All mysticism is a virus - nationalism, religion, you name it.

Spoken like a true materialist (I mean that literally, not pejoratively). I for one am a materialist who believes in mysticism, religion & spirituality. But only inasfar as they advance knowledge, understanding, love & tolerance. I do not embrace any ism that takes us down the road of hate, violence or intolerance. And I feel the same way about materialism or whatever you want to call it–economics, capitalism, etc. Open competition whether it involves ideas or business is a good thing. Unfortunately, our president & his cronies have shown us a business approach that is little more than cronyism run amok.

Though I do have to give Bush credit on the DPW issue. He’s shown real leadership on this and should be commended. I guess he doesn’t have too many friendly Arab governments to talk to so he’s got to do right by one of the good ones.

“Clintonian” because she was the first senator to make a fuss over this.

“But you make a serious mistake in assuming that Muslims are the only ones with this problem.”

All mysticism is a virus - nationalism, religion, you name it.

You’re clearly a highly intelligent person and so I am sorry to read the severe cultural myopia in yr. views about Islam.

Why do they hate us?

I don’t accept any of the terms in this statement. ‘They.’ Who is ‘they?’ All Muslims? Preposterous. Who is ‘us?’ Is ‘us’ all the enlightened, civilized supremely cultured peoples of the west? Again preposterous. Besides, hate is not reserved only for Islam. All religions and nations exhibit hatred for their competitors or enemies at one time or another.

Western culture, with an underscored respect for reason, capitalism, and individual rights for all members of society is diametrically opposed to the virus of Islamic extremism

I see. Tell me, if ‘western culture’ has an underscored respect for reason and individual rights, how did several central European peoples murder several hundred thousand souls in the 1990s in the Croat-Bosnia-Serbia wars? Or do you not count central Europe as part of the west? I suppose it’s part of the benighted ‘east’ that includes the Mideast and all those viral Arab regimes you can’t stand.

I also object to such glib and empty terms as “the virus of Islamic extremism.” It is deliberately incendiary and but a short step to seeing Islam itself as “a virus” within the ranks of world religions. Am I opposed to Islamic extremism? Sure. But Islamic extremism is not a disease like cancer. And it cannot be extirpated by radical surgery or any of those horrid metaphors.

All nations, religions and ethnic groups exhibit such extremist tendencies. Sometimes, as in the case of Al Qaeda it is religion fanaticism. Sometimes, as in the case of Serbia, it is nationalist fanatacism. But you make a serious mistake in assuming that Muslims are the only ones with this problem.

“Western culture” respects reason and individual rights when it suits and it throws these values to the winds when it suits. Of course, these values are the “angels of our better nature,” the ones we point to when we wish to show ourselves at our best. But to say that western culture always embodies these values is to stick one’s head in the sand of reality.

Any progress in lifting the Arab world into modern western standards is not going to be achieved by bribing these regimes to not attack us or capitulating to the demands of the extremists.

More cultural presumptuousness. Who says that the Arab world needs “lifting” into “modern western standards?” Do you hear yourself? Your arrogance (I hope unintentional) is troubling. Who says that our values or “standards” are the ones that should be adopted by the “backward” of the world?

I agree with everything in yr last paragraph except this silly, and again glib phrase:

If these Clintonian political postures are successful…

What is “Clintonian” about a group of Democratic AND Republican politicians exhibiting ethnic prejudice in a commercial setting? And what is “Clintonian” anyway? I just hate glib catch phrases which mean something only to the person who coins them and his or her coterie of the like-minded. You forget that it was Bill Clinton who embraced world trade and international agreements which opened markets both here and abroad. I’d venture to say that Bill Clinton would seriously disagree with the position advocated here by his wife and other senators and Congress members.

I share your hope that this political grandstanding will not stand and that the proposed agreement will hold. I am certain that this U.A.E. shipping company will manage our ports just as safely as any other similar company might.

In the long run, free trade is a more effective diplomacy tool than any number of guns. We are open to working with the Arab world as equals, not as terrorists. Money knows no borders or race or religion.

If these Clintonian political postures are successful, we will send a clear message to the Arab world that America is xenophobic - Arabs need not apply to the modern world, leaving options such as Hamas the seemingly only viable alternative. Assuming the deal is accepted, we send the message that America responds positively to peaceful cooperation and our wrath is only reserved for attacks on the rights that make such free trade available at all.