Home is where Sharia is

Typical of the Islamists to not feel at home where Islam is under the scanner. It seems, assimilation is something they do not believe in. Every place they seek to inhibit must be turned to a Dar-Ul-Islam and no effort is spared until that is achieved. Apparently, tolerance, respect, understanding and accommodation in general only applies to the kafirs for the Islamists are the chosen ones by their Allah.

Geert Wilders' (see previous posts here and here) efforts at bringing forth the reality of Islam and its crusaders is bearing fruit in Europe. His party - Party for Freedom - is fast becoming popular. Recent opinion polls suggest his will be the largest party if polls were held now. And this growing popularity of an "anti-Islamist" is making the Muslims there queasy. They were quite happy so long as dhimmis apologised for them and Sharia courts were being allowed to function. After all, how can a devout Muslim stand anything that questions Islam?

Findings from the recent surveys of Dutch Muslims -

· More than a third of all
Moroccan-Dutch or Turkish-Dutch say they want to leave the country because of Wilders' growing
popularity, according to a Motivaction poll commisisoned by the current affairs programme Netwerk.
· More
than half (51 percent) say they are thinking more and more about emigrating.
· Three-quarters say they still feel at home in the Netherlands, but a
majority (56 percent) say they fell less at home because of the rise of Wilders' anti-Islam Party
for Freedom (PVV).

· The PVV won 16.9 percent of
the vote in the June 2009 European election, making it the second biggest party
in the Netherlands [Link]

There's a reason conservative parties are winning seats and are on the rise in Europe (British National Party in the UK, Freedom Party in Austria). Back home, our political leaders bitten by the "secularism" bug would do well to understand this.

Stand-up comic up to no good

For all his verbal jugglery, funny man, Laloo really has nothing much to show for his performance. We now learn his much praised tenure as the rail minister was nothing but a fraud. Much like all of the UPA's "social justice" policies, Laloo's claim of having earned crores in profits for the railways is a sham. Here's what Mamta said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday -

“Some people have spoken about a profit of Rs 90,000 crore.
But one can just not talk about the income and skip the expenditure part. After
spending Rs 28,200 crore on account of the Sixth Pay Commission award for two
years, we are left with a cash surplus of just Rs 8,361 crore. This balance is
after taking the entire last five years into account,” Mamata Banerjee revealed
while replaying to the debate on Railway Budget for 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha on
Thursday. [Link]

Here's a summary -

What Mamata exposed
One cannot just talk about income
and skip expenditure part
After spending Rs 28,200 crore on account of the
Sixth Pay Commission for two years, we are left with a cash surplus of just Rs
8,361 crore against much-hyped Lalu claim of Rs 90,000 cr of profit
This
balance is after taking the last five years into account
We are not here to
build up balances of the Ministry but to create infrastructure
Ministers may
come and go but the institution remains
We want a railway that is for
everyone and not for someone special
Reiterates her commitment to come out
with a white paper [Link]

Strangely, when faced with this damning revelation, he didn't seem to have much to say except put up a funny face.

A shell-shocked Lalu Prasad was left
speechless as Mamata seemed well-prepared and armed with every fact and figure
to supplement her claims. Lalu remained a mute spectator as the Bengal tigress
went on demolishing the myth he had created in all these years. “We are not here
to build up balances of the Ministry but to create infrastructure. Ministers may
come and go, but the institution remains. We want a Railway that is for everyone
and not for someone special,” Mamata said. [Link]

Yeah, and all this right under the nose of an "honest liberal economist".

Cowardice disguised as progressive liberalism

Terrorism, as we knew it, is no longer the same. It is now a "man caused disaster". This completely blunts the effect. A "man caused disaster" does not have the same effect as terrorism. Janet Napolitano (secretary, US Department of Homeland Security) beat many of our social justice warriors to it. They would have loved to have come up with that substitute themselves. However, we knew they were implying the same in their many columns and debates.

This is a peculiar trait of our social justice intellectuals. Create nuances to grave problems and hijack public discourse to avoid reaching any concrete solution.

So terrorists entering our borders and gunning innocent people down are really militants fighting for freedom. That's exactly how a terrorist is referred to in our news media. Terrorism cannot be defeated with apologies. It is a tough battle. Pakistan attacks India via terrorists and it us who must understand them. It is us who must extend a friendly hand. Even in the face of increasingly obvious evidence and the history of our conflicts with Pakistan, it is us that must act like a big brother.

It is the same wooly-headed cerebrating that leads many of our public commentators to argue for Kashmir's secession. None is prepared to face the truth, but is inclined to believe that the terrorists will happily give up their killing habits if Kashmir is given away.

The Muslim persecution theory has been in vogue for quite a while now. While the Islamists are free to make a mockery of our constitution and freedom in our country, it seems, anyone else but the Muslims are responsible for them. This theory has been perpetuated without any proof. Muslims prosper as much, if not more, in this country as anyone else. Be it politics, entertainment, art, business, science, technology we have seen many a Muslim succeed. Even the Sachar Committee report contradicts itself.

Our public intellectuals are living in denial. They hope to make problems go away either by choosing to not acknowledge them or by apologising for them. It is not as if these intellectuals do not realise that denial is no solution. Even a man on the street understands cowards run away from problems.

Some thoughts on elections-2009

The seculars have defeated the communals. The people's verdict must be respected and the Congress party must be congratulated. While the secular cheerleaders are in rapture, the communal folks seem to be completely disheartened by their inability to win a mandate. Varied reasons are being put forward by one and all for the lesser than expected results for the communals. Some are even resorting to conspiracy theories. But the true ones will only be apparent when a thorough analysis is carried out.

Random listing of my thoughts below -

1. The communals were ineffective in taking their message to the masses.

2. In debates, they let the focus shift away from their message and got tricked into defending themselves against various allegations.

3. The communals were playing by the rules set by their opponents, were never able to turn the tables on the seculars.

4. Party spokespersons were similarly ineffective.

5. Never countered any myth spread by the secular media allowing the urban youth to be drawn away from the communals.

6. Ran a negative campaign and were unable to defend when faced with inconvenient questions.

7. Allowed the media to keep focus on communal issues rather than highlight their development manifesto.

8. Support from RSS and other organisations does not seem wholehearted.

9. Infighting hurt the communals in quite a few constituencies.

10. Strayed away from their core beliefs and distanced their core support base.

11. Bending over backwards to seek the secular approval repudiating the very beliefs that helped them rise to national prominence.

12. Unable to expand their support base beyond their strongholds.

13. Content with playing second fiddle to coalition partners.

The communals should not fall for the trap being set for them by the secular opinion makers who are now urging them to reinvent and adopt a "center right" approach. Not for nothing did they win a series of elections in the last couple of years and were able to retain strongholds. Instead any reinvention must be on the lines of falling back to their roots, regain the core support base back, gain ground in more states and look after the interests of the support base by not reneging on promises. The communals must strengthen themselves and refrain from seeking the secular approval. Koenraad Elst has analysed the communal failure to capture power -

Right-wing parties all over the world have a common trait:
Once in or near power, they betray their own support base. The BJP is no
different. It is needlessly described as a ‘Hindu chauvinist’ party which it is
not. To prove its ‘secular’ credentials, the BJP chose to become the ‘B’ team of
the Congress. And was rejected by the voters

Do read it in full here.

The media's ADD

Hunt for sound bites and the next breaking news has relegated serious research and discussion on matters of national significance to an unimportant exercise. How many national news media put serious thought, carried out any research and objectively discussed matters concerning our nation? None. Instead what passes off as debate is political opponents bickering enticed by the hosts. Arun Shourie, echoing my thoughts, laments the frivolous nature of journalism in vogue today.

In an interview to Claude Apri -

[...] Previously, whatever would happen, the media would go into depth (into the issue). As you know, today the media is as superficial as the politicians. It is even more ephemeral, one day there is a big issue, the next day, it is forgotten. 'Breaking News' (sometimes) lasts a shift, not even for the day.

[...] Sometimes journalists hear that I had spoken in Parliament or a particular issue is (being debated); journalists come and insist (to have my reaction). They come with a microphone and TV crew. They tell me: 'Sir, there was an issue in the morning, what was the issue?' I tell (the subject of the debate) the chap who then says: 'Sir, our editor is sending us, please tell us what question we should ask you.' (Laughs.) It is a really a fact.

Or questions like this: 'Please, sir, tell us, are you for the Budget or against it?' What can you respond? This is the level that issues are treated.

It is true for the Budget or any other matters, 90 percent of journalists will ask you such questions. [...]

[...] not more than one correspondent who came to interview me had read the documents. And yet, apart from this correspondent and perhaps three or four politicians who had read the documents (nuclear deal), everybody had an opinion: 'We should go with America!' Or 'We should be against!' This type of opinion!

The point that I am making is that the examination (of the issue) is not at all present and yet in that particular case (the nuclear deal), it requires no more than 75 pages to read. [Link]

Yet that won't stop the editors pontificating from their studios. Apparently they seem to think, their opinion is all the matters.

Sonia's "development"

Sonia in Chattisgarh -

"We have taken the country on the road to development. The growth rate under the Congress led government has been historic," [Link]

Priyanka in Rae Bareli campaigning for Sonia -

"The entire country looks at Rai Bareli and Amethi. The way you brought about change by continuing to vote for development will show the path to the entire country," [Link]

Ground reality in Rae Bareli -

"aage sadak nahin hai" (there is no road ahead) [...] "farzi udghatan hua hai" (This inauguration is fake).

The road that was supposed to run till another village, Beena Kheda, ends barely 500 metres after the highway.

"We hardly get power for 4.5 hours," says Ajay Awasthi from the village, not before adding, "and we are still better off. Our neighbouring village has no connection at all even 15 years after poles were pitched, despite its inclusion in Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Project now." [There's more, read here]

The aam aadmi has become even more aam. But Sonia maintains -

"When the common man (aam aadmi) becomes prosperous, the country will automatically progress," [Link]

Priyanka says development is an election issue, the nation agrees and hopes she can convince Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi.

G-20 assessment of Indian measures against terrorism

Cheerleaders won't take the "communal" folk's word on Congress' laxity towards terrorism. Well, then here's the G-20's assessment. India fared poorly against these key measurement criteria -

1. Number of terrorists listed under
UNSCR 1333/1390 for which a freeze order has been issued: NIL

2. Number of other terrorists under UNSCR
1373 for which a freeze order has been issued: NIL

3. Amount of assets frozen for all
terrorists: ZERO

4. Specific risk-based measures in place to ensure that
non-profit organizations cannot be abused for the financing of terrorism?: NO

Even an Islamic country like Saudi Arabia fared better than us. For the complete listing click here. Because this report by the G-20 is inconvenient to the "secular" party and gives more fodder to the "communal forces" no mention was made of this by any news media covering the summit.

It is time the "voice of the people" media shunned its slant and start taking matters concerning our national interest seriously. Reducing the debate on terrorism to a yelling contest only takes the focus away from the grave dangers facing the nation.