There have been many drawings of Mohammed

It has come to my attention that drawings of Mohammed are quite common. Also satirical ones as this one:

The caption says, in French:
Mohammed (being carried away by devils): "It is a judicial error!
I am Mohammed, the prophet!"
St. Peter (with a scimitar through his chest): "Definitely: GUILTY!"

I got the image from this link, where many other images may be found. If you are offended - too bad. Get used to it.

Now basic freedoms are being lost in Denmark

I have just read a surprising article from Ekstrabladet. This newspaper is usually not to be trusted and I hope the news are false.

It is a thinly masked threat from the internal Danish Secret Service (PET).

People are advised to think twice before participating in demonstrations against Muslims. Otherwise you may be considered part of the extreme right.

PET is afraid of the situation escalating.

So while the Muslims promise death and torture, terrorism and bombs while burning Danish flags and brandishing weapons - peaceloving Danes should abstain from using their right of freedom?!?

Update: No the news are not false. Albeit written a little differently in other newspapers. I stand by my analysis. It is a threat.

The story that must not go away

Dear Mr. Prime Minister of Denmark,

I have been proud of the way you defend the right to free expression. But it made me sad to hear you try to compromise and nearly apologize. Basically you have said: It should not have been done and you're happy the newspaper apologized.

But at least you have not apologized. Still - it does not look that good anymore.

You have asked to all in Denmark (and outside?) to stand together and to resist actions that can lead to hate.

I do not wish to lead to hate - but I do wish to have a couple of points made in this case. Free expression is free. The inevitable confrontation between the Western and Muslim world must be made clear to all Westerners (Muslims know already). Do not hate the Muslims but do not ever let them decide what is freedom.

Thus I am happy to announce the sale of t-shirts with the picture of Mohammed:

You can order them here. They are sold by a German company.

We will yet have the cartoons hanging on every other lamppost in the free world.

The people hating because of this image are the people needing to have their heads mended.

On the Internet the support of Denmark is growing

Hundreds - maybe thousands of blogs are now starting to lend their support to Denmark.

American Thinker
Little Green Footballs
History News Network and buy Danish
On the Third Hand
The Brussel Journal

Maybe Danish exports will even grow because of this.

Check out some of the Danish sites fighting back. This one is in Danish and is "transmitting" from a temporary site as it has been attacked by Arabs:
Uriasposten

Here is one in English:
Viking Observer

Further developments on the Danish-Arab upcoming war

Unfortunately the Danish newspaper has now apologized for upsetting the feelings of the one billion muslims. Max one billion, as I am sure a number of decent Muslims are not that upset and there "only" are a Billion and a bit. Of course the lying Muslim spokespeople are claiming billions of upset Muslims.

The Editor-in-Chief of the Danish paper, Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, Carsten Juste has expressed apology to all Muslims for the drawings published by the paper and deemed offensive to Islam and Muslims. "In our opinion, the 12 drawings were not intended to be offensive, not were they at variance with Danish law, but they have indisputably offended many Muslims for which we apologize," Juste said on Monday.

No matter thousands of blasphemous Muslim drawings and discrimination and even killings of Christians in Muslim countries.

The Danish prime minister last night did not apologize, but did state he did not like the drawings and would never himself have published such drawings. The pressure has become too large - not at least from the appeasing socialist opposition and the economic interests.

I might not have published the drawings either, then, I think. But now I would. And I thank Jyllandsposten for having had the guts to do so. This was a very necessary test of free expression. A test Denmark is very close to failing unless something similar is published soon again.

Of course Muslim terror organisations are now threatening Denmark. Danish flags are burned by Muslim thugs shooting Kalashnikovs into the air and demonstrators are demonstrating their humanity chanting "Danes to the grave".

Maybe we should for a little time shred some of our civility and once for all start working on getting rid of the Muslim problem.

In Denmark there has, as in the Muslim countries, been many SMS campaigns. Not to boycott Danish goods but to boycott Muslims. Alas the only boycott possible is against local businesses. Not very fair even if understandable. I thought one message outrageous but also funny in a tragic way:

To all Muslims in Denmark! We understand you and stand by you. Do as your ambassadors. Boycott Denmark and go home. This would be a manifest we would all notice...

I feel sorry for the moderate and decent Muslims living in Denmark and around the world. A minority with few possibilities not to become the scapegoats in the coming conflicts.

Why does the point of view of Muslims receive so much attention?

Amazingly the world view point the last many years have largely been controlled by the Muslim and especially Arab countries. How this has come to be is a mystery. Of course there are more than 50 Muslim countries and they thus have a heavy vote in the broken United Nations. The Arab countries also control a lot of money. The oil has been in dispute in the cold war and thus let the Arab countries accrue much importance.

But consider that the muslim countries have some of the most barbaric regimes in the world and also have some of the most barbaric costumes in the world - it is still hard to understand the level of influence.

Muslims have not, to my knowledge, made any significant attribution to technology, peace, knowledge, art, literature etc. - ie. civilisation for the last 500 years or so.

To illustrate I want to show a bit of an article from the latest edition of the Danish newspaper, "Weekendavisen". It was written by Jesper D. Jensen og Klaus Wivel. Well done.

I have done the translation as well as I could:

“The moral compass of the UN has been broken for decades. The world organisation does not mirror an objective standard for international justice. 'It mirrors the total sum of the political interests of the member states at a given time.’ [Dore Gold, ex. Israeli UN ambassador]

While there has been particulary horrible infringements of human rights in Tibet, Cambodia, Rwanda and other places without any mentionable UN protests, Israel has been condemned again and again by the world organisation. Israel continues year by year to ignore practically all UN resolutions that commonly conclude that Israel is breaking international law, ruthlessly has suppressed the Palestinians and is a threat against both the regional and global stability.

During the 59. Assembly of the UN 2004-2005, 19 Israel critical resolutions were passed, while not a single was passed condemning the ethnical cleansings and mass murders in Darfur in Islamic Sudan. Israel is without comparison the country that through the history of the General Assembly has received most condemnations.

For the past last years the average has been 20 resolutions, and since the creation of the UN the General Assembly has condemned Israel with around 500 resolutions - or around half of all resolutions concerning comdemnations of a country. These numbers are from official Israeli statistics and the UN UNISPAL database.

The General Assembly started having emergency sessions in 1956, and since then 5 out of 10 have been about Israel. In comparison there were no emergency sessions in connection with the murder of a people in Rwanda, the ethnical cleansings and mass murders in the former Yugoslavia or during the last years of barbarism in Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives.

The Israeli critical tendency has also manifested itself through the UN Commision on Human Rights in Geneve. Over the last 40 years around 30 percent of the comission's resolutions, comdemning named countries, have been targeting Israel. In comparison the lack of human rights in the Arabic countries or China has been the object of few resolutions.”

If the reader is interested in an another viewpoint on the Israelic-Arabic conflict then try to look at this website.

Frankly, I for one am fed up with barbarians and religious fanatics. And the worst ones at the moment are Muslim.

Letter to muslims

I found this blog, Enough, with an article, that I find interesting in explaining the situation on the 12 drawings.

When will the war start?

The newspaper drawings are causing increasing tensions:

• The Liberian embassy has been closed in Copenhagen
• They are burning Danish flags in Palestine
• They are walking on Danish flags on the pavements in Palestine
• They are warning Danes and other Scandinavians to leave Palestine with 48-72 hours
• The Danish ambassador has been called in for discussions by the Jordans
• The following countries are now known to boycott Danish products: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Liberia. But there are probably more
• The EU office in Palestine was occupied by armed men for a brief period
• Stones are thrown at Danish company trucks in Saudi Arabia
• Two Danish Company employees were given a beating in Saudi Arabia
• The Danish state department publish travel advisories for Arab countries containing strong warnings.
• The European Union is becoming involved
• The organization of Muslim countries are asking for a United Nation resolution against Denmark.
  

There is a "buy Danish" campaign on the Internet. Not that it really is necessary. Only a meager 1% of Danish exports go to Arabs. Last year Danish exports all over grew by 10%.

Muslims are hurting themselves. A "don't buy Muslim" campaign is growing in Denmark. But as Muslims don't really produce anything in their own countries except for oil extraction - the result is a boycott of Muslim restaurants and shops in Denmark.

The Danish government fortunately still refuses to apologize. The Syrians of course demand the responsible people (the newspaper people and artists behind the drawings?) to be punished and stopped. I presume they would be shot or worse in Syria.

Presidential elections in Portugal

This picture of the candidates must have taken guts ;-)

I have followed the local presidential elections with some interest. In reality the Portuguese president has few real powers. He has power to dissolve parliament and a weak power of vetoing laws and little else. But he is the head of state and has an important symbolic power.

My favorite, Cavaco Silva, won the elections. I like him because he seems a serious guy and has proven his capabilities as prime minister for 10 years. Not that I agree with all his political ideas at all, but at least he has once proven to have leadership qualities.

He is an economics professor and that Portugal needs! Also the first right wing democratic elected president of Portugal ever.

This election was a message to the politicians. Party supported candidates were rejected. Politicians in Portugal are rightly ill perceived. An independent candidate came in as number two with over 20% of the vote. His name is Manuel Alegre and seems to be a man of integrity.

Finally I detested one of the alternative candidates who came in as third: Mario Soares. Once I highly respected him, even not agreeing with his political ideas. A founder of the socialist party. An adversary of the dictatorship. Ex-prime minister and Ex-president. An intellectual of importance.

But then I followed his political campaign and read his political commentaries of the last years. I think his true nature matches the dirty campaign he has led. I no longer think of him as an honest man. Also I now understand how his son is the way he is. Arrogant and a dirty campaigner as well - followed by scandals. Obviously the apple has not fallen far from the tree. Maybe people who know Mr. Soares better than I will state that he was different in his younger days. So I hope. A pity he now has lost the fame of a statesman.

Michael Jackson fits right in

Michael Jackson in Bahrain. This is a really fun picture to look at until you look at his little child next to him. Poor kid.

It fits fine with my image of the Muslim world - though I must admit that Mr. Jackson is a product of the Western world. He is of course a mental case. And now he has come home. But watch out Mr. Jackson! You might wear a female dress, a burkha, but do not let the religious police catch you in the womens restroom.

Newspaper drawings

Here we go ago again. Amazingly the story of the newspaper drawings continue.

In Saudi Arabia newspapers and the state television are asking consumers to boycott Danish goods. The Saudi Arabian ambassador has been called home for discussions.

In Norway a Norwegian newspaper also has published the 12 drawings.

Of course the Norwegian Government which is all composed of left wing, pacifist, coward hippies has sent an apology to be presented by its ambassadors in Muslim countries. I am sure the next step will be an arrest of the editor of the Norwegian newspaper. Well, actually I think not. But I am not sure.

Anyway this is one great opportunity. The fire has been lit. Let us all hope for more provocations. What about a cartoon of Mohammed on TV? T-shirts with the image of Mohammed? Or the worst of all. Shoes with the image of Mohammed on the sole. I would wear them for one. What about some good jokes about Mohammed? Or what about telling the truth? According to old writings he was a blood thirsty pedophile!

This would lead to a immediate crisis between the western world and the Muslim. This crisis is inevitable anyway. It would permit us to close all relations with the undemocratic Muslim countries in the whole world. If we were lucky, it would also mean a large percentage of Muslims would leave our countries. And at least it would mean no more Muslims coming to take advantage of the European welfare programs.

So when the Saudi ambassador comes back to the Copenhagen Airport - send him back! I say it again: Send him back! Denmark will be a better place because of it. And so what if Denmark looses a few billions worth of trade with the Muslim world. It is unethical dealing with evil people!

Lets get the construction of nuclear powerplants and the conversion of coal to gasoline going. Then we can tell to Arabs to go to hell and stay put in their miserable sand box.

Now of course it could also lead to a popular uprising in the Muslim world. The clerics would be stoned and the politicians shot. Thus we could maybe see something new: Democratic Muslims with some respect for human life and differing opinions. By then they could be welcome again in the western world. But does anybody really believe that is possible?

55 years in jail for selling marijuana

A 25 year old young man was in the USA sentenced to 55 years of jail for selling marijuana. See here and here.
Now when reading the story it is obvious Mr. Angelos is no saint. He did commit a crime selling marijuana three times while being armed and would have sold more if not stopped. But consider this:

• Marijuana is a very light drug, alcohol is worse IMHO.
• He did not brandish the gun
• He has no prior offenses
• He is a young man
• He is a father
  

Consider also, that other offenses such as second degree homicide or child molestration would have given much smaller sentences.

This is one crazy world. At least I think a young man should have one more chance as in a light sentence, when the crime is so light.

In Denmark a father has been renting out his 10-11 year old daughter for sexual services to a number of perverted men. While the father is still waiting for a sentence, those perverted men have been receiving sentences of between 12-16 months . Even in Denmark this has shocked. Especially considering the maximum penalty for this crime is up to 12 years. Why on earth did the judges give such light sentences? A while ago somebody cheating in tax was not only forced to pay his dues, and a huge fine but also given 5 years of jail...

How can cheating in tax be considered 5 times worse than sexually molesting a child?! This is one sick world.

Concerning justice I cannot but wonder on how people are treated differently depending on sex, race, social status, crime, where they live and pure chance. This is not a just world.

I wish Mr. Angelos and his children a happy life. After all, when Mr. Angelos is 80 he can take his kids to the zoo again.

For my pilot friends

The German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a short-tempered lot. They not only expect one to know one's gate parking location, but how to get there without any assistance from them. So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways 747, call sign "Speedbird 206".

Speedbird 206: "Frankfurt, Speedbird 206 clear of active runway."

Ground: "Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven."

The BA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.

Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?"

Speedbird 206: "Stand by, Ground, I'm looking up our gate location now."

Ground (with quite arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, have you not been to Frankfurt before?"

Speedbird 206 (coolly): "Yes, twice in 1944 -- but I didn't land."

Zero tolerance

Proof of global warming

Reorganizing?

A client of mine is reorganizing for the nth time. Otherwise unrelated it made me think of this quote:

"We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganization; and what a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralization.''

Supposedly by the Roman Petronius Arbiter, who died in 66AC

A story that will not go away

This is an old story now being presented in the New York Times. But still very much relevant. I described it in some detail in November on this blog. But briefly it concerns the largest Danish Newspaper publishing 12 drawings of Mohammed as a test of press freedom. As you can see in the one above - not flattering at all. You can see all the drawings here.

The reaction was extreme. Death threats, a Pakinstan award for killing the artists, Arabic outrage - 11 Arabic ambassadors sending a protest to the Danish government, outrage in the Arabic League and so forth. All because you are not allowed to draw Mohammed.

Fortunately the Danish PM answered back to the ambassadors, that Denmark has press freedom and his government no power to control content. But of course they would be welcome to try the Danish juridical system.

Of course, later on, the United Nations through a French (!) spokeswoman has condemned the drawings. This followed by an Italian (!) EU commissioner. What can you expect from the political correct fearful left wing appeasing pacifists!?

Finally the pressure for the Danish government has become too much and the Danish foreign minister has sent a letter to the Arabic League expressing his respect for Islam and that Denmark does not wish any conflicts. Not an apology - but I wish he had not.

One should of course not ridicule any religion just to hurt peoples feelings. But in this case and many other cases - it has little to do with religion and much more with politics and freedom. Islam is not only a religion but also a political system in our world. Any time that religion enters into politics - it must be treated the same as politics. That means open to criticisms and even ridicule.

I suggest we publish the 12 drawings all over the Internet and eventually on every other lamp post in the world. Thus we might send a signal that can not be ignored.

Future of Europe

With around 90% of all European Christmas presents manufactured in China or nearby we must wonder what to live on in the future. I would say not manufacturing Christmas presents.

On the other hand why not tourism? We can sell experiences to a few billion Asians along with portwine, champagne and feta cheese. Some years ago it seems we were invaded by the nice Japanese but just imagine having 400 million Chinese or so coming to visit each year....

Notice these 2005 visitor numbers from Louvre: 3.5% Japanese visitors but 4% Chinese!

By the way France and Spain are the two most visited countries in the world. I have read numbers of 50 and 40 million tourists per year respectively.

PS. Dear fellow Europeans: We must now all acquire national costumes and use them daily to be as picturesque as possible!

Atomic Power

The tragedy of the coal miners in the US made me wonder on the dangers og fossil fuels. How many people have died or die every year because of fossil fuels? We talk big numbers: Coal mine accidents, train and car accidents, exploding storage facilities, war and environmental damages. According to a recent statistic fossil fuel pollution will cost alle Danes at least nine months of life-expectancy.

If you discount the brain-washed Russians responsible for Chernobyl, how many people have died or are dying because of nuclear power? It is darn close to zero! And contrary to popular belief it pollutes much less.

One can only wonder on human madness. We pollute our planet and millions die just because of a wildly exagerated perceived danger spread by a small minority of left wing flower power radicals. The truth is that most people simply do not understand the questions involved.