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And what an incredably brave thing for her to say, especially in that situation.

I just wanted to hug her when she said it. Such depth

I have always prided myself that I am not prejudice or hate any group of people. My best friends are black, my doctors are Indian and so is my Vet, and I go to dance clubs owned by Arab's and get along great with the owners. But I shamefully have to admit I get furious when I see women forced to wear those long black robes in public on a hot summer day with only their eyes showing and there husband is in short sleeves and could pass for the average American. I want to rip that thing off her and put it on him and when I see battered women full of bruses in the supermarket and their husbands saying put that back or I'll slap you right now, I want to take some brass knuckels out of my purse and give that guy a beating he never thought would come from a woman. I am prejudict and I don't care about their color or what God they believe in. I hate, let me say that again I HATE men who treat women worse then animals. I swear I want to hurt them. I rally want to hurt them and I guess that makes me as bad as they are so yes I am prejudise.
My husband hates to take me to places where I have to see these women as we live near where they all live, and I have personally got into some mens face and told them off, I keep hornet spray in my tote bag purse in case I get attacked and a flowered box cutter. I'd never hurt some one but i tell them off and if they attack me, I will use my wepons. I hate abusive men. So I am prejudice. I don't hate the women in those robes but I want them to stand up and say No it is a hot day and I'm not wearing this, you wear it you S.O.B but then I grew up in a place where you had to be tough to survive. Sometime some of these women shoot their husbands and then themself as it is their only way to be free of them. It is terrible but I understand the frustration and the feeling of no way out when even the family won't support you.

Don't our politicians, people who would want us to do their bidding, encourage this kind of blanket condemnation. Were not Germans all evil in World War II and did we not send Japanese Americans to internment camps. The only good one was a dead one. Before that, what about Native Americans who had the arrogance and unmitigated gall to live here before the Europeans arrived. The only good Indian is a dead Indian they would say. The Vietnamese were gooks, and oh the stories I heard when their immigrants first began to appear.

Oh we are not the only ones. Why would a person fly an airplane into the world trade center? Why would several? There are places in the world where Americans are encouraged to keep a low profile. The only good American is a dead American.

Remember the campaign when everyone jumped all over Obama for a couple of excerpts from Reverend Jeremiah Wright? I actually went back and listened to those sermons in their entirety. Frankly they were pretty good and not at all as portrayed by the media. One in particular is pertinent to this discussion.

In it the passage was quoted Psalms. Here in Rev. Wright's own words:

"Look at the verse, Verse 9: 'Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rocks.' The people of faith, by the rivers of Babylon, how should we sing the Lord's song if I forget thee? The people of faith have moved from the hatred of armed enemies, these soldiers who captured the King, those soldiers who slaughtered his sons and put his eyes out, the soldiers who sacked the city, burned their towns, burned the temple, burned their towers. They moved from the hatred of armed enemies to the hatred of unarmed innocents. The babies. The babies. Blessed are they who dash your babies' brains against a rock. And that, my beloved, is a dangerous place to be.

"Yet that is where the people of faith are in 551 B.C. and that is where far too many people of faith are in 2001 A.D. We have moved from the hatred of armed enemies to the hatred of unarmed innocents. We want revenge. We want paybacks and we don't care who gets hurt in the process."

He goes on to trace throughout history where governments have used G_d as an excuse to exact revenge over wrongs committed. He goes on and people missed this, to say that we confuse G_d's law with man's law. Governments do not speak for G_d. But there is a mighty price to be paid for killing out of revenge.

Now I'm not even a Christian, but his remarks resonated with me. I recall hearing a talk once by a man who had fought in WWII. He believed the propaganda like so many others. Part of his role was dropping bombs over Dresden. After the war, he went to Dresden to visit the scene. It was then he realized that there was no such thing as a just war. We began the war speaking of the atrocities by the Nazis. Yet as we fought, we were transformed and it was we who committed atrocities all in the name of G_d and country.

I keep a copy of the Qur'an handy just to counter the various lies I hear about it and about Islam. The killers are indeed terrorists and criminals. In some cases national interests are involved. It is not Islam itself.

Most everybody seems familiar with the Nietsche quote: Stare long enough into the abyss and the abyss stares back into you. But there's another by him i prefer that is not quoted as often: When hunting monsters we must take care not become monsters.

Feywon- That second quote rings such a bell with me.

I tell people we are all prejudiced against somebody. We may not have met them yet. We seemed programed to want to protect ours against any others. Protection more often than not is a resort of force or coercion of some sort.

It is rare to see love and forgiveness offered instead. Takes a huge amount of character to offer kindness and healing instead of hate. What an awesome individual!!

The killers are indeed terrorists and criminals. In some cases national interests are involved. It is not Islam itself.

Labrys, that argument was one I made in another group, and the vitriol I received as a response to it was the reason I left. Apparently to some people, all Muslims are evil terrorists, none should be trusted, the suspicion Americans feel and the mistreatment some Muslims receive is all justified. It was sickening. And for any American to feel differently made them just as "bad." It's the hatred of a group that I take issue with. That is ignorance.