Burying the Boston Bomber

It is a natural reaction of the human mind to be upset and angered that one of the monsters that bombed the Boston Marathon deserves a respectful burial.  Some people protested angrily outside a funeral home to show their anger and American pride.  It is the wrong reaction.  The person that committed the reprehensible crime is no longer with us.  All that remains is a body with no life in it.  No different than a rock.  Some people have argued that we should have tossed him into the middle of a pig farm simply because he was Muslim and let the hogs have their way with his body.  Some people say that we should have dumped him off a boat in the Atlantic along with Osama Bin Laden and never think of him again. That was pure anger, a natural but wrong logical thought process.

Tamerlane Tsarnaev was a terrorist.  He had a mission to destroy the American way of life to send some kind of message that was as twisted as his own mind was.  He wanted you and I to hate America because he hated America.  Why he hated our country and why he and his younger brother did the bombing of the Boston Marathon may never be known.  He struck a nerve when it came time to bury his body.  Not one cemetery in the northern states seashore of the United States wanted him buried in their hallowed grounds. 

Does a terrorist deserve a burial according to religious tradition?  Granted, most terrorist bombers of this kind never need a proper burial, because there are never enough pieces left.  This case is different.  We had a body.  No matter what crime you commit in your life, everyone has the right to a proper burial.  Burial tradition is not for the one that committed the crime but for the family to grieve, and get past the idiotic thing that you did against all of humanity.  Would you blame his three year old daughter for all of his sins and crimes against humanity? 

Some people and some reporters think it is a good idea to protest a funeral.  For the reporter it is a paycheck on a situation that is blood boiling mad for the protesters.  Anger feeds headlines and sells newspapers.  It sells well till you think it out.  

A funeral is the time for the family to bury their dead.  They had nothing to do with the madness of Tamerlane Tsarnaev.  They will carry the guilt of his actions till the day they die with great shame.  Some people say that he should have been cremated.  That is against not only Muslim religious belief but also Catholic religious belief.  Add a ton of other religions that believe the body should be returned to the earth and you get one conclusion.  Burial.

There is no logical reason to protest a funeral unless you are as radical as the Wesboro Baptist Church that thinks it is okay to protest every dead soldiers funeral.  Burying your dead is a hard time for any family.  That is a time when we as American's draw the line.  We do not prey on the family of our enemies.  We are not the monsters of other peoples creations.  Does protesting a funeral or showing utter contempt that the bomber is dead change anything?  It does not.  Screaming and shouting your message to a family member that had nothing to do with the crime is dishonorable and wrong.    

I have been a member of a great organization for over ten years that I have 100% pride in.  I feel no shame for having my name or blog associated with it.  I'm talking about the Patriot Guard Riders.  Our mission is to honor the family of our nations fallen military.  This organization was formed to combat Westboro Baptist Church and their protests at funerals for our fallen sons and daughters, family members in uniform.  Patriot Guard Riders only show up to keep the WBC protest out of sight of the family burying a loved one.  And only at the request of the family.  Their mission has expanded to more interactions but you can get the full message by Google searching Patriot Guard Riders and joining us.

Protesting any funeral to sell your message is wrong no matter how angry you are at the person about to be buried.  It makes you party to the same madness as the WBC.  America is a changing experiment and we need to find our way that is right because we think it is the right way to be.  Not because someone showed so much hate for us that he died for being wrong.  American patriots die every single day in uniform but few care.  Protest that by showing up for the family supporting them during a time of grieving.  Walk into the funeral home and just thank the family for their loved one. That is a message that Tamerlane Tsarnaev never understood.  They were wrong.  We as a people are right because we have honor and respect for all faiths and all traditions no matter your origin.  That includes burial.

Protesting a funeral, no matter what reason or logic you think is right is wrong.  Grahm Putnam and Mahoney Funeral home was doing what is right by offering to bury the dead for a person that was once a human being to his family.  They took the job on because nobody else would.  They do the same thing for people that nobody else cares about.  The homeless, people with no family, people that are Jane Doe or John Doe.  I applaud them for standing up and taking the heat.  Everyone on this planet deserves a respectful burial or service even if nobody shows up or even cared.  Please don't ever point a GP&M as a funeral home that is anti American.  They by far showed that we are American.  Think about it.

Papamoka

Pat Robertson On Muslims

Is Pat Robertson nuts or is he pandering to the fear mongers? No matter how you look at it he is spreading hate of an entire people based on the fact that a few of them are just nut jobs? I'm Irish and some of us Irish are very difficult people to deal with, aka stubborn, head strong, throw a punch first. Does that make us all total jerks? Hell NO!!!

In this video Pat Robertson equates all Muslims to the Nazi's of WWII and that is just wrong no matter how you slice it. If you have to play the Nazi card to sell hate of a religion you think is an abomination then you lose the argument. His thoughts are complete bigotry and this poor man is pandering to closed minded people.



Why is it that people like Pat Robertson that claim to be Christian sometimes say the most un-Christian things? Makes no sense.

Muslim Graveyard to Good for Terrorist

When I first saw this piece from the UK Times Online I nearly dropped my jaw to the floor. Finally, we have a Muslim group that refuses to accept terrorism even post mortem after a terrorist attack. The local cemetery in Mumbai India is refusing to allow the terrorists in the horrible attack to be buried in their Muslim cemetery. Good for them!

Murder is not allowed in the Muslim faith just as it is not allowed in the Christian and Jewish faith’s. For that matter any religion or dare I say atheist thought process. And yet time and time again the faithful allow the monsters to be buried next to the devout followers of their faith simply because they do not recognize the ultimate sin after the killer has died. I’m all for pulling a middle ages tactic and draw and quarter the scumbags and scatter their remains to the four corners of the world. There is no honor in terrorism that is based on killing innocent people and there should be no respectful burial for terrorists. Over at the Times Online they have this on it…

Times Online
December 1, 2008
Muslim graveyard refuses to bury terrorists in Mumbai

Nico Hines, and Rhys Blakely in Mumbai

A Muslim graveyard in the heart of Mumbai has broken with Islamic tradition and refused to bury the bodies of nine terrorists who were killed during the attack on India's financial capital.

The influential Muslim Jama Masjid Trust, which runs the 7.5-acre Badakabrastan graveyard, said it would not bury the gunmen because they were not true followers of Islam.

Hanif Nalkhande, a spokesman for the trust, said: "People who committed this heinous crime cannot be called Muslim. Islam does not permit this sort of barbaric crime."

At least ten gunmen killed nearly 200 people in a series of coordinated attacks that began on Wednesday evening and swept south Mumbai. The strikes targeted two luxury hotels, the city's main train station, a hospital and a Jewish centre. - Times Online

My congrats to the faithful in Mumbai that have taken the strongest step possible in declaring terrorism an abomination of the Muslim faith. This madness has to end and if it begins in a faith hi-jacked by madmen then it must end with a declaration by good men and woman from that same faith.

I’m reminded of Jay Severin of 96.9 FM WTKK radio in Boston declaring that “If all Muslims are not terrorists why are all terrorists Muslim.” I had to paraphrase that because I thought it was race bating and religion bashing. But that is how Jay entertains his listeners.

It is up to the faithful in the Muslim faith to cast out the thought and idea that terrorism against their fellow man is the only answer. Innocent people died just because these people wanted to murder someone for some cause that had no bearing on the lives they destroyed. Extremists have taken over every faith to date in one form or another at one point in time. It is up to those that believe in the faith to put it back to where the original message stood firmly.

I thank the Muslim people in India for refusing to honorably bury these animals and monsters that killed innocent people just because they could. It’s a beginning.

Papamoka

McCain Hate Based Base

Over the years writing this blog I’ve talked with many people that are true Republican’s but I am thankful that none of them have ever called me a Communist, a Socialist, or threatened my life. I’m a moderate Liberal Democrat but I don’t wear it on my sleeve. I don’t have to because my friends know me, appreciate me just as much as I appreciate them. Matter of fact, beyond politics, I could sit in the living room of any of my Republican friends and enjoy a few beers and our favorite sporting event on the television. There is no difference of opinion when it comes to who needs to win the game when the Patriot’s or the Red Sox are playing! Good times, good friends, and just outright good people.

This election is getting pretty ugly and I don’t like it one bit. Both sides are just as guilty at flinging the mud and false accusations and both parties are missing the main point! Our nation is in the beginning of a financial crisis not seen since the great depression. Our nation is at war, our troops are in harms way no matter what side of the war argument you believe in. This is not the time for bickering and bitching over the fence of who said what, or who started it, and who is going to finish it! One thing I do see is the anger is flowing over to the populace and the people following the campaigns. Video like this just makes me sick…

Video Link



I find myself in a difficult position. For one, I don’t agree with John McCain on many issues across the board but I would never call him a hate monger. I don’t agree with Governor Palin on the right of Choice by a woman but I don’t find her position offensive to me. I do not agree with Senator McCain’s tax cut plan other than the fact that I don’t think millionaires and corporations like Exxon need it more than my family of seven does. Barack Obama’s tax plan and health insurance plan is far more agreeable to my family budget than that of John McCain. I’m not going to label McCain a Socialist for offering just a different version of each because he too has a plan to help American’s out.

I do consider which of the two candidates comes off as more confident, better at communicating what message they have to offer, and more willing to talk to all Americans on any of the issues I care about.

One of the things I take serious offense to is anyone calling Barack Obama a terrorist, a Muslim, and a Socialist. For that matter to “Kill him!“ as heard at many McCain and Palin rallies. This is where I could find myself going over the edge on all the qualities that should be heard on who the “Real John McCain” is.

When the supporters of John McCain call for the death of Barack Obama I get emotional and think of the Kennedy brothers that died at the hand of assassins. Radical people with radical thoughts. Stirring up the dregs of the political party and saying nothing when this kind of language is brought up at your political rallies is indefensible. Not once in all of my posts have I said “Kill em!” in any political thought, discussion, or argument with the opposing political party. It’s called reasonable discussion of the issues we all face as American’s!

If the same offensive language were used against John McCain at any Obama rally, my Republican friends would be wanting arrests made and people interrogated for treasonous actions against the election of our American President. And they would be righteous in doing so! The silence is deafening in the McCain campaign.

So what is the Secret Service doing when these threats against Barack Obama's life are made?

Papamoka

CORRECTION: John McCain is taking this issue onto himself at his Rallies and he earned my respect in doing so.

Obama‘s Fear of Muslims

With the right wing conspiracy rampant on the fear and labeling of Barack Obama as a Muslim it was not inconceivable for his political campaign staff to ask two Muslim women to take another seat. Seats not in view of the camera while he spoke. It’s politics and you don’t hand your opponent a weapon that they have already chosen!

Feeding right into this controversy is the main stream media with their own version of political correctness. Excuse me while I just label this story as ignorant of politics and how the game is played. Look for the latest flier from the McCain camp running this issue up the flag pole while beating the we are family drum of his newly revamped definition of American values. Then watch for the Cheney and Bush ventriloquist show on McCain who used to have a voice on his own prior to the Bush endorsement. You might have noticed the President choking back on a little bit of bile during that speech. AKA a little bit of vomit in the back of his throat.

This little two bit story feeds to the ignorance in knowing who the candidates are and only proves out that Karl Rove is alive and well and working for John McCain.

Obama apologizes to Muslim women barred from seats
Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:36pm EDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama apologized on Thursday to two Muslim women who were barred from sitting behind the podium where Obama was speaking because they were wearing Islamic headscarves.

At a campaign rally in Detroit on Monday, Shimaa Abdelfadeel and Hebba Aref were prevented by volunteers from taking seats behind Obama that would have been in view of television cameras, apparently because of their headscarves.

"I reached out to Ms. Aref and Ms. Abdelfadeel this afternoon," Obama said in a statement. "I spoke with Ms. Abdelfadeel, and expressed my deepest apologies for the incident that occurred with volunteers at the event in Detroit."

Obama said the volunteers' actions were "unacceptable and in no way reflect any policy of my campaign." - Reuters

President Bush has had a history of public speaking engagements where it was and is by invitation only. It makes for good publicity and news broadcasts when you hide the fact that most Americans hate him and his policies concerning our nation. You can Google search that fact. Senator Obama is only guilty of having a political campaign staff trying to stem the ignorance that he is not a Muslim.

If you think I’m kidding about the Obama ignorance factor when it comes to his religion then just ask someone at random. When you hear the replies then by all means quote facts and not innuendo or some commercial put out by a group that is motivated just to end the possibility of change in America. Change in the American way of life comes with a price and that price is education and the truth that bares no obligations to any political party.

What I find ironic about all of this issue is the fact that we are looking at a shiney object over here and forgetting the fact that this nation is in a world of trouble. Our country is broken and the answers to the problems is not in what you see but in the thoughts to make it better and not worse. While John McCain is telling you what to fear, being Bush 3.0, Barack Obama is telling you what you need to hear. That is the difference between the two of them running for President of these here United States of America. Obama is telling the truth while McCain hopes you believe the spin.

Papamoka

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Arab Teachers Need Not Apply

Back in the day in the turn of the century the infestation as it was called, of the Irish and Scotch in America was a blight on the lower and middle classes of America. By sticking together as families they joined together with other families and given the time that needs to pass they inserted their lives, their history onto the fabric that is America. The Irish and the Scott’s were not alone in this effort. People from many shores foreign to our nation assimilated to the rules and laws and worked the system as they should have.

God bless them all for becoming Americans! If not for the many nationalities and their sacrifices then we would all be tea sipping European snobs with an attitude that would make the Cheshire Cat throw up. Canadian’s might just look up to us but that is a stretch.

Racism in America is not just against people of a different skin color. Religion, lands that any religion come from can scare the simplest of minds if they are told to fear it. It is so easy to spread fear when waving the flag in defense of your position given the violent act against America that was September 11th . Fear is easy, knowing the difference between extremist and an American Muslim educator are two very different things.

In the doorway to America there is a very ugly battle that is going on and fear is at the heart of it and it is happening in the schools started to change racism against an Arab, a Muslim, a Middle East culture that is not attacking America but trying to assimilate.

Over at the Washington Post they have this to say about this educator stepping down because of her faith and her commitment to her school…

In New York, a Word Starts a Fire
Arabic Educator's Brief Defense of 'Intifada' T-Shirts Makes Her a Target

By Robin Shulman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 24, 2007

NEW YORK -- The goals were clear when Sheneen Jackson enrolled her son in one of the first public schools in the nation to focus on Arabic language and culture. First, her 11-year-old would master Arabic. Later, doors would open for him in government and diplomacy -- maybe a job at the United Nations, international travel, the prospect of contributing to Middle East peace.

Instead, Jackson discovered that the distrust and tension that infuse many Middle East issues had tainted the Brooklyn middle school.

"It's unfortunate, but I know a lot of people in New York are sensitive," Jackson, 33, a Verizon technician, said of the controversy over the school. "That's the whole premise of the school."

Officials had no sooner announced in February the formation of the Khalil Gibran International Academy than conservative columnists and media outlets attacked, suggesting the principal -- an observant Muslim Arab woman -- might push an agenda of Islamist extremism.

Snip-a-Rooooooo

Daniel Pipes, a pro-Israel conservative who created Campus Watch, a Web site dedicated to exposing alleged bias in university Middle East-studies programs, wrote in the New York Sun that the school would cause problems because "learning Arabic in [and] of itself promotes an Islamic outlook."

A group called the Stop the Madrassa Coalition coalesced in Brooklyn to fight it. Various blogs, Fox News, the New York Post and the New York Sun variously probed Almontaser's background and editorialized against the school. - Washington Post

Please read the entire piece at the Washington Post! Think about it and read on here…

Let’s call this what it is and put it out in the open. Is the Arab and Jewish fight still going on in America for the sake of calling someone else Un-American? This isn’t about being an American as much as it is attacking another American out of fear of what has been going on for thousands of years over there. This isn’t there and that is not hear! America is the melting pot of the world for a reason and we tend to accept other people from all over the world for a reason. That what makes another nation weak makes America stronger. Why that happens is not about separation of our people as much as it is about being a true American.

Can we all take a page out of the immigrant Irish Catholic’s to America and immigrant Irish Protestant’s book and pretty much say that the children of those immigrants have forgotten the hate of days and lands long gone? That s just one very obvious example.

While all of our nations nationalities have melted together and families gather for their religious belief and start schools to promote their faith, should we fear them for doing so? I don’t honestly think so. Catholic Schools populate every city in America and so do Jewish learning schools. If your family is fortunate enough your kids can go to private schools that promote your family values and sense of belonging. It’s just people gathering in an educational format that is familiar and comfortable to them as a community.

When people tell you to be afraid of any community or religion or race, then they have no clue as to who or what that community they are attacking believes or inspires their children to be as Americans. Fear of the unknown is easy, selling fear and anger is easy if you tell people who is to blame and declare them Un-American..

You can call yourself a true American no matter how many generations you are down the ladder when you accept the fact that the Statue of Liberty welcomes all. There is no limitation or religious requirement to come to our nation and become an American citizen. Spreading hate from whatever religion you demand is better than another is not American and never should be. Our shores are for all people and Americans that convert to the Muslim faith do not automatically hate people of other religions.

Religion is the battle that is over there, it isn’t here! That is the difference between living in America and living in the Middle East, a place where you could be killed for being a Christian, a Jew, or a Muslim. Freedom of religion is something our founding fathers did not limit to just the chosen faiths. They left the doors open for all.

Think about it.

Papamoka

Other folks talking about Arab issues in America...

But perhaps what is most interesting and dismaying is the sentiment simmering underneath the fear expressed by Mohammed and other New York Arabs that the community is caught in its own terrible crucible, not unlike the ordeals of predecessor communities, like the Italians, the Japanese, the Irish, and the Jews. Dozens of conversations with Arabs of different national backgrounds yield variations on the same theme. "Everyone had to suffer. This is just our time."
Many of the people interviewed for this story refused to give their last names or to have their pictures taken; this included those who had registered and claimed to be "in status." Many said they feared retribution from the authorities for speaking out, implying that being in the U.S. legally is a favor that can be taken away for speaking out of place. - The Village Voice

Feel free to link to this post…

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Are all Fatwa Declarations Legitimate?

Picture courtesy of Guide Instanbul

Over the past few years we have herd of the term Fatwa from the Muslim people of the middle east and it intrigues me to learn what a Fatwa really is. Step in and correct me if I am wrong and please comment if I am wrong!

My former line of thought was that a Fatwa was similar to Jihad and yet now I find that they are two very different things. Seeing that we are at war with a nation and I presume an entire region I would think that it might be a good idea to educate ourselves as to what these terms that are thrown around by our so called enemies mean.

I don’t have anything against someone that chooses to be a Muslim or was born a Muslim. I don’t have a problem with someone born in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia or any other Muslim based theocracy and nation. Reading up on the faith that is Islam it is a very proud and non violent faith. Much like the Christian Bible, the Koran can probably be interpreted ten ways to Sunday and none of the interpretations is correct.

Take for instance the first Commandment of the Christian faith. Thou Shall Not Kill. If America is a religious Christian Faith society then according to this Commandment we should not have an army to defend us? No offense to all of my friends in service to our nation in the military intended. No pink slips will be issued to those in the military based on this post… Trust me on that one. My interpretation is very wrong but could the same mistake be made with the Koran?

Over at the Washington Post they explain what a Fatwa is from someone that should know…

Sheikh Ali Gomaa: When each person's unqualified opinion is considered a fatwa we lose a tool for reigning in extremism and preserving balance of Islamic law.
Almost two years ago the citizens of London were victims of a great atrocity. Those who perpetrated those crimes would like you to believe that they were inspired by the religion of Islam. Nothing could be further from the truth.

There is nothing in Islam that could ever justify these blatant acts of aggression. Islam calls on Muslims to be productive members of whatever society they find themselves in. Islam embodies a flexibility that allows Muslims to do so without any internal or external conflict. This is why we see a vast variety of cultural, artistic and civilisational phenomena all of which can be described as Islamic, ranging from the Taj Mahal in India to the winding streets of Fez to the poetry composed by English converts that represents not only the rigor of English verse, but also encompasses the beauty of Islamic piety.

This flexibility is not just present in the cultural output of Muslims; it is an integral part of the Islamic legal tradition as well. In fact, you could say it is one of the defining characteristics of Islamic law. Islamic law is both a methodology and the collection of positions adopted by Muslim jurists over the last 1,400 years. Those centuries were witness to no less than 90 schools of legal thought, and the 21st century finds us in the providential position to look back on this tradition in order to find that which will benefit us today. This is one of the first steps in the issuing of a fatwa (religious opinion/ruling). - Washington Post

So I’m a little bit wiser today than yesterday. Fatwa is a religious opinion and or ruling on the religion of Islam. Islam is a religion that changes over the course of time and its history is relevant to the changes declared with a Fatwa.

So now I have to find out who is the equivalent of the Pope to find out how these Fatwa’s are issued and made part of the permanent Islamic law. Can anyone that is a Cleric issue a Fatwa? According to the article that is not the case. I’m wondering if the same rules apply as to all of those Jihad’s that everyone talks about in the Middle East?

My main point of this post is to think more about who we as a nation are as a target of Islamist misunderstanding of Americans as a people. If we can find the common links for change so two people can exist with understanding of one another then that is for the good of all people.

Papamoka

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