Oak Ridge Pundit

2006-02-06T21:29:00.000-08:00

This is the image that has sparked violence from Muslims.

Muslim Cartoon Fury Claims Lives

The Danish embassy in Tehran was the scene of angry protests
At least five people have been killed in Afghanistan as protests against European cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad swept across the country.

Two people died when protesters turned on the US airbase at Bagram - although the US has had no involvement with the images, which originated in Denmark.

Meanwhile in Somalia, a teenage boy died after protesters attacked police.

Iran announced it was halting trade with Denmark, as protesters pelted the Danish embassy with petrol bombs.

Police fired tear gas in a bid to keep back hundreds of angry demonstrators, some of whom attempted to scale the wall into the embassy compound. Earlier, the Austrian embassy in Tehran came under attack.

The violence follows attacks on Danish embassies in Syria and Lebanon over the weekend. The cartoons were first published in a Danish newspaper.

Tensions continue to escalate around the world:

Norway demands compensation from Syria after its embassy in Damascus was set on fire on Saturday

Some 200 protesters took to the streets in the Afghan capital Kabul

The Turkish and Spanish prime ministers make a joint plea for respect and calm in an article in the International Herald Tribune

In Indonesia, protesters target the Danish and US consulates in Surabaya, the country's second largest city. Protests are also held in the capital, Jakarta

Riot police in the Indian capital, Delhi, fire tear gas and water cannons to disperse hundreds of student protesters

Shops and businesses across Indian-administered Kashmir close after a general strike is called in protest at the drawings

In Thailand, protesters shout "God is great" and stamp on Denmark's flag outside the country's embassy in Bangkok, the Associated Press news agency reports

There are protests again outside the European Union offices in Gaza, following demonstrations there last week.
'Test our feelings'

Hundreds of people took part in the morning demonstration in Afghanistan's Laghman province, in a second day of protests in the city.

Three people died when police fired on protesters after a police station came under attack, a government spokesman said.

Demonstrators shouted "death to Denmark" and "death to France". They called for the expulsion of diplomats and soldiers, who were sent by both countries as part of international efforts in the US-led "war on terror".

CARTOON ROW
30 Sept 2005: Danish paper publishes cartoons
20 Oct: Muslim ambassadors complain to Danish PM
10 Jan 2006: Norwegian publication reprints cartoons
26 Jan: Saudi Arabia recalls its ambassador
30 Jan: Gunmen raid EU's Gaza office demanding apology
31 Jan: Danish paper apologises
1 Feb: Papers in France, Germany, Italy and Spain reprint cartoons
4 Feb: Syrians attack Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus
5 Feb: Protesters sack Danish embassy in Beirut

Cartoon row: Your views

"They want to test our feelings," protester Mawli Abdul Qahar Abu Israra told the BBC.

"They want to know whether Muslims are extremists or not. Death to them and to their newspapers," he said.

In Bagram district, a peaceful protest in the morning turned violent when around 300 "bandits and gangsters" tried to enter the US base, local police chief Mawlana Sayed Khel told the BBC.

A shoot-out with police left two protesters dead, and six police officers injured, he said.

Elsewhere, hundreds protested in Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and the north-eastern province of Takhar. Some 200 demonstrators gathered outside the Danish embassy in the capital, Kabul.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai reiterated his condemnation of the cartoons and called on western nations to take "a strong measure" to ensure such cartoons do not appear again. "It's not good for anybody," he told CNN.

'Defending freedoms'

In the autonomous Somali region of Puntland, demonstrators marched through the port city of Bosaso, shouting anti-Western slogans and converging on the UN and international aid agency buildings.

A 14-year-old boy was reportedly trampled underfoot as police fired into the air to try and disperse an increasingly angry crowd.

Peaceful protests were held in several other Somali towns.

The cartoons first appeared in a Danish newspaper in September and caused outrage among Muslims, who consider any images of Muhammad offensive.

One of the cartoons shows Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban.

Newspapers across Europe republished the pictures last week, saying they were defending freedom of expression.

BBC

First of all, I want to know where is the outrage from these people about the homocide bombers and other radical Islamic terrorists, who murder innocents. It just shows you how crazy these people are. Event: An Islamic terrorist murdered someone today. Reaction: Oh well. Event: Muhammad was drawn as a cartoon! Reaction: "Death to Denmark!"

Secondly, while the cartoon is disrespectful, the Jyllands Posten had every right to publish it. It should not be censored.

Thirdly, if this had been a caricature of any other different religous figure, we would not be seeing a reaction at all like what is going on over there.

I am dissappointed that I have not seen this image printed in any newspapers here in the U.S. If anyone has let me know. I think that with all the violence going on over the image, the media should show the cartoon; so people can see what all the fuss is about. But that won't happen, because they are worried about "offending" Muslims.

2006-01-24T21:17:00.000-08:00

Joel Stein wrote this opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times today. He opens with the line "I DON'T SUPPORT our troops." He spends the rest of his time sarcastically villifying American military forces. Not just the ones fighting in Iraq, but all of our men and women in uniform. It is disgusting and hateful. Stein seems to forget that it is the armed forces who protect his right to to voice his opinion. He has freedom of speech and he insults the people who protect it. "The truth is that people who pull triggers are ultimately responsible, whether they're following orders or not. An army of people making individual moral choices may be inefficient, but an army of people ignoring their morality is horrifying."

I have no words at the moment to express my anger at this man nor to display my amazement at his utter stupidity.

2006-01-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

What to do About Iran?

I'm curious what my fellow bloggers think is going to happen with Iran and what they think the U.S. and the rest of the world should do about it. It appears at the moment there is a split between the countries, with Russia and China not wanting to refer Iran to the Security Council.

I really do not know much about the subject, except that Iran has reopened its nuclear facilities. Facilities, which it claims are just for the developement of nuclear power plants. But we all know that they are for the developement of nuclear weapons. Oh...and there is a complete nut running Iran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This would be the man who thinks the Holocaust never happened and that Israel should be "wiped off the map." These appear to be the basics of the situation. So what is the proper course of action?

2006-01-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

Old Age Has Nothing to Do With It

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denied convicted murderer Clarence Ray Allen's bid for clemency today, after Allen lost his appeal in the California Supreme Court. Allen and his lawyers claim that to execute him would be violation of the 8th ammendment. Allen believes that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to execute him, because he at age 76 he is legally blind and practically deaf. Allen was in prison for a murder when he hired a hit man to murder three witnesses to the murder he was encarcerated for. Allen will appeal to the Supreme Court.

I think that this that the following statement made by "Robert Rocha - whose sister, Josephine, was murdered at a Fresno market in 1980 by a hitman Allen hired" - perfectly describes the absurdidy of Allen's appeal:

"Mr. Allen feels he is too old to die. We feel Josephine was too young to die. She was only 17 when she was taken from us and murdered."

Exactly, Mr. Rocha.

Age and health do not change the fact that this man is a cold and calculating murderer.

It should also be noted that Allen has had 23 years worth of appeals, and that it was during this time he had three more people murdered. No, it would not be cruel and unusual punishment to execute a cold blooded murderer. Rather it has been exceptionally cruel to make the families of the victims wait so long for justice.

2006-01-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

I'm apologizing now for the sad state of my blog. I would have to say that I'm pretty much technologically illiterate. I'm working on it though.

2006-01-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

I recently had to do a project for my AP Engligh class. I had to read a nonfiction book, write a report on it and give a presentation. My dad suggested to me The Closing of the American Mind, by Allan Bloom. I really enjoyed the book and it brought my attention to some issues that I hadn't really given that much thought to. I highly recommend this book, although it is a long read, and a little slow in the middle, especially if you don't know a lot about the theories of Freud, Neitzsche, Rousseau, Locke, and other famous philosophers.

Anyways, the following is part of my report.

The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today’s Students
Author: Allan Bloom (1930-1992)
Published: 1987

Summary
In his book, The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom's thesis is that the American mind has become increasingly closed, by being indiscriminately open. This according to Bloom is a serious crisis in American society. Openness is not in itself bad, but openness without reason is. These days, “almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative” (25, Bloom). This refers to the idea of moral relativism, which by definition means that “conceptions of truth and moral values are not absolute but are relative to the persons or groups holding them.” According to Bloom, this works against reason, one of the basic principles this nation was founded on. “…The regime established here promised untrammeled freedom to reason – not to everything indiscriminately, but to reason, the essential freedom that justifies other freedoms…” (39, Bloom). The idea that there is no right or wrong means that a society must be open to everything, whether or not it is good or bad. However, the argument for relativism does not hold up to scrutiny. Absolutes don’t exist, but relativism presents itself as an absolute. Bloom’s main point is that relativism has removed logic from the American mind, inhibiting our capacity to judge based on reason. We must be open to everything, because if we are not then we are judged to be intolerant. This indiscriminate openness, Bloom says, has allowed for certain movements with in the culture, based on the idea of openness alone, and not on the merit of the ideas associated with such movements. One example Bloom gives to support this premise is the sexual revolution of the 1960’s. The purpose of it was sexual liberation. Bloom points out that by “making sex easy, it can trivialize, de-eroticize and demystify sexual relations” (100, Bloom). This further supports his point by showing the consequences of being too open; by not judging something to be good or bad for society; by letting things slide by in the name of tolerance. The American mind has become closed to the idea that there are such things as: helpful and harmful, right and wrong, good and evil. The root of the problem, which is supported by Bloom with numerous examples, is the American university.

The closing of the American mind, says Bloom, is a direct result of the failure of the universities to properly educate their students how to think for themselves. The university has been unsuccessful in two key areas. The first is that professors allow themselves to be influenced by public opinion; giving the students what they want, instead of what they need. They do not set the examples, but follow them. Bloom cites a particular incident that occurred while he was a professor at Cornell University in 1969. A group of black students threatened to use force against certain members of the faculty if their demands were not met. The professors, Bloom claims, allowed themselves to be intimidated into giving the students what they wanted. Bloom also references later events where he sat on committees that eliminated much of the core curriculum at Cornell, something that Bloom strongly disagreed with. “One professor of comparative literature…explained that these requirements taught little, really did not introduce students to various disciplines, and bored them” (320, Bloom). Here Bloom provides evidence of universities catering to their students, instead of teaching them what they need to know. The professors, Bloom says, are easily swayed by the public opinion. This defeats the purpose of higher education.

The biggest failure of the university according to Bloom is that it no longer teaches students to think for themselves. Today’s students are very specialized in their areas of study; the focus is on securing the skills needed for a job. They spend most of their time learning such skills. The result of which is that they have little room for classes about the important questions in life such as, “Is there a God? Is there freedom? Is there punishment for evil deeds? Is there certain knowledge? What is a good society?” (372, Bloom). Nor does the university provide real answers to these questions. Students have no time to learn about philosophers like Socrates, Plato, Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau and Nietzsche, who answered questions such as these, established different ways of thought and so greatly influenced this country. Just as the university fails to answer these questions, it fails to provide students with the knowledge to answer them. The end product is a person who is good at working, but not at thinking.
The solution to the problems Bloom describes is the return to reading the “Great Books” (334, Bloom). Bloom thinks that in order to teach today’s youth how to think for themselves, that they must seriously study philosophy and most importantly read the classic philosophical texts.

Reaction

I agreed with all of the arguments made by Bloom in this book. He makes a compelling case about the detrimental effects of moral relativism on society. I firmly agree with him that as a society we conform to the idea that being open is always the best, but in doing so we hurt our selves by not drawing the line. An example of this would be around this time of year the choruses of Happy Holidays, instead of Merry Christmas. We live in America and a majority of Americans celebrate Christmas. It is also a national holiday. People are so worried about being seen as intolerant towards others, that they forget that Christmas is an important American tradition. It is especially irksome that Christmas Break is called Winter Break, because that is what is politically correct. However, the reason why we have a break there is because that is when Christmas is. The hesitation by businesses and public schools to say Merry Christmas demonstrates Bloom’s point that in being open we are really being close minded to reason; in this case close minded to the fact that a majority of Americans celebrate Christmas.

I also agree with Bloom that the education system has failed Americans. While I have not been to college yet, I can see the points he makes demonstrated in this high school. While history, English, science, and math are important subjects, school has not taught me anything of real value as far as life goes. The questions that Bloom raises about good, evil, and freedom are never discussed in school. We never talk about these things; what is good? what is evil? what is freedom? where does morality come from? Instead the focus is on grades, getting into college, and being successful in life. Not that they should not be focused on, but Bloom is correct in saying that these are not the most important aspects of our existence. The goal of the university should not be just to produce workers, but people who are educated in the sense that they have answers to these questions, or a way to find them. Bloom’s solution to the closing of the American mind is a good idea, but should have included that parents also need to step up to the plate, and teach there children about the important things in life. The teaching of the Great Books is not enough.

One thing I liked about Bloom’s style was that he never apologizes for his views. He never says, “no offense” or “I hope I do not offend you” or “I’m sorry I think that” or my personal favorite, “that’s just my opinion.” In being unapologetic, Bloom demonstrates what he says is one of beliefs this country was founded on; “the freedom to reason” (39, Bloom).

The only part that I had trouble with was the middle of the book, where Bloom explains and compares different philosophers and their beliefs. This portion was difficult to read because I do not know anything about the men he mentions. Since this is a college level book, Bloom assumes the reader is familiar with the ideas of these philosophers, which I assume many are not. This in fact proves his point about the failure of education to teach us something valuable.

2006-01-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

Thank You Jack O'Connell

California's state schools superintendant Jack O'Connell announced yesterday morning that California high school students who have not passed the California High School Exit Exam will not be allowed to graduate. Students who have not passed the test can try to pass the test again, according to the Sacramento Bee, by:

* Enrolling in an additional year of high school or independent study, subject to school board approval.
* Enrolling in an adult school program run by a K-12 school district.
* Enrolling in a charter school.
* Attending a community college that has a diploma completion program.

Thank you Jack O'Connell for recognizing that a high school diploma is earned, not given. If you can't pass test that only requires basic knowledge of english and math, then you shouldn't be able to graduate. Not only is the test simple, but it is administered in the 10th grade and students are given multiple opportunities to pass.

Arturo Gonzales, a lawyer who plans on bringing a law suit to do away with the requirement for the class of 2006, doesn't seem to understand that.

The Sacramento Bee reported that "Gonzalez said he will argue that the state cannot impose a single test on all students because it has not provided the same learning opportunities at all schools." Gonzales doesn't seem to understand that failing is failing. Yes, there are schools that are not as good as others. But this doesn't mean that just because a student isn't being taught well that they shouldn't be required to pass the same test as the rest of us. It isn't fair to the failing student, who will be hurt in the long run, if they are not required to get up to standard. Nor is it fair to me and other high school students like myself who have passed the test and who will get to graduate because we earned our diplomas. It isn't right to get rid of a standard just because some people can't meet it.

2006-01-04T22:07:00.000-08:00

Terrorist Bombs Funeral: Nothing is Sacred

The murder of innocent civilians doesn't appear to be enough for terrorists in Iraq. Today a homocide bomber (not a suicide bomber...the goal of such terrorists is to murder people) bombed a funeral procession of a 14 year old boy who had died the previous day. At least 32 people are dead.

"The bomber struck as more than 100 mourners chanted a ritual Islamic prayer, "There is no god but God." They were at the cemetery to bury a 14-year-old boy a day after he was killed in a failed assassination attempt on his uncle, Ahmed al-Bakka, the director of the local hospital."

Associated Press

No, it isn't enough for these murderers. They just murdered this boy only a year younger than myself, and then can't even respect his funeral. Nothing is sacred to these people. It makes me so angry and sad at the same time; angry at these people who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal and sad at all the horrible things that Iraqis are going throught. These terrorists kill and maim without any thought at all. It doesn't matter to them. What is one less American soldier? What is one less civilian? What is one less Iraqi mother, father or child? The end result is all that matters to these monsters.

And yet despite the violence that has been occuring in Iraq, democracy continues to grow. The terrorists cannot stop it. Iraq just held a successful round of elections and Sunnis and Shiites have begun to work together. That is what makes the slaughter of these funeral goers even more sad. Neither this bombing nor any other bombing is going to stop the progress being made in Iraq. It is only delaying the inevitable at the cost of innocent lives.

Reading the article, which I have linked above, reminded me today about what we are fighting against; not just in Iraq but everywhere in the world. We as Americans must never forget the what kind of people we are fighting, and that this is exactly why we must continue to fight terrorism. There is a big difference between us and them; we are not the same, no matter what some people would like you to think.

2006-01-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

Jan 3, 9:30 PM EST
Parents Fume: Kids, Swingers at Same Hotel
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Some teenage soccer players and their parents saw more sights than they wanted when they stayed at a hotel where about 200 swingers were having a New Year's party.
Paul Camporini brought his wife, seventh-grade daughter and eighth-grade son from Safety Harbor and said he had to "delicately explain to my Catholic school children that swingers change partners during the evening."

"My biggest gripe is that the hotel had two distinctly different groups under the same roof," said Camporini, 49. "A soccer team and middle-aged swingers should not have been booked together."
The families said the sexually adventurous partygoers sometimes flashed breasts and bare buttocks in front of the children as they sashayed through the hotel atrium. The parents described the dress at the Crowne Plaza Hotel-Airport in Orlando as "raunchy, despicable and worse than prostitutes."

"We thought we were coming to Orlando, not the Las Vegas Strip," said Mark Gilbert, the father of a boy who plays on the Clearwater Chargers, a group of 13-and-under players from Florida.
The teams booked the $92-a-night rooms for Disney's Soccer Showcase, and said hotel management did not tell them about the swingers' party or try to keep the partygoers away from the children.
Managers of the hotel, which is owned by Columbia Sussex Corp., did not immediately return a telephone message Tuesday.
InterContinental Hotels Group, which owns the Crowne Plaza corporate brand, said in a statement to the Orlando Sentinel that it "does not endorse or approve such reported activities in public areas of Crowne Plaza hotels. (InterContinental) has been in contact with the hotel owner and management and is actively reviewing the situation."

All the swingers had checked out of the hotel by late Sunday.
"We're not prudes by any means," said Rob Young of Greenville, S.C., who said his two daughters, Leah, 13 and Lauren, 11, asked questions he struggled to answer. "We would have liked to have been informed when we checked into the hotel so we could have made other arrangements.
"The kids could see through the glass atrium into the ballroom where naked people were dancing. There were exposed breasts, thongs and see-through dresses on women who were not wearing any underwear."
Young said he complained to hotel management and to John Hollis, an off-duty Orlando police officer hired by the hotel for a New Year's Eve security detail. He said neither did anything to help.
Lt. John Mina, a watch commander for the Orlando Police Department, said Hollis didn't witness anything illegal.

Associated Press

Ok...first of all ewww. Middle aged swingers or swingers of any kind are disgusting. However, if these people want to engage in this kind of lewd behavior, it is none of my business as long as they do it on private property (by this I mean a home or residence of one of these people). What is wrong is that the families there for the soccer tournament were subjected to the nude bodies of others without their consent. These mothers, fathers, and young children didn't ask to see the private areas of these swingers. The parents didn't pay $92 a night to see bare breasts and buttocks.

I would also say that I'm very disturbed that 1) the hotel didn't inform the families that the establishment was hosting a swingers party and 2) did nothing about their complaints. The management didn't tell these over exposed and raunchy party goers to tone it down, or put some clothes on when they were around other patrons. The very least the hotel staff could have done was to cover the windows of the ballroom so other guests would not be subjected to the view.

It says at the bottom of the article that the off duty police officer saw nothing illegal going on there. Now I'm not familiar with Florida Law but you would think that these swingers were indecently exposing themselves or engaging in lewd conduct, and in doing so breaking the law.

2006-01-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

My name is Lauren Looper and I am a junior at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, California. I am starting this blog with the hope of getting more high school students involved in current affairs. There isn't, at least at my school there isn't, any place for real discussion. It doesn't exist in the classroom (at least not any of the classes I have taken), our school paper, or any of our clubs. (Perhaps I am just not aware of any such forums. If any one knows of such a place, I would love to know about it.) And when I say discussion, I mean real dialogue; the kind where all the facts are put on the table and then conclusions are come to; the kind where people are open minded and willing to listen to reason. I would like to add now that this blog is not just open to teens but to adults as well. I'm interested in any one who is willing to have any intelligent converstion.

So this is my first entry, not to mention my first time ever using a blog, so if any one has any advice for me it would be much appreciated. Thanks.