Look at the original

If you want to know what it means to be a real Christian, you don't look at the Catholic crusaders, or Martin Luther and the Reformers, or Oral Roberts or Billy Graham. You look at the original Christians: the ones who came along immediately after Jesus. Fortunately we can do that by reading the Book of Acts in the New Testament. Likewise, if you want to know what it means to be a real Muslim, you don't look at the typical modern Muslims, such as Karem Abdul Jabbar, Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens), or even Louis Farrakhan. No, you look at the original Muslims: the ones who came along immediately after Muhammad. Fortunately this is also easy to do.

Having read extensively about the early Christian era and the early Islamic era, it is interesting to note the differences. I challenge anyone to read about the life of Peter and compare it to the life of Abu Bakr, the first successor to Muhammad. It is also interesting to note that the vast majority of Christians today consider those who attempt to live out authentic Christianity after the model of the original Christians to be fanatics and Jesus freaks. Admittedly, when compared to today's limp-wristed Christianity, the original does look rather excessive. But which is the real thing? Likewise, the majority of modern Muslims look with disbain at those who are attempting to follow the model of the original Muslims. But for anyone who cares to look at the original, it is obvious that ISIS is far closer to the original than Congressman Keith Ellison. I wonder which is the real thing?

Review of foreign policy successes

Let's begin with September 10, 2014, when President Obama touted Yemen as a counterterrorism success. What he actually said was, "This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years." We have "successfully pursued" this policy all the way up to the past week when the president of Yemen has resigned, our embassy personnel has been evacuated, the Marines have been order to scorch the earth by destroying their weapons, and Al Qaeda of the Arabian Penisula has taken over. Success #1. 

Over the past couple of years we have also witnessed over 200,000 Syrians killed by a combination of Syrian forces, the supposedly pro-western anti-Assad rebels, ISIS, and other jihadist factions. Success #2. 

In addition we have seen Libya decend into chaos and become a haven for jihadists. Success #3. 

And of course we have watched as ISIS has taken over the second largest city in Iraq as well as many other cities in which brave Americans gave their lives to free Iraqis from the murderous tyranny of Saddam Hussein. Success #4.  

Outside of the Middle East, we have seen North Korea get nuclear weapons and Iran get closer day by day to having them. Success #5 & #6. 

We have also see Vlad Putin snatch Crimea from Ukraine and absorb it into Russia. Success #7. 

We have also seen him instigate and participate in a so-called civil war in Ukraine, where another cease fire agreement was just brokered, not by the US, but by France and Germany. (We'll see how long that lasts.) Success #8.

About the only failure I can think of is in Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood took over with our support, only to be overthrown by the military because they were too zealous in instituting Sharia. The is clearly an example of failure being snatched from the jaws of success.

Acceptable liars

Reuters reports (2/10/2015): Emmy Award-winning journalist Sharyl Attkisson, who covered the story of Hillary Clinton's lie about being shot at in Bosnia, says she can't understand how the former secretary of state weathered the scandal while NBC News anchor Brian Williams may not.

That's easy: we don't like news anchors and reporters lying to us, the same way we don't like conservative politicians lying to us. But we have no problem with liberal politicians lying to us. In fact, many of us really like their lies (e.g. "Premiums will go down $1500.00 a year." "You can keep your health plan if you like it.").

Bush predicts rise of ISIS

ISIS in the cross-hairs of who?

Commenting on ISIS after the burning alive of a Jordanian air force pilot, Obama said, “Whatever ideology they’re operating off of…it’s bankrupt.” Is our president really the only person on earth who doesn't know what their ideology is? 

Fire the liar!

As reported in Stars and Stripes (2/4/2015): NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams admitted Wednesday he was not aboard a helicopter hit and forced down by RPG fire during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a false claim that has been repeated by the network for years.

Williams repeated the claim Friday during NBC’s coverage of a public tribute at a New York Rangers hockey game for a retired soldier that had provided ground security for the grounded helicopters, a game to which Williams accompanied him. In an interview with Stars and Stripes, he said he had misremembered the events and was sorry.

The admission came after crew members on the 159th Aviation Regiment’s Chinook that was hit by two rockets and small arms fire told Stars and Stripes that the NBC anchor was nowhere near that aircraft or two other Chinooks flying in the formation that took fire. Williams arrived in the area about an hour later on another helicopter after the other three had made an emergency landing, the crew members said.

Williams said. “I don’t know what screwed up in my mind that caused me to conflate one aircraft with another.”

Williams told his Nightly News audience that the erroneous claim was part of a "bungled attempt" to thank soldiers who helped protect him in Iraq in 2003. “I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago,” Williams said. “I want to apologize.”

OK, here is what I have to say about Mr. Brian Williams. He said, “I would not have chosen to make this mistake.” Right, who chooses to make a mistake? No one. The truth is, it wasn't a mistake at all. It was a deliberate lie that has never been challenged until now. He also said, “I don’t know what screwed up in my mind that caused me to conflate one aircraft with another.” Well I'll tell you what screwed up in your mind, Brian. It was your inflated ego trying to make yourself seem to be the equivalent of the brave men and woman who are out there fighting for freedom. And you even went so far as to try to excuse your lie on the altruistic grounds that it was a bungled attempt to thank a soldier. You are such a phony. I'm glad you finally got caught. And your apology rings hollow. In fact, it's really not an apology at all; it's an excuse. And a flimsy one at that. I can't imagine why anyone would believe anything you have to say. You have lost whatever credibility you ever once had. If you won't resign, then you ought to be fired.

Loser