush was in office 8 months. The additional 8 months prior to 9/11 could not have prevented that from happening.
The war on terror is about facing the truth about our adversaries and those who would threaten us. Mr Clinton ought to be making every effort to be telling the truth when it comes to the security of our nation.

Bill Clinton doesn’t have much of a track record when it comes to telling the truth.

No, he certainly doesn't. But he is really really good at trying to promote and defend the Bill Clinton legacy, no matter what else happens to be at stake.

UPDATE: Bob has more to say on Clinton's narcissim and his pathetic performance with Wallace.

UPDATE II: And, check out The Anchoress, who has a very astute--and compassionate-- analysis of the entire affair.

[Cross-posted at Dr. Sanity]

HAS BUSH PUSHED OSAMA TO A REALLY SHITTY END?

***WARNING ! SCATALOGICALLY-EXPLICIT MUSINGS FOLLOW !***

I have been thinking about this particular rumor of Osama's death, primarily because of the interesting little specific tidbit included that he died of typhoid.

It said that "information gathered by the Saudis" indicates that bin Laden "might have succumbed to a very serious case of typhoid fever resulting in partial paralysis of his lower limbs while in Pakistan on August 23, 2006
[...]
"His geographic isolation provoked by constant fleeing is believed to have made medical assistance impossible (and) on September 4, 2006, the Saudi security services received preliminary information of his death."

For the purposes of this post, let us consider that Bin Laden is happily (for us) dead and delivered to darkest, smelliest and foulest section of hell. Think for a moment about the "geographic isolation" and "constant fleeing" that led to this pleasant scenario.

Who is to blame for that state of affairs? George Bush--and most certainly NOT Bill Clinton --in spite of all the self-serving BS delivered up in his interview with Chris Wallace, there is no indication that Osama ever felt the need to hide himself when Clinton was US President. Bush literally had this rabid fanatic so frightened and paranoid that he didn't show his face for years; nor could he even call in a 3rd-rate witch doctor from a 3rd-rate Muslim country to treat this easily manageable disease. I submit that, if reports turn out to be true, George Bush succeeded in literally scaring this sadistic SOB of terror shitless, until the fecal buildup resulted in an incredibly nasty demise--one that is seriously painful, undignified, and without even the slightest hint of glory or honor as he literally defecated himself to death.

To put it bluntly, typhoid is a particularly awful way to go:

Typhoid fever is an illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. Very common worldwide, it is transmitted by food or water contaminated with feces from an infected person. After infection, symptoms include a high fever from 103° to 104°F (39° to 40°C) that rises slowly , slow pulse rate (bradycardia), weakness, headaches, lack of appetite, severe diarrhea, stomach pains, and a rash of flat, rose-colored spots called the rose spots.

Extreme symptoms such as intestinal perforation or haemorrhage, delusions, and confusion also are possible

You must admit, this is supremely divine justice. Just to be clear, your last moments on earth while expiring from this disease in a cave are spent floating in pool of your own bloody fecal matter.

Although typhoid has been killing humans for thousands of years; in modern times, it is a bacterial infection easily treated by any number of readily available antibiotics; and prevented by attention to sanitation and cleanliness--understandably not high priorities when you are running from relentless pursuit of Bush and American justice.

But a modern mentality--let alone modern conveniences-- are not readily available in the dirty caves of Waziristan; nor are the primitive Talibanic practitioners of the medical voodoo arts likely capable of dealing appropriately with the various strains of the illness. Do they even know about the medical history of the disease; or that surviving a mild case of the disease might lead to carrier status? Might there be a "Typhoid Mohammed" running around Al Qaeda at this very moment bringing suicidally bloody stools to all?

Could this be a divinely-inspired new strain of suicide "bomber" for the terrorist group? Let us hope so.

"It was," an eyewitness recalled, "the finest thing I have ever seen or hope to see this side of heaven."

In the strange and topsy turvey world we live in, radical Islamists are incensed enough to believe that death threats againsy the Pope and other threats of violence and terror directed at Christendom, are acceptable forms of religious discourse.

To make matters worse, the media and the left have attached a kind of gravitas to this line of thought, as if the wild, frenzied and irrational behavior were a reasonable and rational response. It is ironic that the vast majority of Muslims reject the violence out of hand, even as the left and the MSM want to attach credibility, portraying the response as a 'political response' to 'politically incorrect' or 'insensitive' remarks made by Benedict XVI. It is curious to note how hard the left and the MSM are trying to bury the fact that the Pope's remarks were an invitation to dialogue and an acknowledgement that Islam was a religion that valued reason.

As the MSM, the Left engage in a deliberate attempt to redefine religious tolerance and understanding, itr bears remembering what real religious tolerance, understanding and elevation looks like.

One of the most extraordinary acts of heroism during World War II occurred in the icy waters off Greenland after a U.S. Army transport ship was hit by a German torpedo and began to sink rapidly. When it became apparent there were not enough life jackets, four U.S. Army chaplains removed theirs, handed them to frightened young soldiers, and chose to go down with ship...

...Amid the disorder, the four Army chaplains quietly spread out among the soldiers, preaching courage to the frightened, offering prayers to the wounded, and guiding the disoriented.

After most of the survivors had struggled up on deck, the four chaplains opened a storage locker and began handing out life jackets. Soon they ran out.

"Padre," a young soldier hollered, "I've lost my life jacket and I can't swim!"

One of the four chaplains, it is not known which, removed his and said, "Here, take mine. I won't need it. I'm staying." The other three followed his example.

"It was," an eyewitness recalled, "the finest thing I have ever seen or hope to see this side of heaven."

On that day, on that ship, a few lucky men saw what God had in mind when He created us in His image.

...the last thing seen of the ship by witnesses was the four chaplains, standing on deck with their arms linked, praying as the ship went down.

More on the four chaplains, here, here and here.

The Anchoress noted too, how real faith is expressed.

bless those who are lonely with a sense of your nearness and consolation. Bless those who are afraid with the presence of your most excellent angels. Give them worthy chaplains, companionship, decent food, restful sleep, and most importantly a sense of satisfaction in duty and clear evidence of the differences they are making for the better, in the lives of those whom they currently train and protect

The Left and the MSM have a lot to learn about recognizing what is real religious expression.

Real faith is not measured by the lives you take in God's name. Real faith is in the lives you save in God's name.

Test

This is a test. This is only a test.

If you are having problems today, seek help elsewhere.