Liberal Media

Story Link: Latest Issue of the Magazine produced by ISIS or Islamic State.

It might pay to click on and read the above link. In their digital magazine, ISIS states unambiguously why the hate us and what animates that hatred. Spoiler, it is their religion.

So, why is it that this piece of news was for all intents and purposes buried by the mainstream media?
This was largely ignored by everyone except for Fox News and others of their ilk. Could it possibly have anything to do with the fact that it states implicitly that their religion has everything to do with why they hate us?

Those who know me understand I could not be much more of a liberal/progressive/lefty. And furthermore I am proud of that fact and will expound on related subjects at the slightest prompting.
I tend to believe that, in broad strokes, the liberal position is the more correct. I think this is an understandable view and one commonly shared by my liberal brethren. And that is as it should be. I am confident conservatives (at least the ones who are well-meaning and, you know, not crazy) share similar feelings about their own ideology. And bully for them, let the best ideas win.

 One of the things liberals find maddening or abhorrent about the more extreme conservatives is their tendency to jump on any conservative train without apparent questioning or critical thought. If it smells conservative, no further thought is necessary. I confess that I quite enjoyed thinking this was a trait most likely to occur on "that side" of the fence. However, lately I have noticed a disturbing trend to similar behavior in liberal circles. It does not escape me that some are arguing this is less a result of some sea change and more likely attributable to my taking better notice. A plausible argument to be sure.

It seems clear to me that any number of liberals, having identified a righteous cause, have begun to swallow in toto and without apparent critical thought anything related to or seemingly related to that cause. I suggest far too many of the people who are ostensibly on my team and who feel armored by righteousness now imagine that extra bit of thinking is not required of them. To be clear, I do not think is a good thing.

And back to the original point.

All the following statements can be (and I argue indeed are) true.
At the same time.

Most of the world's Muslims are reasonable humans who simply want to live with their families in safety as they endeavor to prosper.

There are Muslims who practice a more radical or extreme form of Islam that includes but is not limited to, violent jihad, fatwas, a commitment to the destruction of what they consider to be the liberal decadent ways of other cultures that, in their eyes, is an affront to their religion regardless of where it exists.

Both the reasonable moderate Muslims and the Muslims practicing more radical forms of Islam are able to draw inspiration for their chosen paths from the same canon of ancient scripture (largely the Koran).

The claim that Muslims practicing more radical forms of Islam and not true Muslims is specious and fails to bear up under the slightest scrutiny.

For you theater folks, this bit is an aside. Therefore I reasonably infer the above idea has not been met with the slightest scrutiny by either the main stream or liberal media.

The fact that some moderate Muslims (in America and elsewhere) are subject to prejudice and/or hostility is a sad but true situation we should thoughtfully address.

The fact that there are a number of Americans whose ideology is based in prejudice/hate have tried to employ these facts to their own dubious ends is reprehensible.

Acknowledging the facts does not make one a hateful person.

When all these statements are true at the same time the problems become soberingly or even maddeningly complex. And there is the rub. The news media and the politicians and pundits turn the whole business into a cartoon version of reality where there are black hats and white hats. Admittedly they should be serving us much better. However, when they fail, we need to think for ourselves. To paraphrase the First Lady, "When the go low, we (should) go high".

So, by all means, continue on your bleeding-heart-liberal path. No sarcasm intended. I plan to do exactly that. However I also plan to keep on thinking and questioning.

Wash, Rinse, repeat.

Check this article:
Sour puss curmudgeon wants to say something relevant...

My response:
Frankly my take on Mr. Giuliani is, he and his antiquated arguments are all but irrelevant at this point. That said, some of his points though crude or insensitive are not entirely without merit. His problem is, largely because he's an ideologue, he comes from an angry moralist position and he does not advance thoughtful solutions. He wants to make it very simple so we can all put it in a box and go on our way.

Here is another consideration that may be more informative. What if he and his ideas are not the biggest problem?

I largely align with Progressives. However, the sad truth is, many of the very people I consider to be "on my team" are engaged in the same kind of bumperstickerization of the issues. (Yup, I made up that word and I really like it.) They are, to a sobering degree, like Giuliani and his ilk. I know what you are thinking. He cant mean that. Oh, but I do, I really do. Far too many Progressives want to make it all so simple. On one hand we rightly want to deconstruct the rhetoric of the Conservatives but do not especially want to question the prepackaged answers of other liberals. Because when one is on the side of tolerance and puppies and rainbows, everything that comes out of ones mouth must smell like roses. Well, news flash. Being liberal does not exempt us from thinking and questioning. It is way too simple to say the other guys are wrong. Progressives seem to have the idea that the problem with Conservatives is: they are hateful, they are racist, they are intolerant, they are wrong-headed. While it is true that some of these things apply to some conservatives, they are not the really bad bits. Huh? Sure those are not endearing positions. However, even the fraction of Conservatives who are racist, hateful, intolerant, or wrong-headed can change. They can become better versions of themselves.

It turns out, the worst thing about the Conservative arguments is exactly the same as the worst thing about the Progressive arguments. And what is that, pray tell? The idea that the arguments should not be questioned. Go ahead, dwell on that a moment. It's worth your time. The pathway that leads people (on either side) to become better versions of themselves always starts with questioning. And what does it end with? If you do it right, it does not end. Questions lead to answers which, in turn, lead to more questions and so on. Wash, rinse, repeat. Questions, answers, more questions.

So, yes. People like Mr. Giuliani do not necessarily bring out our best nature but it does not mean they are automatically wrong about everything. And, it is our job to put forth our best nature. This would include, but not be limited to, keeping an open mind when listening to those with whom we disagree and continuing to question. Everything. Question everything. Really, everything.