People often propose making English the official language of the United States. Even discounting the many different varieties of English, this is an awful proposal. Laws that are like this are either useless, or racist.
First, let's consider what this would mean. The weak version is that all official documents have to be at least in English. I must ask the question, why? What good will be gained from this? All government documents are already in English, so the only place this would apply is in contracts (and personally, I'm not sure if contracts in different languages would be enforced). But contracts are a matter of civil courts, and thus, not strictly law-enforced. Besides, if two people want a contract in Spanish, why shouldn't they get one? This is the useless version.
A stronger version is that official documents should not be in a language other than English. And same for store signs, etc. Now, suppose that for some reason or another, 90% of the population now spoke Spanish, or some language other than English, as their first language. This would seem like a pretty silly law. This also applies to the first weaker version too. So, the law is either useless, or it forces a percentage of the population to learn a language they don't want to. If the latter is true, it is racist. Think about it like this, would you force an immigrant to take an accent coach and learn the precise "proper" way to pronounce the words? Why not? It's the same idea, taken just a bit further. Possibly, you'd say they can make it with just the English language, and they can make themselves understood. In the first case, there are plenty of economic reasons to learn English. If they can make it without using English, that's just fine for them. They can decide whether they need English or not, better than you can. Why is it O.K. to force a minority to do something and not a majority? Well, traditionally it's considered not O.K. and this should not be an exception.
So, the law is useless unless it's racist. And thus it shouldn't exist.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Superstitions
"Always start off with a quote because somebody's already said it better" - American History X
Well, I'm saying this, because although it may be true that somebody has said it better, it is not often that I can point to the specific person and passage that did. However, in this case I can. Richard Feynman said it better. I got angry about this because I saw two people, who were very successful and seemed intelligent enough, discuss faith healing as a serious topic. Anyways..., superstitions obviously still permeate our society, and without further ado, the words of Feynman himself:
And now finally, as I'd like to show Galileo our world, I must show him something with a great deal of shame. If we look away from the science and look at the world around us, we find out something rather pitiful: that the environment that we live in is so actively, intensely unscientific. Galileo could say: "I noticed that Jupiter was a ball with moons and not a god in the sky. Tell me, what happened to the astrologers?" Well, they print their results in the newspapers in the United States at least, in every daily paper every day. Why do we still have astrologers? Why can someone write a book like Worlds in Collision by somebody with a "V," it's a Russian name? Huh? Vininkowski? And how did it become popular? What is all this nonsense about Mary Brody, or something? I don't know, that was crazy stuff. There is always some crazy stuff. There is an infinite amount of crazy stuff, which, put another way, is that the environment is actively, intensely unscientific. There is talk of telepathy still, although it's dying out. There is faith-healing galore, all over. There is a whole religion of faith-healing. There's a miracle at Lourdes where healing goes on. Now, it might be true that astrology is right. It might be true that if you go to the dentist on the day that Mars is at right angles to Venus, that it is better than if you go on a different day. It might be true that you can be cured by the miracle of Lourdes. But if it is true, it ought to be investigated. Why? To improve it. If it is true, then maybe we can find out if the stars do influence life; that we could make the system more powerful by investigating statistically, scientifically judging the evidence objectively, more carefully. If the healing process works at Lourdes, the question is how far from the site of the miracle can the person, who is ill, stand? Have they in fact made a mistake and the back row is really not working? Or is it working so well that there is plenty of room for more people to be arranged near the place of the miracle? Or is it possible, as it is with the saints which have recently been created in the United States - there is a saint who cured leukemia apparently indirectly - that ribbons that are touched to the sheet of the sick person (the ribbon having previously touched some relic of the saint) increase the cure of leukemia - the question is, is it gradually being diluted? You may laugh, but if you believe in the truth of the healing, then you are responsible to investigate it, to improve its efficiency and to make it satisfactory instead of cheating. For example, it may turn out that after a hundred touches it doesn't work anymore. Now it's also possible that the results of this investigation have other consequences, namely, that nothing is there.
And another thing that bothers me, I might as well mention, are the things that the theologians in modern times can discuss, without feeling ashamed of themselves. There are many things that they can discuss that they need not feel ashamed of themselves, but some of the things that go on in the conferences on religion, and the decisions that have to be made, are ridiculous in modern times. I would like to explain that one of the difficulties, and one of the reasons why this can keep going, is that it is not realized what a profound modification of our worldview would result, if just one example of one of these things would really work. The whole idea, if you could establish the truth, not of the whole idea of astrology but just one little item, could have a fantastic influence on our understanding of the world. And so the reasons we laugh a little bit is that we are so confident of our view of the world that we are sure they aren't going to contribute anything. On the other hand, why don't we get rid of it? I will come to why we don't get rid of it in a minute, because science is irrelevant, as I said before.
Well, I'm saying this, because although it may be true that somebody has said it better, it is not often that I can point to the specific person and passage that did. However, in this case I can. Richard Feynman said it better. I got angry about this because I saw two people, who were very successful and seemed intelligent enough, discuss faith healing as a serious topic. Anyways..., superstitions obviously still permeate our society, and without further ado, the words of Feynman himself:
And now finally, as I'd like to show Galileo our world, I must show him something with a great deal of shame. If we look away from the science and look at the world around us, we find out something rather pitiful: that the environment that we live in is so actively, intensely unscientific. Galileo could say: "I noticed that Jupiter was a ball with moons and not a god in the sky. Tell me, what happened to the astrologers?" Well, they print their results in the newspapers in the United States at least, in every daily paper every day. Why do we still have astrologers? Why can someone write a book like Worlds in Collision by somebody with a "V," it's a Russian name? Huh? Vininkowski? And how did it become popular? What is all this nonsense about Mary Brody, or something? I don't know, that was crazy stuff. There is always some crazy stuff. There is an infinite amount of crazy stuff, which, put another way, is that the environment is actively, intensely unscientific. There is talk of telepathy still, although it's dying out. There is faith-healing galore, all over. There is a whole religion of faith-healing. There's a miracle at Lourdes where healing goes on. Now, it might be true that astrology is right. It might be true that if you go to the dentist on the day that Mars is at right angles to Venus, that it is better than if you go on a different day. It might be true that you can be cured by the miracle of Lourdes. But if it is true, it ought to be investigated. Why? To improve it. If it is true, then maybe we can find out if the stars do influence life; that we could make the system more powerful by investigating statistically, scientifically judging the evidence objectively, more carefully. If the healing process works at Lourdes, the question is how far from the site of the miracle can the person, who is ill, stand? Have they in fact made a mistake and the back row is really not working? Or is it working so well that there is plenty of room for more people to be arranged near the place of the miracle? Or is it possible, as it is with the saints which have recently been created in the United States - there is a saint who cured leukemia apparently indirectly - that ribbons that are touched to the sheet of the sick person (the ribbon having previously touched some relic of the saint) increase the cure of leukemia - the question is, is it gradually being diluted? You may laugh, but if you believe in the truth of the healing, then you are responsible to investigate it, to improve its efficiency and to make it satisfactory instead of cheating. For example, it may turn out that after a hundred touches it doesn't work anymore. Now it's also possible that the results of this investigation have other consequences, namely, that nothing is there.
And another thing that bothers me, I might as well mention, are the things that the theologians in modern times can discuss, without feeling ashamed of themselves. There are many things that they can discuss that they need not feel ashamed of themselves, but some of the things that go on in the conferences on religion, and the decisions that have to be made, are ridiculous in modern times. I would like to explain that one of the difficulties, and one of the reasons why this can keep going, is that it is not realized what a profound modification of our worldview would result, if just one example of one of these things would really work. The whole idea, if you could establish the truth, not of the whole idea of astrology but just one little item, could have a fantastic influence on our understanding of the world. And so the reasons we laugh a little bit is that we are so confident of our view of the world that we are sure they aren't going to contribute anything. On the other hand, why don't we get rid of it? I will come to why we don't get rid of it in a minute, because science is irrelevant, as I said before.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Transcript From Recent Osama Bin Laden Video
The mainstream media makes it very difficult to find some information. An example of this is Osama Bin Laden's latest video which surfaced on September 7, 2007. The video was made sometime in the past few months based on the news events referenced in the tape. According to Bin Laden's statement that "just a few days ago, the Japanese observed the 62nd anniversary of the annihilation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" I would date the tape to somewhere around August 8th.
I believe that public information such as this should be easily available. A transcript of the video is included below. I have linked some words and phrases to relevant websites.
All praise is due to Allah who built the Heavens and earth in justice, and created man as a favor and grace from Him. And from His ways in that the days rotate between the people, and from His law is retaliation in kind: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and the killer is killed. And all praise is due
to Allah, who awakened His slaves' desires for the Garden, and all of them will enter it except those who refuse. And whoever obeys Him alone in all of his affairs will enter the Garden, and whoever disobeys him will have refused.
As for what comes after: Peace be upon he who follows the Guidance. People of America: I shall be speaking to you on important topics which concern you, so lend me your ears. I begin by discussing the war which is between us and some of its repercussions for us and you.
To preface, I say: despite America being the greatest economic power and possessing the most powerful and up-to-date military arsenal as well; and despite it spending on this war and is army more than the entire world spends on its armies; and despite it being the being the major state influencing the policies of the world, as if it has a monopoly on the unjust right to veto; despite all of this, 19 young men were able - by the grace of Allah, the Most High - to change the direction of its compass. And in fact, the subject of the Mujahideen has become an inseparable part of the speech of your leader, and the effects and signs of that are not hidden.
Since the 11th, many of America's policies have come under the influence of Mujahideen, and that is by the grace of Allah, the Most High. And as a result, the people discovered the truth about it, its reputation worsened, its prestige was broken globally and it was bled dry economically, even if our interests overlap with those of the major corporations and also with those of the neoconservatives, despite the differing intentions.
And for your information media, during the first years of the war, lost its credibility and manifested itself as a tool of the colonialist empire, and its condition has often been worse than the condition of the media of the dictatorial regimes which march in the caravan of the single leader.
Then Bush talks about his working with al-Maliki and his government to spread freedom in Iraq but he in fact is working with the leaders of one sect against another sect, in the belief that this will quickly decide the war in his favor.
And thus, what is called the civil war came into being and matters worsened at his hands before getting out of his control and him becoming like the one who plows and sows the sea: he harvests nothing but failure.
So these are some of the results of the freedom about whose spreading he is talking to you. And then the backtracking of Bush on his insistence on not giving the United Nations expanded jurisdiction in Iraq is an implicit admission of his loss and defeat there.
And among the most important items contained in Bush's speeches since the events of the 11th is that the Americans have no option but to continue the war. This tone is in fact an echoing of the words of neoconservatives like Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Richard Perle, the latter having said previously that the Americans have no choice in front of them other than to continue the war or face a holocaust.
I say, refuting this unjust statement, that the morality and culture of the holocaust is your culture, not our culture. In fact, burning living beings is forbidden in our religion, even if they be small like the ant, so what of man?! The holocaust of the Jews was carried out by your brethren in the middle of Europe, but had it been closer to our countries, most of the Jews would have been saved by taking refuge with us. And my proof for that is in what your brothers, the Spanish, did when they set up the horrible courts of the Inquisition to try Muslims and Jews, when the Jews only found safe shelter by taking refuge in our countries. And that is why the Jewish community in Morocco today is one of the largest communities in the world. They are alive with us and we have not incinerated them, but we are a people who don't sleep under oppression and reject humiliation and disgrace, and we take revenge on the people of tyranny and aggression, and the blood of the Muslims will not be spilled with impunity, and the morrow is nigh for he who awaits.
Also, your Christian brothers have been living among us for 14 centuries in Egypt alone, there are millions of Christians whom we have not incinerated and shall not incinerate. But the fact is, there is a continuing and biased campaign being waged against us for a long time now by your politicians and many of your writers by way of your media, especially Hollywood, for the purpose of misrepresenting Islam and its adherents to drive you away from the true religion. The genocide of peoples and their holocausts took place at your hands: only a few specimens of Red Indians were spared, and just a few days ago, the Japanese observed the 62nd anniversary of the annihilation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by your nuclear weapons.
And among the things which catch the eye of the one who considers the repercussions of your unjust war against Iraq is the failure of your democratic system, despite it raising of the slogans of justice, liberty, equality, and humanitarianism. It has not only failed to achieve these things, it has actually destroyed these and other concepts with its weapons - especially in Iraq and Afghanistan - in a brazen fashion, to replace them with fear, destruction, killing, hunger, illness, displacement and more than a million orphans in Baghdad alone, not to mention hundreds of thousands of widows. American statistics speak of the killing of more than 650,000 of the people of Iraq as the result of the war and its repercussions.
People of America: the world is following your news in regards to your invasion of Iraq, for people have recently come to know that, after several years of the tragedies of this war, the vast majority of you want it stopped. Thus, you elected the Democratic Party for this purpose, but the Democrats haven't made a move worth mentioning. On the contrary, they continue to agree to the spending of tens of billions to continue the killing and war there, which has led to the vast majority of you being afflicted with disappointment.
And here is the gist of the matter, so one should pause, think, and reflect: why have the Democrats failed to stop this war, despite them being the majority?
I will come back to reply to this question after raising another question, which is:
Why are the leaders of the White House keen to start wars and wage them around the world, and make use of every possible opportunity through which they can reach this purpose, occasionally even creating justifications based on deception and blatant lies, as you saw in Iraq?
In the Vietnam War, the leaders of the White House claimed at the time that it was a necessary and crucial war, and during it, Rumsfeld and his aides murdered two million villagers. And when Kennedy took over the presidency and deviated from the general line of policy drawn up for the White House and wanted to stop this unjust war, that angered the owners of the major corporations who were benefiting from its continuation.
And so Kennedy was killed, and al-Qaida wasn't present at that time, but rather, those corporations were the primary beneficiary from his killing. And the war continued after that for approximately one decade. But after it became clear to you that it was an unjust and unnecessary war, you made one of your greatest mistakes, in that you neither brought to account nor punished those who waged this war, not even the most violent of its murderers, Rumsfeld. And even more incredible than that is that Bush picked him as secretary of defense in his first term after picking Cheney as his vice-president, Powell as secretary of state and Armitage as Powell's deputy, despite their horrific and bloody history of murdering humans. So that was a clear signal that his administration - the administration of the generals - didn't have as its main concern the serving of humanity, but rather, was interested in bringing about new massacres. Yet in spite of that, you permitted Bush to complete his first term, and stranger still, chose him for a second term, which gave him a clear mandate from you - with your full knowledge and consent - to continue to murder our people in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Then you claim to be innocent! This innocence of yours is like my innocence of the blood of your sons on the 11th - were I to claim such a thing. But it is impossible for me to humor any of you in the arrogance and indifference you show for the lives of humans outside America, or for me to humor your leaders in their lying, as the entire world knows they have the lion's share of that. These morals aren't our morals. What I want to emphasize here is that not taking past war criminals to account led to them repeating that crime of killing humanity without right and waging this unjust war on Mesopotamia, and as a result, here are the oppressed ones today continuing to take their right from you.
This war was entirely unnecessary, as testified to by your own reports. And among the most capable of those from your own side who speak to you on this topic and on the manufacturing of public opinion is Noam Chomsky, who spoke sober words of advice prior to the war, but the leader of Texas doesn't like those who give advice. The entire world came out in unprecedented demonstrations to warn against waging the war and describe its true nature in eloquent terms like "no to spilling red blood for black oil," yet he paid them no heed. It is time for humankind to know that talk of the rights of man and freedom are lies produced by the White House and its allies in Europe to deceive humans, take control of their destinies and subjugate them.
So in answer to the question about the causes of the Democrats' failure to stop the war, I say: they are the same reasons which led to the failure of former president Kennedy to stop the Vietnam war. Those with real power and influence are those with the most capital. And since the democratic system permits major corporations to back candidates, be they presidential or congressional, there shouldn't be any causes for astonishment - and there isn't any - in the Democrats' failure to stop the war. And you're the ones who have the saying which goes, "Money talks." And I tell you: after the failure of your representatives in the Democratic Party to implement your desire to stop the war, you can still carry anti-war placards and spread out in the streets of major cites, then go back to your homes, but that will be of no use and will lead to the prolonging of the war.
However, there are two solutions for stopping it. The first is from our side, and it is to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you. This is our duty, and our brothers are carrying it out, and I ask Allah to grant them resolve and victory. And the second solution is from your side. It has now become clear to you and the entire world the impotence of the democratic system and how it plays with the interests of the peoples and their blood by sacrificing soldiers and populations to achieve the interests of the major corporations.
And with that, it has become clear to all that they are the real tyrannical terrorists. In fact, the life of all of mankind is in danger because of the global warming resulting to a large degree from the emissions of the factories of the major corporations, yet despite that, the representative of these corporations in the White House insists on not observing the Kyoto accord, with the knowledge that the statistic speaks of the death and displacement of the millions of human beings because of that, especially in Africa. This greatest of plagues and most dangerous of threats to the lives of humans is taking place in an accelerating fashion as the world is being dominated by the democratic system, which confirms to massive failure to protect humans and their interests from the greed and avarice of the major corporations and their representatives.
And despite this brazen attack on the people, the leaders of the West - especially Bush, Blair, Sarkozy and Brown - still talk about freedom and human rights with a flagrant disregard for the intellects of human beings. So is there a form of terrorism stronger, clearer, and more dangerous than this? This is why I tell you: as you liberated yourselves before from the slavery of monks, kings, and feudalism, you should liberate yourselves from the deception, shackles, and attrition of the capitalist system.
If you were to ponder it well, you would find that in the end, it is a system harsher and fiercer than your systems in the Middle Ages. The capitalist system seeks to turn the entire world into a fiefdom of the major corporations under the label of "globalization" in order to protect democracy.
And Iraq and Afghanistan and their tragedies; and the reeling of many of you under the burden of interest-related debts, insane taxes and real estate mortgages; global warming and its woes; and the abject poverty and tragic hunger in Africa; all of this is but one side of the grim face of this global system.
So it is imperative that you free yourselves from all of that and search for an alternative, upright methodology in which it is not the business of any class of humanity to lay down its own laws to its own advantages at the expense of the other classes as is the case with you, since the essence of man-made positive laws is that they serve the interests of those with the capital and thus make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
The infallible methodology is the methodology of Allah, the Most High, who created the heavens and earth and created the Creation and is the Most Kind and All-Informed and the Knower of the souls of His slaves and the methodology that best suits them.
You believe with absolute certainty that you believe in Allah, and you are full of conviction of this belief, so much that you have written this belief of yours on your dollar.
But the truth is that you are mistaken in this belief of yours. The impartial judge knows that belief in Allah requires straightness in the following of His methodology, and accordingly, total obedience must be to the orders and prohibitions of Allah Alone in all aspects of life.
So how about you when you associate others with Him in your beliefs and separate state from religion, then claim that you are believers?!
What you have done is clear loss and manifest polytheism. And I will give you a parable of polytheism, as parables summarize and clarify speech.
I tell you: its parable is the parable of a man who owns a shop and hires a worker and tells him, "Sell and give me the money," but he makes sales and give[s] the money to someone other than the owner. So who of you would approve of that?
You believe that Allah is your Lord and your Creator and the Creator of this earth and that it is His property, then you work on His earth and property without His orders and without obeying Him, and you legislate in contradiction to His Law and methodology.
This work of yours is the greatest form of polytheism and is rebellion against obedience to Allah with which the believer becomes an unbeliever, even if he obeys Allah in some of His other orders. Allah, the Most High, sent down His orders in His Sacred Books like the Torah and Evangel and sent with them the Messengers (Allah's prayers and peace be upon them) as bearers of good news to the people.
And everyone who believes in them and complies with them is a believer from the people of the Garden. Then when the men of knowledge altered the words of Allah, the Most High, and sold them for a paltry price, as the rabbis did with the Torah and the monks with the Evangel, Allah sent down His final Book, the magnificent Qur'an, and safeguarded it from being added to or subtracted from by the hands of men, and in it is a complete methodology for the lives of all people.
And our holding firm to this magnificent Book is the secret of our strength and winning of the war against you despite the fewness of our numbers and material.
And if you would like to get to know some of the reasons for your losing of your war against us, then read the book of Michael Scheuer in this regard.
Don't be turned away from Islam by the terrible situation of the Muslims today, for our rulers in general abandoned Islam many decades ago, but our forefathers were the leaders and pioneers of the world for many centuries, when they held firmly to Islam.
And before concluding, I tell you: there has been an increase in the thinkers who study events and happenings, and on the basis of their study, they have declared the approach of the collapse of the American Empire.
Among them is the European thinker who anticipated the fall of the Soviet Union, which indeed fell. And it would benefit you to read what he wrote about what comes after the empire in regard to the United States of America. I also want to bring your attention that among the greatest reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union was their being afflicted with their leader Brezhnev, who was overtaken by pride and arrogance and refused to look at the facts on the ground. From the first year of the Afghanistan invasion, reports indicated that the Russians were losing the war, but he refused to acknowledge this, lest it go down in his personal history as a defeat, even though refusal to acknowledge defeat not only doesn't do anything to change the facts for thinking people, but also exacerbates the problem and increases the losses. And how similar is your position today to their position approximately two decades ago. The mistakes of Brezhnev are being repeated by Bush, who - when asked about the date of his withdrawing of forces from Iraq - said in effect that the withdrawal will not be during his reign, but rather, during the reign of the one who succeeds him. And the significance of these words is not hidden.
And here I say: it would benefit you to listen to the poignant messages of your soldiers in Iraq, who are paying - with their blood, nerves and scattered limbs - the price for these sorts of irresponsible statements. Among them is the eloquent message of Joshua which he sent by way of the media, in which he wipes the tears from his eyes and describes American politicians in harsh terms and invites them to join him there for a few days. Perhaps his message will find in you an attentive ear so you can rescue him and more than 150,000 of your sons there who are tasting the two bitterest things:
If they leave their barracks, the mines devour them, and if they refuse to leave, rulings are passed against them. Thus, the only options left in front of them are to commit suicide or cry, both of which are from the severest of afflictions. So is there anything more men can do after crying and killing themselves to make you respond to them? They are doing that out of the severity of the humiliation, fear and terror which they are suffering. It is severer than what the slaves used to suffer at your hands centuries ago, and it is as if some of them have gone from one slavery to another slavery more severe and harmful, even if it be in the fancy dress of the Defense Department's financial enticements.
So do you feel the greatness of their sufferings?
To conclude, I invite you to embrace Islam, for the greatest mistake one can make in this world and one which is uncorrectable is to die while not surrendering to Allah, the Most High, in all aspects of one's life - i.e., to die outside of Islam. And Islam means gain for you in this first life and the next, final life. The true religion is a mercy for people in their lives, filling their hearts with serenity and calm.
There is a message for you in the Mujahideen; the entire world is in pursuit of them, yet their hearts, by the grace of Allah, are satisfied and tranquil. The true religion also puts peoples' lives in order with its laws; protects their needs and interests; refines their morals; protects them from evils; and guarantees for them entrance into Paradise in the hereafter through their obedience to Allah and sincere worship of Him Alone.
And it will also achieve your desire to stop the war as a consequence, because as soon as the warmongering owners of the major corporations realize that you have lost confidence in your democratic system and begun to search for an alternative, and that this alternative is Islam, they will run after you to please you and achieve what you want to steer you away from Islam. So your true compliance with Islam will deprive them of the opportunity to defraud the peoples and take their money under numerous pretexts, like arms deals and so on.
There are no taxes in Islam, but rather there is a limited Zakaat [alms] totaling only 2.5%. So beware of the deception of those with the capital. And with your earnest reading about Islam from its pristine sources, you will arrive at an important truth, which is that the religion of all of the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them) is one, and that its essence is submission to the orders of Allah Alone in all aspects of life, even if their Shari'ahs (Laws) differ.
And did you know that the name of the Prophet of Allah Jesus and his mother (peace and blessings of Allah be on them both) are mentioned in the Noble Qu'ran dozens of times, and that in the Qu'ran there is a chapter whose name is "Maryam," i.e. Mary, daughter of Imran and mother of Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them both)? It tells the story of her becoming pregnant with the Prophet of Allah Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them both), and in its confirmation of her chastity and purity, in contrast to the fabrications of the Jews against her. Whoever wishes to find that out for himself must listen to the verse of this magnificent chapter: one of the just kings of the Christians - the Negus - listened to some of its verses and his eyes welled up with tears and he said something which should be reflected on for a long time by those sincere in their search for the truth.
He said, "verily, this and what Jesus brought come from one lantern": i.e., that the magnificent Qu'ran and the Evangel are both from Allah, the Most High; and every just and intelligent one of you who reflects on the Qu'ran will definitely arrive at this truth. It also must be noted that Allah has preserved the Qu'ran from the alterations of men. And reading in order to become acquainted with Islam only requires a little effort, and those of you who are guided will profit greatly. And peace be upon he who follows the Guidance.
I believe that public information such as this should be easily available. A transcript of the video is included below. I have linked some words and phrases to relevant websites.
All praise is due to Allah who built the Heavens and earth in justice, and created man as a favor and grace from Him. And from His ways in that the days rotate between the people, and from His law is retaliation in kind: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and the killer is killed. And all praise is due
to Allah, who awakened His slaves' desires for the Garden, and all of them will enter it except those who refuse. And whoever obeys Him alone in all of his affairs will enter the Garden, and whoever disobeys him will have refused.
As for what comes after: Peace be upon he who follows the Guidance. People of America: I shall be speaking to you on important topics which concern you, so lend me your ears. I begin by discussing the war which is between us and some of its repercussions for us and you.
To preface, I say: despite America being the greatest economic power and possessing the most powerful and up-to-date military arsenal as well; and despite it spending on this war and is army more than the entire world spends on its armies; and despite it being the being the major state influencing the policies of the world, as if it has a monopoly on the unjust right to veto; despite all of this, 19 young men were able - by the grace of Allah, the Most High - to change the direction of its compass. And in fact, the subject of the Mujahideen has become an inseparable part of the speech of your leader, and the effects and signs of that are not hidden.
Since the 11th, many of America's policies have come under the influence of Mujahideen, and that is by the grace of Allah, the Most High. And as a result, the people discovered the truth about it, its reputation worsened, its prestige was broken globally and it was bled dry economically, even if our interests overlap with those of the major corporations and also with those of the neoconservatives, despite the differing intentions.
And for your information media, during the first years of the war, lost its credibility and manifested itself as a tool of the colonialist empire, and its condition has often been worse than the condition of the media of the dictatorial regimes which march in the caravan of the single leader.
Then Bush talks about his working with al-Maliki and his government to spread freedom in Iraq but he in fact is working with the leaders of one sect against another sect, in the belief that this will quickly decide the war in his favor.
And thus, what is called the civil war came into being and matters worsened at his hands before getting out of his control and him becoming like the one who plows and sows the sea: he harvests nothing but failure.
So these are some of the results of the freedom about whose spreading he is talking to you. And then the backtracking of Bush on his insistence on not giving the United Nations expanded jurisdiction in Iraq is an implicit admission of his loss and defeat there.
And among the most important items contained in Bush's speeches since the events of the 11th is that the Americans have no option but to continue the war. This tone is in fact an echoing of the words of neoconservatives like Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Richard Perle, the latter having said previously that the Americans have no choice in front of them other than to continue the war or face a holocaust.
I say, refuting this unjust statement, that the morality and culture of the holocaust is your culture, not our culture. In fact, burning living beings is forbidden in our religion, even if they be small like the ant, so what of man?! The holocaust of the Jews was carried out by your brethren in the middle of Europe, but had it been closer to our countries, most of the Jews would have been saved by taking refuge with us. And my proof for that is in what your brothers, the Spanish, did when they set up the horrible courts of the Inquisition to try Muslims and Jews, when the Jews only found safe shelter by taking refuge in our countries. And that is why the Jewish community in Morocco today is one of the largest communities in the world. They are alive with us and we have not incinerated them, but we are a people who don't sleep under oppression and reject humiliation and disgrace, and we take revenge on the people of tyranny and aggression, and the blood of the Muslims will not be spilled with impunity, and the morrow is nigh for he who awaits.
Also, your Christian brothers have been living among us for 14 centuries in Egypt alone, there are millions of Christians whom we have not incinerated and shall not incinerate. But the fact is, there is a continuing and biased campaign being waged against us for a long time now by your politicians and many of your writers by way of your media, especially Hollywood, for the purpose of misrepresenting Islam and its adherents to drive you away from the true religion. The genocide of peoples and their holocausts took place at your hands: only a few specimens of Red Indians were spared, and just a few days ago, the Japanese observed the 62nd anniversary of the annihilation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by your nuclear weapons.
And among the things which catch the eye of the one who considers the repercussions of your unjust war against Iraq is the failure of your democratic system, despite it raising of the slogans of justice, liberty, equality, and humanitarianism. It has not only failed to achieve these things, it has actually destroyed these and other concepts with its weapons - especially in Iraq and Afghanistan - in a brazen fashion, to replace them with fear, destruction, killing, hunger, illness, displacement and more than a million orphans in Baghdad alone, not to mention hundreds of thousands of widows. American statistics speak of the killing of more than 650,000 of the people of Iraq as the result of the war and its repercussions.
People of America: the world is following your news in regards to your invasion of Iraq, for people have recently come to know that, after several years of the tragedies of this war, the vast majority of you want it stopped. Thus, you elected the Democratic Party for this purpose, but the Democrats haven't made a move worth mentioning. On the contrary, they continue to agree to the spending of tens of billions to continue the killing and war there, which has led to the vast majority of you being afflicted with disappointment.
And here is the gist of the matter, so one should pause, think, and reflect: why have the Democrats failed to stop this war, despite them being the majority?
I will come back to reply to this question after raising another question, which is:
Why are the leaders of the White House keen to start wars and wage them around the world, and make use of every possible opportunity through which they can reach this purpose, occasionally even creating justifications based on deception and blatant lies, as you saw in Iraq?
In the Vietnam War, the leaders of the White House claimed at the time that it was a necessary and crucial war, and during it, Rumsfeld and his aides murdered two million villagers. And when Kennedy took over the presidency and deviated from the general line of policy drawn up for the White House and wanted to stop this unjust war, that angered the owners of the major corporations who were benefiting from its continuation.
And so Kennedy was killed, and al-Qaida wasn't present at that time, but rather, those corporations were the primary beneficiary from his killing. And the war continued after that for approximately one decade. But after it became clear to you that it was an unjust and unnecessary war, you made one of your greatest mistakes, in that you neither brought to account nor punished those who waged this war, not even the most violent of its murderers, Rumsfeld. And even more incredible than that is that Bush picked him as secretary of defense in his first term after picking Cheney as his vice-president, Powell as secretary of state and Armitage as Powell's deputy, despite their horrific and bloody history of murdering humans. So that was a clear signal that his administration - the administration of the generals - didn't have as its main concern the serving of humanity, but rather, was interested in bringing about new massacres. Yet in spite of that, you permitted Bush to complete his first term, and stranger still, chose him for a second term, which gave him a clear mandate from you - with your full knowledge and consent - to continue to murder our people in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Then you claim to be innocent! This innocence of yours is like my innocence of the blood of your sons on the 11th - were I to claim such a thing. But it is impossible for me to humor any of you in the arrogance and indifference you show for the lives of humans outside America, or for me to humor your leaders in their lying, as the entire world knows they have the lion's share of that. These morals aren't our morals. What I want to emphasize here is that not taking past war criminals to account led to them repeating that crime of killing humanity without right and waging this unjust war on Mesopotamia, and as a result, here are the oppressed ones today continuing to take their right from you.
This war was entirely unnecessary, as testified to by your own reports. And among the most capable of those from your own side who speak to you on this topic and on the manufacturing of public opinion is Noam Chomsky, who spoke sober words of advice prior to the war, but the leader of Texas doesn't like those who give advice. The entire world came out in unprecedented demonstrations to warn against waging the war and describe its true nature in eloquent terms like "no to spilling red blood for black oil," yet he paid them no heed. It is time for humankind to know that talk of the rights of man and freedom are lies produced by the White House and its allies in Europe to deceive humans, take control of their destinies and subjugate them.
So in answer to the question about the causes of the Democrats' failure to stop the war, I say: they are the same reasons which led to the failure of former president Kennedy to stop the Vietnam war. Those with real power and influence are those with the most capital. And since the democratic system permits major corporations to back candidates, be they presidential or congressional, there shouldn't be any causes for astonishment - and there isn't any - in the Democrats' failure to stop the war. And you're the ones who have the saying which goes, "Money talks." And I tell you: after the failure of your representatives in the Democratic Party to implement your desire to stop the war, you can still carry anti-war placards and spread out in the streets of major cites, then go back to your homes, but that will be of no use and will lead to the prolonging of the war.
However, there are two solutions for stopping it. The first is from our side, and it is to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you. This is our duty, and our brothers are carrying it out, and I ask Allah to grant them resolve and victory. And the second solution is from your side. It has now become clear to you and the entire world the impotence of the democratic system and how it plays with the interests of the peoples and their blood by sacrificing soldiers and populations to achieve the interests of the major corporations.
And with that, it has become clear to all that they are the real tyrannical terrorists. In fact, the life of all of mankind is in danger because of the global warming resulting to a large degree from the emissions of the factories of the major corporations, yet despite that, the representative of these corporations in the White House insists on not observing the Kyoto accord, with the knowledge that the statistic speaks of the death and displacement of the millions of human beings because of that, especially in Africa. This greatest of plagues and most dangerous of threats to the lives of humans is taking place in an accelerating fashion as the world is being dominated by the democratic system, which confirms to massive failure to protect humans and their interests from the greed and avarice of the major corporations and their representatives.
And despite this brazen attack on the people, the leaders of the West - especially Bush, Blair, Sarkozy and Brown - still talk about freedom and human rights with a flagrant disregard for the intellects of human beings. So is there a form of terrorism stronger, clearer, and more dangerous than this? This is why I tell you: as you liberated yourselves before from the slavery of monks, kings, and feudalism, you should liberate yourselves from the deception, shackles, and attrition of the capitalist system.
If you were to ponder it well, you would find that in the end, it is a system harsher and fiercer than your systems in the Middle Ages. The capitalist system seeks to turn the entire world into a fiefdom of the major corporations under the label of "globalization" in order to protect democracy.
And Iraq and Afghanistan and their tragedies; and the reeling of many of you under the burden of interest-related debts, insane taxes and real estate mortgages; global warming and its woes; and the abject poverty and tragic hunger in Africa; all of this is but one side of the grim face of this global system.
So it is imperative that you free yourselves from all of that and search for an alternative, upright methodology in which it is not the business of any class of humanity to lay down its own laws to its own advantages at the expense of the other classes as is the case with you, since the essence of man-made positive laws is that they serve the interests of those with the capital and thus make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
The infallible methodology is the methodology of Allah, the Most High, who created the heavens and earth and created the Creation and is the Most Kind and All-Informed and the Knower of the souls of His slaves and the methodology that best suits them.
You believe with absolute certainty that you believe in Allah, and you are full of conviction of this belief, so much that you have written this belief of yours on your dollar.
But the truth is that you are mistaken in this belief of yours. The impartial judge knows that belief in Allah requires straightness in the following of His methodology, and accordingly, total obedience must be to the orders and prohibitions of Allah Alone in all aspects of life.
So how about you when you associate others with Him in your beliefs and separate state from religion, then claim that you are believers?!
What you have done is clear loss and manifest polytheism. And I will give you a parable of polytheism, as parables summarize and clarify speech.
I tell you: its parable is the parable of a man who owns a shop and hires a worker and tells him, "Sell and give me the money," but he makes sales and give[s] the money to someone other than the owner. So who of you would approve of that?
You believe that Allah is your Lord and your Creator and the Creator of this earth and that it is His property, then you work on His earth and property without His orders and without obeying Him, and you legislate in contradiction to His Law and methodology.
This work of yours is the greatest form of polytheism and is rebellion against obedience to Allah with which the believer becomes an unbeliever, even if he obeys Allah in some of His other orders. Allah, the Most High, sent down His orders in His Sacred Books like the Torah and Evangel and sent with them the Messengers (Allah's prayers and peace be upon them) as bearers of good news to the people.
And everyone who believes in them and complies with them is a believer from the people of the Garden. Then when the men of knowledge altered the words of Allah, the Most High, and sold them for a paltry price, as the rabbis did with the Torah and the monks with the Evangel, Allah sent down His final Book, the magnificent Qur'an, and safeguarded it from being added to or subtracted from by the hands of men, and in it is a complete methodology for the lives of all people.
And our holding firm to this magnificent Book is the secret of our strength and winning of the war against you despite the fewness of our numbers and material.
And if you would like to get to know some of the reasons for your losing of your war against us, then read the book of Michael Scheuer in this regard.
Don't be turned away from Islam by the terrible situation of the Muslims today, for our rulers in general abandoned Islam many decades ago, but our forefathers were the leaders and pioneers of the world for many centuries, when they held firmly to Islam.
And before concluding, I tell you: there has been an increase in the thinkers who study events and happenings, and on the basis of their study, they have declared the approach of the collapse of the American Empire.
Among them is the European thinker who anticipated the fall of the Soviet Union, which indeed fell. And it would benefit you to read what he wrote about what comes after the empire in regard to the United States of America. I also want to bring your attention that among the greatest reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union was their being afflicted with their leader Brezhnev, who was overtaken by pride and arrogance and refused to look at the facts on the ground. From the first year of the Afghanistan invasion, reports indicated that the Russians were losing the war, but he refused to acknowledge this, lest it go down in his personal history as a defeat, even though refusal to acknowledge defeat not only doesn't do anything to change the facts for thinking people, but also exacerbates the problem and increases the losses. And how similar is your position today to their position approximately two decades ago. The mistakes of Brezhnev are being repeated by Bush, who - when asked about the date of his withdrawing of forces from Iraq - said in effect that the withdrawal will not be during his reign, but rather, during the reign of the one who succeeds him. And the significance of these words is not hidden.
And here I say: it would benefit you to listen to the poignant messages of your soldiers in Iraq, who are paying - with their blood, nerves and scattered limbs - the price for these sorts of irresponsible statements. Among them is the eloquent message of Joshua which he sent by way of the media, in which he wipes the tears from his eyes and describes American politicians in harsh terms and invites them to join him there for a few days. Perhaps his message will find in you an attentive ear so you can rescue him and more than 150,000 of your sons there who are tasting the two bitterest things:
If they leave their barracks, the mines devour them, and if they refuse to leave, rulings are passed against them. Thus, the only options left in front of them are to commit suicide or cry, both of which are from the severest of afflictions. So is there anything more men can do after crying and killing themselves to make you respond to them? They are doing that out of the severity of the humiliation, fear and terror which they are suffering. It is severer than what the slaves used to suffer at your hands centuries ago, and it is as if some of them have gone from one slavery to another slavery more severe and harmful, even if it be in the fancy dress of the Defense Department's financial enticements.
So do you feel the greatness of their sufferings?
To conclude, I invite you to embrace Islam, for the greatest mistake one can make in this world and one which is uncorrectable is to die while not surrendering to Allah, the Most High, in all aspects of one's life - i.e., to die outside of Islam. And Islam means gain for you in this first life and the next, final life. The true religion is a mercy for people in their lives, filling their hearts with serenity and calm.
There is a message for you in the Mujahideen; the entire world is in pursuit of them, yet their hearts, by the grace of Allah, are satisfied and tranquil. The true religion also puts peoples' lives in order with its laws; protects their needs and interests; refines their morals; protects them from evils; and guarantees for them entrance into Paradise in the hereafter through their obedience to Allah and sincere worship of Him Alone.
And it will also achieve your desire to stop the war as a consequence, because as soon as the warmongering owners of the major corporations realize that you have lost confidence in your democratic system and begun to search for an alternative, and that this alternative is Islam, they will run after you to please you and achieve what you want to steer you away from Islam. So your true compliance with Islam will deprive them of the opportunity to defraud the peoples and take their money under numerous pretexts, like arms deals and so on.
There are no taxes in Islam, but rather there is a limited Zakaat [alms] totaling only 2.5%. So beware of the deception of those with the capital. And with your earnest reading about Islam from its pristine sources, you will arrive at an important truth, which is that the religion of all of the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them) is one, and that its essence is submission to the orders of Allah Alone in all aspects of life, even if their Shari'ahs (Laws) differ.
And did you know that the name of the Prophet of Allah Jesus and his mother (peace and blessings of Allah be on them both) are mentioned in the Noble Qu'ran dozens of times, and that in the Qu'ran there is a chapter whose name is "Maryam," i.e. Mary, daughter of Imran and mother of Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them both)? It tells the story of her becoming pregnant with the Prophet of Allah Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them both), and in its confirmation of her chastity and purity, in contrast to the fabrications of the Jews against her. Whoever wishes to find that out for himself must listen to the verse of this magnificent chapter: one of the just kings of the Christians - the Negus - listened to some of its verses and his eyes welled up with tears and he said something which should be reflected on for a long time by those sincere in their search for the truth.
He said, "verily, this and what Jesus brought come from one lantern": i.e., that the magnificent Qu'ran and the Evangel are both from Allah, the Most High; and every just and intelligent one of you who reflects on the Qu'ran will definitely arrive at this truth. It also must be noted that Allah has preserved the Qu'ran from the alterations of men. And reading in order to become acquainted with Islam only requires a little effort, and those of you who are guided will profit greatly. And peace be upon he who follows the Guidance.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
2008 Presidential Candidates: Keeping Informed
Being an informed voter and voting in presidential and state elections is probably the most important role one has as a citizen in the United States of America. As such, finding the best ways to keep informed about elections is important. I have faced the fact that at this time our system is a two party system when it comes to the presidential election. I do not like this fact and I hope another party can step up to the plate soon. However, the system being as it is, the places I look for information on presidential candidates may be biased towards these two parties solely, leaving out any talk of other parties.
I have found that the best places to find information on presidential candidates are online. Personally, I have researched the upcoming presidential candidates a lot already, but I will be keeping up with the debates and some of the key speeches as time goes by. Some might think it is a bit early to be looking at candidates when the election is over a year away. I will remind those of you that think this that the primary elections are in February. I know very few voters, if any, that vote in the primaries, but I feel it is the most important part of the election process because it is the only time you get to decide out of well over a dozen candidates, which one you want to make the cut. I encourage everyone to inform themselves as a voter, try to remain open minded, and vote in the primaries when they come around.
Here are a list of websites I recommend for finding out about the candidates:
I have found that the best places to find information on presidential candidates are online. Personally, I have researched the upcoming presidential candidates a lot already, but I will be keeping up with the debates and some of the key speeches as time goes by. Some might think it is a bit early to be looking at candidates when the election is over a year away. I will remind those of you that think this that the primary elections are in February. I know very few voters, if any, that vote in the primaries, but I feel it is the most important part of the election process because it is the only time you get to decide out of well over a dozen candidates, which one you want to make the cut. I encourage everyone to inform themselves as a voter, try to remain open minded, and vote in the primaries when they come around.
Here are a list of websites I recommend for finding out about the candidates:
- Candidates@Google (Google's QA Sessions With Candidates)
- YouTube's You Choose '08
- OnTheIssues - 2008 Presidential Race Speculation
- Project Vote Smart - 2008 Presidential Candidates
- Presidential Political Compass (Not useful but interesting)
- Pick Your Candidate (Uses 2decide's On The Issues)
- Council on Foreign Relations - Issue Tracker
- Election.tv
- Tech President
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
People are Smart
It is common knowledge that the majority of people are idiots. It is likewise common knowledge that common knowledge is often wrong (which is ironically based on the idea that most people are idiots). Anyways, a surprising amount (at least to me) of people believe that everyone in the world, except for them, is an idiot.
The first time I noticed this was when I was discussing the education problem (the fact that not everyone gets an equal education, or even gets the opportunity for an equal education), with a friend. And he asked me, "Well, how would you solve it?" and I thought about it for a few minutes, and the conclusion I came to was "I can't solve it. It's actually ridiculous of you to assume that I would even have something approaching a good idea within such a short time span. As a matter of fact, unless I do some hardcore research, no amount of time of thinking about it will help. And for that matter, there are plenty of people that have actually done this hardcore research, and not solved it. Now, it is possible that I'll be able to strike on a solution that those people missed, but nonetheless, they're not idiots, and such a solution isn't obvious." I gave him the short version of that. After which he proceeded to tell me how he thought the "problem" should be solved.
Now, discussing such things is good, and since I'm not a mind reader, I can't actually tell if he did anything wrong in this. But if he actually thought that the solution that he proposed was a good solution, and should be used, that is a case of assuming that everyone in the world, except for himself is an idiot. Now, it is true that I have done that myself sometimes, but I will say that you should start every thought off with the idea that nobody is an idiot (even though some people are) rather than that everyone is an idiot.
A good example of the difference: The person thinking that everyone's an idiot hears "All people are created equal," and says, "That's ridiculous, some people are born lame, some people have deficiencies, some people are born stronger and smarter than others." So, this person is then told that Thomas Jefferson wrote this in the Declaration of Independence. Now, they might back down, or they might say "Thomas Jefferson is an idiot, and the Declaration of Independence is stupid." Which they actually already did, in effect say.
Now, a person that assumes that no one is an idiot would realize that in saying "All people are created equal," something is lost. Because it clearly can't mean that all people are equal, so they would say "What do you mean, what about the lame, and the dumb? Please clarify your statement." Upon being informed that it was in Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, you could say "O, that makes sense, it's a political document, what Thomas Jefferson means is that all people are politically equal." And then you might get to thinking well, what does that mean? and say, "O, it means that every person's interests are equivalent to every other person. My interest in staying alive is equivalent to all other's interest in staying alive. I guess that makes sense, yeah, we are all created equal." And then you'd think about it some more, and maybe you'd decide you disagree, maybe sometimes one person's interest wins over another's.
But in either case, you'll understand what you're actually disagreeing with and realize that Thomas Jefferson isn't an idiot. So, it is a really good idea to assume that no one is an idiot.
The first time I noticed this was when I was discussing the education problem (the fact that not everyone gets an equal education, or even gets the opportunity for an equal education), with a friend. And he asked me, "Well, how would you solve it?" and I thought about it for a few minutes, and the conclusion I came to was "I can't solve it. It's actually ridiculous of you to assume that I would even have something approaching a good idea within such a short time span. As a matter of fact, unless I do some hardcore research, no amount of time of thinking about it will help. And for that matter, there are plenty of people that have actually done this hardcore research, and not solved it. Now, it is possible that I'll be able to strike on a solution that those people missed, but nonetheless, they're not idiots, and such a solution isn't obvious." I gave him the short version of that. After which he proceeded to tell me how he thought the "problem" should be solved.
Now, discussing such things is good, and since I'm not a mind reader, I can't actually tell if he did anything wrong in this. But if he actually thought that the solution that he proposed was a good solution, and should be used, that is a case of assuming that everyone in the world, except for himself is an idiot. Now, it is true that I have done that myself sometimes, but I will say that you should start every thought off with the idea that nobody is an idiot (even though some people are) rather than that everyone is an idiot.
A good example of the difference: The person thinking that everyone's an idiot hears "All people are created equal," and says, "That's ridiculous, some people are born lame, some people have deficiencies, some people are born stronger and smarter than others." So, this person is then told that Thomas Jefferson wrote this in the Declaration of Independence. Now, they might back down, or they might say "Thomas Jefferson is an idiot, and the Declaration of Independence is stupid." Which they actually already did, in effect say.
Now, a person that assumes that no one is an idiot would realize that in saying "All people are created equal," something is lost. Because it clearly can't mean that all people are equal, so they would say "What do you mean, what about the lame, and the dumb? Please clarify your statement." Upon being informed that it was in Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, you could say "O, that makes sense, it's a political document, what Thomas Jefferson means is that all people are politically equal." And then you might get to thinking well, what does that mean? and say, "O, it means that every person's interests are equivalent to every other person. My interest in staying alive is equivalent to all other's interest in staying alive. I guess that makes sense, yeah, we are all created equal." And then you'd think about it some more, and maybe you'd decide you disagree, maybe sometimes one person's interest wins over another's.
But in either case, you'll understand what you're actually disagreeing with and realize that Thomas Jefferson isn't an idiot. So, it is a really good idea to assume that no one is an idiot.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
"Racism and the Reverse" Response
This post is a response to Racism and the Reverse. In the previous post George defended the "current approach" for dealing with racism. The current approach often comes in the form of affirmative action and is meant to reverse the effects of racism. I disagree with George's defense of this approach to battle racism and I disagree with the idea of affirmative action.
I agree with George that racism is most certainly still a problem in the United States. I do not believe affirmative action is the correct way to counter current discrimination problems. George raised three arguments that support the use of affirmative action today. I believe these are valid points but each of these points can be solved by means other than affirmative action.
George's first point brings up the idea of battling racism at the individual level. This point is applicable when an admissions, recruitment, or hiring officer of a school or business is racist. The problem with assuming affirmative action can fix racism at the individual level is that more than half of the hiring officers need to be racist for this method to be beneficial at all. If less than half of the hiring officers are racist then the extra leeway given in favor of one race will statistically allow less qualified employees of that race to be hired.* This creates a flaw in the system in favor of one race, just as racism itself does and the problem then exists in the reverse. Instead of using affirmative action, this "individual racism" problem can be battled by administering tests to ensure these hiring officers are racially unbiased to a reasonable means.
The second point George made was that flaws in the hiring or admissions system of a company/university may encourage racism. The example given in the previous post was a test biased against minorities. I think systems that encourage racism are special cases that need to be fixed on a case-to-case basis. Most of these systems are probably due to minorities not receiving the opportunity to seek the education or credentials they need. This situation cannot be helped by lowering the bar slightly for certain minorities that tend to lack the opportunity to seek the qualifications needed for a certain job.
Any non-discriminatory system should ensure that everyone is given the opportunity to learn, especially poor inner-city children whose school systems may be of a poor caliber. This problem of uneven education opportunities is the root of the racism problem and it is the major reason that a low number of minorities are admitted into colleges. If affirmative action were used to solve this problem instead, employers would be required by law to hire potentially under-educated people. This could lead to people making the assumption that employees of that particular minority are not up to par and de facto racism will occur.
The third point brought up was that minorities may not be hired because customers and statistics are biased against them. This point is strongly linked to the second point of flaws in a system that encourage racism. This problem can only be solved over time by ensuring that all minorities have the same opportunity for an education as the majority has. Once this is true the average education levels of minorities will increase and reverse this trend of racist thinking. An opportunity for education is the most important factor to ensure equality among all demographics of people and it is the only way to properly combat racism.
* Explanation: Imagine a scenario where three out of ten admissions officers at a college are racist. Affirmative action is practiced at this school so being a minority boosts your chance of getting in slightly. This may help counter racism of the three racist officers but the other seven officers will also be letting in more minorities than they would have without affirmative action. Assuming each official evaluates an approximately equal number of minorities, this system will ensure that seven out of every ten minorities that entered the school had too much preferential treatment.
I agree with George that racism is most certainly still a problem in the United States. I do not believe affirmative action is the correct way to counter current discrimination problems. George raised three arguments that support the use of affirmative action today. I believe these are valid points but each of these points can be solved by means other than affirmative action.
George's first point brings up the idea of battling racism at the individual level. This point is applicable when an admissions, recruitment, or hiring officer of a school or business is racist. The problem with assuming affirmative action can fix racism at the individual level is that more than half of the hiring officers need to be racist for this method to be beneficial at all. If less than half of the hiring officers are racist then the extra leeway given in favor of one race will statistically allow less qualified employees of that race to be hired.* This creates a flaw in the system in favor of one race, just as racism itself does and the problem then exists in the reverse. Instead of using affirmative action, this "individual racism" problem can be battled by administering tests to ensure these hiring officers are racially unbiased to a reasonable means.
The second point George made was that flaws in the hiring or admissions system of a company/university may encourage racism. The example given in the previous post was a test biased against minorities. I think systems that encourage racism are special cases that need to be fixed on a case-to-case basis. Most of these systems are probably due to minorities not receiving the opportunity to seek the education or credentials they need. This situation cannot be helped by lowering the bar slightly for certain minorities that tend to lack the opportunity to seek the qualifications needed for a certain job.
Any non-discriminatory system should ensure that everyone is given the opportunity to learn, especially poor inner-city children whose school systems may be of a poor caliber. This problem of uneven education opportunities is the root of the racism problem and it is the major reason that a low number of minorities are admitted into colleges. If affirmative action were used to solve this problem instead, employers would be required by law to hire potentially under-educated people. This could lead to people making the assumption that employees of that particular minority are not up to par and de facto racism will occur.
The third point brought up was that minorities may not be hired because customers and statistics are biased against them. This point is strongly linked to the second point of flaws in a system that encourage racism. This problem can only be solved over time by ensuring that all minorities have the same opportunity for an education as the majority has. Once this is true the average education levels of minorities will increase and reverse this trend of racist thinking. An opportunity for education is the most important factor to ensure equality among all demographics of people and it is the only way to properly combat racism.
* Explanation: Imagine a scenario where three out of ten admissions officers at a college are racist. Affirmative action is practiced at this school so being a minority boosts your chance of getting in slightly. This may help counter racism of the three racist officers but the other seven officers will also be letting in more minorities than they would have without affirmative action. Assuming each official evaluates an approximately equal number of minorities, this system will ensure that seven out of every ten minorities that entered the school had too much preferential treatment.
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