Sunday, April 30, 2017

Heretic by; Ayaan Hirsi Ali

(Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now) I have watched her in a debate, the subject of which was “Is Islam a Religion of Peace” there were knowledgeable speakers on both sides. At the end the audience was requested to deliver their conclusion. Overwhelmingly it was that Islam is not a religion of peace. One of the most compelling points was when the audience were reminded that to attend the event they were submitted to checks such as we go thru at Airports. She has written three other books, the one I read and reported on was “Infidel”. She repeats some of that in this book as necessary to assure the reader that her background gives her credibility to write as she does. In reviewing other articles I have written describing my thoughts on how evil this religion is today, I will not restate these facts. If you are not aware you should be. Pretending it is not true is not the correct thing to do. Rather I will mention that she does report in the last chapter that she has reason to hope that the Muslims of the world can turn away from violence and become a respected part of humanity. There is no denying that much of what is written in the Old and New Testament contains support for actions which today we cannot accept, but that is exactly the point she is making. While Christian and Jew adherents have rejected these writings the Muslims as a group have not. Taking the world back 700 years and forcing these rules on people today will only continue the carnage being seen in countries all over the world especially in Western nations that have provided generous benefits to refugees from the Middle East. Those who willingly sacrifice their human lives for eternal bliss in the hereafter are tragic figures in my opinion. All you and I know is the here and now of our existence. To throw that away is irrational. She mentions the names of a number of Muslims trying to encourage people to reject Jihad as the way to preserve their religious beliefs. I recommend this book to any who wants to learn more about what is happening today. Jack B. Walters April 30, 2017

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Legislatures are making a big mistake by allowing Public Funds for Religious Education

Arizona and other States are passing legislation using public funds to be spent by parents for the education of their children in religious schools. They should be allowed to spend their own money but not the public’s. On our State tax form we can designate to have some of our tax given to religious schools. This includes Christian, Jewish and Muslim schools at $546/person or $1092/ family. In 2009 the Arizona Supreme Court rejected it but it was overturned by the Federal Supreme Court in 2011 Now in 2017, Arizona has passed legislation providing tuition of $5,700/year for private and parochial students. This is open to all students. Parochial refers to Catholic schools. Having established the precedent, there is nothing to prevent any religion from receiving the same treatment. I am sure the Supreme Court would rule in favor. Jack B. Walters April 26, 2017

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

The above prohibits discrimination against people who come from countries other than the U.S. It also applies to State, Local and private industry. According to Wikipedia in 2013 the State of Michigan employed 45 speakers who could speak Arabic. Dearborn has a large percent of their population who speak Arabic. California, New York and Illinois also have populations requiring Arab speakers. Go to Dearborn welfare programs and you will be directed to English, Spanish or Arabic. I am writing this short memo to criticize this program. It is only in the past eight years that the Arab speaking population has increased dramatically. Do you really believe that any Americans other than a very few can actually speak Arabic? My guess is that those who are employed by Government who can are Arab immigrants themselves. Can you really believe that they would deny benefits for their people? Because of the tremendous cost of education, immersion in English should be mandated. This is a critical issue that must be addressed before it gets completely out of hand. Jack B. Walters April 19, 2017

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Hero of the Empire by; Candice Millard

This is the third book written by this author. The others are; Destiny of the Republic and River of Doubt. Now I have read them all. She is an excellent writer using great research to provide interesting facts and intimate details that add to the authenticity. Rather than attempt to write my own review I will only write the following found on the jacket. “At age 24, Winston Churchill was utterly convinced it was his destiny to become Prime Minister of England one day, despite the fact he had just lost his first election campaign for Parliament. He believed that to achieve that goal he must do something spectacular on the battlefield. Despite putting himself in extreme danger as a British officer in the colonial wars in India and Sudan, and as a young journalist covering a Cuban uprising against the Spanish, glory and fame had eluded him.” “Churchill arrived in South Africa in 1899, valet and crates of vintage wine in tow, there to cover the brutal colonial war the British were fighting with Boer rebels. But just two weeks after his arrival, the soldiers he was accompanying on an armored train were ambushed and Churchill was taken prisoner. Remarkably he pulled off a daring escape--but then had to traverse hundreds of miles of enemy territory, alone, with nothing but a crumpled wad of cash, four slabs of chocolate, and his wits to guide him.” “The story of his escape is incredible enough, but then Churchill enlisted, returned to South Africa, fought in several battles, and ultimately liberated the men with whom he had been imprisoned.” For those of you interested in history as I am I strongly recommend this book to you. Mine is available on loan. Jack B. Walters April 5, 2017