While I think understanding an unreasonable position will not ultimately help in defense against terrorism, it may help prevent us from becoming like our enemy.  Updike has released a new book... an excerpt is below.  As I read the excerpt, I can only say, that as I travel to other parts of the world, I must admit, I have had the thought that we do pose a threat to some.  Our freedom is interpreted by many as "evil."  It is worth a read.

Terrorist
By John Updike

Devils, Ahmad thinks. These devils seek to take away my God. All day long, at Central High School, girls sway and sneer and expose their soft bodies and alluring hair. Their bare bellies, adorned with shining navel studs and low-down purple tattoos, ask, What else is there to see? Boys strut and saunter along and look dead-eyed, indicating with their edgy killer gestures and careless scornful laughs that this world is all there is—a noisy varnished hall lined with metal lockers and having at its end a blank wall desecrated by graffiti and roller-painted over so often it feels to be coming closer by millimeters.

when will they ever grow up?

It's unfortunate that when a person's beliefs are so fragile that they have to project their vulnerabilities onto others to the extent that they can only solve their problem by destroying the others.

Radical Islamist do it today.

Hitler and Stalin did it 60 years ago.

Anarchist did it about 100 years ago.

Our government even does it today to an extent.

Crusaders did it 800 years ago.

Sorry to say, there's nothing new here.

Somehow, I guess we'll survive, it's just a damn shame that so many moms have to mourn.

for people that interpret our freedom as evil. I understand your point but I refuse to forgive them for not understanding that freedom comes at at very great price.

We have to tolerate certain "evils" in order to maintain free speech, freedom of expression, freedom in general. These terrorists don't realize that we will fight and die to maintain our freedom with greater ferocity than they can imagine. Fanatics of all kinds just don't get it.

Many within our country think that we can "reason" with the fanatics.  The point of this post is to provide a look at "how they think."  If you understand "how they think" you will come to realize that for many fantical extreemist Muslims, it would be better to annihilate every living thing on the face of the earth rather than permit, in their view, abominations of God's creation....  of course that is not my view, but I would ask those who sit on the left most portion of the political spectrum... "how do you deal with that?  especially if you don't even acknowledge that is their belief?"  Understanding is to help fortify us...

Please do not mistake this post for support of extreemist views, far from it, it is a warning of what we now face and a caution to not let ourselves become like minded!

if John had asked me, I'd say:
If the shoes fits.....

Maybe he'd appreciate the title.  I think I would.

I find it odd that the most like minded people in the US to the extrmemists are our own ayatollahs of the Christian right. Well, maybe not so odd.

In any case, I don't find it puzzling that either of these group look at askance at much of western society, I find it a bit appalling at times, but I don't plan to fly any planes into someone's office tower.

I just try to ignore it, if I can and immerse myself in my own culture.

Some day this will settle down and we can find a new circus to keep us busy.

In the meantime, it looks like bombs away.

Methinks Mr Updike needs to spend some time in the Muslim world.  The Ahmads I met were really nice guys. One spoke 5 languages, including Japanese, fluently. Had a great time swapping stories over a good scotch whisky.  I am puzzled by the connection of bare bellies and god...Flyrod