Actually, it is cheaper than maintaining large conventional forces. The expense comes when you maintain a big conventional army *and* a nuclear triad.
Some say the nuclear arms race was as much as way to drain money out of the USSR until it collapsed as much as anything else
Some may say that, but they'd be wrong. The problem of the USSR is that it spend a huge amount on very large *conventional forces* while taking labour away from the rest of the economy to do lots of military service. Central planning and socialism are also very inefficient. It wasn't the Soviet nuclear arsenal that broke the camel's back - the whole "we pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us" culture was broken and unsustainable in the long term.
I also hear that most nuclear material for peacetime power reactors comes from decommissioned nuclear warheads.
Nuclear fission warheads use plutonium. Nuclear reactors generally use uranium. You may just be slightly confused that reprocessed nuclear fuel *from reactors* can be processed for plutonium to make nuclear warheads - but is generally treated as waste. I believe the cycle doesn't usually go the other way for most reactors ("breeder" reactors being an exception). Plutonium from warheads is usually recycled to make new warheads.
Abu Ghraib was in Iraq, not Afghanistan. What was the torture used on the prisoners in Gitmo, please. Specifics. Looking at the facilities of Gitmo they are vastly better than most of the prisons for US citizens. If I was a prisoner I'd like to go to Gitmo. Furthermore, do you think that the prisoners have any motivation to lie? do you think they also have a religious mandate to lie (please read this for the forms of lying mandated by Islam: http://www.islam-watch.org/authors/139-louis-palme/1095-knowing-four-arabic-words-may-save-our-civilization-from-islamic-takeover.html). So, all I'm doing is asking for *facts* rather than the words of some known lying jihadis. That's not too much to ask, is it?
"Human rights" is not a law. The parent states that an "international law" prohibits Gitmo. I would like to know the name and article of that International Law. Please.
Note, while both the Socialists (Democrats) and Capitalists (Republicans) want inexorably bigger government and regularions the "Tea Party" movement most certainly does not. They want a return to the principles of the Consitution and Amendments, and less government. Of course, that's why after 161 meetings with the IRS the Obama Administration used IRS Audits to hound the Tea Party (as well as Jewish groups, Christian groups and anyone against the 'progressive' agenda of the Obama Regime). Unfortunately most US citizens see the Tea Party as extremists for believing in the Constitution and the global role of the US as spreading freedom and democracy (instead of arming jihadis in Syria and providing munitions to the tyrants in Egypt). The World has gone wierd.
Furthermore, OpenGL, OpenAL and OpenCL work not only on new versions of Windows, they work on old versions of Windows (Win XP), Linux, Mac, real Unixes, your cellphone and tables (which have hardware OpenGL chipsets), etc.
Those who have bet on DirectX technologies have boxed themselves in. The computing word is becoming more heterogenous, not less. It was always obvious to any thinking person that the Microsoft market share was a temporary aberation. That's why you must choose technologies that insulate you from change as much as possible. Here's a case study that shows how the choice of OpenGL over DirectX made a difference of 3.5 million to the X-Plane simulator developer (despite muppets lcking strategic vision urging him to use DirectX): http://techhaze.com/2010/03/interview-with-x-plane-creator-austin-meyer/
Disclaimer: I'm developing a modern multiplayer jet combat simulator in Java, OpenGL+GLSL and OpenAL. Progress has been good. Multi-platform issues are pretty negligible for the most part. I can compile once and the same package runs on Windows, Linux and Mac (with a little tweaking for Android). It also runs damn fast (since the limiting factor is the GPU if you have the correct architecture).
If you are considering building a modern game I cannot recommend these technologies highly enough. As platforms change Java and OpenGL will allow your program to run with little ot no porting effort (which means dollars).
Great analysis. Is it possible the military doesn't want its servicemen to know the extent of the anti-Constitutional NSA monitoring because if servicemen knew what was really going on they might be loyal to the US (and its Constitution), rather than the Government/Obama Regime (which is not the same thing) ? Do you think that this may be in some part motivated by a desire to avoid a loyalty crises induced by "Protecting the Party" rather than "Protecting the Country" when servicemen understand what they are now defending? Perhaps that is a too radical thought, but with the current crop of generals-as-political-animals perhaps it could be true? no?
You repeat a common meme, but it is rubbish. Most Western governments actively suppress the amount of terrorist activity that does go on. This is for several reasons:
They don't want to incite hatred against the ideology called Islam - despite the statistics that 91% of violent terrorist acts are caused in the name of Islam (according to the perpetrators).
The Government doesn't want to publicly reveal its operations that might compromise the sources that have penetrated terrorist organizations (eg. mosques, Al Qaeda cells etc).
The Government is misguided enough to believe in the goals of the terrorists or sees them as useful - eg. Hiliary Clinton's State Department giving Libyan rebels Stinger missiles (against the CIA's wishes; Ambassador Stevens appears to have been in Benghazi to buy these back and arrange for other weapons to be shipped to the jihadis in Syria). Governments that fall into this category include the Obama Regime, the UK Government, and pretty much all the members of the OIC.
Notice how with the NSA leak the government admitted that the programme had stopped over 50 jihadi attacks you never heard about? The governments (and compliant media) are *suppressing* information the problem - not hyping it up. Otherwise you'd be aware of Qur'anic Sura 9:5, 9:29 and hadith Sahih Muslim 6985 calling for the destruction of modern society. Please realise the popular meme you are parotting is *false* (but is widely propogated by the political Left because it suits their purposes - they wish to use mass immigration to break down traditional societies so they can then build up their Big Government socialist utopia).
It's called "tribal politics". Both the Democrats and Republicans rely on this as they progressively neuter the Constitution and change the balance between the people, States and Federal Government to elevate the agenda of the latter as primary. Only the US Libertarians (Tea Party etc) try to preserve the balance and keep the Constitution and Bill of Rights as the primary drivers.
Sigh, you use the label "paranoid nutjob" so you can dismiss what he is saying without actually thinking about it. The International Left has a Jedi Mind-Trick for weak willed people. Look up 'Cultural Marxism' on YouTube. Learn about the history of Cultural Marxism, and how your response is *exactly* how you've been conditioned to behave.
pecosdave's position is correct if you are believer in the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights (I am, despite not being a US citizen). The Obama campaign has been in overdrive and he points out how this was so, in his experience. Furthermore, it appears you are an Obama supporter. Have you noticed what the man you elected has been doing? He has been attempting to push laws to neuter aspects of the Constitution, and using Executive Orders to rule by dictate. Now, he is not the only politician to have done this (Clinton, GW Bush etc nearly as bad).
Either you agree with the Constitution (Libertarian) or you don't (Democrat or 'RINO' Republican - where your 'political tribe' feels it can dismantle the Constitution as an 'anachronism'). pecosdave does. I do. Perhaps you ought to consider your position on the issue before you start throwing around the 'nutjob' label. Have you ever considered that perhaps the reason you don't understand pecosdave's position is that he is possession of a substantial number of more facts than you are - which is why react the way you do (and the reason you know less than pecosdave is that the Cultural Marxists running the mainstream media are holding a lot of information back to protect their man, Obama, no matter how egregarious the actions of his regime become). Think about it, please. http://www.breitbart.com/
Breitbart is not unbaised, for sure - but you will find many facts there that are *actively suppressed* by mainstream media (New York Times, LA Times, BBC, Washington Post, Huffington Post, the US TV networks etc). Get clued up, dude.
Here we have and exhibit where Cultural Marxism has pushed natural concern for the environment to the level where people wish other people to be executed for "environmental crimes" (with no specification as to whether that is something like tossing a cigarette butt out, having your cow accidentally take a dump in a river, etc). Amazing how easy it is to get the weak-minded to justify to themselves the killing other human beings by using on of the magic words, "environment". Especially when the Chinese usually do this for those who are not connected to the correct set of corrupt bureaucrats. Evil.
So basically, your theory is that religious fanatics trying to set up a theocracy have allied with the hardcore supporters of an explicitly atheistic ideology that thinks religion is a drug?
Yes. It should not be that bizarre if you know any history - the officially atheist Soviet Union armed many Islamic regimes (and the supposedly Christian US is now doing the same). You see the West is too strong to be taken down by either the hard-Left or Islam alone, but they are currently in a "marriage of convenience" to achieve this. This follows the model in the UN, where the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) and leftist "Non-Aligned Nations" vote as blocs to achieve their aims. This has been going on since 1975 in the UN General Assembly, and has taken over various UN agencies like the Refugee Agency and Human Rights Council. Here's a short video describing how this works (from an Israeli perspective, since the OIC wants to destroy them, as commanded in Islamic hadith Sahih Muslim 6985): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7Mupoo1At8
The webzine "Front Page Mag" is run by an ex-Leftist called David Horowitz. He understands the goals of the Left, and how they make common cause with Islamists to overthrow traditional society. They think by destroying everything they can re-make society the way they want to. This "Hope and Change" is not going to be good except for a few. http://frontpagemag.com/
The only reason you think a union of the Left and Islam is bizarre is because you have forgotten the history from only a few decades ago. Like I said, the Soviet Union was very very happy to work with Islamist regimes if it harmed the West. The same is going on today (between the Leftists/Cultural Marxists in universities and spread to governments) and the evil Islamists.
Thank you very much for doing the research Bearhouse. Many simply assume they know what the teachings of Islam are (mistaking it for Judaism or Christianity - when it most certainly is very different) and demonize me. The more research you do, the worse Islam gets as you uncover layer upon layer of lies and deliberate 'taqiyya'.
Those would would defend our liberties against Big Government and Islamism are losing the 'information war' very badly. When even above average intelligence Slashdotters don't know the facts it is worrying. Thankfully you decided to 'check your facts'. If only our politicians, journalists and military would do this.
I also strongly suggest you check the lectures by Stephen Coughlin on Youtube, and also look up the allies of the Islamists with an excellent documentary on 'Cultural Marxism' and how it has permeated Western universities and general culture. You don't have to agree with me, but please do the research so you can see the Matrix that is constructed around us (prison bars only work when they are invisible).
Please note: "Muslims" (who are people) are not the enemies of liberty, it is "Islam" (a political ideology) that is. Just as Free People confronted and defeated National Socialism and Communist Socialism we will also have to defeat the political tyranny of religious socialism (Islam). The longer we leave it to 'get real' about Islam - which means strengthening our enforcement of 21st Century Law and Enlightenment values the harder it will get. I hope it does not come to War - but the Islamists already see the struggle between Enlightenment Civilization and Islamism in those terms.
I suggest you do the research. Beating of wives is explicitly permitted in Islam - with sticks. Do the research yourself, you will find recent rulings on this and all sorts of evil and barbarity that Islam promotes as *mainstream*.
This is not some extremists interpretation of Islam - this is mainstream stuff as determined by Al Azhar University (the 'Vatican' of Sunni Islam). Rulings made in the last few years.
Dude, when English people are not allowed to fly the English flag or paint it on their house door because it may be 'offensive' then you have already lost. The rulings of Sharia courts are enforced by the real courts (and therefore by the entire power of the state, police, military whatever). As for "only willing participants" being subject to Sharia - well what about the most vulnerable, women and children? They are subject to Sharia without much choice. Think about it dude, you are making excuses for 7th Century barbarism instead of promoting equality and Rule of Law (the same 21st Century Laws) for all. Wise up, man!
Thanks for elucidating so well. Unfortunately Sharia decisions are imposed on the vulnerable - women and children. You would think that 21st Century liberals and feminists would oppose this, but the silence in deafening. It comes down to folks like the EDL (who to outward appearances look like soccer hooligans; despite being much more enlightened) to stand up for basic liberties and preservation of traditional English norms. The World has gone mad.
I agree. Politics can be divided multi-dimensionally. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out. Political correctness is the *mortal enemy* of Free Speech. no matter what the form it comes in. I'm a big Free Speech fan, so anyone who gets in the way of that draws my personal ire - the traditional Right does it, but AFAICS the Left does it even more.
Homosexuality was once, "The love that dare not speak its name." Now it's, "The love that won't shut up."
Brilliant !
No mod points today, otherwise this zinger would be getting +2 Double Plus Good
I have no problem with homosexuals, but I do wish they'd shut up from time to time (well, I'm sure other Slashdotters could say the same about me too:) )
The "political right" is just as statist and collectivist as the Left from a libertarian point of view (hence right and left in uk are simply sides of a single coin). Same in the US between Repugs and Demosaurs. I take your correction though, thanks.
The UK already operates 85 Sharia courts. They have limited power, for now. When more riots happen they'll probably get more power to placate the 'cultural' demands of the 'spontaneous protestors'. Now pictures of women are slowly getting banned. Political Correctness (the tool of the political Left) and Sharia go together. Perhaps that is conflating them too much, but it is worth considering the forces that are aligning to censor the liberties we once had and progressively control our lives (I use the word "progressively" deliberately - it is not garden-variety caring leftists that are into this censorship, but the further Left progressives who have successfully got Cultural Marxism in the universities and now spilling out into the general culture).
Slashdot Mirror
Maintaining a nuclear arsenal is really pricy.
Actually, it is cheaper than maintaining large conventional forces. The expense comes when you maintain a big conventional army *and* a nuclear triad.
Some say the nuclear arms race was as much as way to drain money out of the USSR until it collapsed as much as anything else
Some may say that, but they'd be wrong. The problem of the USSR is that it spend a huge amount on very large *conventional forces* while taking labour away from the rest of the economy to do lots of military service. Central planning and socialism are also very inefficient. It wasn't the Soviet nuclear arsenal that broke the camel's back - the whole "we pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us" culture was broken and unsustainable in the long term.
I also hear that most nuclear material for peacetime power reactors comes from decommissioned nuclear warheads.
Nuclear fission warheads use plutonium. Nuclear reactors generally use uranium. You may just be slightly confused that reprocessed nuclear fuel *from reactors* can be processed for plutonium to make nuclear warheads - but is generally treated as waste. I believe the cycle doesn't usually go the other way for most reactors ("breeder" reactors being an exception). Plutonium from warheads is usually recycled to make new warheads.
Yes. Now please point to the law that was violated.
Abu Ghraib was in Iraq, not Afghanistan. What was the torture used on the prisoners in Gitmo, please. Specifics. Looking at the facilities of Gitmo they are vastly better than most of the prisons for US citizens. If I was a prisoner I'd like to go to Gitmo. Furthermore, do you think that the prisoners have any motivation to lie? do you think they also have a religious mandate to lie (please read this for the forms of lying mandated by Islam: http://www.islam-watch.org/authors/139-louis-palme/1095-knowing-four-arabic-words-may-save-our-civilization-from-islamic-takeover.html). So, all I'm doing is asking for *facts* rather than the words of some known lying jihadis. That's not too much to ask, is it?
"Human rights" is not a law. The parent states that an "international law" prohibits Gitmo. I would like to know the name and article of that International Law. Please.
Note, while both the Socialists (Democrats) and Capitalists (Republicans) want inexorably bigger government and regularions the "Tea Party" movement most certainly does not. They want a return to the principles of the Consitution and Amendments, and less government. Of course, that's why after 161 meetings with the IRS the Obama Administration used IRS Audits to hound the Tea Party (as well as Jewish groups, Christian groups and anyone against the 'progressive' agenda of the Obama Regime). Unfortunately most US citizens see the Tea Party as extremists for believing in the Constitution and the global role of the US as spreading freedom and democracy (instead of arming jihadis in Syria and providing munitions to the tyrants in Egypt). The World has gone wierd.
Which "international law" is Guantanamo against, please?
Furthermore, OpenGL, OpenAL and OpenCL work not only on new versions of Windows, they work on old versions of Windows (Win XP), Linux, Mac, real Unixes, your cellphone and tables (which have hardware OpenGL chipsets), etc.
Those who have bet on DirectX technologies have boxed themselves in. The computing word is becoming more heterogenous, not less. It was always obvious to any thinking person that the Microsoft market share was a temporary aberation. That's why you must choose technologies that insulate you from change as much as possible. Here's a case study that shows how the choice of OpenGL over DirectX made a difference of 3.5 million to the X-Plane simulator developer (despite muppets lcking strategic vision urging him to use DirectX):
http://techhaze.com/2010/03/interview-with-x-plane-creator-austin-meyer/
Disclaimer: I'm developing a modern multiplayer jet combat simulator in Java, OpenGL+GLSL and OpenAL. Progress has been good. Multi-platform issues are pretty negligible for the most part. I can compile once and the same package runs on Windows, Linux and Mac (with a little tweaking for Android). It also runs damn fast (since the limiting factor is the GPU if you have the correct architecture).
If you are considering building a modern game I cannot recommend these technologies highly enough. As platforms change Java and OpenGL will allow your program to run with little ot no porting effort (which means dollars).
Great analysis. Is it possible the military doesn't want its servicemen to know the extent of the anti-Constitutional NSA monitoring because if servicemen knew what was really going on they might be loyal to the US (and its Constitution), rather than the Government/Obama Regime (which is not the same thing) ? Do you think that this may be in some part motivated by a desire to avoid a loyalty crises induced by "Protecting the Party" rather than "Protecting the Country" when servicemen understand what they are now defending? Perhaps that is a too radical thought, but with the current crop of generals-as-political-animals perhaps it could be true? no?
Notice how with the NSA leak the government admitted that the programme had stopped over 50 jihadi attacks you never heard about? The governments (and compliant media) are *suppressing* information the problem - not hyping it up. Otherwise you'd be aware of Qur'anic Sura 9:5, 9:29 and hadith Sahih Muslim 6985 calling for the destruction of modern society. Please realise the popular meme you are parotting is *false* (but is widely propogated by the political Left because it suits their purposes - they wish to use mass immigration to break down traditional societies so they can then build up their Big Government socialist utopia).
If you are the one under the explosives then perhaps you might have a bit more empathy for others under this threat. Get a grip dude.
Cheers, man - my pleasure to help another Constitutionalist getting the truth out (even though I'm from New Zealand, I believe in the US Consitution and Bill of Rights as worthy evolutions of the Magna Carta, which our laws derive from a long time ago). Some sites you might consider adding to your daily reading list that have lots of information about the international Left (Cultural Marxists) and their Islamist allies:
http://frontpagemag.com/ Show what the Obama Regime is up to
http://frontpagemag.com/
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/index.html#Attacks
http://www.newsmax.com/
http://www.breitbart.com/
Liberty for everyone, everywhere - forever!
It's called "tribal politics". Both the Democrats and Republicans rely on this as they progressively neuter the Constitution and change the balance between the people, States and Federal Government to elevate the agenda of the latter as primary. Only the US Libertarians (Tea Party etc) try to preserve the balance and keep the Constitution and Bill of Rights as the primary drivers.
Sigh, you use the label "paranoid nutjob" so you can dismiss what he is saying without actually thinking about it. The International Left has a Jedi Mind-Trick for weak willed people. Look up 'Cultural Marxism' on YouTube. Learn about the history of Cultural Marxism, and how your response is *exactly* how you've been conditioned to behave.
pecosdave's position is correct if you are believer in the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights (I am, despite not being a US citizen). The Obama campaign has been in overdrive and he points out how this was so, in his experience. Furthermore, it appears you are an Obama supporter. Have you noticed what the man you elected has been doing? He has been attempting to push laws to neuter aspects of the Constitution, and using Executive Orders to rule by dictate. Now, he is not the only politician to have done this (Clinton, GW Bush etc nearly as bad).
Either you agree with the Constitution (Libertarian) or you don't (Democrat or 'RINO' Republican - where your 'political tribe' feels it can dismantle the Constitution as an 'anachronism'). pecosdave does. I do. Perhaps you ought to consider your position on the issue before you start throwing around the 'nutjob' label. Have you ever considered that perhaps the reason you don't understand pecosdave's position is that he is possession of a substantial number of more facts than you are - which is why react the way you do (and the reason you know less than pecosdave is that the Cultural Marxists running the mainstream media are holding a lot of information back to protect their man, Obama, no matter how egregarious the actions of his regime become). Think about it, please.
http://www.breitbart.com/
Breitbart is not unbaised, for sure - but you will find many facts there that are *actively suppressed* by mainstream media (New York Times, LA Times, BBC, Washington Post, Huffington Post, the US TV networks etc). Get clued up, dude.
Good. About time someone did this.
Here we have and exhibit where Cultural Marxism has pushed natural concern for the environment to the level where people wish other people to be executed for "environmental crimes" (with no specification as to whether that is something like tossing a cigarette butt out, having your cow accidentally take a dump in a river, etc). Amazing how easy it is to get the weak-minded to justify to themselves the killing other human beings by using on of the magic words, "environment". Especially when the Chinese usually do this for those who are not connected to the correct set of corrupt bureaucrats. Evil.
Just use Postgres - and get on with whatever it is you have to do :)
http://www.examiner.com/article/englishman-ordered-to-remove-english-flag-on-front-door-may-offend-some ...
There is much, much more of this madness if you care to look past what your are being fed by the mainstream media
http://gatesofvienna.net/
So basically, your theory is that religious fanatics trying to set up a theocracy have allied with the hardcore supporters of an explicitly atheistic ideology that thinks religion is a drug?
Yes. It should not be that bizarre if you know any history - the officially atheist Soviet Union armed many Islamic regimes (and the supposedly Christian US is now doing the same). You see the West is too strong to be taken down by either the hard-Left or Islam alone, but they are currently in a "marriage of convenience" to achieve this. This follows the model in the UN, where the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) and leftist "Non-Aligned Nations" vote as blocs to achieve their aims. This has been going on since 1975 in the UN General Assembly, and has taken over various UN agencies like the Refugee Agency and Human Rights Council. Here's a short video describing how this works (from an Israeli perspective, since the OIC wants to destroy them, as commanded in Islamic hadith Sahih Muslim 6985):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7Mupoo1At8
The webzine "Front Page Mag" is run by an ex-Leftist called David Horowitz. He understands the goals of the Left, and how they make common cause with Islamists to overthrow traditional society. They think by destroying everything they can re-make society the way they want to. This "Hope and Change" is not going to be good except for a few.
http://frontpagemag.com/
The only reason you think a union of the Left and Islam is bizarre is because you have forgotten the history from only a few decades ago. Like I said, the Soviet Union was very very happy to work with Islamist regimes if it harmed the West. The same is going on today (between the Leftists/Cultural Marxists in universities and spread to governments) and the evil Islamists.
Thank you very much for doing the research Bearhouse. Many simply assume they know what the teachings of Islam are (mistaking it for Judaism or Christianity - when it most certainly is very different) and demonize me. The more research you do, the worse Islam gets as you uncover layer upon layer of lies and deliberate 'taqiyya'.
Those would would defend our liberties against Big Government and Islamism are losing the 'information war' very badly. When even above average intelligence Slashdotters don't know the facts it is worrying. Thankfully you decided to 'check your facts'. If only our politicians, journalists and military would do this.
Here are some alternative news sources for you. I'm not suggesting they are entirely correct on everything, or without their own biases, but they do raise facts that are troubling and not presented by the mainstream media (which is why people are so in the dark as to what is really going on geopolitically):
http://gatesofvienna.net/
http://www.jihadwatch.org/
http://www.jihadwatch.org/
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
http://www.breitbart.com/ [This one is quote biased, but you get facts you don't get elsewhere about the Leftists plan to deconstruct the traditional West]
http://www.islam-watch.org/authors/139-louis-palme/1095-knowing-four-arabic-words-may-save-our-civilization-from-islamic-takeover.html "Knowing Four Arabic Words May Save Our Civilization from Islamic Takeover" [An interesting article that explains some part of why you are being lied to]
I suggest reading them for a week to get a feel for whether they are worthwhile to follow or not (don't read them exclusively though - they need to be compared to other sources too).
I also strongly suggest you check the lectures by Stephen Coughlin on Youtube, and also look up the allies of the Islamists with an excellent documentary on 'Cultural Marxism' and how it has permeated Western universities and general culture. You don't have to agree with me, but please do the research so you can see the Matrix that is constructed around us (prison bars only work when they are invisible).
Please note: "Muslims" (who are people) are not the enemies of liberty, it is "Islam" (a political ideology) that is. Just as Free People confronted and defeated National Socialism and Communist Socialism we will also have to defeat the political tyranny of religious socialism (Islam). The longer we leave it to 'get real' about Islam - which means strengthening our enforcement of 21st Century Law and Enlightenment values the harder it will get. I hope it does not come to War - but the Islamists already see the struggle between Enlightenment Civilization and Islamism in those terms.
I suggest you do the research. Beating of wives is explicitly permitted in Islam - with sticks. Do the research yourself, you will find recent rulings on this and all sorts of evil and barbarity that Islam promotes as *mainstream*.
Sex slavery is also explicitly permitted:
http://gatesofvienna.net/2013/06/david-wood-on-islamic-sex-slavery/
This is not some extremists interpretation of Islam - this is mainstream stuff as determined by Al Azhar University (the 'Vatican' of Sunni Islam). Rulings made in the last few years.
Dude, when English people are not allowed to fly the English flag or paint it on their house door because it may be 'offensive' then you have already lost. The rulings of Sharia courts are enforced by the real courts (and therefore by the entire power of the state, police, military whatever). As for "only willing participants" being subject to Sharia - well what about the most vulnerable, women and children? They are subject to Sharia without much choice. Think about it dude, you are making excuses for 7th Century barbarism instead of promoting equality and Rule of Law (the same 21st Century Laws) for all. Wise up, man!
Thanks for elucidating so well. Unfortunately Sharia decisions are imposed on the vulnerable - women and children. You would think that 21st Century liberals and feminists would oppose this, but the silence in deafening. It comes down to folks like the EDL (who to outward appearances look like soccer hooligans; despite being much more enlightened) to stand up for basic liberties and preservation of traditional English norms. The World has gone mad.
I agree. Politics can be divided multi-dimensionally. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out. Political correctness is the *mortal enemy* of Free Speech. no matter what the form it comes in. I'm a big Free Speech fan, so anyone who gets in the way of that draws my personal ire - the traditional Right does it, but AFAICS the Left does it even more.
Homosexuality was once, "The love that dare not speak its name." Now it's, "The love that won't shut up."
Brilliant ! :) )
No mod points today, otherwise this zinger would be getting +2 Double Plus Good
I have no problem with homosexuals, but I do wish they'd shut up from time to time (well, I'm sure other Slashdotters could say the same about me too
The "political right" is just as statist and collectivist as the Left from a libertarian point of view (hence right and left in uk are simply sides of a single coin). Same in the US between Repugs and Demosaurs. I take your correction though, thanks.
The UK already operates 85 Sharia courts. They have limited power, for now. When more riots happen they'll probably get more power to placate the 'cultural' demands of the 'spontaneous protestors'. Now pictures of women are slowly getting banned. Political Correctness (the tool of the political Left) and Sharia go together. Perhaps that is conflating them too much, but it is worth considering the forces that are aligning to censor the liberties we once had and progressively control our lives (I use the word "progressively" deliberately - it is not garden-variety caring leftists that are into this censorship, but the further Left progressives who have successfully got Cultural Marxism in the universities and now spilling out into the general culture).