A Stark Contrast

I always sigh and shake my head at people who claim that Jehovah and Allah are the same. Here's more proof.

CNN reported today that a Swedish artist, Lars Vilks, has published a cartoon that he drew of Mohammed as a dog. First of all, Muslims believe that it's blasphemous to show any image of their patriarch. And predictably, they all freaked out at this recent trespass against their religion. Now Vilks has received hundreds of death threats from Muslims, some in Sweden (though he published the cartoon with full knowledge that this would happen, and claims that he did it to get a reaction). Al Qaeda has put a $100,000 price on his head, with an extra $50,000 for slitting his throat. Apparently a Muslim woman who lives an hour-and-a-half away is keen on taking them up on their offer.

"'I can do this in the name of Allah, and I will not fail. I could slaughter him in the name of Allah,' says the woman who identified herself only as Amatullah.

She adds, 'If I get the opportunity.'"

Those Muslims just can't think for themselves, it appears. Sure, I don't appreciate it when people make fun of God, but hey, their blood be on their own heads. God doesn't need me to do His dirty work.

Islam (paraphrased): Kill the infidel.
Christianity (paraphrased): Love your enemies, and do good to those who persecute you.

Oh, and I'm 30 today. Yay, me.

The State of Navies

A great comment by the power-thinker Iggy Igthorne regarding our naval strength and a possible naval conflict with China caused me to look a little deeper at the possibility of such a thing.

I think a large number of people are of the opinion that it's eventually going to come to blows with China. They've been very reasonable about a number of things in the past, namely trying to get North Korea to stand down with the posturing and threatening language. But I'm a believer that we should enjoy the peace and harmony (if indeed you could call it that) while it lasts, because it won't last forever.

In my previous post, Iggy showed some concern that our navy only operates and maintains 279 ships. This may seem like a low number, but keep in mind the ways naval warfare has changed in the last 100 years. It's not about ships pounding each other with massive 12-inch guns any more, as it was even during WW2. The US Navy operates some 4,000 aircraft, all of which are maintained by highly-trained ground crews, and the pilots of which are some of the best in the world. Now we don't need tons of destroyers and battleships, because the same amount of damage can be done with three F/A-18 Hornet fighters and some anti-ship missles. We currently have 11 operational carriers, two being constructed, with two more planned.

I did some comparison between our navies and others around the world, and here is what I found out (information gathered from Global Security, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Chinese Defense Today, and the official websites of some agencies listed below):

• The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom operates 82 ships, two of which are aircraft carriers, the rest of which include subs, surface warfare ships (destroyers and frigates), and other support ships (amphibious assault ships, minesweepers, and patrol craft).
  
• The Royal Australian Navy has around 60 (no carriers...just 13 frigates, six subs, and a handful of support ships).
  
• The Indian Navy, which is becoming a blue-water navy (meaning one that has the ability to travel the oceans blue), has 155.
  
• The Russian Navy has nearly 600. While that number sounds massive, one consider the state of Russian infrastructure, which is quite poor in some fleets (example, the Black Sea Fleet operates one submarine and six surface warfare ships, all of which are rated low serviceability). One of the more state-of-the-art ships currently in production will take an estimated 15 years before it is complete (construction began in 2003).

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has a fairly large navy when looking at just the numbers. But a vast majority of the ships in their inventory are old Russian vessels reaching the end of their service life. But going by just numbers, they have 30 destroyes, 41 frigates (with 5 currently under construction), 13 submarines, and one aircraft carrier that they purchased from Russia and are currently refitting. Despite that one (and non-operational) carrier, the PLAN Air Force has around 800 aircraft. This works out because the PLAN is, for now, restricting their sphere of influence to coastal waters, so the planes can operate from land bases. The PLAN also has a possible 160 minesweepers, but most of these are conversions from fishing boats and other civilian ships. They also operate an estimated 600 small boats (sub chasers and other gunboat-type craft).

Those numbers may look interesting, but again, most of their larger ships are becoming obsolete. Of the 13 subs in their arsenal, 12 of them are old Kilo-class subs that run on a diesel electric motor. When compared to a nuclear-powered sub, these have severely limited range and capability.

So while the PLAN is something worth keeping an eye on, and in time I'm sure they'll be a force to reckon with, I think we will be able to maintain the upper hand in any naval conflict with them. They simply don't have the resources to keep up their navy to a high standard. They are currently building a number of ships, and around 60 have been added to the fleet in the last five years. But large vessels like carriers and battleships might not prove to be too feasible until they can replace or refit their existing ships.

I think I'd be more worried about their political-military connection with Pakistan, our ally for the time being, and their massive army, which numbers over 300 Million. Apocalyptic? Perhaps...

Why we won't win in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Before you start throwing full wine bottles at your computer screen (thank you, Strong Bad) because of my seemingly sudden change of stance, let me explain my views.

They have nothing to do with politics. I have fully supported George W. Bush, I voted for him twice, and I want to make it clear that I have no moral opposition to bringing the fight to terrorists.

Here's the problem, and it's a biggie: the countries we're trying to change follow Islam, both as a religion and as a culture.

Let me put it another way: As long as Islam maintains its choke-hold on those nations and others like it, there is no long-term hope for democracy.

Islam, as most of you know, officially began around the 7th Century AD when Mohammmed claimed to have a revelation from God. The truth is, Mohammed wanted to be able to justify his feelings toward "infidels," or non-Muslims. He wanted control, and being the clever fellow he was, he managed to fool the Jews in Medina into believing he was a harmless Arab who was a little misguided when it came to all matters spiritual (the truth is that Mohammed many Old Testament stories to put an Arab spin on them...such as modifying the story of Abraham and Isaac to make it the story of Abraham and Ishmael). He managed to finagle a position as the sole arbiter in all of Medina, the only man qualified to negotiate disputes between the citizens of Medina. For a while he allowed a false peace to settle throughout the city, but eventually a dispute between an Arab and a Jew came his way, and he ruled in favour of the Arab. He ordered the Jew killed. The Jew's friends found the killer and killed him, which was the spark that lit the fire that has consumed the region ever since.

Those who followed Islam and Mohammed took to raiding trade caravans for provisions, booty, and women. They were resisted by organized militias, but the militias were overwhelmed by the fighting frenzy of the Muslim raiders. Mohammed would make up more stories about "Allah" in order to solidify his mens' allegiance to himself, and secured his place as the untouchable prophet of the one true God. Women had no rights, and to this day their freedoms are few and far between. There was no freedom of speech, as anyone who dared speak out against Mohammed and Allah would be summarily executed or have their hands cut off or both.

The people who say that Islam is a religion of peace are either ignorant or are intentionally leaving out the bad parts. Approximately 30% of the Koran is made up of verses urging Muslims to violence against infidels.

Shortly after the attacks of September 11, President Bush made a statement. In it, he said the following: "The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war."

I know his job is to be political, but he's sadly misguided, as are (in my opinion) most people with regard to Islam. First of all, Islam is not just a religion. It's a culture, and one that remains rooted in 7th-Century Arabia, at that. The religion and the culture are indistinguishable, which is something very foreign to America, where the separation of church and state is the order of the day. It's much like Europe during the Dark Ages, when the Catholic Church ruled. The head of the church was also the head of state, and if the Pope told you to jump, you asked "how high?" for fear of being excommunicated or losing your salvation (you can see that lying to your flock isn't merely confined to Islam).

A truly peaceful system of belief does not say "Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error..." (Quran 2:256) in one breath, and in the next, "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the last day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and his apostle nor acknowledge the religion of truth of the people of the Book (the Jews and the Christians) until they pay the Jizya with willing submission and feel themselves subdued." (Surat At-Tauba 9:29) As you can see, Mohammed, since he made Allah up, is able to have Allah change his mind whenever he wants, and everyone else has to take it as law.

Compare that to Luke 6:35, where Jesus says, " But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."

Anyway, I have this nagging feeling that I'm getting off subject. The point is, that unless the people we're trying to change can put value on freedom of speech, respect and equality for women, and freedom to not be Muslim, they won't understand democracy, and therefore won't appreciate it.

They can't understand democracy until they turn from Islam to Christianity, the true faith, and one of true peace and equality. Galatians 3:28 puts it best: " There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

We need to change the hearts of the people of Muslim nations before we do anything to their government.

The trouble with that is that, for Muslims, the price of switching teams is death. "But if they turn renegades seize them and slay them wherever ye find them and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks." (Al-Nisaa 4:89).

So there's the dilemma. But in any case, this is the reason that I believe we're wasting our time in Iraq.

Throw your stones...

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

CNN posted an interesting article on their website this morning. Someone finally decided to interview the troops on the ground downrange (read: in Iraq) to see what they thought. I find it interesting that, after years of politicians and activists and pundits pleading with us not to support President Bush sending our "kids" to war, only once in a while do they actually throw a bone to the dogs of war and actually let them speak for themselves. In this case, the results were interesting, though somewhat ambiguous.

"If you don't come out here, then you really have no clue," said Army Staff Sergeant Antonio Gonzales. He believes, as do many U.S. soldiers in Iraq, that the politicians and talking heads arguing one way or another over the myriad issues surrounding the conflict need to actually visit the battleground if they want to gain true understanding.

Army Staff Sergeant Harry Thomas Morgan said, "It is my personal belief that if you are in a leadership position from senator to president, you should have to come here and live with the soldiers on the ground, not necessarily in the 'Green Zone' where we have the most luxuries."

Something tells me they won't have many people scrambling for that opportunity. But I think they have a point. If I were a betting man, I'd put money on the fact that many of these politicians who scream and cry for us to pull out of Iraq have never picked up a firearm before. I'd bet most of them got college deferments during Vietnam (obviously there are exceptions like John Kerry, John McCain, etc), and I'd bet most of them have never been faced with an opponent that won't take diplomacy for an answer.

One of my favourite lines in the movie The Green Berets comes when the journalist embedded with John Wayne's green beret adviser team protests the killing of a VC soldier, and shouts, "There is such a thing as 'due process!'" John Wayne replies, "Out here, due process is a bullet." Yes, the movie has been lambasted from one side of the spectrum to the other, and yes, it's corny. But in this instance, it has a point. Politicians have always questioned the "fairness" of military tactics, but they've never done so from the battlefield; they've always managed to do it from their air-conditioned offices on Capitol Hill.

On the other side of that coin, I'm sure many of the troops on patrol through Baghdad would extend the same invitation to the politicians who say the war is going swimmingly. I'm sure the 21-year-old Private First-Class whose best friend just lost his legs would share a different point of view, as would the mother of three who won't ever see her husband again. It's just as easy for those in public office to forget that their grand schemes of propagating democracy carries a human price tag, and that it's not just numbers or little computer simulations ceasing to exist.

So where do you fall in? What are your opinions based on? Are they based on the news media? Your Congresspeople? Your neighbours or co-workers? If you want to know what it's like, or if you really want to support the troops, write them letters. And don't write them things like, "Don't worry, Private Snuffy...we'll have Bush impeached soon enough!" They don't need to hear drivel like that. Just write them and tell them you appreciate what they do, and that you hope they get home safely. Ask them what they do, what they eat (or what they'd like to eat), what kind of music they listen to, what inspires them, things like that. I speak from experience when I say that getting a letter from home can turn a bad day into a good one, even if you're on the other side of the world.

Official Notice

I am officially announcing my interest in portraying a character in the Star Wars TV-series, which is slated to blow your TV away in 2009. Since I know George Lucas reads my blog every day, I also know that he will give me the utmost consideration.

Seriously, how cool will this be? Lucas announced the upcoming series at Celebration III (the Celebration conventions are the biggest Star Wars conventions in the world), and apparently they're going to pick up where Revenge of the Sith left off. Which means they'll be covering Boba Fett, Princess Leia, Han Solo and his dishonorable discharge from the Imperial Navy on account of his rescuing Chewbacca, and all sorts of other awesome story lines. Lucas also said they would be open to considering stories that take place far away from the movie story lines, meaning some possibilities are episodes featuring Han Solo as an old man, and some episodes featuring events from the Knights of the Old Republic series of video games (which take place, in Star Wars continuity, thousands of years before the events of the originals and prequels).

And who wouldn't want to hire me? I can do funny voices (so I could be an alien), I can do a mean British accent (so I could be an Imperial officer), and I've got rugged good looks (necessary for a swashbuckling hero...or a young Han Solo...). And, I'm an unabashed Star Wars geek. Yes, I can tell you the name of the company that makes the X-Wing (within the Star Wars universe). I'm not ashamed to admit that.

Come on, George...you know you want to have the best show out there...here's your chance!

Greatest Band in America

Yes, yes, it's true. I get on "kicks" with certain bands where I listen to them and think they're the greatest ever or something like that. I know the only band that really deserves the "Greatest Band Ever" title are my beloved Beatles, but I firmly believe that America has a Greatest Band too.

That band is Wilco.

The Chicago-based band's new album Sky Blue Sky is like a fresh start in a couple of ways. First, frontman Jeff Tweedy's life has changed a lot since the last album, 2005's live Kicking Television (which is awesome). Jeff entered rehab in 2004 to battle an addiction to painkillers (he's suffered from migraines since childhood and also deals with an anxiety disorder), quit smoking, and last year lost his mother to cancer. He says he hasn't smoked a cigarette in two years, and it really shows in his voice. The songs are very clear and straightforward, something that hasn't always been the case for Wilco. His fresh outlook on life has definitely influenced the songs. The best part is that, unlike 2004's a ghost is born and 2002's excellent Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, there is nary a cuss word to be found.

Second, the lineup is different. The band is now Tweedy on guitar and vocals (and some very fine lead playing, I might add), John Stirrat on bass, Glenn Kotche on drums, Mikael Jorgensen on keyboards, Nels Cline on lead guitar, and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone. Tweedy and Stirrat, the only original members of Wilco, both feel that this is the lineup they've always wanted. Everyone enjoys playing together, and it's apparent both on Kicking Television and on this album. Rather than record each part separately, as they'd done on previous records, they recorded live, recorded each part at the same time, and as Jeff said in Guitar World Acoustic, they all played out of small amps so they could sing over them. (It sounds really similar to the way the highly-influential Minneapolis band The Blues Benders recorded their second album.)

Third, the music has changed. Or some might say "matured." It sounds more like Wilco's 1999 album Summerteeth and earlier records, but it feels like what should logically come after A Ghost Is Born. There is no lengthy bouts of feedback or noise experimentation, which was the reason my father-in-law gave me his copy of A Ghost Is Born. The experimentation lies more in the way the band plays together. They play around with tempo, time signature, and melodies while still maintaining the integrity of the song. The album rocks ("Impossible Germany," which features an awesome lead guitar duet between Tweedy and Cline, and "Walken," which could have been transported back in time to 1962 and played on hit radio), and then it soothes (the opener "Either Way" and "Please Be Patient With Me"), and then it rocks and soothes in the same tune ("Shake It Off," with it's wonderfully dirty phased Rhodes that sounds like a ghost of the Doobie Brothers), but it never feels herky-jerked like a bad mixed tape. Everything on the album is carefully crafted and lovingly fit together.

I'm sure the band will lose some of their fans who were expecting the two previous studio albums, but if you give it a chance, the songs will get into your head and not leave. It's like the album itself is singing, "Please Be Patient With Me." As the iTunes review said, "sometimes the greatest artistic stretch isn't reaching into the next galaxy, but moving a few rocks around to see what more you can unearth."

Click the title of this blog entry to visit Wilco's website, and from there, click "Records." This album will pop up, and you can listen to each track by clicking on the song title.

Life's been good to me so far

Yes it has. I've got a new job (web designer for ADC), new band (In Overflow), and a fresh enthusiasm for life itself. I feel as one standing on the edge of a cliff with a hang-glider, and I'm just standing here deciding in which direction I should sail away. I think I'll go this way...

We've got a gig coming up this week. Saturday the 26th at the Fine Line. It'll be my first time playing there, the band's second. The first couple of gigs I played with the band were a ton of fun, but I kind of get used to not being the center of attention. Not that I mind being a side player, but for me, I had to sort of re-learn how to move around and not just stand there with a deer-in-the-headlights look on my face. Boooooriiiiiing! For our anniversary Aubben took me to one of the best concerts I've ever been to. It was Ben Gibbard, David Bazan, and Jonathan Rice playing a rare acoustic show. Each guy played their own solo set, and it was great, except for the annoying teenagers who a) didn't know that Ben and Death Cab For Cutie have several albums that came out before "Plans" and "Transatlanticism," and b) talked through David's entire set. Dumb kids. Anyway, it was really good for me to watch Ben, because he had a very engaging stage presence, and all he did was twist a little at the hips to the tempo of whatever song he was playing, and not look like a wax dummy of himself. Very simple. Now I have something to do with the banjo as I start feelin' the music.

Between that show, all the music I've been listening to, and talking about music with Aubben (she totally spurs me on to be better...musically she's the best thing that ever happened to me), I'm pumped about playing. I'm ready to totally throw myself into the music of my band, and to express what I'm feeling as my heart pours out into my hands, instruments, and body language. I'm really going to not let myself get nervous. And ultimately, I need to remember that whatever I do, I do as unto the Lord.

In other music news, I've been loving having a piano these last few months. Here's some of the music I've been learning:

"Clocks" by Coldplay (if I could have learned only one song, this would be it)
"For You" by Coldplay
"Politik" by Coldplay
"Flint (For the Unemployed and Underpaid)" by Sufjan Stevens
"Dig" by Adam Again
"Some Things Last A Long Time" by Daniel Johnston
"Transatlanticism" by Death Cab For Cutie
"Great Gig In The Sky" by Pink Floyd
"Handbags and Gladrags" by Rod Stewart (this is the theme song to the BBC version of The Office)
"Chemistry" by Semisonic
"You Get What You Give" by the New Radicals

Now my main goal is to learn how to play "Minute by Minute" by the Doobie Bros, which I think is the greatest song they ever did. That song just blows me away every time. I would love to be able to play like Michael McDonald. Heck, I'd love to be able to sing like him too.

And speaking of the Doobie Brothers, (and this is my last bit for today, I promise) I learned last night that Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, guitarist extraordinaire, veteran of Steely Dan and the Doobies, is now a defense consultant in Washington DC, and is chairing a committee on missile defense systems! You can read about it on Wikipedia, but his neighbor got him a subscription to a flight magazine, and Jeff started learning everything he could about military technology and all that stuff. As he said, "Man, we thought turntables were for playing records, and then hip-hop artists turned them into musical instruments. We thought airplanes were for transportation, and then terrorists turned them into weapons." So now he makes a point of figuring out how to take existing technology and use it in new ways. He's also some-time guitarist in a band called The Coalition of the Willing, which is made up of Washington bureaucrats, including the Hungarian ambassador to the US, the US ambassador to South Korea, and a couple of other guys. I'd pay money to see that gig...

What am I listening to today?
Midlake
Ida
Sufjan Stevens
Travis