CAIR protest today at the Capitol

[Karried]

"We can forgive you for killing our children, We will never forgive you for making us kill yours. We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us."
Golda Mier

Man, that brought tears to my eyes ....

The whole thing is a travesty.

But when is it not, war and bombing innocent children... what a world we live in. Crazy

We are so immune and numb to it all... imagine your child in the some of those photos. Horrific.

[Midtowner]

The truth is if anyone from the Muslim community spoke out and tried to stop radical Islam they would be killed. So most just sit there and keep their mouth shut while the radical element of their religion goes about bombing everything that moves.

I don't think they'd be killed, at least if they stayed in the U.S. Certainly, there would be negative repercussions at home, but they don't have to go home.

And as far as calling all Middle Eastern Muslims "Arabs," you're forgetting that the Middle East, like anyplace else is a mix of various ethnic groups. While the Arabs are certainly dominant in some parts of the region, there are other major groups, notably, Persians.

And the media could find such a spokesperson, but IMHO, the media has no interest in portraying the middle east as a complicated place that doesn't hate America, but rather has extremely well justified contempt for the manner in which we've conducted our foreign policy.

ETA: If you think CNN is the end all/be all of being informed, you are grossly mistaken. Listen to NPR's "All Things Considered," or the BBC World News Program, and you'll hear plenty of moderate, modern Muslim voices.

[Kerry]

Moderate Muslims don't need to talk to me; I'm not the jihadist - yet. They need to talk to the radical elements of their religion or talk to our military and tell them where the radicals are hiding.

The KKK wasn't stopped by regular Americans talking to other regular Americans. It was stopped by regular Americans both talking to known Klansmen and persuading them to stop or by telling government officials where the Klan rallies were and testifying in court as to Klan activity.

Radical Islam will only stop when the moderate Muslims get tired of it or until we kill the radicals ourselves. I lean towards killing the radicals. The moderate Muslims can get tired on their own time frame and catch up later. By then there shouldn't be as many radicals to persuade to stop.

[MestaParkMan]

Midtowner - CNN has no problem finding a Christian spokesperson, or a conservative spokesperson, a liberal spokesperson, a black spokesperson, or a Hispanic spokesperson. I just never see anyone being held up by the media as a moderate Muslim spokesperson. I also don't see anyone volunteering to be the moderate Muslim spokesperson. Where is the Arab Al Sharpton, the Arab Ann Coulter, the Arab Bob Beckel, the Arab Jerry Falwell. Sharpton, Coulter, Beckel, Falwell represent large groups of people who didn't elect them to any postion of authority. The truth is if anyone from the Muslim community spoke out and tried to stop radical Islam they would be killed. So most just sit there and keep their mouth shut while the radical element of their religion goes about bombing everything that moves.

Maybe you should get news from other sources than just CNN. I often hear from moderate muslim speakers on various NPR programs (for example, Diane Rehm show) and also on the BBC news program on BBC America. Also I the Daily Show and Real Time with Bill Maher have featured several moderate muslim and arab scholars.

[hoya]

You can't say that US policies in the area have been failures. When we supplied weapons to Afghanistan, it was to stop the Soviets. Much as we hate Al Quaeda, can we say with conviction that 9/11 was too high a price for preventing Soviet expansion? We don't know how things would have turned out today had they successfully taken Afghanistan. For all we know, we'd be speaking Russian.

Every action we've taken has been for a specific purpose. Now, there may have been unintended consequences, but that doesn't mean we didn't have good reason to do it in the first place. In 40 years, we may look back at the wisdom and prescience of men like George W Bush. We just don't know about "what ifs".

[Midtowner]

When you're talking about ending thousands of lives and toppling foreign regimes for specious reasons, I think we need to justify that with more than a potential good thing to happen 40 years from now and a hope that maybe someday, something good will come out of what looks like a pretty dumb act today.

I was for the war before I was against it. I suppose every generation gets its own shot at seeing why they can't trust the government to use its military assets wisely.

[NativeOkie]

I work in this field,
I know many who speak out, Walid Shoebat, Noni Darwish, Nassir Siddiki, Bridgette Gabriel, funny thing they all used to be Muslim. All have a price on their head from the Mullahs.
While they were Muslim they did not speak out.
Where are the Moderates?
We are waiting?
It reminds one of the German people living near the death camps.
"we did not know"
Your silence is deafening!
I could provide volumes of facts concerning this.
I know facts are lost on some in OKC Talk.
Invest in yourself, read Power Faith and Fantasy
"America in the Middle East from 1776 to present.
by Michael B. Oren
they Jihad has been going on that long.

[Kerry]

It is funny to mention the Soviet Union as to why we had to supply arms to Afgans. The Korean and Vietnam wars were fought because we didn't follow the advice of Patton at the end of WWII and defeat the Soviets then. After WWII the land that had been liberated by US and Allied forces were return to soverignty, the land liberated by the Russians became part of the USSR. Russia was able to influence China to convert to communism and to lead communist expansion into SE Asia - ala Korea and Vietnam Wars and then the 50 years of the cold war.

So what would have happened to the world if the USSR had gained a foothold in the middle east? Just take a look at the news today - Russia cuts off fuel supply to Eastern Europe. Would you like to have Russia in charge of the global spicket?

This is why we need to develope a new fuel source. Until then blood for oil might be a necessity. I am still waiting for crystallic fusion that was promised by Buzz Lightyear.

[NativeOkie]

Okay,
I will admit that the war in Iraq was for oil!
If you will admit the war in Korea was for Kimchee. (spelling?)
We fought Germany for lower beer prices and brats.
Nam was for those little umbrellas you put in drinks.
Please.
We have never conquered a country and annexed it as the USSR.

[soonerguru]

In 40 years, we may look back at the wisdom and prescience of men like George W Bush.

I'll have some of what you're smoking.

[soonerguru]

They need to talk to the radical elements of their religion or talk to our military and tell them where the radicals are hiding.

Come on, man. We get that you're building a case against the billions of people who are Muslim, but there are plenty of Muslims who have supported the war on terror, and some of them, gulp, aren't even moderate, like Pakistan, for example, which has killed and captured more Al Quaeda operatives than the USA has. Their former president, Musharaff, stuck his neck out to support the US in this effort. Every day, policemen, teachers and government bureaucrats are killed because they are supporting the new Iraqi government and the US efforts in the region.

Do you just ignore their efforts? Did you get your info from Fox News?

What about all of the Muslim countries that fought alongside the US in the first Gulf War? What about the everyday Iraqi citizens who assist the US military in its efforts to root out the insurgency? What about the Anbar Awakening? What about all of the Shia in Iraq, who, during the first Gulf War, following our exit, listened to Bush Sr. and rose up against Saddam, only to be brutally slaughtered by the hundreds?

Have you been to Israel? Ever met a Palestinian? Most of the Palestinians -- and Israelis -- just want to live a peaceful life and care for their families. Without Palestinian labor, Israel's economy would probably tank. To watch American news media, one is led to believe the West Bank is one endless intifada with molotov-cocktail throwing madmen. Yes, it happens. However, most Palestinians would not and do not engage in this activity, despite their legit grievances against the Israeli government.

It serves the interests of Fox News -- and yes, CNN -- to oversimplify the conflicts in the Middle East for American viewers. Most of us on this board, if we were to get our info from cable news networks, would be truly clueless about what's actually occurring in Iraq, let alone the rest of the Middle East, which, as Midtowner reminds us, is anything but monolithic in thought.

Back to the original point, there are thousands -- probably millions -- of Muslims who are putting their lives on the line to resist the jihadists and extremists.

The implications of statements like yours sadly serve to undermine the US's best efforts to make a difference -- and disentangle when possible -- in the region. The sad irony would be to alienate all Muslims, including the anti-exremists in the region, against the US by making statements calling them murderers, saying their religion condones murder, etc., as many dumb people have done.

The terrorists would love to inflame and exaggerate the divisions between moderate Muslim states and the West, and by somehow advancing these divisions into a war of Christian against Muslim, the terrorists would succeed beyond their wildest dreams.

[bretthexum]

In 40 years, we may look back at the wisdom and prescience of men like George W Bush.

Wow. Even our ultra right winger Prunepicker thinks W was a huge failure...

[Nermel]

Looks like the protest here was very calm, compared to elsewhere.

LiveLeak.com - Raw hate: Palestinians taunt Jews "Go back to the oven"

Makes me wonder if they will have more protests in the coming weeks here.

[urbanity]

Point: Christians and Muslims in Oklahoma | OKG Scene.com

[urbanity]

Counterpoint: ?Proclaiming truth is not hateful? | OKG Scene.com