Things we’re not allowed to talk about

To solve a problem, an individual, an organization or a society as a whole must first acknowledge that A) the problem exists, B) the problem must be specifically identified, and C) a commitment must made to solve it. Meanwhile, as a nation we are far from the same mind when it comes to solving two of the most vexing problems confronting us.

~ Inconsistencies regarding Islam ~

How many times have we heard “Islam is a religion of peace” from the media and our leaders in Washington?  Perhaps it is, but what’s their basis for saying so?  Additionally, we know that whenever a belief system is challenged or even questioned there’s going to be divergence; it’s akin to debating the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin.  However, all religions adhere to their own set of principles, so it strikes me that one possible way to  examine Islam is through is through the lens of the old saying, “Actions speak louder than words.”  And an interesting place to begin is with the fact that of the 19-armed conflicts going on in the world today, 17 involve Muslims, begging the question, is that coincidence, or does that tell us something about the religion?

Further, if the Arab or Muslim world gave a whit about the people of Gaza, they would show their support in the form of humanitarian aid.  And when a U.S. president bans the use of the term Islamic Extremists, as Barack Obama did, and refers to the murder of 13 Americans and the injury to more than 30 others at Fort Hood by a soldier of Allah as “workplace violence” instead of what it is, and continues to tell the world, “We’re all complicit,” denial about Islam’s darker side will continue.  If John F. Kennedy had been as pro-Catholic during his administration as Barack Obamas was pro-Muslim he likely would have been impeached.  And if it offends that I refer to the Chosen One as a Muslim apologist, think about this: according to the Pew Research Center analysis of data from the State Department during Obama’s last year in office nearly half (46%) of the refugees who entered the U.S. during that period were Muslims – do the math, and only fools believe in political coincidences.

And when Barack Obama makes tell-tale comments such as “the choices Israel is making could further harden Palestinian attitudes for generations,” who does he think he’s kidding?  He’s as transparent as a cellophane wrapper.  Most Americans are appalled by what’s transpiring in the Middle East, but some are not, and we should be very clear about who the misanthropes trying to justify Hamas’ barbaric actions are – from newsrooms to the halls of congress they are all woke progressives.  And lastly, consider the following, Jews comprise just 0.2% of the world’s population (16.5 million)  and have been awarded the Nobel Prize 225 times, while Muslims who represent almost a quarter of the world’s population (1.9 billion) have been awarded the prize just 16 times.  Now what this means within the context of the issue is for you to decide, however, actions do speak volumes.

And predicated on their actions it should be obvious to any clear-thinking individual that peace with or within the Muslim world is unattainable at present.  So, the question becomes, if true peace is out of the question, is there at least a possibility for détente?  I can’t answer that, but it’s a question that should be discussed before our leaders “virtue-signal’ with Pollyannish peace proposals.  And to digress for a moment and from a purely American perspective, what most disturbs me about the current situation isn’t the rampant antisemitism I see, as bad as that is, but rather it’s that so many Americans are absolutely blind to what’s occurring.  And even worse, I do not get the feeling that many of them really care, which is frighteningly reminiscent of 1930s Europe.

~ Race & Crime ~

The other subject where candid conversation is verboten in America is race.  Take the Black Lives Matter organization for example, where the only black lives that matter to them are black lives when white police officers are involved.  And why is it that no one in the media ever asks, how many scholarships to deserving black kids did BLM provide last year, or if BLM has built any schools or opened any adoption agencies with the millions, they received in donations during the 2021 “summer of love,” when 37 were killed and $2 billion in property was destroyed during those peaceful protests.

But it’s politically incorrect to talk about BLM’s behavior, just as its politically incorrect to talk about the real issue with guns and violent crime in America.  For example, according to the FBI, 7% of the population (black males) committed more than 50% of the homicides recorded between 1980 and 2008.  And while I’m not trained as a sociologist, one would have to be obtuse not to recognize that the single-parent household statistic (70% of black children are being raised in single parent and usually fatherless homes) might be an influencing factor, but we never seem to hear about that when the Biden administration wants to put more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners.  FBI statistics also reveal that blacks are disproportionately likely to be the victims of homicide with a victimization rate that’s six times higher than it is for whites.

Clearly, these figures are problematic, including the fact that the proportion of black suspects arrested by the police tends to match closely the proportion of offenders identified as black by victims in the National Crime Victimization Survey, which doesn’t support the idea that the police are unfairly discriminating against the black population when they make arrests.  So why are young black men over-represented in America’s crime statistics?

~ Poverty or Culture? ~

It’s easy to confuse race for poverty or inequality and that black people tend to offend more because they tend to be more disadvantaged, living in poorer urban areas with less access to public services, and so on.  However, by controlling for deprivation, people of different races ought to be similarly predisposed to commit crime—or at least that’s the theory.  And there has been a great deal of research in this area, but much of it is contradictory and all sociologists suffer from a common problem: finding urban white communities that are as disadvantaged as the poorest black communities, in order to make fair comparisons.  Some will downplay the importance of poverty in favor of the “violent subculture theory” i.e., that black communities, for some reason, have developed cultural values that are more tolerant of crime and violence. That’s racist nonsense, and there’s no hard evidence to support that contention.

Meanwhile, it’s also naïve to suggest there is no racism in the US criminal justice system, but then victim reports don’t support the idea the black crime rate is primarily due to mass discrimination.  The reality is there are few simple answers, and links between crime and race are likely to remain the subject of disagreement  But we cannot address much less resolve either issue unless we can discuss them candidly without the impediment of political correctness.

Quote of the day:  “In no society have all regions and all parts of the population developed equally.”- Fernand Braudel