War Commentary

If Only…

…more Muslims had this man’s attitude:

We are all creatures of passion. This fiasco has stirred the passionate cry of victimization from the Muslim activist community and imam community. But where were the news conferences, the rallies to protest the endless litany of atrocities performed by people who act supposedly in my religion’s name? Where are the denunciations, not against terrorism in the abstract, but clear denunciations of al-Qaida or Hamas, of Wahhabism or militant Islamism, of Darfurian genocide or misogyny and honor killings, to name a few? There is no cry, there is no rage. At best, there is the most tepid of disclaimers. In short, there is no passion. But for victimization, always.

Only when Americans see that animating passion will they believe that we Muslims are totally against the fascists that have hijacked our religion. There is only so much bandwidth in the American culture to focus upon Islam and Muslims. If we fill it with our shouts of victimization, then the real problems from within and outside our faith community will never be heard.

Until his voice becomes the dominant one heard from, instead of those of the terrorism sympathizers like CAIR, there’s little hope of solving the problem.

Space

Big Step Forward

This should help boost the economy in Mojave:

The extension brings the runway length to 12,500 feet, making it the longest nonfederal runway in Kern County, according to airport officials. It was declared open for use by the Caltrans Division of Aeronautics on Dec. 5.

The longer runway will make possible long-haul freight flights, which may use the airport as a hub for distribution of goods.

Trucking activities could be conducted at vacant areas on the north side of the airport, with access to the State Route 58 bypass and Highway 14, district General Manager Stu Witt said.

A rail spur already connects the airport to the main Southern Pacific line through Mojave.

The activity could lead to the airport becoming the ground distribution center for freight from Central America, Mexico and Asia, Witt said.

And this will help new space companies moving in as well, like XCOR:

New hangar and office facilities, which will utilize vacant land along the new taxiway, will help ease the shortage of space available at the airport, where officials have leased all facilities available.

Good for Stu.

Political Commentary

Pinochet Versus Castro

From a surprising source (the WaPo) an editorial about dictators and double standards.

The contrast between Cuba and Chile more than 30 years after Mr. Pinochet’s coup is a reminder of a famous essay written by Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, the provocative and energetic scholar and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who died Thursday. In “Dictatorships and Double Standards,” a work that caught the eye of President Ronald Reagan, Ms. Kirkpatrick argued that right-wing dictators such as Mr. Pinochet were ultimately less malign than communist rulers, in part because their regimes were more likely to pave the way for liberal democracies. She, too, was vilified by the left. Yet by now it should be obvious: She was right.

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!