[lit-ideas] Re: At War with Ourselves

  • From: "Andy Amago" <aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 18:09:44 -0500

Rather than have me waste my time telling you my point so you can turn around 
and say your authority doesn't agree with me, why don't you just read Newsweek 
for yourself?  Maybe you're afraid of an opinion that contradicts yours?  Proof 
positive that you're entrenched in some -ist position is that you won't bring 
yourself down to earth to indulge in reading what the rest of the world reads 
about why there might have been riots.  That's all I have to say to you.  It's 
not like there's any reasoning with you.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Lawrence Helm 
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 3/2/2006 5:57:22 PM 
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: At War with Ourselves


I know there are riots.  What is your point?  Try and intersperse a few 
thoughts between your insults.  Say something that is in the form of an 
argument.  Two premises and a conclusion if you please.  What you have written 
is nonsense.  I use that word advisedly.  It doesn?t communicate anything 
meaningful.  

 I think the reports on the riots reflect exactly what I say.   
Multiculturalism isn?t working.  The common people don?t accept it.  The 
Islamists can?t help being Islamists.  

Lawrence




From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On 
Behalf Of Andy Amago
Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 2:31 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: At War with Ourselves

Lawrence, check out Newsweek for information about the French riots.  You might 
be surprised; it's nothing like what you say, unless you say Newsweek is wrong. 
  It makes one wonder why you care about clashes of civilization if you write 
stuff that is downright uncivilized, not to mention uninformed and ultimately 
counterproductive.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Lawrence Helm 
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 3/2/2006 5:01:25 PM 
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: At War with Ourselves

Judy,

France at the leadership level believes in multiculturalism.  The bulk of the 
sabots on the ground think otherwise; hence one of the reasons for the 
unassimilabiltiy of Muslims into French society.  Furthermore, much of France 
has fancied that they have a special relationship with Arabs given their long 
term love for their former colony, Algeria.  They mourn for it as Arabs mourn 
for Andalusia.  The French opposed the U.S. on Iraq partly because they loved 
Arabs and partly because some of them had an intimate relationship with their 
buddy Saddam Hussein.

Hanson is a scholar and not likely to rely solely upon Newspapers for his 
information on France, but my impression is that what has appeared in them on 
France over the months has been a stolid adherence to failed policies.  
Multiculturalism hasnt worked, appeasement hasnt worked, and proffering 
friendship hasnt worked.  France has been the European champion of the Arabs 
and that hasnt worked.  

But I too (along with Hanson) have noticed a slow change in European attitudes 
toward the Islamist problems.  Had the Islamists attacked only the U.S. and 
left the Europeans alone, the Leftists around the world would more and more 
vocally blame the U.S. for the Islamists attacks against it.  But the Islamists 
arent that smart or well organized.  Like one of the animals in an Aesop Fable 
they must kill because that is who they are.  If they cant kill Americans then 
the French will do just as well.  An infidel is after all an infidel.  

Thanks for posting the Hanson article 
http://victorhanson.com/articles/hanson021806.html .  Hanson is one of the 
clearest thinking historians writing today.  He hasnt given up on the 
Europeans because of his long ranged belief in the West.  Various parts of the 
West may do stupid things from time to time, but in terms of fighting ability, 
no civilization can stand against it (see Hansons The Western Way of War).  We 
(the West) could make short work of the Islamists if we were to agree (as the 
West) to do that.  

Lawrence

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