starting somewhere

I'd been toying with the idea of starting a blog; on the nebulous theme implicated by the title—taken from a book by one my favourite Australian historians. But more on that later. 

Today's post is a roughly edited response to the unprecedented riot-protest in Sydney on the weekend. Well unprecedented for Sydney. That kind of crap goes on in a lot of other countries, and has been pretty popular lately. In case you missed it, there has been "a wave of protests over an anti-mohammed movie". But any excuse will do I reckon. It doesn't take much to whip some faithful Islamist hate mongers into a frenzy. And that in Sydney it coincided with a conference convened by Hizb ut-Tahrir heralding the immanent establishment of the global caliphate cannot be overlooked.

In a funny way I'm quite relieved there was all that madness in the CBD over "the movie".
Now that other people are talking about Islamist nut jobs we are in less of a minority for knowing that they're out there. And despite the glorious possibilities of 'taqyyia' I am taking at face value (nice that they show them) the statements by mainstream muslim spokespeople (following the riots) saying they have nothing to do with the extremist protesters. One muslima on the ABC (national TV) even shared some mainstream (basically Christian) cultural norms in saying that typical mainstream moslims (whom she was representing) "like the prophet" do not react to insults with violence. I mean it was more 'turn the other cheek' than anything I've read the prophet actually did! But I'm assuming it's the hopeful truth about the Aussie muslim mainstream. 

As the riot-protest proved, obviously the nut jobs are out there. And thank Christ (if you'll pardon my blasphemy) for free speech since it allows us all to see what other people think, and judge for ourselves. Without it they'd be burning crosses in the night. Perhaps literally. My favourite irony from the media coverage was the guy at the 'protest' annoyed at the police for apparently disrupting his right to free speech... and sharing his opinion about the need for limits on it... in another country.

Get a trial subscription to The Australian or search the Jerusalem post for Caroline Glick. Her article 'US in denial over embassy murders' fills in the MSM blanks on the latest spate of worldwide criticism-sensitive Muslim riots. Actually "a film didn't cause the violence, it was an act of revenge by al-Qa'ida." No doubt about it (the date it all kicked off seems better remembered in the middle east than in the west). And yet the Democrats are 'sorry' about some US citizens enjoying their first amendment rights (to make low budget documovies)! WTF? There must be Democrat re-election campaign money in it!

There's more 'good news' in The Australian and elsewhere today. It's clearing my pessimistic head. Real Australians and humanist westerners are actually affirming our values in response to this 'movie madness' and the Democrat's US muslim vote buying/OIC pandering. I would champion the writers of a few articles if I had more time tonight. But there is now space for that here later. For one, I will be reading more from Kevin Donnelly of the Education Standards Institute. Tony Abbot is my preferred PM for the things he says on this and similar issues. The surprise for me was the impressive statement from Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, who "...will consider deporting foreign troublemakers involved in weekend protests by Islamic fundamentalists in Sydney." Yes! Is this from a politician comfortable enough in his seat to represent his constituency and his conscience? Not what I've come to expect from his side of party politics. Maybe there's cause for hope on the left after all.