Spectacle of Stupid

Hugo and Muhammad. Can you believe it? If your eyes didn't roll at that completely clueless display, then you must have thought the General Assembly session the Democrat convention for '08.

These are not statesmen, but self-caricaturing buffoons. Unfortunately, they are dangerous ones, who will be used by the world's manipulators to achieve dreadful ends. Neither has the good sense and intelligence to avoid a path that will lead to self-destruction and tragedy for their nations, in the long run.

And one more point....

One of the reasons that Pope Benedict's address has gotten so much attention is that his idiom is that of crystal clear Roman philosophical legalism--in the very finest sense of that word. We average laypersons--including, apparently the press--can at least get a sniff of the significance of his words, even though we are likely without some context and scholarly background to distort it to our own venal purposes. The press did figure out that something was up within that Regensburg lecture. They never did get the first clue about Pope John Paul's meanings unless some authority came out and explained it like they were six year-olds, and so missed a lot of the good stuff. Benedict trumps the press-canonized interpreters and speaks directly to the generally cultivated mind. Figure it out, folks, or you--not the Pope--and you motives will be exposed.

And speaking of gentlemen...

The Pope has apologized--for being right. Why won't moderate Muslims step up and say that the apology was NOT necessary, that the violent and ignorant reactions of their co-religionists were what was wrong.

Those who fear Reason the most will exhibit the most vile responses to rational discourse. Dialogue is what they DON'T want.

Eventually, the world will be forced to discern who the "they" are. Better the Muslim community, the Ummah, should accomplish this first, and do so publicly, and deal with it.

Watching "The Elephant Man"

Merrick recites the 23rd Psalm, to the astonishment of Treves and the hospital administrator. Treves asks, "Why didn't you tell me you could read?" Merrick replies, "I was afraid to....I'm sorry." Did he need to apologize? Why didn't he ask, "Why did you, Treves, assume that I couldn't?"

For one thing, he truly is a gentleman--taking the weaker part, even though he has the stronger moral position.

Benedict's words

Why do the jihadists ALWAYS insist on misreading words and events in the non-muslim world? Now, this misreading has led to bloodshed, the murder by "Islamic radicals" of a nun in Africa. Any person who took a little while to read Pope Benedict's address to the academics at Regensburg would know perfectly well that the point was to critique the weakness of western society, in view of its having lost the priority on Reason--of the broad sort, which includes the view of the whole found in theological and philosophical studies.

I'll add a thought: There is a message to Muslims here. Put down the bombs; come prepared to dialogue. As Ibn Rushd advocates in a famous and widely read passage, all should use the mind given to us by God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.