On Sun, 24 Jul 2005 15:37:18 GMT, David wrote:

On Sun, 24 Jul 2005 15:11:21 GMT, (Peter Newman)
wrote:


The problem of today is Islam and its crazed Muslims - certainly not
"crazed white guys".

Peter Newman

The problem today is people refusing to live within their means, both
personally and nationally.

The problem today is people see the differences between one another,
not the similarities.

If you want to defeat the jihadists you do not attack their religion.
You stop giving them reasons to kill you.

Bono is right. If the West would use their riches to truly help the
starving and infirm (most of whom are incidently Muslim), while
cutting back on the greed and gluttony at home that forces us to kill
for oil, then the jihadists wouldn't be able to recruit.



You have not responded to my questions enquiring about your racism
implicit in your earlier "crazed white guys" statement. I understand
you have now realized its silliness.

The assertion that terrorism is somehow related to the West
not "living within their means" is a popular cliche amongst the left,
but entirely erroneous. None of the 9/11 terrorists were recruited
from poor people. Moreover, none of them specified poverty as the
cause of their act. For example, Mohammed Atta's father claims that
his son's act (of which he remains immensely proud) is just a first
shot in a long religious war.

To always look for "white man's guilt" as root causes of events is
misleading and disingenuous at the least.

Bono and Geldof are not right at all - they are simply skillful
publicity seekers. Throwing money on poor countries won't help them -
this will only promote their culture of dependency and corruption and
achieve an entirely opposite effect. What would help is establishing a
strong legal system combined with responsible law enforcement where
local business can safely take roots, and where foreign business can
safely invest to.

People like Bono and Geldof should demonstrate en masse against real
"crazy black guys" like Mugabe, the true culprits of poverty, not
against this mythical "crazy white man" supposedly responsible for all
the world's ills.

It is all too easy to blame responsibility on the West, closing one's
eye's to the real causes - which seem too politically incorrect and
uncomfortable to speak out.

The West needs to make no excuses for living well - we have worked
hard many long centuries to achieve our standard of living. We are
always happy to help - as we indeed do. But to blame us for other
countries' failures, in this case for the obvious failures of Islamic
countries, is a bit too much.

The root cause of economic and social failures of Islamic countries is
simply Islam.

Peter Newman