Just a few notes from Popal’s rampage

I haven’t forgotten the Popal rampage, and thought I’d update you on a couple of stories that are still filtering through.

First, the tragedy: Popal’s rampage left a 43 year old woman a quadriplegic:

It was Susan Rajic’s birthday Friday. The 43-year-old massage therapist was supposed to go out to dinner to celebrate with friends in San Francisco, the city where she had moved from Puerto Vallarta just last month.

But Rajic — who came to the city in part because she loved to walk — now lies paralyzed from the neck down in a San Francisco General Hospital bed, the most severely injured of the 19 people hurt in a hit-and-run rampage Tuesday that also killed a Fremont man.

The driver who allegedly struck Rajic, 29-year-old Omeed Aziz Popal of Fremont, faces one count of murder, 18 counts of attempted murder and other felonies. Popal is being housed in the psychiatric jail ward of the same hospital where doctors are treating Rajic.

Doctors have told her family and friends that the sport utility vehicle that hit Rajic and threw her against a parked car broke her neck and that it is unlikely she will ever walk again. The Honda Pilot struck her as she crossed California at Laurel Street about 1 p.m. near her home.

Rajic has some sensation in her hands and shoulders, but she is unable to move her fingers and has no movement or feeling in her legs, doctors say. She underwent a 4 1/2-hour operation Wednesday in which doctors removed a portion of her hip bone and used it to bridge a gap where they had to remove a vertebrae that was pressing on her spinal cord.

My very deepest sympathy to Ms. Rajic, and my best wishes to her as she adjusts to a very different new phase of her life.

Second, the local Afghan community is denying that Islam has anything to do with Popal’s acts, a view that deserves some respect pending more information about Popal himself. What’s startling about the report I read is that one prominent Afghan/Muslim community spokesperson has acknowledged that it’s not unreasonable or racist for Americans to be questioning whether there is a religious component to Popal’s acts:

Rona Murtaza Popal, president of the Afghan Women’s Association, who is not related to Omeeda Popal, said the increased scrutiny has led members of the Afghan Coalition, an umbrella organization of local Afghan groups, to plan a news conference to discuss some of the issues facing the local Afghan community.

But Popal wants to know the motive before making a public statement about the case. And like members of the media, she has had little success in contacting the victim’s parents.

“Afghans are extremely afraid,” Popal said. “After 9/11, people didn’t want to leave their homes. We don’t want these incidents to happen. We came here because we wanted to be safe.”

Still, Popal said, she understands the fears about domestic terrorism.

“I don’t blame them. I understand how they feel,” she said when asked to respond to the online comments. “In Afghanistan, we lived in fear of terrorism. That’s why we left.”

It’s actually striking in today’s news climate to hear this open admission that it’s reasonable to be afraid of Muslims.  The opposite and dominant view (which Ms. England stated and Best of the Web skewered) is that we’re utterly irrational to be afraid of Muslims and that it’s our fear that is damaging these fragile souls so much that they’re impelled to go on murderous rampages.

Just a few notes from Popal’s rampage

I haven’t forgotten the Popal rampage, and thought I’d update you on a couple of stories that are still filtering through.

First, the tragedy: Popal’s rampage left a 43 year old woman a quadriplegic:

It was Susan Rajic’s birthday Friday. The 43-year-old massage therapist was supposed to go out to dinner to celebrate with friends in San Francisco, the city where she had moved from Puerto Vallarta just last month.

But Rajic — who came to the city in part because she loved to walk — now lies paralyzed from the neck down in a San Francisco General Hospital bed, the most severely injured of the 19 people hurt in a hit-and-run rampage Tuesday that also killed a Fremont man.

The driver who allegedly struck Rajic, 29-year-old Omeed Aziz Popal of Fremont, faces one count of murder, 18 counts of attempted murder and other felonies. Popal is being housed in the psychiatric jail ward of the same hospital where doctors are treating Rajic.

Doctors have told her family and friends that the sport utility vehicle that hit Rajic and threw her against a parked car broke her neck and that it is unlikely she will ever walk again. The Honda Pilot struck her as she crossed California at Laurel Street about 1 p.m. near her home.

Rajic has some sensation in her hands and shoulders, but she is unable to move her fingers and has no movement or feeling in her legs, doctors say. She underwent a 4 1/2-hour operation Wednesday in which doctors removed a portion of her hip bone and used it to bridge a gap where they had to remove a vertebrae that was pressing on her spinal cord.

My very deepest sympathy to Ms. Rajic, and my best wishes to her as she adjusts to a very different new phase of her life.

Second, the local Afghan community is denying that Islam has anything to do with Popal’s acts, a view that deserves some respect pending more information about Popal himself. What’s startling about the report I read is that one prominent Afghan/Muslim community spokesperson has acknowledged that it’s not unreasonable or racist for Americans to be questioning whether there is a religious component to Popal’s acts:

Rona Murtaza Popal, president of the Afghan Women’s Association, who is not related to Omeeda Popal, said the increased scrutiny has led members of the Afghan Coalition, an umbrella organization of local Afghan groups, to plan a news conference to discuss some of the issues facing the local Afghan community.

But Popal wants to know the motive before making a public statement about the case. And like members of the media, she has had little success in contacting the victim’s parents.

“Afghans are extremely afraid,” Popal said. “After 9/11, people didn’t want to leave their homes. We don’t want these incidents to happen. We came here because we wanted to be safe.”

Still, Popal said, she understands the fears about domestic terrorism.

“I don’t blame them. I understand how they feel,” she said when asked to respond to the online comments. “In Afghanistan, we lived in fear of terrorism. That’s why we left.”

It’s actually striking in today’s news climate to hear this open admission that it’s reasonable to be afraid of Muslims.  The opposite and dominant view (which Ms. England stated and Best of the Web skewered) is that we’re utterly irrational to be afraid of Muslims and that it’s our fear that is damaging these fragile souls so much that they’re impelled to go on murderous rampages.

Curriculum advice needed for a friend

I got the following email from a friend. Can you help with suggestions?

My daughter started school today as a high school senior.

Over the summer, for her first class in Politics and Government in the U.S. and the World, she had to read What’s the Matter with Kansas. My daughter is not much of a political person. She found the Kansas book boring.

I was upset that the teacher assigned this book. Some of my daughter’s more conservative classmates felt the same way. I told my daughter that the teacher should assign a conservative book for “equal time,” and my daughter passed this message along.

The teacher, who is apparently a very nice guy, said that I am welcome to suggest a conservative book for the class to read. He has had trouble finding a suitable book. He wants the book to show the conservative emphasis on religion and values.

Since you seem to have read almost everything, can I ask for your thoughts on what might be a good conservative read for these high school seniors?

My correspondent though that the David Horowitz or Michael Medved autobiographies might be good ideas. I’ve read Horowitz’s, which I thought was excellent, but have not yet read Medved’s. What makes Horowitz’s book so good is that he was not merely an observer, but a participant. It was his ability to good up close to and personal with the Black Panthers that made him see the huge chasm between Leftist ideology and the way it worked on the ground.

For some reason, although I read prodigiously, I’m simply drawing a blank on books that would be good for 16 year olds who need a positive introduction to conservative religion and values.

UPDATE:  I’m blushing here.  After writing snidely that my child’s teacher sent home a message with a glaring grammatical error, I titled this post “curriculum advise” instead of “curriculum advice.”  I’ve since corrected it, and am breathing a sigh of relief that I’m not a teacher, just a harried blogger.

Lovely thoughts from the Left

One of the most popular posts at WordPress today is musically entitled “America — F*** YOU.”  It’s an interesting post in that it’s a microcosom of everything that’s ugly about today’s Left.  This strain has always lived in the fringe Left, but it’s worth noting now, as these views move closer and closer to the Center.  The post is a rant that manages to combine anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, and anti-Christianity in one sustained spew of bile:

America, I hate you.

From your fucked up values and religious whacks like your president, to your arrogant “I love oil” nature and your love for attempting to f*** other countries up with your “superior” defence force. I hate the way you think that America is responsible for all good in this world. You’re not.

You did not invent human rights, you did not invent sliced bread, or the wheel, AND JESUS WAS NOT BORN IN TEXAS. NOR WAS HE WHITE.

AND HE DID NOT SLEEP WITH YOUR SISTER. Although I’m sure you did.

I hate you so much that I want to draw a tan^-1(1degree) with my fist to your face. (NO, YOU DID NOT INVENT TRIANGLES)

I hate how you complain about the price of oil, while you rape your planet with your fat ass, McDonald’s eating, gas guzzling f*** Hummers of hell.

***

I hate your conservative, Jewish-owned media with your O’Reillys and Coulters spouting pro-Bush, Christian (figure that?) propaganda, and telling you that Bush taking away your freedom is the greatest liberty you will ever receive.

***

And I hate your disgusting superiority complex, segregating all races except Americans (ye, that’s a race) and f***ing over your neighbours to the south by not allowing them to speak Spanish, and thinking that you are far better than Canada. You’re not.

Etc.  No argument, no logic, no facts.  Just one long sustained scream.  Because it’s garnered a lot of traffic, one might assume that this charming missive to America was simply a publicity ploy, aimed at getting attention.  However, that assumption is quickly destroyed by taking a look at the blog’s other posts, which are equally hostile, although not quite so incoherent, when it comes to attacking America and faith.

This is just one person, of course, and America has, at all times, had its haters.  Thinking about it, though, this is kind of a new type of hate.  In the past, those professing hate professed their hatred under an “I love America” banner, as in “I love America, and fear that it’s being destroyed by [blacks/Jews/Catholics/Protestants/Asians/Women/Men/Gays/Straight people/ etc.”  Here, we have someone who has completely abandoned the pretence that he or she actually has any residual fondness for the country itself or for anything it stands for.

Rather typically, too, for the New Left, the post doesn’t offer any alternative vision for America.  The writer hates it, absolutely hates it, and hates everything it stands for, and hates faith, and hates Jews, and hates hamburgers, and hates the media, etc.  But there’s nothing constructive here.  There are no convictions, no ideas (no matter how foul they might be).  In this regard, the writer has sunk even lower than the traditional 20th Century bad guys (Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Pol Pot, the KKK, and that ilk), all of whom had a sustained utopian vision, whether it was one of socialist or Aryan purity.  This guy offers nothing.  There’s no black flag around which to rally.  Here be nihilism and it’s not pretty.

What’s wrong with this sentence?

What’s wrong with this sentence?  (Beware.  This is a trick question.)

Your child should wear a good pair of sneakers so that they may participate in PE.

Okay, here’s the answer:  Aside from the blatant grammatical error, what’s really wrong with this sentence is that a teacher wrote it.  How in the world can you believe the local teachers are capable of educating your child when they’re incapable of writing a simple, correct sentence?  I’d like to be shocked.  I’m just saddened.

(By the way, if the teacher is afraid of sexism by using “he”, or afraid of awkwardness by using “he or she,” the sentence could be redrafted to read “All children should wear….”)

What’s wrong with this sentence?

What’s wrong with this sentence?  (Beware.  This is a trick question.)

Your child should wear a good pair of sneakers so that they may participate in PE.

Okay, here’s the answer:  Aside from the blatant grammatical error, what’s really wrong with this sentence is that a teacher wrote it.  How in the world can you believe the local teachers are capable of educating your child when they’re incapable of writing a simple, correct sentence?  I’d like to be shocked.  I’m just saddened.

(By the way, if the teacher is afraid of sexism by using “he”, or afraid of awkwardness by using “he or she,” the sentence could be redrafted to read “All children should wear….”)

Best coverage of Al Qaeda’s “America, convert or die” invitation

Kevin directed me to the best, the absolute best, coverage of the “America, convert or die” invitation that Al Qaeda issued.  First, view this.  At the bottom, when you see the hyperlinked phrase “the invitation,” click on it.  You’ll be glad you did.

Best coverage of Al Qaeda’s “America, convert or die” invitation

Kevin directed me to the best, the absolute best, coverage of the “America, convert or die” invitation that Al Qaeda issued.  First, view this.  At the bottom, when you see the hyperlinked phrase “the invitation,” click on it.  You’ll be glad you did.

And the award for Best Opening Sentence goes to…

The award for best opening sentence definitely goes to Myles Kantor, writing about Günther Grass (novelist and Nazi), who opens his article with this:

The line between moralist and schmuck is very thin.

I didn’t find the rest of the article quite as good, but it’s interesting, and worth reading just as a sign of respect for that excellent first sentence.

And the award for Best Opening Sentence goes to…

The award for best opening sentence definitely goes to Myles Kantor, writing about Günther Grass (novelist and Nazi), who opens his article with this:

The line between moralist and schmuck is very thin.

I didn’t find the rest of the article quite as good, but it’s interesting, and worth reading just as a sign of respect for that excellent first sentence.

It was a good weekend for US and Iraqi forces

While the MSM focuses on the deaths in Iraq, the successes, while not ignored, haven’t gotten as much play. So, I’ll add my bit to reminding all of us that our troops, working with the Iraqi troops, are succeeding in their mission, something they did quite well this past weekend:

Iraqi police and soldiers, along with U.S. Marines and soldiers from Regimental Combat Team 7, detained 30 confirmed insurgents and 38 suspected insurgents over the weekend throughout the western Al Anbar Province, Iraq.

RCT-7 is the U.S. military unit responsible for western Anbar Province, an area of more than 30,000 square-miles which stretches from the Jordanian and Syrian borders hundreds of miles east to Hit, a city about 70 miles northwest of Ramadi.

U.S. and Iraqi forces detained the known and suspected insurgents through a series of pre-planned and routine counterinsurgency operations.

Iraqi police identified and detained 18 of the 38 captured suspected insurgents in Rawah, Iraq – a city of about 20,000 along the Euphrates River, about 50 miles east of the Iraqi-Syrian border.

One of the suspects captured by Rawah police officers is wanted for suspected involvement with a vehicle suicide bombing against a U.S. military check point in the region July 29. Several more captured in Rawah are suspected of involvement with a recent attack on a Rawah police officer’s family. Police officers in Rawah also discovered two improvised explosive devices there Sunday.

Iraqi and U.S. soldiers detained one known insurgent and 10 suspected insurgents Sunday in Hit, a city of about 60,000, located approximately 70 miles northwest of Ramadi.

Through a variety of counterinsurgency operations Saturday and Sunday, Iraqi police, Iraqi soldiers, and U.S. Marines captured 27 known insurgents and four suspected insurgents in the Haditha Triad, a cluster of three cities – Haditha, Barwanah, and Haqlaniyah – with a combined population of about 90,000. One captured insurgent was part of a four-man insurgent cell operating in Hadithah, another is suspected of having involvement with various small arms attacks against a U.S. base in Barwanah.

U.S. Marines captured six more suspected insurgents Saturday in Sa’dah, a town just east of the Iraqi-Syrian border. Marines also discovered an ordnance cache near the border on Saturday. The cache consisted of 120 mm rockets, 155 mm rockets, and 122 mm rockets.

Israel, on another learning curve

Writing at National Review Online, Emanuele Ottolenghi makes a good case that, while Israel might not have won decisively in this last go round, Hezbollah did not achieve any of its objectives at all, and suffered some serious losses all around, both in terms of soldiers and materiels. Ottolenghi also shows that the myth of “invincible Israel” was not shattered, because it’s always been that — just a myth. Although Israel has survived each conflict with the surrounding Arab states and non-governmental armies, it was only in 1967 that she moved with overwhelming speed, and even then she suffered tremendous casualties (especially in Jerusalem), and faced an arduous, illusory “peace” over the next 40 years. Nevertheless, what’s been important is that Israel is not stagnant; from each encounter, she’s learned:

There is a pattern, then: Each war brings Israel a new challenge. Each time, it takes Israel time to absorb the blow, understand its nature and mechanisms, and then make elaborate corrections and improvements to its combat doctrine. Israel has lost battles in the past. It learned from its mistakes and it improved its fighting capabilities the next time around. In this worn-out recent war with Hezbollah, Israel’s performance was no different from that in past wars. At a heavy price, it inflicted a severe, but not decisive, blow to Hezbollah. It will now learn how to fight better next time around.

What about the last myth, the idea that Israel cannot digest casualties anymore?

If this were true, how could we explain Israel’s victory in the second Intifada? Over 1,000 civilians were shredded to bits by Palestinian terror. Yet, Israeli society soldiered on — literally. In the latest round of fighting, it was Israel’s leadership that balked at the risk of casualties, not the country, which from left to right was united in an unprecedented support for a more comprehensive and aggressive campaign to finish off Hezbollah once and for all. Israel’s home front did not break down, despite a month spent in shelters in the North, and the severe shortcomings of its logistical machine and those who were in charge of it. Israelis proved their resilience and their stubborn will to stay and put up a fight, for when the real volley of missiles comes in from further afield.

As for the future, these myths and the misperceptions on which they may be based will no doubt contribute to the next round of war. When that comes, one should take note of how the two societies at war responded to their perceived successes and failures.

Israel will now have a commission of inquiry, whose outcomes may end the careers of military and political leaders. It will reflect on its mistakes. It will cry over the futility of the deaths of so many of its best, due to those mistakes. It will blame those responsible and it will demand a heavy price of them. But it will get its answers.

What of Lebanon? Amidst the ruins of Beirut, the rubble of the bridges over the Litani, and the craters punctuating the highways, what does Nasrallah do? He proclaims victory. What does Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora do? He cries in front of the cameras, praises Hezbollah, and clings on to the myths of victory even as evidence of defeat is all around. They do not set up independent commissions, and they do not summon generals, politicians, and clerics, demanding they take responsibility. The last time an Arab country had its own commission of inquiry about a military defeat was in Iraq, in 1949. That precedent will remain the exception. Lebanon will not inquire now into how a foreign agent, having taken over half the country and infiltrated the government at all levels, dragged it into someone else’s war. It will do away with the need to understand what went wrong by proclaiming victory. So that when war returns, the “shattered myth” will rise again, as reality catches up with the myths of Arab rhetoric.

You can read the whole of Ottolenghi’s article here.

By the way, if you want to read something less optimistic — much less optimistic — Rachel Neuwirth, at American Thinker, envisions a scenario in which America abandons Israel to go it alone against Iran.