Vs. Flametoad

In a friendly sense, of course. We've had a very interesting and entertaining discussion about the threat of Islam over at Flametoad.com. I don't always agree, but I learn something always, and I am forced to examine my own points of view to see how they hold up. Thoreau stated that the unexamined life is not worth living. That's true of my opinions and beliefs as well. If they don't hold up to scrutiny and active testing, they might not be as good of opinions as we think they are. So I engage these kinds of debates when I can, and it's educational every time. I hope it is for the other side as well. I love doing this kind of thing, simply because it allows me gorw intellectually. Lord knows I need it. And this was a good, reasoned debate with good points being made on all sides.

At any rate, I came away from the discussion and the debate with things to ponder, and new avenues of thought to pursue. This is a very good thing.

As to the thoughts about radical Islam and what they are teaching in the moderate mosques, take a look at this post. It serves as pretty good support for both Flametoad's and my points of view on the subject.

Robert Spencer was on CNN. They played some of his comments to a "moderate" Muslim apologist, and let him comment on Spencer's assertions. This is Spencer fisking those comments (which he didn't get to debate the guy on air, by the way, he was never asked to) and dissecting what the Muslim was saying.

I hope moderates will disavow the literal translations of the Koran, and stamp out this sort of mentality. Ackbar doesn't seem to really address the issue, instead he does some pretty convoluted side-stepping about the issues. He is correct, a war against 1.4 billion people would be beyond horrible.

Go check the Flametoad debate, and read Spencer and Ackbar's point-counterpoint exchange.

It's fuel for thought, to say the least.

---------------------UPDATE--------8-17-06----------------------

Check this post out. Terrorism does have the ability to influence policies and procedures worldwide. I think this is indisputable. The policies and procedures have to change, just to prevent their nutball actions. This post indicates a certain degree of kowtowing to the Muslim world by a small country with an embassy in Israel. Tips to Michelle Malkin's incomparable website for this information.

This sort of thing is a prime example of why I think Flametoad is a bit off the mark in saying terrorism isn't as large a threat as the Soviets were back in the day. The effects might not be as overt as the Soviet's effect, but they're still there and just as earthshaking in our day to day lives. Nobody's shoes were being x-rayed in airports back in the early 80's. There was no Patriot Act. No terror threat levels.

This might be worse, overall. Flametoad seems to blame the government for mass hysteria regarding terrorism. But how are we to know it wasn't the same thing with the Soviets? There were lots of peaceniks that argued the same thing back in the day. I've never PERSONALLY seen a Russian nuke. I've never PERSONALLY seen a terrorist, either. I believe they all exist, though. Flametoad seems to want to exercise a selective recognition of threats, which is to ignore reality, unless it IS just an attempt to cow the masses through hysteria.

Again, it's fun intellectual discourse, one way or the other.