Posted by
JBDavis on Tuesday, May 08, 2007 12:08:57 PM
Read this.
History is important. One part really stands out:
In 1786, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams even went to London to negotiate directly with the envoy from Tripoli.
Several historians and writers have reminded us recently of the ambassador’s nearly forgotten answer. Fortunately, Jefferson prepared a written report for the government and left other records of the incident. Here’s a description from The Atlantic Monthly in 1872:
Disguising their feelings as best they could, they ‘took the liberty to make some inquiries concerning the ground of the pretensions to make war upon nations who had done them no injury.’ The ambassador replied that it was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave.” He claimed every one of their guys who was “slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise.
These people are not going to change. They are not attacking us because big, bad Bush is attacking them. They are taught to attack anyone who is not like them. It doesn't matter to them that we want to get along. The Koran teaches them to do this.