The Real Enemy

Ok, it's been a long time, but for good reason. I'm now licensed to sell life, health, property, casualty and variable products.

This article raised my ire and got me in front of the blog keyboard again.

I've been watching this story unfold and frankly have been pretty upset with the shoddy reporting by Newsweek here. It seems pretty clear that they bear some culpability in all this. A few more phone calls could have saved 17 lives. But they were Afghan lives and for some reason that seems to make a difference to the average American. Imagine if they were American lives from perhaps, Cleveland.

Anyway, my opinion regarding Newsweek (and CBS) aside, I think David Brooks actually makes a very good point. I felt rebuked, and rightfully so, when he says "Talk about the bigotry of low expectations." I do have pretty low expectations when it comes to the ability of Arabs to resort to violence. I can't imagine this same reaction in Israel were it reported that the Torah had been flushed, or in Christianity if the New Testament were involved. Perhaps there would have been disgust, outrage, harsh words etc. But riots and murder? Death and mayhem? No.

So why am I not surprised when Arabs show themselves to be a powder keg with a short fuse? Why does that not shock society anymore? And instead we are in fact quick to blame those who ineptly trip the fuse.

The real enemy is not CBS, Newsweek, President Bush, Harry Reid... The real enemy is the fanatical belief that murder is justified in some cases, that violence is endearing to God, that some persons are of less value because of the color of their skin, their religious beliefs, their way of life.