The Culture Wars in the Schools
(31Aug05) “….Teachers who have been taught in tertiary faculties steeped in political correctness have had, and are having, a significant impact on schools. As a result, instead of receiving an objective and balanced educa tion, students are given a one-sided view on issues like peace studies, history, multiculturalism, the environ ment, feminism and the class war.” The Culture Wars in the Schools by Kevin Donnelly (Quadrant April 2005) “….Those committed to political correctness argue that the mainstream Anglo-Celtic cultural tradition (represented by folk tales like "The Three Little Pigs") is inequitable, socially unjust and biased in that it fails to properly recognise and value the culture of so-called oppressed groups like Indigenous Australians, women and recently arrived migrants. Ignored is that "disci pline and hard work" might be worthwhile attributes to promote in young children….. The key values outlined in the ( Queensland ) SOSE document include; democratic processes, social justice, ecological and economic sustainability, and peace. Such values are interpreted from a left- wing, new-age perspective. Students are taught:
• that "knowledge is always tentative",
• that they should "deconstruct dominant views of society" and "critique the socially constructed ele ments of text",
• "how privilege and marginalisation are created and sustained in society", and
• how "the consumer of a text is positioned" and to consider "the possibility of who may have been marginalised by authors".
The Left's descent in to the Abyss
(31Aug05) “If the Left were able to think straight, it would see who its real enemy is—and it's not George W.Bush. As it is, the Left races towards the dark horizon, unfailingly convinced that the enemy of its enemy must somehow be its friend……” The Left's descent in to the Abyss by Rob Foot in Quadrant March 2005. “Sometime in the course of the twenty-first century, and probably sooner rather than later, the Left will have to confront the fact that it made the wrong call on almost every geo-political event of global significance during the previous hundred years. Coming to terms with this reality is going to be extremely painful for such rational members of the Left as still remain on deck….….Intoxicated by its own zeal, though, the Left just couldn't see it, even if plenty of other people could. One of the most difficult things for the Left to explain, when the time comes, will be its refusal to heed the warning voices, clearly audible from the 1920s on. Even more discomfiting will be the need to reflect on the extent to which murderous and, indeed, plainly insane regimes—such as that which still rules in North Korea—were buttressed in their dystopian fantasies by the knowledge that the intellectuals of the West supported them.”
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(26Aug05) “….Marx meets Mohammed. High theatre meets low farce….The evolving Black-Red alliance is growing in France , Germany and Belgium . But, based on the successful British model, it is now going global to declare war on the war on terror The Unholy Alliance Revealed ” by Douglas Davis, The Spectator “.. Points of potential disagreement between the hard Left and radical Islam - democracy, human rights, xenophobia, free-expression, feminism, homosexuality, abortion, among many others - would seem to pose insuperable barriers to the union. Not so. The hurdles have been neatly vaulted in the interest of mutual hatreds: America , Israel , globalisation, capitalism and imperialism. Anti-Semitism is never far from the surface….. 'Islamists in the West have skilfully used the tools of intellectual intimidation to build an inviolate wall around Islam, giving it a sacred status that brooks no criticism.”
The Dream of multiculturalism is over
(26Aug05) “…The immigrants who began coming to Europe in the 1950s because European governments and businesses encouraged their mass migration, are profoundly alienated from European society for reasons that have little to do with the Middle East and everything to do with Europe .” The Dream of multiculturalism is over by David Rieff “…The European vision of multiculturalism, in all its simultaneous good will and self-congratulation, is no longer sustainable. And most Europeans know it. What they don't know is what to do next ….Figuring out how to prevent Europe's multicultural reality from becoming a war of all against all is the challenge that confronts the Continent. It makes all of Europe 's other problems seem trivial by comparison …”
The “Arab Mindset” and the Art of Evasion and Self-Deception
(22Aug05) "The world has changed drastically, but we haven't. We refuse change and resist it…..After every terrorist act, the same old faces pop up and repeat the same broken record: “the Mossad,” “Zionism,” “America,” “international conspiracies!” Don't they get tired or bored? The “Arab Mindset” and the Art of Evasion and Self-Deception by Dr. Abdul Hamid al-Ansari ( translation by Tony Badran )
Why would the rest of the world conspire against us, when it is us who need them and not the other way round? The “Arab mindset” has become immune to change, having mastered the art of evasion, trickery, and self-deception in the face of all the challenges that lie ahead before we can overcome our depressing situation."
(16Aug05) “…Canadian natives, as the most comprehensively wrecked minority on the continent, are a microcosm of everything that's wrong with multiculturalism. The premise of multiculturalism is that all cultures are equally ‘valid', but of course that's bunk: some cultures are better, some are worse, some are successes, some are failures.” All men are not equal by Mark Steyn in the Spectator “…By pretending that all cultures are equal, multiculturalism doesn't ‘preserve' traditional cultures so much as sustain them in an artificial state that ensures they'll develop bizarre pathologies and mutate into some freakish hybrid of the worst of both worlds.”
Peter Jennings' Unfortunate Legacy
(16Aug05) “…While the rest of the world is blindly singing Peter Jennings' praises, here's a reality check: Peter Jennings did more for the cause of Islamic terrorism than any media figure today…..From the beginning of Jennings' career until his death, his biased coverage went beyond the pale, bending over backward in "understanding" the terrorists who hate us” Peter Jennings' Unfortunate Legacy by Debbie Schlussel www.frontpagemag.com “ I always say, pillow talk is the most effective form of political speech. And it apparently had its effect on Jennings early on. When developing and heading up ABC's Beirut headquarters, Jennings "dated" Palestinian Hanan Ashrawi . And it colored his insidious, anti-American, anti-Israel coverage ever since.”
(16Aug05) "[ Jennings ] hosted what looked like a little intercontinental tea party for alleged experts on the Middle East, one of whom was professional Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi, whom Jennings hailed as 'widely known in the United States .' Also widely disliked. The ABC's of Media Bias "It's no surprise that ABC News anchor Peter Jennings allowed Palestinian proselytizer Hanan Ashrawi to peddle propaganda on his program -- she used to be his girlfriend. U.S. News & World Report noted in 1991: 'In the early 1970s, when he was single and head of the ABC bureau in Beirut, Jennings dated Ashrawi, who at the time was also single and a graduate student in literature at the American University in the Lebanese capital. Jennings was introduced to Ashrawi's parents and sisters and became part of her circle of friends.
(15 Aug 2005) 'If there is anyone who might possibly have an inkling as to what al-Qaida are up to, it is the Jordanian journalist Fouad Hussein.' What al-Qaida Really Wants By Yassin Musharbash , from Spiegal Online. 'Hussein has not only spent time in prison with al-Zarqawi, but has also managed make contact with many of the network's leaders. Based on correspondence with these sources, he has now brought out a book detailing the organization's master plan. '
Undercover in the academy of hatred
'During a two-month undercover investigation The Sunday Times has amassed hours of taped evidence and pages of transcripts which show how Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed and his acolytes promote hatred of “non-believers” and “egg” their followers on to commit acts of violence, including suicide bombings.' Undercover in the academy of hatred in The Sunday Times by Ali Hussain and Jonathan Calvert. 'The evidence details how his group, “The Saviour Sect” preaches a racist creed of Muslim supremacy which, in the words of Bakri, aims at one day “flying the Islamic flag over Downing Street”….. In his two months with the sect, our reporter witnessed a gang of Bakri's followers brutally beating up a Muslim who challenged their views…. Integration with British society is scorned, as is any form of democratic process . Followers are encouraged to exploit the benefits system . They avoid jobs which could bring them into contact with western women or might lead them to contribute to the economy of a nation they are taught to despise…. Bakri sighed. “So, London under attack,” he said. Then, leaning forward, he added: “Between us, for the past 48 hours I'm very happy.”' (13Aug05)
Abbot and Costello in today's world
(10Aug05) A variation on the famous "Who's on First?" sketch updated for today's world, which is all over the Web. Abbot and Costello in today's world
Muslims are right about Britain
(6Aug05)“…They despair of the metropolitan mix of gay rights and lager louts. And they despair of the liberal establishment's unwillingness to face the facts and fight the battle for manners and morals….The alienation felt by young blacks and Asians is not a result of any intolerance shown towards them, but of the endless tolerance of those who would allow everything and stand up for nothing. It is the excesses permitted by a culture spawned by the liberal Left that have produced a generation that feels rootless and hopeless.” Muslims are right about Britain By John Hayes in the Spectator . “.. .A sickening decadence has taken hold. People's sense of identity has been eroded as our traditions and the institutions that safeguard them have been derided for years. People's sense of history has been weakened by an education system that too often emphasises the themes in history rather than its chronology, and which indoctrinates a guilt-ridden interpretation of Britain 's contribution to the world….”
Everyone Always Misunderstands Islam
(3Aug05) “Why is every time we see an act of terror, or every time a non-Muslim questions Islam, it is simply because we do not understand Islam? Perhaps to the dismay of some Muslims and many Liberals, we are not as uneducated about the religion and cultures that practice terror.” Everyone Always Misunderstands Islam by Peter Fisher. “We also know the history of Mohammed and his lifestyle better than we are assumed to know. So Liberals and Muslims, what is it about Islam we are supposed to know that we do not now understand? They dislike the way women dress? Move back home. Dislike they way we teach our children? Go back home. Dislike the way we practice freedom? Dislike our religion? The border works both ways.
Do not try and infiltrate Western culture and attempt to change it by means of terror. We are who we are, and we do not have to change for anyone, any religion, any other culture.”
Fundamentally, we're useful idiots
(3Aug05) Elements within the British establishment were notoriously sympathetic to Hitler. Today the Islamists enjoy similar support. In the 1930s it was Edward VIII, aristocrats and the Daily Mail ; this time it is left-wing activists, Fundamentally, we're useful idiots by Anthony Browne “... Islamic radicals, like Hitler, cultivate support by nurturing grievances against others. Islamists, like Hitler, scapegoat Jews for their problems and want to destroy them. Islamists, like Hitler, decree that the punishment for homosexuality is death. Hitler divided the world into Aryans and subhuman non-Aryans, while Islamists divide the world into Muslims and sub-human infidels…..The two fascisms, one racial and one religious, one beaten and the other resurgent, are evil in both their ideology and their methodology, in their supremacism, intolerance, belief in violence and threat to democracy
Muslims who hate us can get out
(3Aug05) “….If they don't like our way of life, there is a simple remedy: go to another country, get out. There are plenty of other countries whose way of life would appear to be more conducive to what they aspire to. They would be happy and we would be happy" Muslims who hate us can get out from The Scotsman, "There are plenty of other countries whose way of life would appear to be more conducive to what they aspire to. They would be happy and we would be happy.”