NYTimes.com Article: This Is a Religious War

[Wayne Johnson]

Best summary I have seen to date.

Hoping that we can somehow reorient religious fundamentalism is probably
futile.  We have no clearly good choices and a lot of bad ones.  One
"answer" is a war against religion itself, simply destroy ALL who have
"religious" beliefs and the problem goes away.  It does leave, however, the
question of what kind of "moral or ethical" society can exist which can
condone this.  And who would want to be a part of this process?  Even lil
ole Atheist Wayne would choke on this one.

One answer would be to join them.  If we all convert to Islam, then we cease
to be an enemy.  Personally, I think death might be preferable.

One answer is to just continue to fight and fight and fight until one side
or the other grows too tired to fight any longer or the body count begins to
approach regional extermination.  However this has its drawbacks as it could
lead to such internal disruption of Western states that they become very
Militaristic.  Or, at sometime or another, someone will get really pissed
off and nuke Medina and/or Mecca out of revenge.  That would certainly stir
up the ant pile into a frenzy of killing and retaliation.  We do have the
submarines and they don't.

The Human History of this planet over the past 2 Millenia is chock-a-block
with periods of culturaly collapse.  A model is obviously there for
arguments that we are in for a new Dark Age.  Barbarism and Holy Wars,
combined with Disease...the Four Horsemen...have kept us stumbling around
for hundreds of years in the past.  Ignorance begets ignorance.
Man/Personkind continues to look to the stars only to be returned to
savagery by some of its basest instincts.  Turning back the clock will be
only a temporary respite...but it would be a horrifyingly bloody one.  It is
possible that only China will survive this century with something of its
culture and national identify intact.

Pox on all their houses.

B.