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A matter of trust

This NYT op-ed asks: One of the great strengths of our immigrant nation is that we have thousands of citizens and aspiring citizens who are fluent in both English and Arabic. Why we have not made use of this talent is a mystery. I think it’s simply a matter of trust. Most Arab-Americans (can’t find the Zogby poll, so any help appreciated) were against the Iraqi invasion. Therefore, in the bifurcation of being either “with us,” or “against us,” they became “against us.” You must be a member of the party, or you are not a person. Technorati Tags: Iraq,…

Where is Osama?

I was recently called to task, and rightly so, for not being specific about failed DOJ cases, and few come to mind: Yaser Hamdi (I seem to recall that a US citizen cannot be coerced by the gov’t into giving up his citizenship, and it strikes me that’s what happened here…. Detroit Sleeper Cell Brandon Mayfield (2, 3) James Yee (2) (Yes, I know this isn’t a DOJ case, but I’m working to establish a larger pattern in the gov’t in general) Terrorism Cases That Weren’t (but it doesn’t mean they weren’t guilty of something) Lackawanna Six (2, 3) Portland Seven José Padilla’s case is still pending, but I don’t know how much traction the gov’t will get with him.

Geert Wilders and Free Speech

Aziz beat me to it. Geert Wilders was arrested for attacking Islam. Dumb idea. As Aziz says “the best answer to bad speech is more speech.” The best thing to happen now is that a group of Dutch Muslims comes forward to his defense. Islam is bigger than one person, whether OBL or Geert Wilders. It can take care of itself. It’s Muslims who need to care of ourselves, and that doesn’t mean supporting dumb ideas.