Saturday, February 4, 2012

From NRA: Freedom Times, Issue no. 68

Sent: Thursday, February 2, 2012 3:19 PM
Subject: Freedom Times, Issue no. 68

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Issue No. 68

February 2012

Commentary: From Hope and Change to Hate and Fear
By Chris W. Cox, Executive Director, NRA-ILA, Townhall.com

Obama may bemoan the rancor in Congress every time the cameras are rolling, but make no mistake, this acidic atmosphere is by his own design...

Grassley: Obama thinks he doesn't need Congress
By Josiah Ryan, The Hill

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a fierce good-government advocate, slammed President Obama on Thursday, saying he is behaving as if he is not accountable to Congress and the American people...

Why You Should Be Furious About Fast and Furious
By David Kopel, NRA-ILA

Following is a chronological presentation of the scandal from the beginning to present day. Please read every word. It's likely you'll get Furious quite Fast...

NRA Calls for Action to "Stop Obama/Holder Gun Registration Scheme"
By The National Rifle Association, Opposing Views

Recently, a federal district court in Washington, D.C. issued a ruling upholding an Obama administration policy that requires federally licensed firearms retailers in states bordering Mexico to report multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles...

Holder Will Answer for Stonewalling Fast and Furious Accountability on Feb 2
U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Issa and The Daily Caller discuss DOJ failures that will be brought up at the upcoming Feb. 2 Oversight and Government Reform hearing...

NJ Assembly Committee To Consider Ammo Ban In The Name Of Police Safety
AmmoLand.com

Common hunting, target, and self-defense ammunition would be subject to ban under A588, along with BB's, airgun pellets, and plastic airsoft pellets!...

Gun owner ID cards soar in Chicago
By Frank Main, Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago has seen a 16 percent spike in the number of people holding state firearm owner's identification cards in the past two years, state officials said Wednesday...

Virginia: House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee Passes Five Pro-Gun Bills!
NRA-ILA

The House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee passed five pro-gun bills: House Bill 20, House Bill 22, House Bill 26, House Bill 375 and House Bill 940. These bills will all now be sent to the floor of the House of Delegates for consideration...

Tennessee: NRA-Drafted Employee Protection Legislation Introduced
NRA-ILA

On January 25, Senate Bill 3002 and Senate Bill 2992 were introduced by state Senator Mike Faulk (R-4). These NRA-drafted bills would prevent employers from discriminating and enforcing policies against the storage of lawfully-owned firearms in employees' locked private motor vehicles parked at work...

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Friday, February 3, 2012

From ACT! for America--Houston: [New post] Glenn Beck: Shariah, the Muslim Brotherhood & the Threat to America

Why does Beck do this good stuff on his GBTV, when his radio seems overrun with stupid conspiratorial crap, like his Fox News show did?

My comments:

1. I'm not a big Beck fan, but he's right that it's "all of us." The problem lies with the American people. They want the freedom of democracy, but none of the responsibility. They want freedom of speech, but won't learn the facts to make it proper and useful. And they want security, but won't accept the legitimate costs and PC violations to have it.

2. Beck continues to flabergast me. On the one hand, he points out in very un-PC fashion the most immediate security threat we face. And on the other hand, he goes out of his way to take the PC tack in bring up lynching the way he does. As important as a realistic understanding of our history is, I would recommend that Mr. Beck decide which side he's on.

3. But at least Beck takes a shot at Ron Paul. Gotta give him credit there.

Sent: Thursday, February 2, 2012 9:55 PM
Subject: [New post] Glenn Beck: Shariah, the Muslim Brotherhood & the Threat to America

New post on ACT! for America Houston

Glenn Beck: Shariah, the Muslim Brotherhood & the Threat to America

by actforamericahouston

Thursday, February 2, 2012

BSG episode dealing with peaceniks and Paultards

http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/tv/Battlestar-Galactica/8792/2136025868/Epiphanies/videos

This episode of the 2003 Battlestar Galactica series involves the Fleet dealing with peaceniks and Paultards..., ur, I mean, subversives acting to sabotage the effort to survive against the Cylons. Parts of it are hard to follow if you don't know the series, and the whole thing is so dark and subdued that it can be easy to lose interest. But it's worth the 45 minutes or so.

COMMENT: While straining to avoid leaving a spoiler, I will say that the President and the Commander are too lenient. You know me, and you know what I would do. (NOTE TO THOSE FAMILIAR WITH THE SERIES: The Six with the peaceniks looks hot in the specks!)

Respectfully submitted: My objectivity in evaluating "Teabrain"-esque mistakes

I as an educated person recognize the difference between typos, etc., and actual dumbness when it comes to academic mistakes. We all make typos or simple spelling errors in the course of quick conversation (my own spelling can be attrocious in private emails). However, in other cases, the mistakes are glowing errors of fact or performance. For instance, there is a difference between saying "did'nt" in a quick email to a few people, and putting "did'nt" on a sign for a Tea Party event for all the world to see (not to mention all the Tea Partiers around the guy who didn't say anything).

Below is the very first thing I ever said about Obama's famed "57 states" comment. See my highlighted comment. Note that even in mid-2008 I was objective in analyzing it--certainly a bit more objective than the writer of the article about it. Note also that the writer, no doubt far more sympathetic to Tea Partiers than yours truly, actually compared the gaffe to the ill-informed "Jaywalkers" interviewed by Leno and, you got it, "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?"! Yet I take heat for my "Teabrainer" term and my brilliant three-part series on "Bubba down at da Tea Party meetin's" experience with the same game show. If Obama's obviously misspeak--possibly a Freudian slip about the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference/Cooperation--warrants such comparison, how much more is the sheer dumbness of the a wide sweep of Tea Partiers, who believe that Congress passing the "Roe V. Wade law" violates the Constitution's "all men are created equal" statement (and then joke about what the "V" in that slut Roe Wade's name stands for), or who probably think that "14th Amendment incorporation" refers to a business setup, or who are just sure that "Libya" is a female body part?

As you can see, I don't jump on little slips or mistakes. I don't find a few outliers and declare them the rule. And I don't slam them--at least in this context--simply because I disagree with the movement's econo-centric selling of their social-conservative soul. No, I fire my Teabrainer shots because I discern a clear pattern and overriding condition--ignorance and lack of sophistication in understanding. I call them "Teabrainers" because they exhibit behavior consistent with the implication of that term, not simply because it's a clever slam without the disgusting implication of "teabaggers." I make "5th Grader" jokes because their academics are so often consistent with a student who hasn't yet taken a state-mandated Constitution class, not because of one misspelling of a "big" word. And I disparage their movement because it brags--literally BRAGS--about its intellectual shortcomings (compare this chorus from a pre-Tea Party song that those same people no doubt loved at the time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvj6zdWLUuk&feature=player_detailpage#t=85s -- link should go directly to the chorus at the 1:25 point), not because I have more degrees after my name than most of them.

Getting facts correct is good. It's not "elitist." Spelling things correctly is good. It's not "high and mighty." And most of all, deferring in one's expressions to people more educated on given matters, as well as the entire situation, than they have become in their pursuit of their individual lives is good. It's not... Honestly, I never really understood the Teabrainer refusal to do this. I know they want to blab out whatever is in their tea-soaked brains "just 'cause they wanna say it." But is that it? Is that the entire reason they put themselves out to sound like morons, when they could just Google, "constitution all men are created equal" or "14th amendment incorporation" (or "libya female body part," for that matter) and get the information they need?

But I digress. And with that, I will respectfully leave you, my faithful readers, to examine what I have said here, and my personal history (and obvious defense) laid out below.

Happy analyzing!

----- Forwarded Message -----

Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 11:04 AM
Subject: Fuller need to factor the other 8 (or is it 9) states into his Electoral equations

Obama Claims He's Visited 57 States, and then some! (Now, to Hussein's credit, he studders a bit here, and very likely may have been thinking, "47." He still screws up his math. I offer this less as in indictment of his intellect than as a study of media bias, and simply because I enjoy making the boy look like a dumbass.)

From http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/dpatton/2008/dp_0513p.shtml

Is Obama Smarter Than A 5th Grade Jaywalker?
By Doug Patton
May 13, 2008

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has an indicted, Syrian-born Chicago shyster named Tony Rezko for a financial mentor. He has a screwball, race-baiting, America-hating pastor named Jeremiah Wright for a spiritual mentor. He has an unrepentant domestic terrorist named William Ayers for a political mentor. And he has one of the angriest wives ever to aspire to the position of First Lady.

Obama refuses to wear a flag lapel pin because he thinks it is more patriotic to criticize his country than to support it, or even to wear a symbol of its support.

Obama thinks those of us out here in flyover country are all a bunch of bitter, gun-toting, Bible-thumping bigots furious at "those who don't look like us."

That really should be enough to sink this lightweight candidacy filled with vague language about "hope" and "change" -- what George Will has called "rhetorical cotton candy."

But wait. There's more. Just when we thought Obama had shot himself in the last foot he had available, he presents us with another gift.

On top lapelgate and pastorgate and bittergate, now comes stategate. It seems that the brilliant Barack Obama doesn't know how many states there are in our union. In an off-the-cuff statement you will not hear about on the nightly news, Obama declared that during his presidential campaign, he has visited 57 states. He also said that he has one more to visit: Alaska and Hawaii. I swear to you, that's what the man said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtIws&eurl=http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/dpatton/2008/dp_0513p.shtml

Here are his exact words: "I've now been to 57 states...I have one more to go...they wouldn't let me go to Alaska and Hawaii."

Now, try to imagine if John McCain - or any other Republican - had uttered such a stupid statement in public. Is there any doubt that person would have been pilloried and Dan Quayled for the remainder of this campaign? (At least when Quayle questioned the spelling of potato, he had some basis in fact for his inquiry: the plural of the word is "potatoes" - with an "e.")

McCain is still being vilified for referring to Iran-supported terrorists in Iraq as al Qaida, as if the vast majority of Americans care about the distinction between a Sunni and a Shiite terrorist.

Entire books have been written about the gaffes of George W. Bush. He has been castigated for everything from his mispronunciation of the word "nuclear" (he always says "nucular") to his inability to communicate with the press. His mangled syntax has been regular fodder for the crew at "Saturday Night Live" for his entire two terms in office. "Misunderestimated" was always one of my personal favorites.

But even the most misinformed American can tell you this country has 50 states, having learned that information in what? Kindergarten?

But fear not, Obama supporters; excuses will be made by the mainstream media. "He was tired," we will be told, or "he misspoke." And they will only tell you that if they are forced to report on the matter at all. The New York Times (and most other major newspapers), CNN, ABC, CBS, tax-supported PBS and especially NBC are so pro-Obama it is downright embarrassing, and make no mistake, they will continue to circle the wagons around this guy, just as they have done throughout this campaign.

Perhaps Obama should be a contestant on Fox's "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" Or maybe Jay Leno could interview him out on Hollywood Boulevard as part of his Tonight Show "Jay Walking" segment.

How many of our states have you been to, Senator Obama? Fifty-seven? That's very impressive. I hope you get the chance to see the other one. Or is it two?

---

Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a political speechwriter and public policy advisor. His weekly columns are published in newspapers across the country and on selected Internet web sites, including Human Events Online, TheConservativeVoice.com and GOPUSA.com, where he is a senior writer and state editor. Readers may e-mail him at dougpatton@cox.net.

--------------------

Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.

============================================================================================

Heinlein Quotes: "Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accepts the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay - and claims a halo for his dishonesty." -- John Joseph Bonforte,"Double Star." By Robert Heinlein

DESTRUCTION TO THE ENEMIES OF AMERICA!

Cf. The "Soldiers Creed" of the U.S. Army (http://www.gordon.army.mil/m-vic/webgraphics/Creeds/pages/Soldiers%20Creed%208x10%2002.htm)

(Yes, it's Gopher) From CSP: "Fred Grandy on Center's new Defense Cut Economic Breakdown Reports"

I have a general "No economy, none of the time" rule, but this is the exception--the economic argument for military buildup.

Sent: Thursday, February 2, 2012 2:51 PM
Subject: securefreedom just uploaded a video


securefreedom just uploaded a video: Fred Grandy on Center's new Defense Cut Economic Breakdown Reports The Center's Executive Vice President, the Hon. Fred Grandy, joined KT McFarland on FOX News Live to discuss newly released Defense Breakdown Economic Impact Reports. Produced for the Coalition for the Common Defense, these vital reports project the economic consequences of looming defense cuts for states, counties, cities and congressional districts.http://forthecommondefense.org/ More
© 2011 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

From ACT! for America: Afghan pedophilia

Sent: Thursday, February 2, 2012 12:34 PM
Subject: Afghan pedophilia

Visit our News page

February 2, 2012

Afghan pedophilia

Dear Lee,

In a July 2010 email entitled "Call it Pornistan," we included a Fox News story that said, "So here's the irony: Google ranks Pakistan No. 1 in the world in searches for pornographic terms, outranking every other country in the world in searches per person for certain sex-related content."

As we noted then, "It's common to find Muslim leaders decrying the "debauchery" and "depravity" of the West, and how this "immorality" is "invading" the Muslim world." What's more, these allegations are frequently used as an excuse for the rise in Islamic terrorism against the West.

America is far from perfect, and it's true that many of the world's porn sites originate in America and western Europe. It's also true that no one is forced to access them.

Now we have the Examiner article below (highlights added) entitled "Afghan Pedophilia: A Way of Life." No one could argue this is a result of "Western debauchery" invading Afghanistan, which has been a hotbed of jihadism for years.

http://www.examiner.com/law-enforcement-in-national/afghan-pedophilia-a-way-of-life-say-u-s-soldiers-and-journalists?CID=examiner_alerts_article

Afghan Pedophilia: A way of life, say U.S. soldiers and journalists

Jim Kouri

Law Enforcement Examiner

Apologists say that Bacha Bazi or 'Boy Play' is a very old cultural practice in Afghanistan and part of that nation's mainstream.

Citing the Afghanistan strategy review, Vice President Joe Biden reported "great progress" in the counterterrorism effort that has significantly degraded al-Qaeda and the Taliban, particularly their leadership. Lagging behind, he said, is progress on the counterinsurgency front – eliminating terrorist safe havens in Pakistan and building a stable Afghan government.

However, not once did Biden – nor Defense Secretary Leon Panetta -- mention Afghanistan's dirty secret – a large number of pedophiles and pederasts among the Afghan male population.

Pedophilia is a widely-accepted practice in southern Afghanistan, where "boys are given to older men for the sexual gratification of the elder and the sexual education of the child," say many returning U.S. troops.

Afghans say pedophilia is most prevalent among Pashtun men in the south who comprise Afghanistan's most important tribe.

Apologists say that Bacha Bazi or 'Boy Play' is a very old cultural practice in Afghanistan and part of that nation's mainstream.

When U.S. officials such as President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta discuss the war in Afghanistan and make claims of success in that fledgling democracy, one issue that's avoided is the widespread sexual intercourse between Afghan men and young boys. In non- diplomatic terms, Afghanistan is a haven for child rape, according to several American military officers just returning from the frontlines of the Global War on Terrorism.

In a country that is considered overly repressive due to its adherence to the precepts contained in the Muslim religion's Koran, it's difficult for American service members and diplomats to understand the fact that a large portion of the Afghan male population are pedophiles (adults who enjoy sexual contact with prepubescent children) or pederasts (adults who enjoy sexual relations with pubescent or post-pubescent children).

While Muslims in Iraq have on several occasions stoned homosexuals for their sexual activities, not all Muslims believe pedophilia is a violation of Sharia law. Those who believe in the sacredness and infallibility of the Koran adhere to the teaching that women are sub-human and quasi-slaves, and therefore Muslim men will look for relationships -- even sexual relationships -- with others of their own gender.

According to Reuters, there is a lot of homosexuality going on in Afghanistan, but those engaging in it don't think of themselves as gay, so that makes it okay since Islam officially disapproves of the gay and lesbian lifestyle.

"They regard themselves as non-gay because they don't "love" the sex object so Allah is happy. These are the men who avoid their wives as unclean. Apparently there is very little love of any kind in Afghanistan, which explains a lot," according to Reuters.

"Having a boy has become a custom for us," Ena Yatullah, a 42-year-old in Baghlan province, told a Reuters reporter. "Whoever wants to show off should have a boy." [. . .]

Sociologists and anthropologists say the problem results from a perverse interpretation of Islamic law. Women are simply unapproachable. Afghans cannot talk to an unrelated woman until after proposing marriage. Before then, they can't even look at a woman, except perhaps her feet. Otherwise she is covered, head to ankle, according to columnist Joel Brinkley, a professor of journalism at Stanford University, and a former Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent for the New York Times.

In Kandahar, a city with a population of about 500,000, and other towns, dance parties are a popular -- often weekly -- pastime. Young boys dress up as females, wearing makeup and bells on their feet, and dance for a dozen or more leering middle-aged men who throw money at them and then take them home.

A recent State Department report called "dancing boys" a "widespread, culturally sanctioned form of male rape." If women dressed and behaved in such a way, they would surely be punished by Muslim men.

Even after marriage, many men keep their boy-lovers, according to former U.S. military personnel who served in Afghanistan. That helps explain why women are compelled to wear clothing that hides their faces and bodies and if they "sin" they are stoned to death in accordance with Islamic law. That same law also forbids homosexuality, but the pedophiles explain that it's not homosexuality since they aren't in love with their boys only fulfilling a bodily need.

Paradoxically, the Taliban frown on sexual relations between men and boys and enforce Sharia law to the letter. Are the followers of Islam, who adopt a more "liberal" approach to practicing their religion, perhaps responsible for the widespread rape of male children in Afghanistan?

So, why are American military forces fighting and dying to protect pedophiles and pederasts in a country considered by many to be the pedophilia capital of Asia?

Why is there hesitation on the part of Obama, Clinton, Panetta and others to discuss the widespread sexual assault of male children in Afghanistan? Could it be that it is politically incorrect to discuss any immoral and unlawful behavior on the part of Muslims? It's quite evident that U.S. politicians may bash Christians without fear of adverse effects on their political careers. But these same leaders will behave as if they are walking on egg shells to avoid even the hint of criticizing Muslims.

In addition, there is always a hesitation to discuss man-on-boy sexual relationship for fear of mentioning the obvious: such a relationship is homosexual in nature.

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ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America's national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam. We are only as strong as our supporters, and your volunteer and financial support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us make America safer and more secure.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Ron Paul's plan falls apart

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/02/01/hasty-afghan-troop-drawdown-could-jeopardize-drone-campaign/

The reality is that in order to maintain an effective drone campaign, the U.S. must also have a force presence in the region. Intelligence access drives an effective drone campaign. The U.S. needs good intelligence to target terrorists and to limit collateral damage. If the U.S. withdraws combat forces from Afghanistan too quickly (i.e., before the recent gains against the Taliban are solidified and the Afghan army sufficiently trained and equipped), it will lose overall leverage in the region as well as the ability to conduct effective drone strikes.

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/01/31/u-s-special-forces-will-be-weakened-by-defense-budget-cuts/

and

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/01/26/ten-disturbing-facts-what-todays-defense-cuts-mean-for-america/

Special operations are most effective when launched with the backbone of support-providing conventional forces. The U.S. Navy's presence was essential in Somalia, the Air Force's support in the first phase of Afghanistan, and the Army's muscle during the surge in Iraq. Special forces without robust conventional forces is like a wide receiver without a quarterback and a line. It's a return to Desert One.

COMMENT: Drones need conventional force presence. Special operations need conventional force presence. So withdrawing from the world and relying on such covert and not-so-overt measures, as Paultards imply their guru will, is not do the job. The funny part is, if Ron Paul is elected, it won't be ZOG that is discredited when the plans fail and the covert operations are discovered (and they will be, unless he orders the silencing of critics--quite the libertarian, huh). It'll be Ron Paul and a ZOG-free America that is discredited.

Most Paultards honestly don't realize this! In most cases, when one puts this to them, they follow their instincts to be happy about an American defeat and failure in such situations, failing to think through and realize it's THEIR GUY and THEIR REGIME which will be in power. So they go "YAY!" when they first hear how badly their idea will go, and only later realize how self-destructive their disingenuous politics has been. It's simple cognitive dissonance, on a par with that of Teabrainers. And yes, Paultards deserve that insult.

Fw: Hump Day Report: Obama's Oil Folly

Sent: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 1:12 PM
Subject: Hump Day Report: Obama's Oil Folly

From ACT! for America--Houston: [New post] NBC whitewashes Shafia honor killing: no mention of Islam in story of girls killed because they “betrayed Islam”

Rest assured, if the perpetrators had been Jewish, Christian, or Sikh, we would have been regaled by a complete history of those "patriarchal" cultures. Apparently being willing to blow people up if they are accused of being "violent" can silence a limp media. Either that, or the media is in league with them.

If any readers can enlighten me more on how this story is playing in our neighbor to the north, Canada--aka, "America's Top Hat"--please do. Thank you.

Sent: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 4:57 PM
Subject: [New post] NBC whitewashes Shafia honor killing: no mention of Islam in story of girls killed because they "betrayed Islam"

Hump Day Report: Obama's Oil Folly

In This Issue...

ALOHA, ALL!! Remember how Barry claimed in his SOTU speech that he was on target to reach his goal of doubling exports? (I know….who was paying attention?) Anyhow, when I heard it I thought to myself, "export what?" He never explained what those exports were, hoping we'd all think it was cars or clothing or [...]

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New post on ACT! for America Houston

NBC whitewashes Shafia honor killing: no mention of Islam in story of girls killed because they "betrayed Islam"

by actforamericahouston

By Robert Spencer Mohammmad Shafia murdered his daughters and his first wife and then raged about his daughters: "God's curse on them for generations....There can be no treachery, no violation more than this. They committed treason from beginning to end. They betrayed humankind. They betrayed Islam." Midday Monday I got this email, with the subject [...]

From ACT! for America--Houston: [New post] Michael Coren & Robert Spencer On Islam & The Shafia Honour Killings

Sent: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 4:31 PM
Subject: [New post] Michael Coren & Robert Spencer On Islam & The Shafia Honour Killings

New post on ACT! for America Houston

Michael Coren & Robert Spencer On Islam & The Shafia Honour Killings

by actforamericahouston

The Case for the Empire

"Liberty is a duty, not a right"--Benito Mussolini
The Case for the Empire Source: weeklystandard.com STAR WARS RETURNS today with its fifth installment, 'Attack of the Clones.' There will be talk of the Force and the Dark Side and the epic morality of George Lucas's series. But the truth is that from the beginning, Lucas confused the good guys with the bad. The deep lesson of Star Wars is that the Empire is good.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

From ACT! for America: Flights of fancy

COMMENT: This Olivier Roy is either a complete fool or a complete collaborator.

Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 12:37 PM
Subject: Flights of fancy

Visit our News page

January 31, 2012

Flights of fancy

Dear Lee,

We find it ironic that the author of the column below that recently appeared in the Washington Post is also the author of "Holy Ignorance."

How else to explain how someone can be so blind to what is happening in countries like Egypt? Has he not read the polls taken in Egypt over the past few years, showing strong support for sharia law?

Does he really believe that the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist political parties, which won over 2/3 of the seats in Egypt's parliamentary elections, were elected simply because they promised a better economy?

Does he really believe the Muslim Brotherhood would support the right of Muslims to convert from Islam?

There are those who see what they want to see, in spite of all evidence to the contrary. Many of them are in our government, in the media, in academia. We, too, would be delighted to see a reformed Muslim Brotherhood, one that, according to the author below, is "middle class bourgeois." One that has given up its aspirations for worldwide Islamist rule.

But we can't afford to engage in such flights of fancy.

A new generation of political Islamists steps forward

By Olivier Roy, Published: January 20

Olivier Roy is a professor at the European University Institute in Florence and the author of "Holy Ignorance."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/muslim-brotherhood-other-islamists-have-changed-their-worldview/2012/01/10/gIQAZgjoEQ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

Everywhere, the Muslim Brotherhood is benefiting from a democratization it did not trigger. There is a political vacuum because the liberal vanguard that initiated the Arab Spring did not try, and did not want, to take power. This was a revolution without revolutionaries. Yet the Muslim Brothers are the only organized political force. They are rooted in society, and decades of opposition against authoritarian regimes gave them experience, legitimacy and respect. Their conservative agenda fits a conservative society, which may welcome democracy but did not turn liberal.

Under these circumstances, the ghost of a totalitarian Islamic state is raised, with the specter of imposing sharia and closing the short democratic parenthesis. But such an outcome is unlikely.

The Islamists have, in fact, changed: They are more middle-class "bourgeois," and they benefited from the liberalization of local economies during the last decades of the 20th century, especially in countries with no oil rent. The Islamists have also drawn lessons from the failure of ideological regimes and from the success of Turkey's AKP party. They are no longer advocating jihad and understand geostrategic constraints, such as the need to maintain peace, even a cold one, with Israel. Realism is the starting point of political wisdom.

The Islamists have been elected with a clear agenda: stability, good governance and a better economy. If they have been able to reach a larger constituency than the hard-core supporters of sharia, it is precisely because they can combine such a reformist agenda while talking about religion, values, identity and tradition. The Nahda party won the majority of the votes cast at the Tunisian consulate of San Francisco, although Tunisian expatriates in Silicon Valley are not known for their Islamic fundamentalism.

This mix of technocratic modernism and conservative values is their brand, and to turn their back on multipartism and legalism would alienate a large portion of their constituency, at a time when they have no means to confiscate power. They have neither military forces nor oil wealth to bypass the people: They have to negotiate and deliver. Their electorate wants stability and peace, not revolution.

They are stepping into a new political landscape: a democracy, although a fledgling and fragile one. The only way to maintain their legitimacy is through elections. Even if their pristine political culture is not democratic, they are formatted by the democratic landscape, much as the Roman Catholic Church ended up accepting democratic institutions. But it will take time.

Another important change, if we refer to the "revolutionary" period of the 1970s and 1980s, is that the Muslim Brothers do not monopolize Islam in the public sphere. In fact, the religious revival that has engulfed Arab societies led to a diversification and an individualization of the religious field. Religious state institutions such as Al Azhar, so recently discredited, are regaining autonomy after so recently being discredited. Al Azhar's dean, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, openly spoke in favor of democracy and of separating religious institutions from the state. A new phenomenon is the decision of the Salafis, an ultraconservative Sunni sect, to establish political parties. On the one hand they will push for a more Islamic agenda, trying to outbid the Muslim Brothers on Islam, but this will force the Brotherhood to clarify its own position and to find a way to distance itself from the call for sharia.

To do that, the Muslim Brothers have to turn purely Islamic norms into more universal conservative values — such as limiting the sale and consumption of alcohol in a way that is closer to Utah's rules than to Saudi laws and promoting "family values" instead of imposing sharia norms on women.

In the coming months the hot issue in Egypt, beyond the status of women, will be religious freedom. Not in the sense that Coptic Christians will have less freedom to practice — there were a lot of limitations under the so-called secular dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak — but in defining religious freedom as not merely a minority right but an individual human right, implying the right to convert from Islam to Christianity.

The issue is institutionalizing democracy, not promoting liberal policies. Democracy could take hold only if it is based in well-established values. Liberalism does not precede democracy; America's Founding Fathers were not liberal. But once democracy is rooted in institutions and political culture, then the debate on freedom, censorship, social norms and individual rights could be managed through freedom of expression and changes of majorities in parliament. However, there will be no institutionalization of democracy without the Muslim Brothers.

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