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	<title>Comments for StraussBlog</title>
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	<link>http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog</link>
	<description>Observations from my parents' pool house</description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:11:07 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>Comment on Happyjoel on the Tonight Show!!! by Robi Ganguly</title>
		<link>http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/11/happyjoel-on-the-tonight-show/comment-page-1/#comment-1505</link>
		<dc:creator>Robi Ganguly</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:30:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/?p=251#comment-1505</guid>
		<description>Looks like the video's down - any other sources?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Looks like the video&#8217;s down - any other sources?</p>
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		<title>Comment on Why we&#8217;ve already won. by A Proud Day for All Americans</title>
		<link>http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/11/why-weve-already-won/comment-page-1/#comment-1072</link>
		<dc:creator>A Proud Day for All Americans</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:25:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/11/why-weve-already-won/#comment-1072</guid>
		<description>[...] very good point in a post he did on his Blackberry, before the polls even closed. In a post titled, Why we&#8217;ve already won, Jonathan said that Barack Obama, even if he loses, has brought us all together in an important [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] very good point in a post he did on his Blackberry, before the polls even closed. In a post titled, Why we&#8217;ve already won, Jonathan said that Barack Obama, even if he loses, has brought us all together in an important [...]</p>
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		<title>Comment on Why we&#8217;ve already won. by 8 Runs in 7 Outs and Obama &#124; youarekillingme.net</title>
		<link>http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/11/why-weve-already-won/comment-page-1/#comment-1070</link>
		<dc:creator>8 Runs in 7 Outs and Obama &#124; youarekillingme.net</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:38:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/11/why-weve-already-won/#comment-1070</guid>
		<description>[...] Jonathan&#8217;s post [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] Jonathan&#8217;s post [...]</p>
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		<title>Comment on Why we&#8217;ve already won. by Ian Kennedy</title>
		<link>http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/11/why-weve-already-won/comment-page-1/#comment-1067</link>
		<dc:creator>Ian Kennedy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:47:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/11/why-weve-already-won/#comment-1067</guid>
		<description>Here! Here! I'll drink to that!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here! Here! I&#8217;ll drink to that!</p>
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		<title>Comment on So, what if he were a Muslim?! or On Intolerance and National Security by Sean</title>
		<link>http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/10/so-what-if-he-were-a-muslim/comment-page-1/#comment-1018</link>
		<dc:creator>Sean</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:05:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/?p=165#comment-1018</guid>
		<description>Amen. Very well said.

Campbell Brown of CNN on the same topic...
&lt;script src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/js/2.0/video/evp/module.js?loc=dom&#038;vid=/video/bestoftv/2008/10/13/ec.brown.commentary.monday.cnn" type="text/javascript"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;noscript&gt;Embedded video from &lt;a href="http://www.cnn.com/video" rel="nofollow"&gt;CNN Video&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/noscript&gt;
</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Amen. Very well said.</p>
<p>Campbell Brown of CNN on the same topic&#8230;<br />
<script src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/js/2.0/video/evp/module.js?loc=dom&#038;vid=/video/bestoftv/2008/10/13/ec.brown.commentary.monday.cnn" type="text/javascript"></script><noscript>Embedded video from <a href="http://www.cnn.com/video" rel="nofollow">CNN Video</a></noscript></p>
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		<title>Comment on So, what if he were a Muslim?! or On Intolerance and National Security by jonathan</title>
		<link>http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/10/so-what-if-he-were-a-muslim/comment-page-1/#comment-1017</link>
		<dc:creator>jonathan</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2008 06:09:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/?p=165#comment-1017</guid>
		<description>@Dajjal: I will fully admit to not having read the Qur'an cover-to-cover. So, you've got me there. But, I personally know enough Muslims who haven't tried to kill me that I have a hard time accepting your position -- or maybe my Muslim friends just aren't pious enough.

Regardless of my personal experience, I also take issue with your practice of quoting arcane passages of 1,500 year old scripture in support of your theories on the beliefs of *all* modern-day Muslims. First of all, most religions, like Christianity, have many different denominations with varying practices and beliefs. As such, it would seem, at best, highly reductionist to lump all Muslims (or, as &lt;a href="http://snooper.wordpress.com/2008/10/25/colin-powell-spews-malicious-malarkey/" rel="nofollow"&gt;you call them&lt;/a&gt;, members of Moe’s Murder Cult) and their beliefs together.

Secondly, arguing based on literal interpretation of scripture is a very slippery slope. I don't know if you're a religious individual and if so to what religion you subscribe, but the vast majority of this great nation is Christian. So, let's start there:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;"And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do." - Exodus 21:7&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;"Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death." - Exodus 35:2&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;"Of [pigs'] flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you." - Leviticus 11:8&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

Having lived in America for the last 28 years, I'm pretty sure you can't sell your daughter, I've never heard of anyone being put to death for working on a Sunday, and I've seen bacon on a lot of breakfast menus. (And if those examples sound familiar, it's because I stole them from an &lt;a href="http://www.thezonewebsite.com/crabpuffscene.html" rel="nofollow"&gt;episode of "The West Wing."&lt;/a&gt; -- or watch &lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWqgD7lGneU" rel="nofollow"&gt;the video&lt;/a&gt;, if you prefer.)

But, we don't even have to go back 2,000 years or speculate on people's religious beliefs to find an arcane passage universally disavowed by adherents of the document in which it's written. How about, Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 3 of the United States Constitution:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;"Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons."&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;

Over the course of the 221 years since those words were written, our leaders have acted (the Emancipation Proclamation), more documents have been written (the 13th Amendment), and our attitudes and behaviors have changed to the extent that the original meaning of those few words still written in our nation's most sacred document are at odds with everything we believe today.

So, I guess what I'm saying is, I don't consider quoting inflammatory passages from the Qur'an a particularly convincing indictment of all Muslims.

Also, National Socialism (Naziism) was a political movement and Islam is a religion. 

And finally, Barack Obama is *not* a Muslim. So, for this election at least, the point is moot. But for the record, I would vote for a Muslim if one with whose policies I agreed were running.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>@Dajjal: I will fully admit to not having read the Qur&#8217;an cover-to-cover. So, you&#8217;ve got me there. But, I personally know enough Muslims who haven&#8217;t tried to kill me that I have a hard time accepting your position &#8212; or maybe my Muslim friends just aren&#8217;t pious enough.</p>
<p>Regardless of my personal experience, I also take issue with your practice of quoting arcane passages of 1,500 year old scripture in support of your theories on the beliefs of *all* modern-day Muslims. First of all, most religions, like Christianity, have many different denominations with varying practices and beliefs. As such, it would seem, at best, highly reductionist to lump all Muslims (or, as <a href="http://snooper.wordpress.com/2008/10/25/colin-powell-spews-malicious-malarkey/" rel="nofollow">you call them</a>, members of Moe’s Murder Cult) and their beliefs together.</p>
<p>Secondly, arguing based on literal interpretation of scripture is a very slippery slope. I don&#8217;t know if you&#8217;re a religious individual and if so to what religion you subscribe, but the vast majority of this great nation is Christian. So, let&#8217;s start there:</p>
<ul>
<li>&#8220;And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.&#8221; - Exodus 21:7</li>
<li>&#8220;Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.&#8221; - Exodus 35:2</li>
<li>&#8220;Of [pigs'] flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.&#8221; - Leviticus 11:8</li>
</ul>
<p>Having lived in America for the last 28 years, I&#8217;m pretty sure you can&#8217;t sell your daughter, I&#8217;ve never heard of anyone being put to death for working on a Sunday, and I&#8217;ve seen bacon on a lot of breakfast menus. (And if those examples sound familiar, it&#8217;s because I stole them from an <a href="http://www.thezonewebsite.com/crabpuffscene.html" rel="nofollow">episode of &#8220;The West Wing.&#8221;</a> &#8212; or watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWqgD7lGneU" rel="nofollow">the video</a>, if you prefer.)</p>
<p>But, we don&#8217;t even have to go back 2,000 years or speculate on people&#8217;s religious beliefs to find an arcane passage universally disavowed by adherents of the document in which it&#8217;s written. How about, Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 3 of the United States Constitution:</p>
<ul>
<li>&#8220;Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
<p>Over the course of the 221 years since those words were written, our leaders have acted (the Emancipation Proclamation), more documents have been written (the 13th Amendment), and our attitudes and behaviors have changed to the extent that the original meaning of those few words still written in our nation&#8217;s most sacred document are at odds with everything we believe today.</p>
<p>So, I guess what I&#8217;m saying is, I don&#8217;t consider quoting inflammatory passages from the Qur&#8217;an a particularly convincing indictment of all Muslims.</p>
<p>Also, National Socialism (Naziism) was a political movement and Islam is a religion. </p>
<p>And finally, Barack Obama is *not* a Muslim. So, for this election at least, the point is moot. But for the record, I would vote for a Muslim if one with whose policies I agreed were running.</p>
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		<title>Comment on So, what if he were a Muslim?! or On Intolerance and National Security by Dajjal</title>
		<link>http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/10/so-what-if-he-were-a-muslim/comment-page-1/#comment-1016</link>
		<dc:creator>Dajjal</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2008 04:43:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/?p=165#comment-1016</guid>
		<description>Before pontificating about life and death issues, one should learn enough about the subject to make accurate logical judgments.  

If you have not read the Qur'an and the Jihad hadith from Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud &#38; Malik's Muwatta, you are woefully ignorant, spewing disinformation. 

Islam is intrinsically violent; mercenary &#38; martial, by design. Jihad is ordained for Muslims by 2:216. Islamic law defines Jihad: "Jihad means to war against non-Muslims, and is etymologically derived from the word mujahada signifying warfare to establish the religion." Reliance of the traveller, Book O, Chapter 9, Paragraph 0. Read O9.8 to discover what the Caliph does and why. Read O9.1 to learn how frequently he must do it. 

Allah purchased the Muslims, so that they kill and are killed fighting in his cause, and enter Paradise in return. Read 9:111 if you doubt this.  Read 61:10-13 to learn what Muslims must do to be saved. 

Would the greatest generation have elected a Nazi to preside over them? But you are willing to elect a Muslim. Ignorant idiots.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Before pontificating about life and death issues, one should learn enough about the subject to make accurate logical judgments.  </p>
<p>If you have not read the Qur&#8217;an and the Jihad hadith from Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud &amp; Malik&#8217;s Muwatta, you are woefully ignorant, spewing disinformation. </p>
<p>Islam is intrinsically violent; mercenary &amp; martial, by design. Jihad is ordained for Muslims by 2:216. Islamic law defines Jihad: &#8220;Jihad means to war against non-Muslims, and is etymologically derived from the word mujahada signifying warfare to establish the religion.&#8221; Reliance of the traveller, Book O, Chapter 9, Paragraph 0. Read O9.8 to discover what the Caliph does and why. Read O9.1 to learn how frequently he must do it. </p>
<p>Allah purchased the Muslims, so that they kill and are killed fighting in his cause, and enter Paradise in return. Read 9:111 if you doubt this.  Read 61:10-13 to learn what Muslims must do to be saved. </p>
<p>Would the greatest generation have elected a Nazi to preside over them? But you are willing to elect a Muslim. Ignorant idiots.</p>
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		<title>Comment on So, what if he were a Muslim?! or On Intolerance and National Security by jonathan</title>
		<link>http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/10/so-what-if-he-were-a-muslim/comment-page-1/#comment-1005</link>
		<dc:creator>jonathan</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:31:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/?p=165#comment-1005</guid>
		<description>@Laurie: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I just didn't necessarily want to get too far off point (you know how I'm prone to ramble on with these blog post thingies ;-) ).

@kareem: Yeah, the Daily Show hit that one pretty squarely on the head a couple weeks ago when McCain contradicted one of his supporters who claimed Obama was an "Arab" with the retort "No, he's a decent family man":
&lt;object width="512" height="296"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/TvzFVWzvrRSEr_6P8vc59Q"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/TvzFVWzvrRSEr_6P8vc59Q" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"  width="512" height="296"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;
I like that Powell drove home the point that this isn't only stupid and closed-minded, but it's also un-American.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>@Laurie: Yeah, I couldn&#8217;t agree more. I just didn&#8217;t necessarily want to get too far off point (you know how I&#8217;m prone to ramble on with these blog post thingies <img src='http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif' alt=';-)' class='wp-smiley' /> ).</p>
<p>@kareem: Yeah, the Daily Show hit that one pretty squarely on the head a couple weeks ago when McCain contradicted one of his supporters who claimed Obama was an &#8220;Arab&#8221; with the retort &#8220;No, he&#8217;s a decent family man&#8221;:<br />
<object width="512" height="296"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/TvzFVWzvrRSEr_6P8vc59Q"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/TvzFVWzvrRSEr_6P8vc59Q" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"  width="512" height="296"></embed></object><br />
I like that Powell drove home the point that this isn&#8217;t only stupid and closed-minded, but it&#8217;s also un-American.</p>
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		<title>Comment on So, what if he were a Muslim?! or On Intolerance and National Security by kareem</title>
		<link>http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/10/so-what-if-he-were-a-muslim/comment-page-1/#comment-1004</link>
		<dc:creator>kareem</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:54:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/?p=165#comment-1004</guid>
		<description>fuck yeah, strauss.  i've been bothered by the implications of the obama = muslim rumors (i.e. muslim = bad).  well said!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>fuck yeah, strauss.  i&#8217;ve been bothered by the implications of the obama = muslim rumors (i.e. muslim = bad).  well said!</p>
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		<title>Comment on So, what if he were a Muslim?! or On Intolerance and National Security by Laurie</title>
		<link>http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/2008/10/so-what-if-he-were-a-muslim/comment-page-1/#comment-998</link>
		<dc:creator>Laurie</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:35:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jonathanhstrauss.com/blog/?p=165#comment-998</guid>
		<description>I would go so far as to say that America is under attack by fundamentalists, period. Islamic fundamentalists are trying direct physical attack, while Christian fundamentalists are undermining the system from within, destroying institutions and weakening the checks and balances that maintain American principles of justice and fairness.

Christian and Islam fundamentalists are not opposing forces, they are the same side, and everybody else is on the other side.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I would go so far as to say that America is under attack by fundamentalists, period. Islamic fundamentalists are trying direct physical attack, while Christian fundamentalists are undermining the system from within, destroying institutions and weakening the checks and balances that maintain American principles of justice and fairness.</p>
<p>Christian and Islam fundamentalists are not opposing forces, they are the same side, and everybody else is on the other side.</p>
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