Jihad- 1.30.2008

Just by chance, I found the blog of Muslim comedian Sherif Heydayat today. Among other things, he mentioned his offence that citizens in Dayton Ohio had opposed the construction of a mosque in their neighborhood. I left a comment explaining my viewpoint, which I will further expand upon here.  Just as some background info, I regularly read Robert Spencer and Daniel Pipes, two Islamic scholars. For those of you who agree with them, my opinions should be old news. For those who view Spencer and Pipes as misguided, bigoted, and racist individuals, you will likely disagree (if not vehemently) with me and dismiss me as an Islamophobe. For those of you who don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, heed my words. 

THE JIHAD

There are two interpretations to what Jihad is. Some believe that it signifies an inner struggle to attain that mystical stage of being, enlightenment. Others use it as justification for violent and unending warfare against the enemies of Islam, the kuffar (unbeliever). Right now the Jihad of the Sword is the dominant interpretation. Practically every day, I receive emails from MEMRI like this one, Pakistani Taliban Emir By’atullah Mahsoud: We Will Destroy America and Britain. These calls for Jihad are backed and justified from quotations of Holy Scriptures in the Qu’ran, the holy book of Islam full of Mohammed’s teaching and revelations. Note that these justifications are crystal clear in their meaning. Note that Qu’ran 9:05 is officially known to some as “Verse of the Sword”. For my purposes, all passages supporting Jihad of the Sword will be called such:

“Jihad of the Sword” – Qu’ran 8:12“Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): “I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.”  

“Verse of the Sword” – Qu’ran 9:05“So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”

“Jihad of the Sword” – Qu’ran 9:29“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.”

“Jihad of the Sword” – Qu’ran 9:30“And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!”

This is just a small sample size of Qu’ranic scriptures that justify, defend, and encourage Jihad. I have linked the site here. If you want to check my work, simply type idolater, fight, and angel into the first search engine and select the proper verse number. I the history of Jihad, the kuffar have had three choices.

One – Accept Islam and convert.

Two – Pay the jizya (tax) to the Muslim rulers and live as an infidel. Now people may think that paying a tax wouldn’t be so bad. They couldn’t be more wrong. Notice in 9:29 how it says may they “feel themselves subdued”. In shar’ia a kuffar has no rights; they are below second class citizens and are virtual slaves. Their houses of worship may have no bells or crosses. A kuffar’s house may not be higher than a Muslim’s house, in public they are forbidden to wear the color green, which is the color of Islam, and they must wear a badge marking their status. Think the Star of David for the Jews in Nazi Germany. Since a kuffar is by definition untrustworthy, it is impossible for fair representation in a court of law. If a kuffar alleges mistreatment by a Muslim, the Muslim simply denies it and the case is closed. Also, the jizya is not simply a tax in money. During the years of the Ottoman Empire, young Christian boys were taken from their families and trained either as the Janissary Slave Soldiers or as eunuchs for the Sultan’s court. Women were taken as concubines. I could go on and on. 

Three – Jihad

An unending state of Holy War that is the responsibility of all good Muslims. The war will continue until the enemies of Islam are destroyed, converted, or subjugated. 

DOUBLE SPEAK AND THE SUBTLETY OF JIHAD

Omar Bin Laden, son of Osama, has been in the news recently stating that he wishes to be “an ambassador for peace” between the West and Islam. At face value, one might think that that’s just great. However, reality is far more subtle and deadly. For one thing Omar does not denounce his father’s actions or renounce his father’s goals of an Islamic Caliphate (kingdom) stretching across the world. Another common motif among Islamic double speakers today is saying that they protest the killing of innocent civilians and that it is forbidden by the Qu’ran and thus against Islam. What they aren’t telling the West is the Islamic definition of “innocent civilian”. For an Islamist (someone who either tacitly or openly support Jihad), an innocent civilian is a Muslim. The same protection is not extended to the kuffar, since:

“Jihad of the Sword” – Qu’ran 33:061 

“They shall have a curse on them: whenever they are found they shall be seized and slain (without mercy).”

RADICALIZATION IN MOSQUES

What Christian Church is known to recruit people for a Christian Crusade? None. What mosques, madrassas, and imams are known and proven to recruit people for Islamic Jihad? A disturbingly high number, even in the “moderate” West. Just Google “terrorist recruitment” and you’ll see what I am talking about.  

IN CLOSING

But back to Omar bin Laden. He also says that “My father thinks he will be good for defending the Arab people and stop anyone from hurting the Arab or Muslim people any place in the world.” Who are the Muslims of the world being oppressed by? Fellow Muslims, ironically enough. Not the evil Zionists or the Great Satan USA, but fellow Muslims like Osama bin Laden. Who suffered in the torture houses of Iraq at the hands of Al’Qaida in Iraq where the victims were dismembered, burned, or had the knee caps and other joints drilled though by an electric drill? Fellow Muslims have suffered the most and bled the most in the 10,462 terror attacks meant to further the Jihad since September 11, 2001.The bottom line is this. Jihad is here and is here to stay. We can’t wish it away and we can’t delude ourselves that we negotiate with supposed “moderates” who say one thing and mean another. The true moderates, they do exist, do not hesitate to call their brothers and sisters from Jihad. However, these true moderates are either ignored, killed, or incarcerated and their influence minimized. This will be a long war and we cannot shirk from it. Our future depends on our ability to face these challenges and persevere. 

DISCLAIMER

I am not an Islamic scholar. So please, anyone who criticizes me don’t use that weak excuse. The verses I used were crystal clear in their intent. Anyone interested in learning more about Islamic law should visit jihadwatch.org or simply buy the following books:

“The Truth about Mohammed” by Robert Spencer

“Religion of Peace?” also by Robert Spencer

Mike Grant — Samnite Gladiator 

Darfour – 1.30.2008

The religious Ed program at my parish isn’t much, but it provides grounds for interesting discussions (though it is often the teacher and I doing most of the talking). The conversation touched on the Catholic Church’s stance on the death penalty, good vs. evil, heaven vs. hell, the current Iraq War, and the pope (issues which I will discuss here as well). Personally I like my teacher and I think he is a good teacher; he lets everyone have their turn speak and he is respectful. I often wish our discussion last longer, but we are constrained by time. But I digress, to the meat of the issue. 

Our talk wound up on the Iraq War, which I support and which he is against as he is of the opinion that it is a war for oil. During the course of our debate, I mentioned that Saddam Hussein was an evil man; my teacher responded by saying that things are worse in Africa and why don’t we go there. It always amuses me the way Africa is used by some individuals to protest the Iraq War. They must think things would be different in Africa if we had invaded Sudan. I believe that they are wrong in that assumption and I will explain why.

On a different note, my favorite saying is now this:“Assuming makes an ass of you and amuses me.” Brilliant. Just plain brilliant.

Africa is still a tribal country, even more so than Iraq. I say more so because in Iraq, granted with U.S. training and aid, Iraq has been able to establish an Iraqi Army and government. Granted much work still remains, but that is unmistakable progress. In Africa, despite the trillions that have been spent there disease remains rampant, there is virtually no infrastructure, and people are killed in barbaric and brutal fashion every day. Whether burned in churches, hacked to death with machetes, or gunned down Africa is steeped in blood. There is also the fact that a good portion of the foreign aid sent there ends up in the wrong hands; witness this story about food trucks being hijacked by warlords, gangs or the government.

That is another handicap with Africa. There is no clear good guy; only bad. Civilians like foreign missions with extremely clear and well defined moral clarity. They don’t like immersing themselves in the lesser of two evils or sometimes accepting that scorched earth (i.e. Total War) may be necessary for victory. Take Sudan for instance. The government in Khartoum is run by Islamists and is butchering innocent people using the janjaweed. However, the rebels are just as brutal as the janjaweed. Who is the good? Who is the bad? As a head of state, who do you support? As a moral person, who do you support? Or do you wash your hands of the matter, realizing that there is no easy answer?  

My own opinion is that Khartoum, the janjaweed, and the rebels should all be wiped from the earth. They are evil, barbaric SOBs who have forfeited their right to life. For all the crimes that they committed, death is their punishment. As such, a war policy would need to be crafted recognizing and executing that fact. You would need area saturation with ground troops to protect the refugee camps (do you best to throw a protective cordon around them) and squeeze government forces, the janjaweed, and rebel forces between the hammer of your offensive search and destroy teams and the anvil of the defensive cordon. Then trillions would need to be spent to build the infrastructure of Sudan; roads, hospitals, markets, farms, manufacturing. Essentially an expanded Marshall Plan like used with Japan and post war Europe. However, due to the commitment of manpower, funds, and acceptance of the mission and all it would entail, I do not believe such a plan would be feasible due to the lack of political will (mainly in the UN) and because half-ass is just how the world does things. For reason the world has a problem condemning evil and dealing with it harshly. 

Mike Grant — Samnite Gladiator 

Why the Holocaust is Different – 1.30.2008

While surfing WordPress today, I came across this chucklehead:

Desert Peace – the writer apparently sympathizes with Palestinian supporters of Jihad and offers a story to support his views. Before getting into the meat of my comment, I’ll say this. Israel and indeed all Jews everywhere, are under siege by Islamic forces seeking to destroy them. It has been this way for decades. In war there are casualties, plain and simple. It isn’t the fault of the Palestinian couple in the story that Hamas, Fatah, and other jihadist organizations use ambulances to deliver bombs and transport fighters (hence the ban on ambulances), but that’s the way it is.

Below is my comment I left on Desert Peace:

You question how the Jewish Holocaust is different from Rwanda, Condo, Russia, and China. I will explain. The millions of people killed in said countries were casualties of war. The killing was barbaric, yes. However, it was not planned like the Jewish Holocaust was. In Congo and Rwanda, tribal societies were merely butchering each other, as they had been for hundreds of years. The only difference was that they were using modern weapons of war, which increased the casualty count. In Russia, the German Army exercised the scorched earth policy, which meant aerial and artillery bombardment of all areas in a city. In China the Japanese merely butchered people for the fun of it. While all the killings above were evil, they were spontaneous.

There was no master plan as there was for the Jews. In Nazi Germany, you had people planning the most efficient way to butcher millions of people; first firing squads, then gas chambers. Men, women, and children it didn’t matter. Also, over 6 million Jews lost their lives in the Holocaust, a systematic extermination that lasted six years.

 Also, to be blunt, the world expects more from Europe and Asia than we expect of Arica. Africa is a hell hole plain and simple. It is steeped in the blood of many, but because Africa has never built a society (period) other than a tribal one, the attitude is more along the lines of “what do you expect, its Africa.” – end comment 

I will get into greater detail on Islamic law, Jihad, and Islamic hatred of the Jews in a column I am currently working on.

 

Mike Grant – Samnite Gladiator

Revisions – 1.28.2008

About five days ago, I posted a column entitled “Rebuttal”, which was a response to Nick’s comment on another of my columns. Nick left another comment a couple days ago, so this is my new response in this debate. 

Nick,  

First of all, thank you for your appreciation of my column, “Rebuttal”. I like positive reader feedback as much as the next guy. I do have a revision to my original column though. I discussed some things with a friend who has completed his First Responder training, and he made an interesting point. Current scientific thought is that HIV cannot be transmitted from human to human through “pure” saliva or mucus. However, if the saliva or mucus is tainted by blood from the afflicted person, even in trace amounts, there is still risk (in my mind significant risk) for the disease to be spread when the contaminated mucus/saliva comes into contact with mucus membranes or something as simple as superficial injuries (cuts, scratches, scrapes, etc.) of a healthy person. That is an important to note.  

Also, I am glad to hear to that you oppose the legalization of hard street drugs. That puts us on the same page. We still disagree over the legalization of pot, but I find it easier to debate with some over pot than crack, heroin, crystal meth, etc. You say that crack heads don’t shoot up and you’re right; they smoke it instead. I am not well versed in how different types of street drugs are used and I was generalizing. However, I do take issue with fact that you dismiss me because of age and original comment on AIDS (which I addressed above). It is true that the young lack experience in the real world, but that lack of experience does not necessarily mean that they cannot analyze a situation successfully. Also, you say that “I know little of what I speak”. If that is true, why didn’t you attack the main points of Rebuttal? Instead you merely point out the technicality that crack heads don’t shoot up. It seems that can’t see the forest but for the trees. 

Mike Grant – Samnite Gladiator

 

Resources – 1.28.2008

Over the years, my library of resources has grown and I like to share those resources with other people. 

(1)      The Jamestown Foundation

A private think-tank based in D.C. provides analysis on terrorism, China, Checnya, and Eurasian events. The writers about each topic are experienced, professional, and often based in the countries that they are writing about. The five reports range from daily to bi-weekly and do a terrific job in informing the reader. The only problem is that that the information is so in-depth that it is time consuming to read it all. The emails have really loaded up my inbox. But that is my only complaint.

(2)       MEMRI  

The Middle Eastern Media Research Institute is another private organization. It specializes in translating news from the Arab media and delivering it to you in via e-newsletter. They also have a blog and offer video links as well as the transcripts they send you. I can recommend this site enough. I have learned so much about the Arab world and justification and support for the        jihad in the past tow years that I have been subscribed. 

(3)       Jihad Watch 

Perhaps the best site I have ever found for information on Islamic Law and the jihad. Robert Spencer runs this site and is an extremely good author as well. I just finished his newest book, “Religion of Peace?”.  Spencer takes stories that are published and buried by the MSM and brings them to the surface to demonstrate just how deadly Islamic Jihadists and their goals truly are. If you haven’t heard of Jihad Watch you need to familiarize yourself with it. 

These three sites are pretty much the main ones I use for foreign information. I have found all to be extremely informative, objective, and, perhaps best of all, free. 

I also have to plug my buddy, Eric (Black Tygerrrr) who invited me to WordPress and is also a very good writer. Make sure to check his site out.

Mike Grant – Samnite Gladiator

Rebuttal – 1.23.2008

  Here is an interesting comment on my column “Why We Need the Drug War”.

“I rarely leave messages on other people’s blogs. Especially people who like to speak on a subject they seem to have no authority to speak on.
 
The ideals of your post could be thwarted by a high school stoner. Lets start with your statement about people robbing and stealing to support a drug habit. If drugs were legalized, and I don’t entirely support that, there would be no black market. Drugs would be CHEAP. Do people rob and steal for alcohol? Not generally. Point 1 goes to the drug addict with the missing brain cells.
 
While we are talking about brain cells. Did you know that Alcohol kills more brain cells than pot? Also, did you know that the brain cells destroyed by marijuana rejuvenate? Yep, short-term-memory cells indeed rejuvenate. Those killed by alcohol are gone forever. Point 2 goes too the stoner with no brain cells who victimizes himself on a daily basis.
 
Lastly, the intravenous users you mentioned who spread AIDS and HIV through saliva and mucus. That’s fucking hilarious. You couldn’t get AIDS from saliva if you drank a bucket of it. Who does your research for you? As for AIDS being a deadly disease, just ask any homosexual you know if he has any friends with AIDS. I guarantee you that none of them are dying. They have the cocktail down now. No one in this country dies from AIDS anymore. Magic Johnson? Tommy Morrison? Oh, and those needles you mentioned that everyone is sharing. If the government used more of its resources to provide needle exchanges for the users and less on incarcerating them, the rate of transfer for infectious disease amongst addicts would drop significantly. I think maybe you ought to just STFU and find a subject you are qualified to blog on. Good day.”
 
–Nick (nyates5179@gmail)

I’ll divide my response into the following points:

Point 1 – CHEAP DRUGS ENDING THE BLACK MARKET

To distribute drugs at a “cheap” rate, government must first acquire the required drugs. Then they must establish distribution centers for addicts to receive their drug(s) of choice. There are several problems in the execution of such a plan. For one thing, does anyone really think that the global drug cartels are really going to just hand their narcotics over to the government without a fight? Without their trade, they are out of a job and the bank will foreclose on those fancy villas and repo their private jets. Not exactly happily ever after for them.

So the government will still need to run a drug interdiction campaign, or pay the cartels to hand the narcotics. That approach will fail, because the cartels may make nice money off the sale to the government, but their profits will not be as great as they were since the government will be controlling the prices, selling the drugs, and reaping the profits. That is important to note. Human nature being what it is people who have been living the high life and at the top of food chain don’t like losing their power. That is why that approach will fail.

Also, the government would have to acquire enough narcotics so that the demand would not outstrip the supply. Addicts don’t want to go to a drug distribution center and be told that there is not more crack, crystal meth, pot, heroin, etc. In their minds, they want their drug and they want it now dammit! When demand would outstrip supply, where would addicts go? Back to the corner dealers, that’s where. When they couldn’t find the money to pay the corner dealer (because they addicts who can’t hold down a job) where would they get that money? They would rob, steal, and burglarize (all of which are different in the legal system). Rob is threatening someone with force, stealing is taking something while the victim is unawares, and burglarizing is entering the home or vehicle of the victim and taking valuable objects. Also, price of the drugs wouldn’t matter to the addict as long as they had a dependable supply of their next high; they would simply rob, steal, and burglarize as much as they would need to feed their habit.

There is something else to consider. Prescription pain killers have been being abused for years and they are perfectly legal. This abuse is also not a “victimless crime” and I know that from personal experience. For almost fifteen years, a family member of mine has been abusing prescription drugs of all kinds. That is three years shorter than I have been alive. This family member has turned other family members against each other, almost dragged others down with her, caused tremendous amounts of pain and suffering in other people, and never looked back. All of this destruction just so she can pop pills and get high. Fortunately, through the grace of God, my family has managed to pull itself back together and rallied around getting our troublesome member help. Help that she has repeatedly refused and failed, through her own actions, to act upon.

Point 2 – DESTRUCTION OF THE MIND – FAR REACHING CONSEQUENCES

Nick points out that alcohol destroys more brain cells than pot. Lets say (just picking numbers) pot destroys 30 brain cells and alcohol destroys 40. Wow, that is a huge improvement! Not really. Nick also says that short term memory brain cells rejuvenate. Well if those are the cells that are destroyed, whoopee for him. What if the pot destroys other brain cells? He doesn’t address that. Also, Nick doesn’t address hard street drugs – crack, heroin, crystal meth, etc. He just focuses on that crazy libertarian love, pot. Drug use changes the physiological composition of the mind. As the addict grows more and more enslaved to his/her drug of choice, they change. They lose the power of logic, reason, and morality. Rational thinking goes out the window, choosing to do the right thing over the wrong thing, and not destroying your family are all thrown aside in pursuit of the next high. Things to think about.

Point 3 – MY MISTAKE

I will give Nick credit. He states that HIV and AIDS are not communicable through saliva and mucus and he is correct in that regard. He even goes so far to say that you wouldn’t get AIDS if you drank a bucket of infected saliva. Would he like to try that theory himself? I think probably not. When I wrote what I did I was incorrect. However, I will say that HIV, AIDS, and other deadly diseases are contracted through blood born pathogens. Nick says that HIV and AIDS no longer kill people in this country, but I would ask him this: Are the people who have AIDS and HIV happy people? Do they live their life to its fullest, or are the constantly held back by their disease? In terms of the needle exchange program, all those syringes are medical waste. Each syringe holds the possibility of infecting someone else with any disease born via blood pathogens. Where does all that medical waste goes and what about the people who have to dispose of it? What rights do these crack heads have to place the lives of other people at risk just so they can get high? Absolutely none whatsoever.

Point 4 – CLOSING THOUGHTS

Nick and I will probably remain on the opposite sides of this debate. This is merely my opinion and response to his opinion. I will not STFU has he suggested. I have to write what I believe to be true and so does he. I merely suggest that we leave this debate where it is now, as he and I don’t have the time to engage in a pointless war of words.

Mike Grant – Samnite Gladiator

Introductions – 1.21.2008

A new year, a new beginning – and life goes on much as it has this past age. I am new WordPress blogger, and as such I think people are entitled to know a little about who I am. For those who have not read about The Great and Wonderful Me (taskbar right hand side) this is my introduction.

My name is Michael Grant and I am age 18. I have not yet finished my High School curriculum from the Seton Home Study School (though not because I am stupid). Rather than speeding through boring work and striving only for the minimum, I live by the maxim that if something is to be done, it must be done right. Those noble sentiments aside, I would be lying if I said that laziness and the fact that I spend my day at home had nothing to do with my slower pace. I tell anyone who reads this so that they may have perspective on why I think the way I do and write the things I write. Too often in this life, people make snap judgments based on sound bites that have been separated from the larger point. So without further ado… 

MY POLITICS

I am a conservative, and proud to be one. I believe strongly in individual liberty, the freedom of choosing your own path instead of some social engineer. Money that people earn (honestly) belongs to them and not to some politician seeking to advance his latest and greatest fad. Government is necessary for the stability of a society, but that doesn’t mean that Government should take the reins.  

I am a student of history and an analyst. I read widely and always try to be objective in my observations, opinions, and criticisms. It isn’t always easy but I try. I frown on emotionalism (it hasn’t served me well) and try always to keep on even keel on life, thinking things through logically and rationally. I don’t drink nor do drugs, as I have seen firsthand the destruction such activities bring.    

I firmly believe in the battle of good vs. evil, and its importance and scope. It started before the world was born and will continue until the end of times. That is a sad fact that we must life with, but that’s the way it is. The USA is not a perfect country, but it is still a Beacon on a Hill to all the oppressed of the world. Though our country has a checkered past (as does any country that has existed all of one year) it has stood between the lambs and wolves time and time again. To stay within the confines of recent history, the US stood firm against the Nazis, Fascists, and Imperial Japan in World War II. Again we fought in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and throughout the Cold War against the Communist Influence.  

Now we stand against an old and cunning foe, which is insidious and more dangerous than our previous enemies. Islamic Fascism has once again risen to prominence on the world stage. In our struggle with this brutal and barbaric foe, both sides have been bloodied, and before the conflict is over more blood will have been shed. The important thing is that we stand strong during this time of sorrow and trouble. 

I believe in several creeds. These (though from movies) I believe simplify many complex thoughts and deeds into simple and easy to remember verses. “Strength and Honor” – Gladiator“What man is a man that does not make the world better?” – Kingdom of Heaven This is what anyone who reads my work can expect to see. Feel free to comment even if you disagree. I welcome debate as long as both sides keep it civilized and reasoning. I don’t view this as an opportunity to convert the masses to the ways of The Great and Wonderful Me, as many people do. I merely think of this as an opportunity to spark deep thought and debate so that people may learn to how to think and not what to think. 

Mike Grant – Samnite Gladiator

China and the Olympics – 2.29.2007

As many people know, the 2008 Olympics are scheduled to be held in Beijing, China. For those people out there (liberals, teenagers, and village idiots) who don’t know a thing about China, I offer a quick refresher course free of charge (so you have no excuse not to attend.) China is best known (in my own little world) for being one of the last two Communist dictatorships to live into the 21st Century. Also, know that they are much more of a threat than the Soviet Union ever was. This is because they have successfully integrated elements of a free market economy into their society, but still have managed to keep control of their population. They do this in a variety of ways (here, here, here); bottom line is that they are good at managing their global profile. They are masters at manipulation and propaganda (if you wish to see through the smokescreen Communist leaders have erected, I recommend you check out the Jamestown Foundation and sign up for the free “China Brief” e-report.) But all that doesn’t mean squat to some U.S. “intellectuals” who are worried that Beijing’s pollution issue could cost them the 2008 Olympics. Not the various facts above, but the pollution issue. Ohh, THAT’S RIGHT!! Remember “global warming” is a “moral issue that trumps all others.” How silly of me. I was worried that we could be rewarding the head Communist honchos in charge of Communist China for brutally killing anyone who opposes them (Tiananmen Square, etc.) I guess I am in the minority. But I’m used to that. Mike Grant — Samnite Gladiator

 

Its Economics People! – 2.28.2007

I found this article from The Baltimore Sun to be very interesting. It also once again proved to me that Maryland is one of the craziest and liberal states in the United States. Senate President Mike Miller unveiled his budget bills today, and I doubt the people of Maryland will be very happy with it. Among other things, Miller is recommending boosting the Maryland Gas Tax up to 50%! Even worse, Governor O’Malley has said that he was “receptive” to the idea. Translation, if you pass it, I’ll sign it. Up until this point, I had never head of a gasoline tax (foolish, naive me) and was even more surprised to read that Miller’s plan would “tack 12 cents onto the current gas rate of 23.5 cents per gallon.” According to The Sun article, this increase would mean that a typical customer would pay between $1.20 and $1.56; this would turn a $2.00 gallon of gas into a $3.20 gallon of gas (at least). Glad to see that I can do rudimentary math, but imagine how much cheaper gas would be if government would just leave it alone! But no they are “protecting” us from evil oil corporations! Quick question, who is protecting us from government?

    All this is being done in the name of “balancing the state budget” (i.e. robbing tax payer’s blind) and funding Governor Martin O’Malley’s precious mass transit system. (When will Liberals learn that people don’t like mass transit?) Now according to The Sun article, Miller said that his bill would bring in “$400 million a year, which would translate into $3 billion in projects over five years because it would allow the state to issue more bonds.” Even more interesting, money from the gasoline tax would be funneled into the transportation trust fund, which would have no bearing on the budget. Also, if this money was used for a mass transit system, citizens who live rural areas (without access to mass transit) would be “subsidizing” the mass transit of urban areas. Talk about unfair, and I thought government was for fairness and equality for all? Silly, naive me. Though this law is far from passed, I am not confident that it will get thrown out of session. Looks like that cookie jar just got refilled.

Mike Grant

Black History Month – 2.27.2007

    Normally I don’t agree with Cynthia Tucker. At all. Ever. But today is different. Tucker’s op-ed entitled “Black History Month trivializes black history” was one of the best pieces on Black History Month that I have read in a while. Tucker makes the case that Black History Month has been trivialized by the fact that it gets a media blitz for one month a year. She writes that, 

    ”Black History Month does so much to suggest that the contributions, struggles, and individual sagas of black Americans belong outside the main body of American history: Give elementary school kids a month to digest the Underground Railroad, the civil rights movement and the accomplishments of Condoleezza Rice, and they’ve learned all they need to know. Nothing could be more wrongheaded or shortsighted. There is no American history without black history. We were here from the beginning. In 1619, dark-skinned men and women, kidnapped from Africa, arrived at Jamestown – established in 1607 as the first permanent English settlement in North America. 

    I think that Cynthia Tucker really hit the nail on the head with this one. Our history is one and our past, present, and future are intertwined, not separate entities from each other. That is why all history is taught under the title of American History; instead of White-American History, Asian-American History, Hispanic-American History, etc. At the end of the day, regardless of ethnicity, skin color, or religious creed, we are all Americans and that is what should be taught in schools. Instead, people are split up into different categories. Jim is a white kid “who acts white”, Deion is black kid who “acts black”, etc. People, though mostly blacks are ostracized for not being faithful to their race or ethnicity; i.e. Deion is made fun of and criticized for “acting white”. What happened to the “melting pot of assimilation” and to quote the great Dr. King, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” It seems ironic to me that the very people who we would think would be champions of a “color blind society” (which I fully support), where people are judged by their character not their skin color, actually do a good deal of damage to that dream. See Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, etc. Mike Grant — Samnite Gladiator