One for the "Duuuh" File
ABCNEWS.com has played an interesting game with the "titles" of this item. The title with the article itself is "Unease With Islam", but the "web" title (which appears on the browser title bar) is:
"Why Has U.S. Unease With Islam Jumped?"
Errrr... hmmm... could it... no, never mind... what about... no, no, that can't be right... OK, how 'bout... ahhhh... jiminy crickets, General Disarray, this is a puzzler.
The article implies that the shift in American public opinion about Islam has a lot to do with remarks made by evangelical religious leaders, particularly Franklin Graham, that contradict the ol' "Islam is Peace" line.
Call me crazy, but I was kinda thinking that this shift in opinion might have something to do with a steady stream of violent outrages and bloody atrocities perpetrated by Muslims in the last year, including but not limited to:
Sept. 11
The murder of Johnny Spann
The shoebomber
Fake "surrenders" by Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan
Countless suicide bombings in Israel
The Bali discotheque bombing
The shootings at LAX on July 4th
Assorted church bombings, apartment bombings, embassy bombings, etc.
The seizure of hundreds of hostages at a theatre in Moscow
The Beltway sniper
etc.
Of course, none of these things really matter if the person writing about them subscribes to the idea, put forward, I think, by David Warren*, that history began this morning. Or believes that signing a treaty means that nation really really promises to not research nuclear weapons. Or submit to meaningful weapons inspections. Or a guy who really devotes a lot of deep meditation time to divining the meanings of the word "is" or the phrase "improper relations". To these lucky folks, each day is a wonderful new adventure, because it has nothing to do with the days that preceded it.
We call such people "freakin' morons". I don't wanna points fingers, but ABCNEWS authors Steven Waldman and Deborah Caldwell should go to the back of the website and put on your conical hats. We'll let you know when to take them off.
* I'm pretty sure it was David Warren who wrote great column in which he brought up the "history began this morning" idea along with several others that explain the peculiar moral idiocy that characterizes some media-types and their reporting on Palestine. I haven't been able to find the column, though; if this rings a bell with anyone, please drop a pointer in the comments. Many thanks.
Posted by Steve at October 29, 2002 12:01 AM
Greg: I managed to find Gelertner's column (and a damned fine column it is) and it may very well be the one I was thinking of --- thanks!
I'm going back and forth on what the right word to describe the killing of Johnny Spann, but whatever you want to call it, the fact remains that he died at the hands of Muslims, and not in pitched battle, but very up-close and personal.
