The Mad Bishop of Canterbury on Sharia Law

Comments from climate scientist William M. Connolley on "The Mad Bish" and his speech which has caused such a commotion and even accusations of treason:

"Oh dear, now I've got to the bottom of his speech and failed to find the assertion that Sharia law is unavoidable in the UK. Because... he didn't say it. What he said was... the rather unsatisfactory stuff above about choosing juristiction, followed by But if what we want socially is a pattern of relations in which a plurality of divers and overlapping affiliations work for a common good, and in which groups of serious and profound conviction are not systematically faced with the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty, it seems unavoidable. It seems weak stuff to hang such a controversy on - but then it was a thin news day, pontificationg about religion is always fun, and stirring up Islamophobia sells papers."

Love how the Brits spell "divers", unless its a typo. Love the way they spell "connexion" also.

Christianity: Religion Of Peace?

The Iowa campaign manager of former pastor and current U.S. Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says what alot of us have always suspected, which is that The War On Terror is in reality a Christian Crusade against Islam. Asked about Huckabee's foreign policy experience, Bob Vander Plaats answers:

Well, I think what it is, the war on terror is obviously, it's a theological war. We have a radical Islamic group, so we believe that a guy with the training of a pastor understands the theological nature of the war. That also makes him very well-prepared in regards to this war on terror.

It takes a preacher to lead a religious war, in other words.

You can see the video here.

Clash Of Civilizations? Canadians Don't Buy It (And Neither Does Anyone Else)

While NeoCons like Mark Steyn, who backed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, have been urging a broader war against Islam ever since rather than face the consequences of their own disastrous, ideologically driven decision, Canadians in general hold views which, quite frankly, make me proud of my country:

OTTAWA - Most Canadians reject the notion the Islamic and western worlds are engaged in a clash of civilizations based on culture and religion, according to a new international poll.

The GlobeScan survey found a majority, 56 per cent, of Canadians regard the conflict between Islam and the West to be primarily about "political power and interests."

In fact, Steyn-type cultural war-mongering seemed to have found very little purchase worldwide:

...52 per cent, of those polled said the current tension between Islam and the West is primarily due to conflicting political interests. Most, 58 per cent, blamed intolerant minorities [on both sides]- rather than fundamental cultural differences - for exacerbating the situation.

Even the United States seems far less racist in this regard than Steyn might hope:

While 49 per cent of U.S. respondents said the conflict was primarily about political power and interests, 38 per cent also said differences in religion and culture were at the root of the problem.

And Canadians are downright optimistic, with a full 73 per cent feeling a peaceful accommodation between Islam and Western society is possible.

Again, given the amount of NeoCon poison in the air over the issue, these numbers are cause for rejoicing.