Re: B16

Ed Morrissey nails it:

"...one cannot escape the contemporary context of this speech, and that reflects that only one world religion still uses violence for expansion and conversion -- which is why Isamists became so irate about the speech. They haven't been insulted, they've been exposed, and they don't like it."

The Anchoress has an interesting theory on the matter:

According to the Associated Press, as she lay dying, Sr. Leonella Sgorbati followed the example of her lord, murmuring, “I forgive, I forgive…” about her murderers. That is an action of grace; it is supernatural in origin. Her death will have repercussions throughout the world, as will the Pope’s speech - as will any attempt on his life - and none of it will reflect well on Islam, which may finally be forced to look within to identify its enemies.
It is worth wondering if what we are witnessing here is a cosmic chess game, in which Benedict has seen a few moves ahead. Perhaps. More likely though, given Benedict’s apparent surprise at the vehement reaction of the “Muslim street,” and at the inability of so many to take his words in context, what we are seeing is a spiritual surgeon’s delicate probing of a supernatural psyche, one which perceives the examination as a finger being thrust into a wound. Benedict’s careful probe may well prove to be the catalyst which shames Islam (currently finding itself unable to murmur “I forgive, I forgive,” about anything at all) into finally putting down its swords.

Always the optimist.

Stuck in Cyberspace

Just thought I'd post a couple of things other people have said recently - things that make you go, "Hmmm

."From YATGB: Why am I supposed to care, let alone base my votes upon, what some vegetable hauler in Slovenia thinks about why Muslems kill people? Worse yet, why should I care about the opinions of murdering Islamofascists who blame their hatred and the misery they cause on "Jews" or "Israel" or "America". When's the last time some murdering Islamofascist in Thailand set eyes on a Jew or, for that matter, and American - or even their favorite excuse, a Palestinian? What are the chances that more than 5% of the murdering fascists in Thailand, of Sri Lanka, or Waziristan, or anywhere they bleat out their vile dogma, could find Palestine, or Israel, or the Unites States on a world map? How many of them have ever seen a world map or given a few minutes thought to anything about the world, other than the infidels available for killing, outside their own little slice of hell?

Via Neo-neocon, a golden oldie from leftie-hero, FDR:

...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—-nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory...In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties [he follows with a long list of the problems the nation faced at the time]...Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.

Context, it seems, makes all the difference.