Propaganda for the Enemy
Let me first make it clear that I do not believe in the banning of books. Not Mein Kampf, and not that piece of putrefying hatred called the Koran. All books have a place, even if it is only in history.
That said, if ever there was an argument for banning the Koran, this would be it.
When a war is being waged against your country, propaganda for the enemy is forbidden. It is a condition of victory. We have to come to terms with the fact that war has been foisted upon us. The strategy to oppose it is entirely different from what would apply in normal times.
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Many people think the Koran is just another book, or just another religious text, or just another expression of one’s opinion. It is not. It is a casus belli from the Muslim standpoint, as are any goalposts that Muslims will gladly plant and move forward, in their strategy of conquest of kuffar territory.
As with Geert Wilders’ argument that if Mein Kampf can be banned for inciting hatred against Jews, so too should the Koran, this argument is good. It is sound. I don’t agree with the principle behind it, but I admit that it makes sense. Until such time as we can declare victory over our enemy and reassert our own cultural values, it seems ridiculous that we should be promoting and allowing the promotion of the very message that inflames our enemy to so much hatred.
Propaganda. Does the Koran fit the description?
1capitalized : a congregation of the Roman curia having jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions
2: the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person
3: ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause ; also : a public action having such an effect
Banning a book because it is propagandist is a slippery slope–especially since any book worth its salt can be called propagandist.
Perhaps, the better approach, as Mill would have it, is to show the Koran openly, loudly and fully for what it is, what it contains and how it may be used in creating the issues that we face today. Actually using the “enemy’s” tool to show him as the enemy is often the most rhetorically effective approach to “winning” cultural war.
I have issues with the whole ‘winning cultural war’ thing, but since that seems your goal, I thought I’d help you see a better way to reach it.
Comment by leah — February 17, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
Congratulations on finding and endorsing the work of Baron Bodissey, who last year called for anti-Muslim crusaders to forget their distaste for neo-Nazis and join forces - to the point that even Little Green Footballs was revolted.
Good one, Right Girl. I’ve noted Shaidle’s obsession with Nazi pornography, but I always assumed it was a joke. Silly me.
Comment by balbulican — February 17, 2009 @ 2:17 pm
I would have to agree with Leah on this one. Heard an ad on the radio the other day and it asked something like this “Is it sometimes easier to just shut-up than say what you would like to say?” I thought OMG, somebody is doing something about PCness! No it was an ad for Alanon. So why don’t we have an advertizing campaign? I’d throw in a few hundred. I would seriously like to see (hear) some radio & billboard spots about hot issues, such as HRC’s, Immigration, “What Kind Of Canada Do You Want” etc.
Comment by Mohammed The Teddy Bear — February 17, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
Actually Balbulican, I’ve probably posted one link a year (my blog is turning 9) about ‘Nazi pornography’, and those tend to explore the bizarre phenomenon that happened in Israel during the Eichman trial, when prison camp porn enjoyed a brief vogue.
Can you produce more than 9 links on my blog that reference ‘nazi pornography’? Thanks!
You people really are irony challenged and have poor reading comprehensions skills.
PS: B, if my blog is so hateful, why do you and your friends insist on visiting it everyday?
Comment by Kathy Shaidle — February 17, 2009 @ 6:29 pm
All comments above lead me to think I should have spared my fingers the trouble of writing the first paragraph. You know, the one where it says I don’t agree with banning books. That one. The one you people neglected to read.
RG
Comment by Right Girl — February 17, 2009 @ 10:44 pm
[...] RIGHT GIRL– Propaganda for the Enemy …. [...]
Pingback by Steynian 325 « Free Canuckistan! — February 18, 2009 @ 3:28 pm
So Kathy…you actually went back through your blog and counted the number of links dealing with Nazi porn? Nine, was it?
Amazing.
Comment by balbulican — February 22, 2009 @ 4:05 pm
[...] response to a mocking comment I made about her peculiar interest in Nazi Porn, she responde indignantly as follows: Can you [...]
Pingback by stageleft:. life on the left side : Why I Love Kathy Shaidle — February 22, 2009 @ 9:21 pm