Palace and Mosque
I got off a plane in Washington on Thursday night at 11:00 p.m. and caught a cab from Reagan National to the Grand Hyatt in downtown Washington. My cab driver was a Muslim gentleman from Somalia, who was anxious to tell me his thoughts about the debate. His basic point was that both Bush and Kerry were too much into being "warriors," and when was someone going to speak about "peace and prosperity"? Anyway, it was a cordial talk, and I was careful not to say anything that would offend him or hurt his feelings, less because he was a Muslim, and frankly more because he was my cabdriver, and I generally think it's good manners to be deferential toward people who are providing you a personal service.
Friday I had a very short hearing in the D.C. Superior Court and then had four hours to kill before my plane trip back to Milwaukee, so I went to the National Gallery of Art, which is always wonderful. One exhibit in the East Wing was particularly striking: entitled "Palace and Mosque," it presented art and artifacts of Islamic civilization -- rugs, pottery, tiles, etc. -- all quite beautiful and presented with extreme deference to the Islamic religion.
Friday afternoon, then, at the airport, I had a very nice chat with a pretty young girl who was making me a Caffe Mocha while I waited for my flight. She was also a Muslim, from Ethiopia.
Anyway, because I was flying to Washington on Thursday night for the hearing, I had missed the Presidential debate, but I caught much of the post-debate gnashing of teeth and caught up on the blogs yesterday. One thing that leapt out at me (and many others) was Kerry's notion that we shouldn't have nuclear bunker-buster bombs if we are trying to keep terrorists from getting nuclear weapons. The logic of this is an inescapable moral equivalence between us and them. We can't be trusted with keeping the peace any more than they can.
My question is: can you imagine a respectful presentation of Western art in Iran? Saudi Arabia? Syria? Isn't it interesting that, after 9/11, America remains respectful and even protective of the feelings of citizens and visitors who happen to be Muslim?
There is no moral equivalence. We are the good guys. John Kerry doesn't seem to "get it."
Friday I had a very short hearing in the D.C. Superior Court and then had four hours to kill before my plane trip back to Milwaukee, so I went to the National Gallery of Art, which is always wonderful. One exhibit in the East Wing was particularly striking: entitled "Palace and Mosque," it presented art and artifacts of Islamic civilization -- rugs, pottery, tiles, etc. -- all quite beautiful and presented with extreme deference to the Islamic religion.
Friday afternoon, then, at the airport, I had a very nice chat with a pretty young girl who was making me a Caffe Mocha while I waited for my flight. She was also a Muslim, from Ethiopia.
Anyway, because I was flying to Washington on Thursday night for the hearing, I had missed the Presidential debate, but I caught much of the post-debate gnashing of teeth and caught up on the blogs yesterday. One thing that leapt out at me (and many others) was Kerry's notion that we shouldn't have nuclear bunker-buster bombs if we are trying to keep terrorists from getting nuclear weapons. The logic of this is an inescapable moral equivalence between us and them. We can't be trusted with keeping the peace any more than they can.
My question is: can you imagine a respectful presentation of Western art in Iran? Saudi Arabia? Syria? Isn't it interesting that, after 9/11, America remains respectful and even protective of the feelings of citizens and visitors who happen to be Muslim?
There is no moral equivalence. We are the good guys. John Kerry doesn't seem to "get it."
posted by PDB at 11:23 AM
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