Israel blows it

This week Israel had the chance to draw a contrast between its own ideas and religious totalitarianism. It had the chance to demonstrate that unlike countries dominated by radical Islam, Israel is a land and a culture of free expression and open debate.

You won't be surprised to learn that Israel once again failed the test.

Look at Pakistan and what do you see? Vicious government suppression of dissent, the use of the death penalty for blasphemy, and the assassination of a state governor for his opposition to blasphemy laws.

And in Israel? Noam Chomsky, a man who single-handedly started a scientific revolution in the field of linguistics, and who is known the world over for his progressive politics and writings, is denied entry.

Typically, Israel won't give a reason. Nevertheless, if the government of Israel is determined to silence its critics, it has little claim to the support or respect of the United States.

Religion of Peace™

People in the civilized parts of the world have been horrified by the way people in Pakistan have been getting sentenced to death for blasphemy. Fortunately, one Pakistani politician has had the courage to stand up to this fundamental denial of freedom of thought.

Now that politician, Salman Taseer, has been assassinated by his bodyguard, who boasted about killing him for opposing the blasphemy law.

Don't you have to love religion?

Miracle?

Don't you get tired of hearing what passes as a miracle for these soft-headed people?

Today's miracle: the plane crash on an island off the coast of Colombia: the plane was struck by lightning, crashed, broke up into three pieces, and only one person died, an old woman who probably had a heart attack

The Caribbean island's governor, Pedro Gallardo, said it was extraordinary that almost everyone survived, and joined a chorus calling it a miracle. "We have to give thanks to God," he said.

.

Did it occur to him to wonder, if God had the power to save 126 people, why didn't he have the power to save that one last old lady?

Or maybe he just didn't feel like saving 127 people today?

Maybe God's just doing the math: let this one old lady die, who's probably going to die soon anyway, so he can concentrate on saving the 3.5 million kids in Pakistan who are at risk because of the floods that . . .

well, wait a minute! Couldn't he have just stopped those floods, too?