Friday, March 11th

United States

Congressional panel discussed Muslim-American radicalization.

Significance: Led by the Chair of the House Homeland Security, Peter King, the panel essentially reached no useful objective. The panel was more of a public pulpit for people’s differing opinions, with very little effective cooperation in terms of how to solve terrorism, if its even possible. The reality is as such; homegrown terrorism is currently a bigger threat to the fabric of American society than international plots. More significantly, the younger generation of Muslim-Americans (according to PEW) are substantially more radical than their parent’s generation (10% to 25%). The best research question for the panel would have been why the youth are more prone to condoning violence than their elders. CAIR (Council for American Islamic Relations), for example, has most likely sponsored terror cells. Racism detracts from morality while political correctness detracts from finding solutions.

Illinois bans the death penalty.

Significance: Fifteen felons on death row are now simply waiting for their lives to end, the long way around. European countries have longed complained of American barbarism by executing felons. The holes in the system, especially considering how overly expensive it is to execute a person as opposed to life imprisonment, has made this decision by Governor Quinn tantalizing. In reality, awarding these rapists and serial killers with their lives has proven that committing a lethal crime is no longer that serious of an offense. This is encouragement for committing crimes; similar to how many of my own students had more serious behavioral issues during my student-teaching because the administration removed detentions. Quinn has clearly never had someone close to him stolen from this earth.

International

8.9 Earthquake devastates Japan.

Significance: Japan experienced a 6.3 and a 7.2 in the past two days building up to this, which is rare. At least a thousand are dead so far, including many foreigners. Today’s though, is the largest in over a hundred years, leading to a tsunami. The epicenter was off the main island of Honshu (Japan has four major islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku). The tsunami will, and has, rippled through the entire Pacific Ocean, but not really severe. Aftershocks and potentially nuclear leaks are the main concern at the moment. Simultaneously, China was struck with a quake that killed 25 people.

Violence erupted between Christians and Muslims in Egypt.

Significance: The two religious groups may have come together to oust Mubarak, but it was clear that they would resume killing one another. The Coptics (the specific Christian sect that exists in Egypt) have been widely discriminated against, and their future continues to look dim. Some radicals have become part of the transitional government, while the extent continues to be unclear. Seems the world is only interested in fighting Gadhafi forces because it affects the price of oil. World has rarely intervened in past genocides, and atrocities in the new South Sudan state in Abyei are hardly mentioned. That is because those specific oil fields feed into Chinese consumption, and not the West.

Terrorist murders Israeli family while they slept.

Significance: The Palestinian terrorist infiltrated a small village (Itamar) located in Judea and Samaria, the historical lands of Israel, and stabbed five members to death. After murdering the parents, the terrorist viciously stabbed the three children (including a baby less than one month old). The Israel Defense Forces are currently searching for the barbarian. Hopefully, the situation will remain calm.

Thought of the Day: “I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies.” –Pietro Aretino