Stand and fight

While we are told to tolerate and accommodate the intolerant, some out there are putting their lives on the line to expose the intolerance.

A Somali-born Dutch MP who collaborated on the film that led to the murder of director Theo van Gogh has written a sequel, about Islam's attitude to gays.

The film will use anonymous actors and carry no credits in an effort to protect those involved in the project. Ms Ali told Dutch media that she had co-written the script with Van Gogh in the summer of 2004, months before he was killed last November.

"I examine the position of homosexuals in Islam in the film Submission II," she told the De Volkskrant newspaper. "In the movie, they are called Allah's creatures," she added. Ms Ali's original short film caused an uproar when aired on Dutch TV.

The fundamentalist clerics are allowed to preach hatred, under the guise of 'freedom of speech', we protest to protect their right to do so and usually dismiss them as insane. The authorities had better arrange protection for this woman; no such luxury will be afforded to her.

While some people are making a stand against the intolerance of Islamic fundamentalism, others are calling for a turn and run approach, tuck the tail in (less aerodynamic drag), when the going gets tough, walk away, it's too hard.

An influential Democratic congressman - who voted for the Iraq invasion in 2003 - has called for the immediate withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. John Murtha - a decorated Vietnam War veteran - said US troops had become "a catalyst for violence" in Iraq.

"Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency, they are united against US forces, and we have become a catalyst for violence," Mr Murtha said at an emotional news conference in Washington.

Yeah in the first days of the war, when the American Soldiers were marching to Baghdad, thrashing the resistance from bridge to bridge, amidst predictions (and hopes by some) of the greatest American defeat and carnage, the Iraqi army and Insurgents were blindly focused on the invading martians, little did they know..

This might come as a terrible shock to the congressman, but when you walk into the Vipers nest and start thrashing the snakes, chances are pretty high they'll be upset with you from the beginning and may infact bite back, till either you stop thrashing them and/or the snakes die. I may be wrong on this, but most people would agree with this.

"US troops are the common enemy of the Sunnis, the Saddamists, and the foreign jihadists... I believe we need to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis," he said.

Yes, throw all your weapons over to a not-trained army and police and head for the hills asap. The US is already handing over to the Iraqis, day by day, unfortunately not at the same rate as the many detractors can fire off criticisms.

Mr Murtha - who is a member of a key House of Representatives panel that oversees defence spending - urged the White House to "immediately redeploy US troops consistent with the safety of US forces".

While we are at it, can we also redeploy all US police forces consistent with their safety, avoid all criminal contact and with law breaking elements, withdraw from the streets back to the head office, hand over to the local civillians. His next statement makes even less sense. Sounds a bit like the policy of fire the odd cruise missile at something/someone, somewhere.

The congressman from Pennsylvania also said a "quick reaction force" should be created in the Middle East.

I'm confused, ok the troops are in Iraq, so the terrorists hate us and want to kill us, so take them out, when trouble starts send them back in quickly, isn't this putting them back into trouble... oh no, I'm sorry I stated it too simply, let me try again, if we send them back into to quell unrest, will that not be at odds with the earlier "consistent with the safety of US forces"?
Perhaps in the grand and complicated scheme of the great thinking congressmen, the quick reaction force will be wearing Congolese flags and speaking in Swahili, to disguise their American origin and hence the terrorists would not attack them or fight back.

I think VP Dick Cheney says it best.

The president and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory or their backbone , Dick Cheney.

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