Think Progress

Saudi Prince Calls Murdoch And Changes Fox News

During last month’s street riots in France, Fox News ran a banner during a news segment, reading: “Muslim riots.” Billionaire Saudi Prince al-Walid bin Talal, who owns 5.5% of Fox News, was unhappy with the tagline:

I picked up the phone and called Murdoch… (and told him) these are not Muslim riots, these are riots out of poverty. Within 30 minutes, the title was changed from Muslim riots to civil riots.

Talal gained notoriety after 9/11 when he blamed U.S. policies for the terrorist attacks.

Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti refused to confirm or deny that the call took place but “acknowledged the network changed the banner after receiving complaints.”



172 Responses to “Saudi Prince Calls Murdoch And Changes Fox News”

  1. Andrew says:

    That photo is just begging for a caption contest…


  2. John Ehrlichman says:

    The Prince is right in his correction, though I’m surprised he knows how to pronounce the word ‘poverty.’


  3. NocturN says:

    fox news – news according to its owners


  4. wisedup says:

    NEWS for sale…..and the winning bid is: da prince! Freedom of the press?…hmmm…does that mean freedom to BUY the news you like?….I DON’T THINK SO.


  5. kindness says:

    I find it curious that I’d be supporting a member of the ruling Saudi clan but good for him.

    Hell, if dumbya signed onto the Kyoto Protocols for greenhouse gasses, I’d support him in doing so. I’d also wonder which parallel universe I was in, but, I don’t think I’ll ever have to worry about that with this administration.


  6. Jealous of Jeff says:

    Caption Contest: “You know we really like Mr Bean in my land, some even say I look like him”


  7. Jealous of Jeff says:

    Caption Contest: “These riots are out of poverty. Now watch me score this high-class call-girl”


  8. David says:

    Interesting. Faux can’t be bothered to report the truth, but apparently if you have enough money, and own some stock, you can get the news you prefer.

    Caption: “Oh, you meant that Bush…”


  9. IraqVet says:

    Well, we know that MONEY controls FAUX news, and now we have the Middle East calling the shots!

    One can ONLY wonder how much they are calling the shots in the WH! Anything from Bandhar Bush???


  10. NocturN says:

    caption contest: “There’s birdshit on my rolls royce again”


  11. freedom is not free! says:

    Think Thats headline news, Look at this one. Roflmao

    allthough it isnt so funny.

    Bush: Iraqi democracy making progress; estimates 30,000 Iraqis killed.

    REALTIME Progress Georgie.


  12. freedom is not free! says:

    next headline news should read something like this.

    Bush: Iraqi democracy making progress; Annihilation of Iraq is Complete.


  13. freedom is not free! says:

    Think Progress contest: What will be the next Major News headlines in your opinion?


  14. freedom is not free! says:

    The NEW Iraq Demon-o-cracy(According to Bush?):

    an·ni·hi·la·tion ( É™-nÄ« ‘ É™-lā ‘ shÉ™n ) n. The act or process of annihilating.
    The condition of having been annihilated; utter destruction.


  15. Mark in IN says:

    Caption: “Can someone light a match, Bush or Cheney stunk up the place again”.


  16. Sharon Cox says:

    Is this the same guy, along with his wife that helped finance alquida and BenLauden.? Are these the same people that paid Baker in his white house office to represent him against the 9/11 survivor famalies law suit.? Is this the same guy that was tip toeing hand in hand with evil in chief through the cowards garden.? Can any one fill me in, I’m old, I loose track of all these peoples names……..Blessings


  17. progressive and proud says:

    C’mon trolls, let’s discuss the liberal media. Or, better yet, the fair and the balanced. Yeah, we only see you on threads that you have talking points for. I would love to hear your spin on this.


  18. Ryan Neat says:

    P&P,

    The trolls don’t have the guts to face this reality, they’re all cowards.


  19. Sharon Cox says:

    Hay Ryan, can you answer those questions for me. Your memory and knoledge is better than mine by far….Thank’s…


  20. Giacomo says:

    As far as I’m concerned, the root of the riots were because the individuals were poor and not because they were Muslim … I agree with the Saudi on this one.

    I would think that, in this case, Fox News chose the more “progressive” (and less inflamatory) tag line. If anything, this should make Fox look better, not worse.

    The significance of this story is not the source of the complaint, but that the complaint had merit, and the title was changed.


  21. Ryan the Angry Midget says:

    Giacomo,

    The reason they chose it was not to be progressive or less inflamatory or because it was the right thing to do. Do you think if I had called them and said “I am Muslim. Change that tagline because it’s technically incorrect”, that they would have done a thing? News to the highest bidder is NOT the right thing to do.


  22. I-RIGHT-I says:

    C’mon trolls, let’s discuss the liberal media. Or, better yet, the fair and the balanced. Yeah, we only see you on threads that you have talking points for. I would love to hear your spin on this.

    Comment by progressive and proud

    Your wish is granted. It’s fairly simple really and I don’t know why I have to tell you. There are two reasons. First and foremost Murdock is a practitioner of political correctness as is just about everyone on the planet who is in business and can’t afford to piss anyone off. It isn’t politically correct to point out that the riots are religiously based and not poverty based any more than it is to point out that blacks in this country riot because they like to not because they are making some kind of political statement about their relative poverty.

    Secondly…the Saudi royal family is all that is standing between us and the radical fundamentalist terror prone clerics that rule over the day to day life of the people. If there clerics were to gain power in Saudi Arabia they would make us go to war against them. We will not allow 50% of the worlds oil supplies to fall directly into the hands of a Muslim thugocracy. That is why we are in Iraq and will maintain a large military presence somewhere in the Middle East for the next fifty years. You hear it hear first.

    I’m not a big fan of Murdock, he’s not a conservative but in this case he did what he ought for the sake of the peace and the Saudi royal family.


  23. Average TV Viewer says:

    I follow this story closely. I email it to all the yahoo Fox watchers in my company. They deny it.


  24. I-RIGHT-I says:

    Can any one fill me in, I’m old, I loose track of all these peoples names……..Blessings

    Comment by Sharon Cox

    You’re lazier than you are old. Look it up.


  25. MichDem says:

    Isn’t he the Prince that offered 10 mil to New York for 9-11 and got turned down because he said the attack was caused by US policy . And for the caption , if you could pan down you’d see him holding a Stratocaster , he’s doing what us guitarist call chewwing on a note .


  26. Average TV Viewer says:

    “Saudi royal family is all that is standing between us and the radical fundamentalist terror prone clerics that rule over the day to day life of the people.”

    It’s always something just on the verge of wrecking your frailed brittle existance, isn’t it IRI? C’mon over to my place, IRI. I’ll show you how to defend yourself like a man.


  27. unbelievable says:

    #22

    First and foremost Murdock is a practitioner of political correctness as is just about everyone on the planet who is in business and can’t afford to piss anyone off. It isn’t politically correct to point out that the riots are religiously based and not poverty based any more than it is to point out that blacks in this country riot because they like to not because they are making some kind of political statement about their relative poverty.

    IRI, if that is the case, then why didn’t FOX do the right thing to begin with? Why did the Prince, the man with the money, the man with the power have to make a call to have it changed? Seriously…


  28. I-RIGHT-I says:

    I follow this story closely. I email it to all the yahoo Fox watchers in my company. They deny it.

    Comment by Average TV Viewer

    No reason to deny it. Who cares? Like most “breaking earth shaking “news”" on this site the story is a dog.


  29. Clyde the Ripper says:

    #9

    Bandhar Bush was last seen boarding Air Force One bound for Riyadh.

    http://www.storytimedolls.net/bushbeard.jpg


  30. Clyde the Ripper says:

    Admin,

    Sorry about the size. You may erase it as I don’t know how.


  31. unbelievable says:

    We will not allow 50% of the worlds oil supplies to fall directly into the hands of a Muslim thugocracy.

    Replace “Muslim” with “American Fundamentalist Evangelicals” and you’ve finally understood what we’re bitching about in here!


  32. I-RIGHT-I says:

    IRI, if that is the case, then why didn’t FOX do the right thing to begin with? Why did the Prince, the man with the money, the man with the power have to make a call to have it changed? Seriously…

    Comment by unbelievable

    Not everybody is as politically savvy as Rupert. Some editor ran a story and a headline. My guess is that normally Murdock gets the news from Fox the same as everyone else; he sits down and watches it.


  33. unbelievable says:

    PLEASE don’t erase the Bush composite.

    Clyde, I think I love you…. ;)


  34. TerrytheTurtle says:

    Who’s oil was that again?


  35. freedom is not free! says:

    Now this is News, Right IwhichwayI?

    Speaking Monday in the cradle of American democracy, Bush compared Iraq’s struggle to the plight of America’s founders and said that he still believed the March 2003 invasion was the right course of action.

    Bush praised Iraqis as they began to go to the polls for the third time this year despite the threat of violence from an insurgency that hasn’t subsided. (Watch Bush tout the effects of democracy in Iraq — 5:11)

    The birth of democracy is never easy, he told the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, which bills itself as a nonpartisan organization dedicated to educating the public on important national and international issues.

    “No nation in history has made the transition to a free society without facing challenges, setbacks and false starts,” he said. (Transcript)


  36. I-RIGHT-I says:

    Replace “Muslim” with “American Fundamentalist Evangelicals” and you’ve finally understood what we’re bitching about in here!

    Comment by unbelievable

    Call me when a Christian straps on a bomb belt or hijacks a 767 will you?


  37. Gregor Samsa says:

    I’m not a big fan of Murdock, he’s not a conservative but in this case he did what he ought for the sake of the peace and the Saudi royal family.
    Comment by I-RIGHT-I — December 12, 2005 @ 4:17 pm

    Murdoch is not a conservative? Are we talking about the same Rupert Murdoch, the CEO and majority stockholder in News Corporation -the company that owns Fox News Channel?


  38. I-RIGHT-I says:

    Murdoch is not a conservative? Are we talking about the same Rupert Murdoch, the CEO and majority stockholder in News Corporation -the company that owns Fox News Channel?

    Comment by Gregor Samsa

    That’s the one. Rupert is a businessman. He saw a need and filled it. End of story.


  39. freedom is not free! says:

    I whichway I, Do you call this MAKING PROGRESS?
    Bush: Iraqi democracy making progress; estimates 30,000 Iraqis killed


  40. I-RIGHT-I says:

    Who’s oil was that again?

    Comment by TerrytheTurtle

    Who’s asking?


  41. TerrytheTurtle says:

    OK, so let me get this straight, Fox News being part owned by Mr Abdul Bean here, has its message set by aforementioned Mr Bean whenever he wants. Now, lets see, when I watch Fox News what am I watching, the composite message as is accetable to the aforementioned paragon-of-liberal-democracy-and-human-rights Mr Bean? Fair-and-balanced, just like our 14th century, feudal society is fair and balanced?


  42. TerrytheTurtle says:

  43. MichDem says:

    I R I what do you call all the goings ons down in South and Central America in the past , that was terrorism too , and so was the crusades . Do a little research and you’ll see who invented terrorism .


  44. unbelievable says:

    #36

    Okay, what’s your number… George Bush, Christian, dropped bombs on Iraq. Do you want me to bring up Hitler again? Timothy McVeigh was Christian, as was Eric Robert Rudolph.

    Sometimes you and I get so close to a real conversation… and then, you assume things I don’t even think, much less mean. It’s not about ALL Christians. Some of them do do the wrong thing. Nothing is absolute. It’s the need for something to be 100% good or 100% evil that makes you so angry. There are people of all beliefs that are good and there are people of all beliefs that are bad. Just because he’s a Christian, Bush is not a good guy. And just because they are Muslims, they are not evil…

    Oh, and I don’t consider anything you watch on television to be the news…


  45. Andrew says:

    IRI what about those people that blew up abortion clinics? Oh and that guy who blew up that federal building in oklahoma, they were all christians right? the abortion bombers even did it for religious reasons!


  46. TerrytheTurtle says:

    #37, Gregor, I’d put Murdoch in the definition of ‘corporatist’ rather than ‘conservative’.

    “According to various theorists, corporatism was an attempt to create a “modern” version of feudalism by merging the “corporate” interests with those of the state. (Also see neofeudalism.)”

    There you have it. A corporation is simply put a big pile of money trying to become a bigger pile of money anyway anyhow, amorally

    Now when corporatism fuses with government, then you have fascism.



  47. TerrytheTurtle says:

    #45, 1996 Olympics, 1973 Venezuelan airliner, Saaba-Shaila Massacres 1982…oh and most of the 12th, 13th and 14th Centuries…I think someone already got that one.


  48. GEORGEWNIXON says:

    IRI, American Fundamentalist Evangelicals, don’t strap on bomb belts or hijack 747’s, they make you WANT to strap on bomb belts and hijack 747’s. It’s the Born Againers like Bush that cause me the most angst. They typically live a life of debauchery until they are grown (in Bush’s case, overgrown) and then want to hide behind a bible as some type of magic elixir for all the dirt they’ve done in their past. Alcoholism has cut the mans attention span down to that of a tv remote control and we as a nation have suffered for it.


  49. unbelievable says:

    #46

    Terry, don’t you mean ‘we’ have fascism? :)

    Well said!


  50. keefer says:

    Caption
    “George are you finished waxing my Rolls yet” ?.
    It’s nice to see Faux news give the news a “liberal” spin.


  51. freedom is not free! says:

    The vast and culturally diverse Asia and the Pacific region is home to 60 per cent of the world’s people. It encompasses the huge, rapidly industrializing economies of China and India, the remote, mountainous communities of Nepal and Bhutan and the small Pacific island countries. In the past two decades, spurred on by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the region has made great progress on both the social and economic fronts. But this overall progress marks wide disparities and stark contrasts. Hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty, yet hundreds of millions of others struggle to survive on less than $1 a day. Two out of every three people living in extreme poverty live in the Asia and the Pacific region.


  52. Gregor Samsa says:

    Terry,

    Point taken -I agree with your post and that’s definitely my view.

    I was trying to say that, since FoxNews is the conservative news source by excellence and Murdoch is at the helm, well, it would follow he is a conservative too.

    Now I am interested in knowing how IRI defines conservative. What is a conservative, IRI?


  53. Ryan Neat says:

    Digby, described IRI and other ‘troll’ definitions of ‘conservative’ quite nicely. It’s all ‘moral relativism’ and ‘political apology’ for the failures that are conservatism.

    Digby says: “’Conservative’ is a magic word that applies to those who are in other conservatives’ good graces. Until they aren’t. At which point they are liberals.”


  54. I-RIGHT-I says:

  55. Ryan Neat says:

    The first recorded cases of ’suicide terrorism’ were in fact jewish. There were roman recorded cases of where jewish men would walk up to a roman centurian who was in a crowd of centurians and stab or slice his throat. His fellow soldiers reacting on instinct would of course kill the ‘terrorist’ out of a natural reaction. The point of these exercises was to make the soldiers feel uneasy and in danger – just as modern terrorism aims to do.

    Ironic and sad isn’t it, considering modern day israel and who is ‘now’ playing the role of rome.


  56. Ryan Neat says:

    [Comment deleted by admin]


  57. Jay says:

    How interesting that the Saudi Royal family has that kind of influence over such a nationalis…..err….patriotic American entity. Wow, what with all that Christian freedom ringing over at FoxNews, I’m shocked they didn’t tell the Prince where to stick his opinions. Guess a 5.5% stake has its priveledges in the world of fairness and balance.


  58. TheWurmserTurns says:

    I’m shocked — SHOCKED!! — that a billinaire would buy access to the media!

    In a swipe at FOX News’s chairman and propaganda minister, my pal Gene Gaudette (who was talking about this nasty little story earlier today) quipped that “FOX News should change its name to ‘Ailes Jazeera!’”


  59. I-RIGHT-I says:

    Now I am interested in knowing how IRI defines conservative. What is a conservative, IRI?

    Comment by Gregor Samsa

    This is in my briefcase right now. It’s an amazing piece of work….It tells you exactly why we win and exactly why we’re better than you. I am please to be able to share it with the Walking Dead. There is no reason why you shouldn’t know why you’re all losers.

    The Conservative Mind: from Burke to Eliot (1953)

    Any informed conservative is reluctant to condense profound and intricate intellectual systems to a few portentous phrases;
    he prefers to leave that technique to the enthusiasm of radicals. Conservatism is not a fixed and immutable body of dogma,
    and conservatives inherit from Burke a talent for re-expressing their convictions to fit the time. As a working premise,
    nevertheless, one can observe here that the essence of social conservatism is preservation of the ancient moral traditions.
    Conservatives respect the wisdom of their ancestors…; they are dubious of wholesale alteration. They think society is a
    spiritual reality, possessing an eternal life but a delicate constitution: it cannot be scrapped and recast as if it were a machine.
    [...] I think there are six canons of conservative thought–

    (1) Belief that a divine intent rules society as well as conscience, forging an eternal chain of right and duty which links
    great and obscure, living and dead. Political problems, at bottom, are religious and moral problems. [...]

    (2) Affection for the proliferating variety and mystery of traditional life, as distinguished from the narrowing uniformity,
    egalitarianism, and utilitarian aims of most radical systems. [...]

    (3) Conviction that civilized society requires orders and classes. The only true equality is moral equality; all other attempts
    at levelling lead to despair, if enforced by positive legislation. [...]

    (4) Persuasion that property and freedom are inseparably connected, and that economic levelling is not economic progress.
    Separate property from private possession and liberty is erased.

    (5) Faith in prescription and distrust of ’sophisters and calculators.’ Man must put a control upon his will and his appetite,
    for conservatives know man to be governed more by emotion than by reason. Tradition and sound prejudice provide
    checks upon man’s anarchic impulse.

    (6) Recognition that change and reform are not identical, and that innovation is a devouring conflagration more often than it
    is a torch of progress. Society must alter, for slow change is the means of its conservation, like the human body’s perpetual
    renewal; but Providence is the proper instrument for change, and the test of a statesman is his cognizance of the real tendency
    of Providential social forces.

    He contrasts these core beliefs with those of conservatism’s opponents on the Left, the radicals of all stripes, who believe in :

    (1) The perfectibility of man and the illimitable progress of society: meliorism. Radicals believe that education, positive
    legislation, and alteration of environment can produce men like gods; they deny that humanity has a natural proclivity
    toward violence and sin.

    (2) Contempt for tradition. Reason, impulse, and materialistic determinism are severally preferred as guides to social
    welfare, trustier than the wisdom of our ancestors. Formal religion is rejected and a variety of anti-Christian systems
    are offered as substitutes.

    (3) Political levelling. Order and privilege are condemned; total democracy, as direct as practicable, is the professed
    radical ideal. Allied with this spirit, generally, is a dislike of old parliamentary arrangements and an eagerness for
    centralization and consolidation.

    (4) Economic levelling. The ancient rights of property, especially property in land, are suspect to almost all radicals;
    and collectivist radicals hack at the institution of private property root and branch.

    Thus, the playing field. He then goes on to an erudite, idiosyncratic and altogether beguiling discussion of the chain of men who have defended conservative ideas and resisted radical impulses from Edmund Burke, the sine qua non of the Right, to T.S. Eliot, the great poet and critic. Among the others whose thought he surveys are : John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Sir Walter Scott, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Randolph, John Calhoun, James Fenimore Cooper, Alexis de Tocqueville, Orsestes Brownson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Benjamin Disraeli, Cardinal Newman, Henry Adams, Irving Babbitt, Paul Elmer More, and George Santayana. Their styles, their particular concerns, their errors, their failures, their successes all vary widely, but the core principles that they seek to vindicate remain, unchanging. Pluck Edmund Burke from the mists of time and plop him down on Meet the Press this Sunday and he’d voice the same concerns about our society as he voiced about his own in the 18th Century. On the other hand, put Karl Marx on the Today Show and even Katie Couric would tear him apart. The enemies and the fetid ideologies that the conservative mind had to contend with were ever changing, a vast array of utopian daydreams discarded one after another by a Left that never admits the error of its ways, but merely moves on to the next destructive iteration of radicalism, secure in the delusion that this next attempt will achieve a “perfect” society, right here on Earth, while instead leaving piles of corpses in its blood-soaked wake.

    It seems certain that the Left will never bring itself to reckon with the conservative critique of the whole liberal impulse, but after Russell Kirk’s book, no one can honestly argue that such a critique does not exist. The very endurance and continuing relevance of conservative ideas suggests that, in fact, when the intellectual history of the West is written, it will be conservatism that is found to have been the most powerful philosophical tradition that our culture created. Whether that history is written by a free and decent human being may well depend though on the ultimate success of the conservative mind.

    http://www.brothersjudd.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/reviews.detail/book_id/1008


  60. unbelievable says:

    I bet the Prince gets to say “Happy Holidays” without any flack from O’Reilly…


  61. freedom is not free! says:

    You’ll see it my Way eventually:
    http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/

    16 And he gathered them together into a place called N.America17 ¶ And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
    18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
    19 And the great N.America was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nation fell: and great AMERICA came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
    20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
    21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and Bush blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.


  62. freedom is not free! says:

  63. Average TV Viewer says:

    Wow! What a large POST you have, IRI! You ain’t ‘fraid o nothin’!


  64. unbelievable says:

    #60 IRI

    As a working premise, nevertheless, one can observe here that the essence of social conservatism is preservation of the ancient moral traditions. Conservatives respect the wisdom of their ancestors…; they are dubious of wholesale alteration.

    So, you still think the earth is flat, then?



  65. freedom is not free! says:

    Bah! Humbug! Ebenezer Scrooge


  66. I-RIGHT-I says:

    I haven’t had a decent bowel movement since 9/11/2001.

    http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/


  67. I-RIGHT-I says:

    Wow! What a large POST you have, IRI! You ain’t ‘fraid o nothin’!

    Comment by Average TV Viewer

    I’ve just given a few of you something to think about. Try to not hurt yourselves.



  68. Average TV Viewer says:

    IRI,
    Please stop with the National Review garbage, will you? Are you just given to shiney prose or what?!


  69. unbelievable says:

    #69

    I hurt myself laughing… does that count?


  70. I-RIGHT-I says:

    So, you still think the earth is flat, then?

    Comment by unbelievable

    I think you’d have been flat if it weren’t for silicone.


  71. Ryan Neat says:

    [Comment deleted by admin]


  72. TerrytheTurtle says:

    “social conservatism is preservation of the ancient moral traditions.” Which ancient moral traditions are you protecting here I-R-I?

    “There’s nothing wrong with the South that a few thousand dangling from the nearest light pole Leftists wouldn’t cure.
    Comment by I-RIGHT-I — September 4, 2005 @ 1:08 pm”

    Acknowledgments to Gregor.


  73. freedom is not free! says:

    China stocks nukes as anti-U.S. tactic

    China is building up its nuclear forces as part of a secret strategy targeting the United States, according to a former Chinese diplomat. China’s strategy calls for “proactive defense,” and senior Chinese Communist Party leaders think that building nuclear arms is the key to countering U.S. power in Asia and other parts of the world, said Chen Yonglin, a diplomat who defected to Australia two months ago. A recent comment by a Chinese general shows that Beijing’s leaders are prepared to launch “a pre-emptive attack on the country considered a huge threat to China,” Mr. Chen said. Chinese Maj. Gen. Zhu Chenghu told reporters two weeks ago that China is prepared to use nuclear weapons against “hundreds” of U.S. cities if a conflict breaks out over Taiwan.
    I whichwaynow I
    I’ve just given a few of you something to think about. Try to not hurt yourselves.


  74. Rocky says:

    FOX NEWS – all the news special-interest money can buy?

    !


  75. Average TV Viewer says:

    Trust me, everyday you give us something to think about, IRI. But through it all one thing is clear:

    You are a first rate chickenhawk yellow bellied punk. You claim to be some super patriot but when it comes time to fight in the streets I hope it ain’t you that’s got MY back.


  76. freedom is not free! says:

    I whichwaynow I
    http://www.cedmagic.com/ featured/ christmas-carol/ 1971-toon-humbug-scrooge.html

    This You?


  77. Ryan Neat says:

    “(3) Conviction that civilized society requires orders and classes. The only true equality is moral equality; all other attempts
    at levelling lead to despair, if enforced by positive legislation. […]” MizzWrong

    This ‘thinking’ (or lack of it) lead to over a thousand years of abject poverty and the dark ages. It wasn’t until we broke from the idiocy and ignorance that modern and civil society sprang forth. You talk about ‘despair’, but history has PROVEN that this approach contains the greatest measure of despair for the greatest number of people.

    So once again your ‘delusion’ is ungrounded by history or intellect, but merely the feable rantings of a man locked into an ignorant and disproven dogma of Opus Dei (or as I like to call it OPUS penDEIho).

    You are an even more retarded fool than most could have imagined could possibly share the same country as ours. And your ‘ignorance’ would be interesting for a clinical pyschologist if you were in a padded room somewhere, where you belong…


  78. I-RIGHT-I says:

    IRI,
    Please stop with the National Review garbage, will you? Are you just given to shiney prose or what?!

    Comment by Average TV Viewer

    The book is a work of art. The fact is, there ARE NO great works of literature that do not contain conservative overtones.


  79. unbelievable says:

    #73 IRI

    I’m all natural, baby. Told you’d that YOU would be the one to be enamored with me… now you know why. Smart and sexy. No wonder you can’t handle me.


  80. dano347 says:

    “(2) Contempt for tradition. Reason, impulse, and materialistic determinism are severally preferred as guides to social
    welfare, trustier than the wisdom of our ancestors. Formal religion is rejected and a variety of anti-Christian systems
    are offered as substitutes.”

    IRI longs for the grand old traditions, “the the wisdom of our ancestors”; like witchhunts!


  81. Gregor Samsa says:

    It tells you exactly why we win and exactly why we’re better than you. (…)

    “Man must put a control upon his will and his appetite,
    for conservatives know man to be governed more by emotion than by reason. Tradition and sound prejudice provide
    checks upon man’s anarchic impulse.”
    Comment by I-RIGHT-I — December 12, 2005 @ 5:06 pm

    Emotion, tradition, and “sound” prejudice rather than reason.

    I guess that explains everything.


  82. I-RIGHT-I says:

    “This ‘thinking’ (or lack of it) lead to over a thousand years of abject poverty and the dark ages.”

    No it didn’t. It lead the founding of the greatest nation the world has ever seen. Your philosophy led to France.


  83. TerrytheTurtle says:

    #53, I think that the hinge point between Murdoch and the conservative movement is defined more or less as to where Murdoch can make the most money. In the UK, Murdoch openly backs the Labor government which is supposedly left-of-center. He had backed Margaret Thatcher, the first British neoliberal, but abandoned her party opportunistically when he sensed her successors running out of steam. He does this through his media network, like The Sun, which nakedly (pun intended) panders to latent English Xenophobia. This makes money for him, so who cares about the impact of the stuff he peddles? You would recognise the same pandering at Fox News: Bill O’Reilly exhibit A.


  84. Ryan Neat says:

    [Comment deleted by admin]


  85. I-RIGHT-I says:

    Emotion, tradition, and “sound” prejudice rather than reason.

    I guess that explains everything.

    Comment by Gregor Samsa

    It would if you knew what the work prejudice meant before the liberals turned it into something that meant bigotry and racism.


  86. freedom is not free! says:

    http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/christmas-carol/1971-toon-humbug-scrooge.html

    I WHICHWAYTOHELL I
    If You ARE RICH, Then This is what you have waiting for You.
    H.E.L.L.


  87. Ryan Neat says:

    “No it didn’t. It lead the founding of the greatest nation the world has ever seen. Your philosophy led to France.
    Comment by I-RIGHT-I ”

    You’re wrong, I posted the proof from Adams, I can go on if you like – but a fool like you is too delusional and clinically insane to process facts or history – so I know only others are mentally fit enough to benefit from my wisdom, and the exposure of your utter ignorance.


  88. Ryan Neat says:

    [Comment deleted by admin]


  89. Average TV Viewer says:

    there ARE NO great works of literature that do not contain conservative overtones.

    What the hell does THAT mean? WOW! Dude, you’re OFF THE CHARTS, man!

    Little pecker like you shuffling through other people’s work trying to justify killing to suit your fears and your thirst for oil. I can tell by every word you write you have NEVER successfully defended yourself, or have had to.


  90. suresh says:

    To Ryan and Angry midget and et el:

    You all do not understand Islam. It is not the poverty that drives these people to rioting. It is their thinking that all non-mulims are no good and everybody should behave per Islamist traditions. There are lot of poor immigrants in France who are not muslims. Why are they not riotong? Because they are busy working hard at making their lives better not and complaining about the society of the host country.


  91. Gregor Samsa says:

    It would if you knew what the work prejudice meant before the liberals turned it into something that meant bigotry and racism.
    Comment by I-RIGHT-I — December 12, 2005 @ 5:25 pm

    This is what I think prejudice in that context means:

    Main Entry: 1prej·u·dice
    Pronunciation: ‘pre-j&-d&s
    Function: noun
    Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin praejudicium previous judgment, damage, from prae- + judicium judgment
    2 a (1) : preconceived judgment or opinion (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge b : an instance of such judgment or opinion

    Prejudice cannot be “sound” since, by its very definition, it implies insufficient knowledge.

    And yes, it does explain -if not everything- a whole lot.


  92. Jay says:

    Conservatism at its core is about intolerance, greed, selfishness, inequality, bigotry, fear, ignorance (or the ability to manipulate the fear and ignorance of others) and a healthy dose of arrogance and a lust for power. Nothing about the current “conservative” movement is conducive to democratic ideals, freedom, love, peace…..anything worth believing in. Conservatives aim to keep the power, the priveledge and the wealth in the hands of the few at the cost of the many. Justice cannot tolerate the fundamental goals of conservatism. Conservatism is sickening and I’ll keep fighting it until I’m dead.


  93. TerrytheTurtle says:

    Ryan, let me save IRI the trouble of differentiating between Catholicism and the brand he espouses:

    “[Mexican corruption] is a problem but nothing a little Puritan Fundamentalist Christianity couldn’t cure. Ever notice that everything the Catholics touch turns to shit?
    Comment by I-RIGHT-I — September 22, 2005 @ 2:17 pm ”

    There you go… on with the next bit.


  94. progressive and proud says:

    Thanks trolls, I knew you would take the bait. You do understand that what you do here actually works to our advantage, don’t you? Ah well, it’s your time to waste on us.


  95. Ryan Neat says:

    [Comment deleted by admin]


  96. unbelievable says:

    [Comment deleted by admin]


  97. NocturN says:

    #76 – US vs China won’t happen. there is too much commerce between the two.


  98. I-RIGHT-I says:

    MizzWrong lists John Adams as one of his ‘christian heroes of conservatism’, so lets hear what Mr. Adams had to say about whackos like MizzWrong.

    Comment by Ryan “Bareback” Neat

    I’m sure most of those quotes are false and made up by your friends at infidel.org. Adams was a puritan in the beginning and later in life probably due to his on again off again friendship with Jefferson turned more toward Unitarianism, which by the way is not Christian.

    I’m not interested in trading quotations with you about the religion of the founders because they are meaningless to someone like you without the background or vocabulary to understand them properly but I will say the fact that many of the founders did not care for Roman Catholics and mistrusted the Anglican Church is no great revelation. Those of us that think like them still don’t care for those institutions and history has born out our apprehension.


  99. Nathan Bedford Forrest says:

    Hey, now there’s conservatism I can relate to:

    1. Catholics – check
    2. Minorities – check
    3. Jews – check

    Got your pillowcase I-R-I? Yeehah, lets ride!


  100. Ryan Neat says:

    [Comment deleted by admin]


  101. I-RIGHT-I says:

    Thanks trolls, I knew you would take the bait. You do understand that what you do here actually works to our advantage, don’t you? Ah well, it’s your time to waste on us.

    Comment by progressive and proud

    It has worked out to your advantage. Some of you are stepping out of the darkness that is Progressive and Terminal Radicalism. You can thank me later.


  102. unbelievable says:

    #101

    What you don’t like is false and made up… but the Bible, that’s all real, right??? Because what, you were there when it was written?


  103. Ryan Neat says:

    [Comment deleted by admin]


  104. I-RIGHT-I says:

    Clearly IRI comes here for the attention… look at how much he gets… what ever would he do if we ignored him for a week?

    Comment by unbelievable

    Get more of my own work done? Find a girlfriend? Write the next new great American novel. The mind boggles.


  105. Ryan Neat says:

    “I’m not interested in trading quotations with you about the religion of the founders because they are meaningless to someone like you without the background or vocabulary to understand them properly but I will say the fact that many of the founders did not care for Roman Catholics and mistrusted the Anglican Church is no great revelation. Those of us that think like them still don’t care for those institutions and history has born out our apprehension.
    Comment by I-RIGHT-I ”

    I’ve studied the christian religion formally, you clearly haven’t. Your own limited ‘vocabulary’ is in fact the problem, coupled with your arrogance that clearly comes with the accompanying ignorance.

    The founding fathers were generally deists and children of the enlightment. If they had believed as you do, GW would have been appointed as King (as you’re trying to do with GWB) instead of forming a democracy.

    You’re a sad and pathetic little lunatic. If ignorance were TNT, you would be able to restart the big bang by yourself.


  106. Ryan Neat says:

    “Get more of my own work done? Find a girlfriend? Write the next new great American novel. The mind boggles.
    Comment by I-RIGHT-I ”

    You got dumped AGAIN? You were claiming a couple of weeks ago about an early 20s girlfriend – has she dumped you like your wife? Of course she has – either that or your girlfriend deflated under usage.

    Poor little loser worm – I’d feel sorry for you if you weren’t such a hateful idiot.


  107. unbelievable says:

    #103

    Thanks for the insight. I feel sorry for him at times, like the slow boys at school that I have to stop the stronger, smarter boys from picking on. But then, he says something dangerous, and I find myself in here with you guys pointing to his open fly and laughing at it…

    Well, at least we use words and not bombs laden with phosphorus…


  108. Ryan Neat says:

    MizzWrong,

    It has worked out to your advantage. Some of you are stepping out of the darkness that is Conserviate and Terminal Radicalism. You can thank me later.


  109. I-RIGHT-I says:

    #101

    What you don’t like is false and made up… but the Bible, that’s all real, right??? Because what, you were there when it was written?

    Comment by unbelievable

    It’s real to me because I have the gift of faith. It’s real to historians because it bears up under the rigors of their inquiry. You losers have been trying to destroy the Christian faith for over 2000 years. The best minds on the Devil’s side have failed to convince any but the lowest of men. I imagine it will always be that way.


  110. freedom is not free! says:

    #101. NocturN .
    Yes it will.
    Jesus said”Let he who is WITHOUT SIN” Cast the FIRST STONE!
    When China Trys to take Back Taiwan,OR, America Attacks N Korea.

    America IS With SIN, Not, Without.
    http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/christmas-carol/1971-toon-humbug-scrooge.html


  111. unbelievable says:

    #107 IRI

    “Get more of my own work done”

    Didn’t know shoe shining requires that much focus

    “Find a girlfriend”

    What, the blow-up doll dump you already :)

    “Write the next new great American novel”

    Fabio would be on the cover of it, no doubt…


  112. Meow says:

    Caption contest: Bush; hmmm smells like fish!


  113. freedom is not free! says:

    Another Proof it WILL Happen. No Body in their Mind will FREELY Give up thier FREEDOMS.
    Thats how I know it WILL Happen.


  114. unbelievable says:

    #112 IRI

    It’s real to me because I have the gift of sight. It’s real to historians because it bears up under the rigors of their inquiry. You losers have been trying to destroy freethinking for over 2000 years. The best minds on the zealot’s side have failed to convince any but the lowest of men. I imagine it will always be that way.


  115. Ryan Neat says:

    “It’s real to me because I have the gift of faith.” MizzWrong

    James 2:14:
    “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”

    Like I said, you not only don’t have the ‘vocabulary’ of christianity, you don’t even understand what it means…

    You are a lost soul, with a hateful and evil temperment. You are everything that is NOT spiritual or good in nature.


  116. M. Duchamp says:

    Caption Contest: “I’m a shoe-in for “The Sheik” in the next Cannonball Run movie.”


  117. Ryan Neat says:

    ” It’s real to historians because it bears up under the rigors of their inquiry. “MizzWrong

    Bahaha, that’s really funny.

    You mean like how historians discovered that the 4 books of the apostles were randomly chosen by Augustine even though they were unauthenticated, unsigned, written in greek and clearly not even from the 1st century after Jesus was born?

    You’re such a moron.


  118. Calvin says:

    I-Right-I

    If you have the gift of faith, why would you call other’s “losers?” Name-calling is usually associated with insecurity and bitterness. Did Christ commend name-calling?


  119. Clyde the Ripper says:

    #33

    Unbelievable.

    Just click on Clyde for your very own picture.

    Thanks for the compliment.


  120. Average TV Viewer says:

    119

    Genius!

    Or Father Guido Sarducci!


  121. Evil Spaniard says:

    #96 “[Mexican corruption] is a problem but nothing a little Puritan Fundamentalist Christianity couldn’t cure. Ever notice that everything the Catholics touch turns to shit?
    Comment by I-RIGHT-I — September 22, 2005 @ 2:17 pm ”

    Well, I’m from a theorethically catholic country, and I find that in yours exists a far worser violence, IRI, and there are lots of Puritan Fundamentalist Christianity, especially in the states origin of the KKK. Any relation?

    And, btw, I think too that crime rate in your federal capital, Washington, is of the highest in your country. Why?


  122. NocturN says:

    124
    The crime rate in washington DC reflects decades of urban neglect which plagues many of our urban areas. poverty, underfunded schools and crime are something that our leaders should be fighting instead of foreign wars.


  123. Evil Spaniard says:

    #112

    What you don’t like is false and made up… but the Bible, that’s all real, right??? Because what, you were there when it was written?

    Comment by unbelievable

    It’s real to me because I have the gift of faith. It’s real to historians because it bears up under the rigors of their inquiry. You losers have been trying to destroy the Christian faith for over 2000 years. The best minds on the Devil’s side have failed to convince any but the lowest of men. I imagine it will always be that way.

    Emmmm… Which part of the christian tradition is “rigorous” from the point of view of a (nonpartisan) historian? The one where bread and fish and wine appeared from nowhere, the one where the dead Lazarus came to life, the one where one burning bush (no, not THAT one) talked, or the one about walking over the water?

    In the other hand, if true christians must not have fear of losing his faith, why this “war on christmas” issue? Aren’t you falling in a Devil’s trick?


  124. Evil Spaniard says:

    #126 I’m quoting IRI, of course.


  125. Evil Spaniard says:

    #125 Yes, I know. Is a sadly typical problem of today’s cities form all the world, a great lack of social planning.


  126. the Fly-man says:

    From Burke, a talent for re-expressing their convictions to fit the time. man that is beautiful. Nothing more mysterious than a fact clearly stated.


  127. never been fooled says:

    To 1right1, I think the bowel movement you didn’t have, as mentioned in comment #68, occurred in comment #60.


  128. Gregor Samsa says:

    what ever would he do if we ignored him for a week?
    Comment by unbelievable

    To which I-RIGHT-I replied:

    Get more of my own work done?
    Comment by I-RIGHT-I — December 12, 2005 @ 5:41 pm

    Please do. Don’t let us stop you.

    Find a girlfriend?

    Gasp! Given your low opinion of women I already pity the woman. Wait, didn’t you have a 19 year old East German illegal immigrant as a girlfriend?

    Write the next new great American novel.

    Sorry, I-RIGHT-I, “The Birth Of A Nation” has already been done. You are… hhmmm… a hundred years late.

    The mind boggles.

    Indeed.


  129. Susan says:

    Coming very soon.

    The Debtonator Radio Show
    will air a segment with Mrs. Debtonator commenting on this article and your comments.

    Stay tuned. To listen to segments already airing, click on my name.


  130. Marie says:

    Money Money Money
    Money Money Money
    Money makes Fox happy.
    Money makes Saudi Arabia happy.
    That’s been the Dems problem — they haven’t paid Fox enough money.
    Caption: Who cut the cheese?


  131. David Ross says:

    It was hard for me to tell from the tenor of your reporting whether you printed this story to a) criticize Fox for such an obviously wrong and inflammatory headline, or b) criticizing Fox for bowing to a complaint from a Saudi prince. I’d like to think it was the former, but I didn’t see anything in your story to support that view.


  132. Joefriday says:

    IRI,your not a conservative. Your a knee-jerk replublican partisian. I don’t think george will would stay in the same room with you, and I am sure he would look down his nose at you. There must be a giant whole in your life to be a mindless moonie of a group of greedy non-conservative hate mongers. In other words I know and respect conservatives and you are not one.


  133. Bob Loblaw says:

    I-Right-I: “Any informed conservative is reluctant to condense profound and intricate intellectual systems to a few portentous phrases;” He is not ‘reluctant’, I-right-I, he is ‘incapable of’.


  134. Bob Loblaw says:

    I-Right-I :”Conservatism is not a fixed and immutable body of dogma, and conservatives inherit from Burke a talent for re-expressing their convictions to fit the time.”

    By ‘re-expressing’ you really mean ‘rehasing bad ideas over and over and over again’. Or are you saying that’s it’s real hard to pin down exactly what conservatism is?


  135. Bob Loblaw says:

    I-Right-I: “Conservatives respect the wisdom of their ancestors…; they are dubious of wholesale alteration.”

    So conservatives are essentially scared of change. ‘No, no, no, no and no agian, you must not cure any desease using stem cells.’ Hmmmm, sounds familiar.


  136. Bob Loblaw says:

    I-Right-I : “Belief that a divine intent rules society as well as conscience, forging an eternal chain of right and duty which links great and obscure, living and dead.”

    Wow! Does that not sound exactly like it could have come from some Muslim extremist propoganda! Bloody scary is that.

    “Political problems, at bottom, are religious and moral problems.”

    So when Bush’s friends and ally’s are being indicted, how can you possibly be for him. Your self professed ‘Canon of conservative thought’ seems to fly in the face of your defending Bush and his friends.


  137. Joefriday says:

    I-Right-I Conservatives do not want to change the Constution. I can’t even keep track of your current list.

    Can’t burn the flag
    One man one women
    English is our languge
    Just because you are born here you are not a citizen
    Ten commandments every where
    abolition of abortion
    O.K to torture

    You are not a conservative…just a knee-jerk replublican.


  138. KillCon 2006 says:

    That’s brutally honest!

    FAITH, n.
    Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel.

    Ambrose Bierce


  139. KillCon 2006 says:

    You are not a conservative…just a knee-jerk replublican.

    Comment by Joefriday — December 12, 2005 @ 10:45 pm

    Maybe just a jerk.

    Jesus loves him. Everyone else thinks he’s an asshole.


  140. KillCon 2006 says:

    Jefferson Bible? Looks like the founding fathers were “losers trying to destroy the Christian faith”. Oh dear!


  141. KillCon 2006 says:

    “Conservatives respect the wisdom of their ancestors…; they are dubious of wholesale alteration.”

    Jeebus! I guess Jefferson was no conservative, huh? None of the framers or founders were. They were more like progressives, and very “liberal” for their time.


  142. Joefriday says:

    You notice that I-Wrong-I has no come back for that..A pitifull moonie who can’t think for itself and has to read off a “talking points” sheet for ideas. No original ideas or beliefs, no independent thought–just right wing garbage. A poor excuse for a human, deviod of spirit humping a PC and linked to Nexuslexus. Most likely fantasing licking Ann Coulters shoes.


  143. WORFEUS says:

    In POST 36 I-AMNEVERRIGHTAM-I said;

    Call me when a Christian straps on a bomb belt or hijacks a 767 will you?

    Comment by I-RIGHT-I — December 12, 2005 @ 4:29 pm

    So I-AMWRONGAGAIN-I, we are to assume Timothy McVeigh, who was a self confessed Christian and had ties to the radical fundamentalist group, Elohim City, I suppose what he did down there in Oklahoma City was what you would call, spreading democracy?


  144. KillCon 2006 says:

    Man! That’s wierd. I use Firefox and MSIE and Firefox says this is going to be post #148 but MSIE says it will be #149 .



  145. WV-TN-DEM says:

    #101 I’m not interested in trading quotations with you about the religion of the founders because they are meaningless to someone like you without the background or vocabulary to understand them properly but I will say the fact that many of the founders did not care for Roman Catholics and mistrusted the Anglican Church is no great revelation. Those of us that think like them still don’t care for those institutions and history has born out our apprehension.

    Comment by I-RIGHT-I — December 12, 2005 @ 5:35 pm

    What about the Catholic Church has born out your apprehension, huh buddy? Perhaps you’ve heard of Pope John Paul II? Helped bring down communism? Brought hope and the light of faith to millions? That’s my upbringing and my people your talking about mister. When you talk about the Catholic Church, do so with a prayer of thanks on your lips you ungrateful demogogue! And after the prayer of thanks, pray that God never sees fit to put us in each others’ path.


  146. KillCon 2006 says:

    #101 I’m not interested in trading quotations with you about the religion of the founders because they are meaningless to someone like you without the background or vocabulary to understand them properly but I will say the fact that many of the founders did not care for Roman Catholics and mistrusted the Anglican Church is no great revelation. Those of us that think like them still don’t care for those institutions and history has born out our apprehension.

    Comment by I-RIGHT-I — December 12, 2005 @ 5:35 pm

    Of course you aren’t interested. It would require you to re-examine everything false that you believe. That’s pretty much your entire distorted world view whish based entirely on lies, you poor man.

    John Adams:

    Where do we find a precept in the Bible for Creeds, Confessions, Doctrines and Oaths, and whole carloads of other trumpery that we find religion encumbered with in these days?

    The doctrine of the divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity.

    Adams signed the Treaty of Tripoli. Article 11 states:
    The Government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.


  147. KillCon 2006 says:

    I think we can safely say that IRI is a crypto-dominionist and write him off as a cultist. Hopefully he will find true peace in a Koresh like burning martyrdom someday. Sad, I know and that used to bother me, but no longer. I realize it’s inevitable and best for all concerned. There is no place for these people in this world and if they truly believe there is the “next world”, they will be much happier in the next, wherever or whatever that may be.


  148. KillCon 2006 says:

    Call me when a Christian straps on a bomb belt or hijacks a 767 will you?

    He’s never heard of Mark Rudolph, Timothy McViegh… on and on. Hey! Why don’t you read about it! True, most Christians try not to be around when the bombs go off. Maybe they don’t really believe in the “next world” after all. There are links to the specifics at the original site.

    Christianity and Violence

    It’s rather ironic that a religion which so publicly proclaims Absolute Love as its basis should, over the course of history, spawn so much unmitigated hatred and violence. Is it simply that Christianity is a failure in inspiring better conduct from otherwise hopelessly evil human beings, or is there some aspect of Christianity which in fact encourages or promotes some of the baser aspects of human behavior? Perhaps it is a bit of both.

    Concern about rampant violence has become ever more central in public discussions in America recently, especially where it involves the nation’s youth. Recent incidents of brutal and deadly attacks by children against children have prompted an intense debate as to the cause and solutions for what is perceived as degenerating culture. It is rather ironic that the increase in attention happens at a time when actual incidents of violence are decreasing. Not only are the general statistics of violence showing a dramatic decrease with increasing rates of decrease, but even violence against children is decreasing.

    But it is a truism that exceptional cases make for bad law and bad legal precedents. Following along in parallel, the exceptional cases of youth violence are being used by opportunistic politicians and religious leaders to create genuinely bad laws. Simple people are searching for simple causes and simple solutions.

    The simplest among them immediately claim that the cause for youth violence must be the lack of government supported religion in children’s lives, so their natural conclusion is that our government should increase its involvement with religion. And not just any religion – Christianity is the first and usually only choice. Practical policy suggestions include daily prayers, bible readings, and the ever popular posting of the Ten Commandments.

    It would perhaps be unacceptable in some circles to point out the fact that in many European countries, religion plays an even smaller role in people’s lives than it does in America – yet levels of violence are lower than here. Were a lack of religion any sort of cause of violence, then we would find higher amounts of violence in countries like Germany rather than Ireland, where both religion and violence have been prominent in daily life.

    Facts like this must lead any rational person to treat claim of religion as a solution to our ills – real or perceived – with real skepticism. Religion has in fact done even more to promote base inhumanity when it has become wedded to ruling political powers. It has been a common pattern throughout human history that wherever religious dogmas have gained worldly power, violence was abetted rather than stopped. Even if a person were to successfully argue that none of the violence was caused by religion, the fact would remain that religion not only failed to stop it, but has actually served as a useful tool for those perpetuating it.

    Is Christianity only a religion of Peace and Love? I do not think that anyone can honestly and objectively examine American or European history and answer “yes” to that question. Christianity can encourage Peace and Love – but it certainly need not, and it quite often has done just the opposite. Although the people responsible for violence might have found a way to express their hatred without Christianity, it cannot be ignored that Christianity offers a convenient divine mandate for hatred and violent acts against a wide range of people.

    As a reference for those who find that it is sometimes necessary to education others about the history of violence associated with Christianity, below is a list of links to various eras and incidents. In each case, religion has served as a principle catalyst for the violence or has, at the very least, assisted in justifying and perpetuating that violence.

    Early Christianity
    Violent inclinations in Christianity are apparent right from the beginning. Although it is often argued that violence during Christian history is simply an aberration which results from people who twisted the original Christian message, that may not be entirely true. Violent inclinations in Christianity are apparent right from the beginning.

    Highlights:
    • Early History
    • Crusades
    • Inquisition

    Modern Christianity
    Although one might imagine that the violence of Christianity would be relegated to the distant past, that hasn’t been the case. The course of modernity has been one strewn with blood, bones, and bodies – much of which can be attributed to Christianity.

    Highlights:
    • Reformation
    • Witches
    • Holocaust

    Modern America
    America in the 20th century has suffered from many violent incidents which can be traced back to Christianity. Some have been organized, others not so organized, but all the result of specifically violent or dangerous doctrines promoted in Christian churches.


  149. progressive and proud says:

    IRI, we thank you for wasting your time here instead of spouting your propaganda to those who may be influenced. We would rather you be here spinning your wheels.


  150. progressive and proud says:

    Trolls, I would like to know your thoughts about #151.


  151. nofreedom! says:

    I wrongagain I, I guess you forgot your Imfamous Cristian “David Koreash”.
    Dosnt surprise my how much you tend to forget.
    And Jim Jones occult?
    just to name a couple.


  152. progressive and proud says:

    There is a name for those that use Christianity as a tool to oppress others. Thy name is troll.


  153. Chef says:

    Is that a spot of lamb gravy on your chin Walid?, or just a bit of blood and oil.


  154. Laura says:

    Well of course they were riots due to poverty. It just so happens that the rioters were muslims since no other group in France is poor. How silly of anyone to believe that islam had anything to do with it.


  155. Laura says:

    Giacomo could you be more gullible and clueless?


  156. WORFEUS says:

    You know it’s funny to watch as I-GOTCREAMEDAGAINDIDNT-I gets his clock cleaned on post after post, with no response.

    Everytime someone stomps his post, he just sort of slithers away.

    In 151 and 153, Killcon literally nailed in the last nails of that coffin, and yet hours pass with no retort. In fact, I in my own meager way helped clarify him on his “christiannobomby” theory back in post 147 last night, and not a peep.

    Man truth stings, don’t it I-MIGHTASWELLGIVEUPNOWSHOULDNT-I, don’t it?


  157. progressive and proud says:

  158. progressive and proud says:

    #161 It happens over and over again. They always slither away and start fresh on a new thread with the same few phrases they have learned on Fox. So pathetic, but very empowering for us.


  159. progressive and proud says:

    Those who shout from the rooftops how smart they are, are almost certainly the dumbest. Too bad they don’t get it and too bad America seems to be getting dumber.


  160. WORFEUS says:

  161. JIMBO says:

    Bandar Bush and Frank Luntz must be working for the PR dept. for Faux News.

    Did anyone catch tonight’s Frontline? A repeat about the advertising business and how it’s manipulating America.
    Frank Luntz, who engineered the Republican victory last year and in 2000 was on. The news media never even mentioned that he was a Republican pollster.

    He may look all-American, but deep down , he’s a sleaze.


  162. Think Progress » Hannity’s Hypocrisy: Criticizing Colleges For Taking Money From Saudi Prince Who Funds Fox says:

    [...] Hannity conveniently forgot to mention that his own employer, Fox News, also accepts money from Talal; he owns 5.5% of Fox News. Not only is Talal “rewarding them [Fox News] financially for views they already have,” he’s also changing their views. [...]


  163. Benji says:

    this is hysterical…IRI refuses to answer anything he can’t…i.e. post 56, 54, 49, 41…etc etc etc..just completely ignores them and denies the info exists, for it will shatter his fragile little world, where jesus will one day walk the earth to wash him of his incestuous and wife-beating sins, and unicorns prance alongside him in the forests…


  164. Sean Hannity: Corporate Tool Of Disinformation at connecting*the*dots says:

    [...] Think Progress brilliantly exposes Hannity and Fox News with this gem: "Hannity conveniently forgot to mention that his own employer, Fox News, also accepts money from Talal; he owns 5.5% of Fox News. Not only is Talal “rewarding them [Fox News] financially for views they already have,” he’s also changing  their views." [...]


  165. steve fleischman says:

    I have never understood why it is wrong to publically blame US uncritical and unswerving support of Israel for much of our problems in the Middle East. The Palestine issue loomed large in the grievances of the 9/11 hijackers after the far greater issues of the siege of Iraq which took countless innocent lives (including a half million children) and the US military presence in Saudi Arabia. This must be open for discussion instead of sidelined.


  166. Harley Porejski says:

    Maybe because Moslems were killing Jews before the new Strate of Israel was formed and before the myth of the palestinian was established in 1967.


  167. sohm wahn says:

    If this man has the direct ability to change the bibles that are made today, then what can’t he do?


  168. Boarding Schools In France says:

    Girls Boarding Schools: The only Solution

    July 24th, 2006 ,Teenage rebellion can be a sign of health, especially in girls. In an essay contributed to Catching a Wave: Reclaiming Feminism for the 21st Century, Nancy Gruver has written that girls are understandably outraged by injustices. Howeve…



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